Anapest and Dactyl
by
Robert Betts
(Age: 63)
copyright 06-22-2001
Age Rating: 13 to 127
In the last installment we reviewed the iamb and introduced its opposite the trochee. The iamb scans as ta TUM while the trochee scans as TUM ta.
Now a short digression. Some people have a natural talent and perhaps don't know what they're using, they just use it and succeed. A confession: I seem to have that talent and wrote "Honeybee" several years ago without having a clue about any forms at all. It since has received quite a bit of acclaim. But what sets it apart, aside from the power of its theme?
Click here to see: Honeybee
The Dactyl beginning "Honeybee" sets the stage for all that follows. A Dactyl is TUM ta ta. So it scans:
HON y bee, HON y bee, LIS ten i SAY
Three dactyls with a masculine ending, a very strange form indeed! This shows the creativity which is possible using so called "rigid" rules. I would simply refer you to this poem on my page and you can see how the rigid form was often twisted to achieve the desired effect. Especially you might take note of the sudden shift from Dactyl to yet another obscure and seldom used rhythm in the lines:
it was a DARK and MOON less NIGHT
That is a pyrrhic (two un-accented syllables) followed by a normal sequence of three iambs. Why? The reason is quite obvious; something unusual and different was happening and that difference is reflected in the change in meter. Again I confess that at the time I didn't have a clue about the names for rhythm patterns, I was "barnstorming."
Note also how the comma is often used to act as the missing syllable in a dactyl. The added pause becomes an unaccented syllable in the dactyl. To further aid the reader, the beginning dactyl of HON y bee is repeated many times throughout the poem. In still other places, a natural speaking break becomes an unaccented syllable in a dactyl, for example at the end of the second line: "thoughts (pause) to DAY." These are subtle devices used either knowingly or unknowingly by the poet.
Lest I overwhelm the reader with digression, lets look at the one other rhythm pattern mentioned in the title, the anapest. Where the trochee is the opposite of the iamb, so the anapest is opposite to the dactyl. Anapestic rhythm is: ta ta TUM. I can think of one good example in a song: (Songs of course are nothing more than poetry set to music.)
in the STILL of the NIGHT
One truly important note is that YOUR VERY FIRST line sets the stage. Honeybee flows smoothly from the VERY obvious dactyl at its beginning. The reader knows instinctively that Honeybee is: HON y bee. He will make adjustments as he reads to follow the pattern or will be lost for a second should it change as mentioned above. Small digressions from that rhythm are acceptable because the stage has been set and the power of the poem takes over the reader's attention. However you must be careful that the attention is strongly captivated before making such a large change or the reader will be entirely lost. This of course is the artistry of the poet, to know how much is enough and how much is too much.
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Thank you again for sharing this valuable pointers, I am glad you have written this piece too, like the one about "frustrated poetry". New writers like me get the much needed guidelines in writing and get a good idea of how to write better and correctly. Altough there will be errors, practice and diligence will later be rewarding. I will read this again and again as I find it very helpful.
Thank you for these very informative articles,
Bob. I've always tried to keep the meter of my poetry consistent, and it doesn't always work right, but it's nice to have a name for the different styles. And it makes me want to go back and do some editing. This is great reading!
Welcome !
