Meter

Definition:

The arrangement of words in regularly rhythmic or patterned lines or verses.

Example:


iambic pentameter (5 iambs, 10 syllables)

• That time | of year | thou mayst | in me | behold

trochaic tetrameter (4 trochees, 8 syllables)

• Tell me | not in | mournful | numbers

anapestic trimeter (3 anapests, 9 syllables)

• And the sound | of a voice | that is still

dactylic hexameter (6 dactyls, 17 syllables; a trochee replaces the last dactyl)

• This is the | forest pri | meval, the | murmuring | pine and the | hemlock

Significance:

Meter provides rhythmic meaning to a poem. Most neglect the actual beat and arrangement of beats in a poem because they are so focused on the meaning. Meter is always something to notice in poetry.