Syllabic verse is poetry built on a fixed number of syllables in each line, while the pattern of stressed and unstressed beats may vary. Unlike accentual or accentual-syllabic verse, it counts syllables rather than following a regular stress pattern. It is common in forms shaped by languages where syllable count is especially natural, and it can also be used in English for a more controlled, delicate line.
Example
Morning gathers on the roof
Silver cups of light and dew
Quiet steps across the floor
Wake the day in measured syllables
The following stanza from "Especially When The October Wind" by Dylan Thomas is an example of syllabic verse in English. Each line is made up of 10 syllables.(Note how the line "And cast/ a sha/dow crab/ upon/ the land/" can be scanned as regular iambic pentameter even though it is considered syllabic in the context of the poem)
- Especially when the October wind
- With frosty fingers punishes my hair,
- Caught by the crabbing sun I walk on fire
- And cast a shadow crab upon the land,
- By the sea's side, hearing the noise of birds,
- Hearing the raven cough in winter sticks,
- My busy heart who shudders as she talks
- Sheds the syllabic blood and drains her words.