How do you mark meter that doesn't fit...

[Kendall]

How do you mark (Skill Level 1 Lesson 2) the breves and stresses when the meter doesn't "fit" the overall pattern? We are looking at the 3rd line of the Ben Franklin poem. Do we mark what it would be if it fit, what it seems to be, or skip marking it at all?

Thanks,
Kendall

[Tracy Gustilo]

Hi Kendall,

In general, you should mark syllables with breves and stresses as they are. Then you determine the overall meter by the dominant pattern of breves and stresses you find in the line (or stanza/poem).

In cases where there are alternative possible readings, you can sometimes gently "force" the pronunciation into the expected meter, but if it is obviously something else, you should not do this.

Surprisingly often, classical poets mean something by it when they depart from the expected meter. For example, "The Steam-Engine" (see Day 3 Imitation, skill level 5), starts out with trochaic meter, but the dominant meter for the poem is iambic. The poem starts with a sort of unexpected "jolt" -- which is what a train does. Form fits content.

Here is "The Whole Duty of Children" by Robert Louis Stevenson:

A child should always say what's true
And speak when he is spoken to,
And behave mannerly at table;
At least as far as he is able.

Note the departure from regular iambic meter in the third line. This line does not behave in quite a mannerly fashion, or perhaps it does so only as far as a child may be expected to behave mannerly at table. ;-)

Tracy

[Kendall]

Tracy,

Thanks for the input. That is so interesting about the break in meter being by design. I started Poetry somewhat reluctantly because I have never liked it, but it is growing on me thanks to your book!

Kendall