Rhyme and Meter p. 838

Jump Rope Rhymes Cinderella, dressed in yellow Went upstairs to kiss a 'fella Made a mistake And kissed a snake How many doctors did it take?

Anglo-Saxon Verse The characteristic style of Anglo-Saxon poetry consists of a line with four stressed syllables, a pause or caesura dividing the line into two half-lines, and no end-rhyme. The stressed syllables are alliterated, and there is no set number of unstressed syllables. Is there any rhyme, either end rhyme or internal? Did you notice that often the stressed syllables in a line contain alliteration? Provide examples. What function does the alliteration seem to have? Is there any particular number of unstressed syllables per line, or does the number seem to vary?

Beowulf “Lo! We have listened to many a lay Of the Spear-Danes’ fame, their splendor of old. Their mighty princes, and martial deeds! Many a mead-hall Scyld, son of Sceaf, Snatched from the forces of savage foes. From a friendless foundling, feeble and wretched, He grew to a terror as time brought change. He throve over heaven in power and pride Till alien peoples beyond the ocean Paid toll and tribute. A good king he!”

Anglo-Saxon Rhythm Find four strong beats (stressed syllables) in each line. Draw a slanted mark (/) over each. In the middle of the line, between the second and third strong beats, find a natural pause (caesura). Mark its position with paired up and down lines (//). Unstressed syllables are shown with a mark like an arc on the bottom of a circle, such as U. Mark the unstressed syllables. This is the rhythm of Anglo-Saxon poetry. It may help you to read the lines aloud.

Beowulf / U U / U U / U U / “Lo! We have listened to many a lay U U / U / U / U U / Of the Spear-Danes’ fame, their splendor of old. U / U / U U / U / Their mighty princes, and martial deeds! / U U / U / U U / Many a mead-hall Scyld, son of Sceaf, Snatched from the forces of savage foes. From a friendless foundling, feeble and wretched, He grew to a terror as time brought change. He throve over heaven in power and pride Till alien peoples beyond the ocean Paid toll and tribute. A good king he!”

Iamb Even-numbered syllables are often accented while the odd are unaccented. We call each of these two-syllable units an iambic foot. (Ex. “Alone”) U / An iambic line: “How sweet the name of Jesus sounds” (John Newton) Resource Link

Trochee If the odd syllables are accented while the even are unaccented, we call it trochaic.  (Ex. “Glory”) / U A trochaic line: “Lucy in the sky with diamonds” (John Lennon/Paul McCartney) Resource Link

Practice / U or U / I want to go with you today, my friend In what meter is this line written? How many syllables are present? / U or U /

Tip Sometimes a shift in meter is more significant than the mere fact that a meter is used. “With green ones, and on top big dark blobs burned Like a plate of eyes. Our hands were peppered”

Shifting Patterns “One lesser-known reason “In Christ Alone” evokes strong feelings is because Townend and Getty begin each even-numbered line with a strong trochee before sliding back into the stately, prevailing iambic pattern. So the congregation sings a biblical truth on the odd-numbered line, and then begins the next line with a punchy declaration or exclamation” In CHRIST aLONE who TOOK on FLESH FULness of GOD in HELPless BABE! This GIFT of LOVE and RIGHteousNESS SCORNED by the ONES he CAME to SAVE “Poets write trochaic substitutions in iambic lines to produce the effect of sudden movement or emphasis. This is the most common metrical variation in all of English poetry, used by Milton, Pope, Yeats, Auden, Wordsworth, Keats, Frost and many others.” Resource Link