[Bards] Iambic: (WAS Poetic Exercise #4)

[Fitzmorgan at aol.com]

In a message dated 9/23/2003 9:32:37 PM Central Standard Time, 
edreese at m7bedlam.com writes:
Love it!

But, er, this Iambic stuff has me molto confused.... Could you explain it to 
me? Anybody?

Esther
    Words have a certain rhythm  A pattern of stressed and unstressed 
syllables.  For example the word "Honor" is a stressed syllable followed by an 
unstressed syllable.  HON or.  or  HAPP y.  In English a line of verse is often 
written so that the stressed and unstressed syllables alternate in a regular 
pattern.  The most common pattern is called Iambic.  An Iamb is an unstressed 
syllable followed by a stressed syllable.  One set is called an Iambic foot.  A 
line of iambic verse can be made up any number of Iambic feet.  There are 
different names for the number of feet.  
    A line of Iambic Pentameter is a line that consist of Five Iambic feet. 
For Example.

        The DREAMS   that DRIVE   our LIVES   and LIFT  our HEARTS.

    Iambic Pentameter is very common in English poetry.  

Ballad Verse is alternating lines of Iambic Tetrameter and Iambic Trimeter, 
that is alternating lines of Four Iambic Feet and Three Iambic Feet.  Such as 
this.

I wish we'd used a few more nails,
And drank a lot less mead.

    It's late so I don't really have time to go into it in more detail.  

Check out the following site for more information.

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/general/gl_meter.html

Robert
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