Iambic meter! (Did you know that it expresses our heart-beat?)

by

Yes, it expresses the beat of our hearts!

Iambic meter: The more widely used meter in structured verse.
Today we will examine four variations of it: The Pentameter, the Tetrameter, the Hexameter and the Trimeter.

_____

1) Iambic pentameter is a commonly used metrical line in traditional verse, and verse drama. The term describes the particular rhythm that the words establish in that line. That rhythm is measured in small groups of syllables; these small groups of syllables are called "feet". The word "iambic" describes the type of foot that is used (in English, an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable). The word "pentameter" indicates that a line has five of these "feet."
The da-DUM of a human heartbeat is the most common example of this rhythm.
A standard line of iambic pentameter is five iambic feet in a row:

da DUM da DUM da DUM da DUM da DUM

(the above excerpt was taken from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iambic_pentameter )


Example:

( ...Concerned the stalwart stares above the land
where snow flakes in the winter gust rotate
the herds of buffalo tracked down and strand-
-were forced to move ahead and relocate. )
(by Giorgio V.)

Most sonnets (English and Italian) are written in Iambic Pentameter.
_____

2) Similarly, we may refer to Iambic tetrameter verse:
A standard line of iambic tetrameter consists of four iambic feet in a row:
da DUM da DUM da DUM da DUM

Example:

( ...The sea-waves touch your open palms;
along the shore the waters bid
when stormy sea henceforth becalms,
and tide engulfs what skies forbid.)
(by Giorgio V.)

_____

3) Another variation is the Iambic hexameter:
A standard line of iambic hexameter consists of six iambic feet in a row:
da DUM da DUM da DUM da DUM da DUM da DUM
It is a demanding form of Iamb and we use it when our theme requires longer, rhetorical lines.

Example:

( ...And then my thought reshaped two passengers to pair
amid that solitude and needle-stinging rain,
details that spun the gyroscopic lift and flare,
across the road evolved to some melodic strain.)
(By Giorgio Venetopoulos)

_____

3) Iambic trimeter is a meter consisting of three iambic units per line:
da DUM da DUM da DUM
The playful and fast rhythm this meter offers, is suitable for lyrics and light poetry.


Example:

(...We romped until the pans
Slid from the kitchen shelf;
My mother's countenance
Could not unfrown itself. )
(by Theodore Roethke )
_____

Get a Premium Membership
Get more exposure for your poetry and more features with a Premium Membership.
Book: Radiant Verses: A Journey Through Inspiring Poetry

Member Area

My Admin
Profile and Settings
Edit My Poems
Edit My Quotes
Edit My Short Stories
Edit My Articles
My Comments Inboxes
My Comments Outboxes
Soup Mail
Poetry Contests
Contest Results/Status
Followers
Poems of Poets I Follow
Friend Builder

Soup Social

Poetry Forum
New/Upcoming Features
The Wall
Soup Facebook Page
Who is Online
Link to Us

Member Poems

Poems - Top 100 New
Poems - Top 100 All-Time
Poems - Best
Poems - by Topic
Poems - New (All)
Poems - New (PM)
Poems - New by Poet
Poems - Read
Poems - Unread

Member Poets

Poets - Best New
Poets - New
Poets - Top 100 Most Poems
Poets - Top 100 Most Poems Recent
Poets - Top 100 Community
Poets - Top 100 Contest

Famous Poems

Famous Poems - African American
Famous Poems - Best
Famous Poems - Classical
Famous Poems - English
Famous Poems - Haiku
Famous Poems - Love
Famous Poems - Short
Famous Poems - Top 100

Famous Poets

Famous Poets - Living
Famous Poets - Most Popular
Famous Poets - Top 100
Famous Poets - Best
Famous Poets - Women
Famous Poets - African American
Famous Poets - Beat
Famous Poets - Cinquain
Famous Poets - Classical
Famous Poets - English
Famous Poets - Haiku
Famous Poets - Hindi
Famous Poets - Jewish
Famous Poets - Love
Famous Poets - Metaphysical
Famous Poets - Modern
Famous Poets - Punjabi
Famous Poets - Romantic
Famous Poets - Spanish
Famous Poets - Suicidal
Famous Poets - Urdu
Famous Poets - War

Poetry Resources

Anagrams
Bible
Book Store
Character Counter
Cliché Finder
Poetry Clichés
Common Words
Copyright Information
Grammar
Grammar Checker
Homonym
Homophones
How to Write a Poem
Lyrics
Love Poem Generator
New Poetic Forms
Plagiarism Checker
Poetics
Poetry Art
Publishing
Random Word Generator
Spell Checker
Store
What is Good Poetry?
Word Counter