Page 23 - eMuse Vol.9 No.04_Classical

A COMBINATION OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF METER is often used
— but the intervals between and including the heavy or stressed
sounds are STILL REGULAR — AND REPETITIVE.
Most poems are written in STANZAS or groups of lines. In the
same way as we call prose poetry (which it is not) we often call
stanzas verses (which they are not).
Verse isn’t necessarily Metrical
There are many forms of writing such as —
PROSE An ordinary form of spoken or written language WITHOUT
METRICAL STRUCTURE therefore WITH irregular stresses on the
sounds of the words.
FREE VERSE A type of prose with IRREGULAR stresses and NO
METRICAL FORM. Although it is often set out like poetry — tech-
nically it is NOT POETRY as poetry IS poetry because it has meter.
BLANK VERSE has meter (regular Stresses) — Iambic Pentameter
(5 light/heavy feet to the line) usually without rhyme. Technically
poetry (HAVING REGULAR STRESSES) but usually referred to as
by Jenny Jeays verse .

POETRY a literary work IN METRICAL FORM (HAVING REGULAR
A.T.C.L. in Art of Speech and Drama (Lon.) STRESSES)

Part 1: Poetry There is more to poetry than meter and rhyme, but these are the
necessary ingredients to make WORD MUSIC.
What’s that? “POETRY” without METER AND RHYME is like an opera singer who
sings OUT OF TUNE.
Certainly there is a lot of confusion about poetry as people Poetry and prose CAN BE EQUALLY BEAUTIFUL AND SIMPLY DE-
(including the ABC) often refer to any special thoughts that are
written down, especially if they are spread over a number of lines, FINED
with just a few words on each line, as POETRY. When the INTERVALS, between and including the heavy or
stressed sounds, are IRREGULAR — we have PROSE.
Though our Macquarie Dictionary says it is “a literary work in
METRICAL form”.
When the INTERVALS, between and including the heavy or
When we SPEAK we throw the sounds which we utter into groups, stressed sounds, are REGULAR — we have POETRY.
and although are a mixture of LIGHT and HEAVY (or stressed and
unstressed) there is NO PATTERN to them. These stresses are IR- The line is measured in “feet”. As music has bars containing a
REGULAR — WITHOUT REPETITION. This is known as PROSE. certain number of notes to the bar, i.e., 6 quavers, 3 crochets, etc.
to a bar —
Prose can be very beautiful and because of this, it is often mis- POETRY has “feet” not “bars” and each foot contains a regular
taken for POETRY.
repetitive pattern of stresses — both light and heavy.
POETRY has a REGULAR REPETITIVE PATTERN OF STRESSES on the
sounds of the words (METER). This pleases the ear. * * * *
Poetry is WORD MUSIC with REGULAR STRESSES and RHYTHM.
Would you go to a piano and hit notes anywhere and say — THE THEORY OF MUSIC — IS CONSTANT and does NOT CHANGE.
When Beethoven composed 6 quavers to a bar it was 68 time
“That’s music?”
AND STILL IS.
Unfortunately, that’s what happens with WORD MUSIC (POETRY).
Sometimes people don’t understand the structure or theory of THE THEORY OF POETRY — IS CONSTANT and does NOT CHANGE.
poetry, sometimes the think it’s not important, and sometimes it When Shakespeare wrote using 5 iambic feet to a line it was iam-
bic pentameter AND STILL IS.
is resisted .
There is as much discord in just throwing words together as there
is in just banging notes all over the keyboard. (Which would
be PROSE ANYWAY as the intervals between the heavy stresses
would be irregular.)

However, PROSE IS NOT THE “UGLY SISTER” OF POETRY. Some of
the most beautiful works ever written are prose. It should not be
called POETRY because it is BEAUTIFUL. IT SHOULD BE CALLED
POETRY IF IT IS METRICAL.
Although most poets write by ear, as some musicians play by ear,
it is helpful to understand something about meter so that the
rhythm can be honed .

April 2020 eMuse 23