POETIC METRE-GREETER – a really awful guide to prosody*

When groups of beats in poems are put,
Then each such group is called a foot;
‘IT ADS’ for naming feet you seek: –
I am fits in with I am beak,                               [Iamb; Iambic]
To-row-key, make To-row-cake,              [Trochee; Trochaic]
An’-a-pest with An’-a-pest-tick,          [Anapaest; Anapaestic]
Duck-tail best onto Duck-till-ick;                 [Dactyl; Dactylic]
S, re-Spondi-ng with such break,  Spondee; also take Spondaic.

Iam/bic  let/us  now /pa rade/
Its stress/ each se/cond  beat/ is made/
Trochee/ should re/verse it/ –
Thus you/ would re/hearse it!/
A na paest/ic has two/ weak and one/ that is strong/
An’ a test/  you have messed/ if you stressed/ this one wrong!/
Dac tyl the/stress is done/ back ward ly/
Def in ite/ strong–weak-weak/tack, you see?/
Spon dee?/ Strict test/ –
Such pairs – / both stressed!/

 

The metrical line is the number of feet
And, added to ‘metre’, these terms you will meet:
One is mono, two are di,
And with three you put in tri;
Four is tetra, penta five,
Hexa, six will bring alive;
And though seven is quite rare,
Septa you would put in there. 

*Prosody: the patterns of rhythm and sound used in poetry.

© Colonialist September 2013 (WordPress) (Revised from 24.com)