II. Elements of Poetry

   Metrical Rhythm

   Rhyme

   Tone 

   Imagery

  Theme

1. Rhythm and Meter

   (1)  Rhythm refers to the regular recurrence of the accent or stress in a poem or song. 

   (2) The pattern of rhythm in a poem is called meter. There are 5 basic patterns of rhythms.

   (3) Each of these meters is made up of its basic units. Each unit is called a foot.

Note: Rhythm doesn’t have meaning, but it can certainly help convey and reinforce meaning. It can intimate movement or action.

 

  (a) Iambic foot (iambus): An unstressed syllable followed by an stressed one 

   In every cry of every man (ˇˉ)

   In every infant’s cry of fear

(b) Trochaic foot (trochee): A stressed syllable followed by an unstressed one

Rise like ︱lions ︱after︱slumber(ˉˇ)

(c) Anapestic foot (anapest): Two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed one 

       --I am monarch of all I survey(ˇˇˉ)

(d) Dactylic foot (dactyl): A stressed syllable followed by two unstressed ones

       --Think of her ︱mournfully(ˉˇˇ)

(e) Spondee: A foot which consists of two stressed syllables

     --knick-knack; ︱More haste, ︱less speed.(ˉˉ)

(4) Number of feet per line

  one footmonometer (rare)

  two feetdimeter

  three feettrimeter

  four feettetrameter

  five feetpentameter

  six feet        hexameter

  seven feetheptameter (rare)

  eight feetoctameter (rare)

(5) Line (Stanza ) Pattern

-- couplet: 2 lines

-- tercet: 3 lines

-- quatrain: 4 lines

--sestet: 6 lines

-- ottave: 8 lines

-- Spenserian stanza: 9 lines

-- sonnet: 14 lines

 (6) Rhyme

Words that have identical end sounds at the end of a poetic line. e.g:

She walks in beauty, like the night                a

  Of cloudless climes and starry skies;          b

And all that’s best of dark and bright            a

   Meet in her aspect and her eyes:                b

This mellowed to that tender light                a

   Which heaven to gaudy day denies.           b

(a) Masculine rhyme—同音的重读元音押韵，如：care—wear; reap —heap; old —resold.注意元音后的辅音也要相同。

(b) Feminine rhyme —同音的重读元音加同音的轻读音节，如：starvation —condemnation; booty —duty; fortunate —importunate.

(c) Imperfect rhyme—听起来相似或看起来相同的韵脚，如：

plough —low; forge —scourge;

     fair —sepulchre (听起来大概相似)

love —prove; home —come;

      one —alone (看起来相同，这叫eye  rhyme).