I'm trying to write a poem in iambic tetrameter (unstressed/stressed - four feet, eight syllables). Wordsworth's first line from I wandered as.. I wandered lonely as a cloud This follows the rules and rolls off the tongue beautifully, but I'm really struggling to understand why my attempt does not sound so nice. I suspect I'm inadvertently throwing in a trochee somewhere, but I can't see it. The old theatre house now stands As far as I can tell this is in iamb, consisting of four feet and eight syllables, but it's almost as though there's too many words/syllables in there, and I struggle to delivery it with the same rhythm as Wordsworth's classic. Any help much appreciated.
You've stressed the word wrong, that's why. the old THE/-a-tre HOUSE/ now STANDS (Anapest/Anapest/Iamb)
So how would I go about getting across a similar sentence in iambic tetrameter? a PICTure HOUSE of OLD now STANDS ?
The challenge of metrical writing is that he has to use contemporary syntax and diction (meaning none of that preposition + Adjective phrase crap.) - The Theatre house stands is Iambic Tri-meter if that helps any. -
If you are referring to my remark on Grammar, being in Free Verse doesn't excuse outdated Syntax either.
No, just that I don't need to worry about iambs, trochees, meters and damn feet! I think I'll stick to Carlos Williams for my inspiration.
Takes practice. Before summer I could only write 10 lines in a night (if I was lucky) now I do 40+ no problem. By next year I will be probably doing 100+ a night. I read a lot of metrical writing though, and scan poems. Reading, writing, and scanning has helped me develop my hear for it.
Well I just spent about four solid hours writing a single, four-line stanza in iambic tetrameter, and I still haven't got it right. It's like anything creative - many people feed off the difficulty, but too much effort kills my desire.
Well I just spent about four solid hours (Iamb/Iamb/Iamb/Iamb/Iamb) Iambic Pentameter is not hard to write in, it's almost naturally. You need to master writing it before trying to write poems in it. (Does that makes sense?) Right now, my Paradise Mourned Series, the main objective of that series is to master writing blank verse. I'm not worrying about figures of speech, imagery, sound, end Rhyme, Pivoting juxtapositions, or anything else. I am writing a few stories, using straightforward language and syntax, that happens to be in Iambic Pentameter. Like I said, try to master just one poetic at a time before adding other things to it.
Yes, it makes perfect sense. I write what I think is an iambic sentence, only to find that I'm forcing the stresses in the wrong place to suit my own needs. And then I come across a multi-syllable word that I ponder over for ever, trying to work out where the stresses come and go. It's difficult because there are no hard, fast rules for determining where a stress comes (or doesn't) - it can only be determined by ear.
My friend, I am about to make your day. The Dictionary TELLS you where the stress of a word falls. http://www.dictionary.com/browse/happy?s=t If you look at the word happy you will see [Hap-ee] The 'hap' is bolded because that is the stress part of the word.
Ah, but it doesn't do it for multi-syllable words - at least not that I can see. http://www.dictionary.com/browse/circumstances?s=t Also, if you want a word ending with '-ing' or '-es' it omits the present participle. Although I think I'm correct in saying all present participles are unstressed?
https://www.writingforums.org/entry/a-study-of-metrical-writing-part-1-introduction.63871/ Jud, I have an entire blog series on the subject (21 parts). I suggest you take a look through it.
On a side note, I find this site very useful when writing poetry. It tells you how many syllables a word has, and which one is stressed. https://www.howmanysyllables.com/
Brilliant! I was looking for such a site earlier today when I discovered the standard dictionary only seem to show the stress with words of two syllables. That said, I just tested this site and can't see where it shows the stress either? https://www.howmanysyllables.com/words/circumstances Ah! It seems it doesn't like it if you use a present participle on your words, such as the '-s' in circumstances. If I search 'circumstance' I get the stress indicated.
Yes, for some reason it doesn't seem to have the stressed syllable for every word It has it for most words, however (at least in my experience).
Unfortunately on closer inspection it appears to have the same shortcoming as regular dictionaries, in that it doesn't show secondary stressed syllables. If I used 'Beautiful' in a poem, to my ears it would be BEAU-ti-FUL, but the second stress isn't indicated. You'd think someone would have made a poetry dictionary that caters for this.
While the dictionary is a great source of help, you will run into some problems. I'm going to leave you guys this 1 line, and see if you can find all 10 Syllables. From Charles Rafferty's Greening - are filling in with moss. April warps - This is a very difficult line to scan, but an excellent example of some of the stuff you will 'hear' while reading other people's metrical writing. Once you can read (and write) line like this, you will have mastered the art of hearing meter.
My attempt, and I promise I haven't checked @8Bit Bob's attempt yet. Spoiler Rafferties (3) Greening (2) Filling (2) April (2) That's nine - not sure where the tenth is. Man I can be dumb sometimes Anyway, now I've seen @8Bit Bob's I'll try and do the scan, not including the credit Spoiler Are FILLing IN with MOSS. ApRIL WARPS. There's no way on this earth there are ten syllables in this sentence!
