The beauty of poetry lies not only in the meaning of the words within a poem but how poets structure these words. This structure, which is referred to as meter, is a poet’s way of directing how we read their work, influencing the pace, tone, and overall feeling of a poem.
What is Meter in Poetry Used For?
First, let’s define meter in poetry
In simple terms, meter is the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry. There's different types and ways to use meters, which we'll look into after defining the term.
METER POETRY DEFINITION
What is meter in poetry?
Poetic meter is the foundational rhythmic structure of a line within a poem. This structure is composed of individual units within poetry called feet, each having a specific number of syllables arranged in a particular pattern of emphasis. These patterns help create the rhythm that distinguishes one type of meter from another and gives poems musicality, rhythm, and deeper meaning.
Meter Meaning in Poetry:
- The number of syllables
- The emphasis pattern on those syllables
Rhyme vs Meter in Poems
Meter vs Rhyme
Meter is often confused with rhyme. While both give a poem rhythm and musicality, they do so in different ways. Both can play a bit off each other but are distinct poetic techniques.
What is Meter in Poetry?
Meter focuses on the rhythmic structure of a line, dictating the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables.
Rhyme deals with the repetition of similar sounds at the end of lines, providing a sense of harmony and unity within the poem.
Types of Meter in Poetry
Qualitative vs. Quantitative Meter
Meter can be defined in two different ways: qualitative and quantitative. This refers to how the meter is measured and what elements of language are used — mainly stressing the sounds of syllables through phonetic emphasis versus controlling the length of the sound of a syllable.
Qualitative Meter: This is characterized by the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables. It is the most common type in English poetry.
Quantitative Meter: Found mainly in classical Greek and Latin poetry, this type is based on the duration of syllables, considering the length of time it takes to pronounce them rather than stress.
Feet in Metered Verse
Types of Feet
As we said before, a meter is composed of feet. In English poetry, the most frequent metrical feet consist of either two or three syllables. These differ in how syllables are stressed and unstressed. Here are some of the most common types of feet in poetry:
Iamb (Iambic): An unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable (e.g., "da-DUM").
Trochee (Trochaic): A stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable (e.g., "DA-dum").
Spondee (Spondaic): Two stressed syllables (e.g., "DA-DA").
Dactyl (Dactylic): One stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables (e.g., "DA-da-da").
Anapest (Anapestic): Two unstressed syllables followed by one stressed syllable (e.g., "da-da-DUM").
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Variations of Metered Verse
Types of Meter in Poetry
With these varying types of feet, poets can create different types of meter in poetry based on the number of feet used. The number of feet is determined the same as the meter using Greek suffixes.
- Monometer: One foot per line
- Dimeter: Two feet per line
- Trimeter: Three feet per line
- Tetrameter: Four feet per line
- Pentameter: Five feet per line
- Hexameter: Six feet per line
- Heptameter: Seven feet per line
- Octameter: Eight feet per line
Meter in Poetry Examples
Examples of Meter
When we take the type of feet as well as the number of feet used in a line of poetry, we get some of the most common uses of meter in poetry. These terms are probably more familiar to you, but hopefully make more sense after we've broken down the meaning of its components.
Iambic Pentameter: Iambic pentameter consists of five iambic feet per line and is perhaps the most famous meter in English poetry. Shakespearean sonnets are iconic for its use of iambic pentameter perhaps most famously in his famous "Sonnet 18".
"Shall I / comPARE / thee TO / a SUM / mer's DAY?"
Blank Verse: This is unrhymed iambic pentameter, widely used in English dramatic, epic, and reflective verse. A great example is "The Second Coming" by William Butler Yeats. An excerpt reads:
"Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity."
Iambic Trimeter and Iambic Tetrameter: These meters consist of three and four iambic feet per line, respectively (e.g., many of Emily Dickinson’s poems).
Dactylic Hexameter: Known as the meter of classical epic poetry, it is defined by six dactylic feet per line (e.g., "Homer's Iliad and Odyssey").
Poetry has proved its timeless reach from poet to reader across time. The works of Shakespeare, Dickinson, and Poe are all read and studied to this day. Meter's function in this timelessness is absolutely crucial as it allows a poet's original intent behind a poem to be preserved.
Up Next
What is a Stanza in a Poem?
Studying the components of a poem can take time, but will make you a better writer of poetry and make consuming poetry all the more enjoyable. Another component that is important to understand is the stanza. Learn more in our next article.
