#dactylic

I've never read this poem before! I'd be happy to, and I love its meter!

Scansion:

– ◡ ◡ / – ◡ ◡ / – ◡ / – ◡ ◡ / – ◡ ◡ / – x Where now the / horse and the / rider? / Where is the / horn that was / blowing? – ◡ ◡ / – ◡ ◡ / – – / ◡ ◡ – – – ◡ Where is the / helm and the / hauberk, and the bright hair flowing? – ◡ ◡ / – ◡ ◡ / – – / ◡ ◡ – – – ◡ Where is the / hand on the harpstring, / and the red fire glowing? – ◡ ◡ / – ◡ ◡ / – – / ◡ ◡ – – – ◡ Where is the / spring and the / harvest / and the tall corn growing? ◡ ◡ – ◡ / – ◡ ◡ / – ◡ / ◡ ◡ / – ◡ ◡ / – x They have passed like / rain on the / mountain, / like a / wind in the / meadow; ◡ – ◡ ◡ / – ◡ ◡ / – ◡ / – ◡ / – ◡ ◡ / – x The days have gone / down in the / West be/hind the / hills into / shadow. ◡ ◡ – ◡ ◡ – / ◡ ◡ – – – ◡ Who shall gather the smoke / of the dead wood burning, ◡ ◡ – ◡ – ◡ – / ◡ ◡ – ◡ – ◡ Or behold the flowing years / from the Sea returning?

Metrical form:

Line 1 is dactylic hexameter in the classical style (like Greek and Roman epic poetry), where some of the dactyls can be replaced with spondees and where the final foot must be a spondee.

Lines 2-4 are metrically identical to each other; they each begin with dactyl + dactyl + spondee (like line 1) and then end with ◡ ◡ – – – ◡. This line-end could almost be shoehorned into the end of a hexameter, but it really feels like 2 feet, not 3, and the recurrence of the same meter for 3 lines solidifies the sense that it's its own pattern.

Lines 5-6 are roughly hexametrical again. Line 6 has an extra unstressed syllable at the beginning; line 5 is much looser, with two unstressed syllables at the beginning and what feels like a pyrrhic foot (2 unstressed syllables instead of having a stressed syllable) in like a.

Lines 7-8 have the same second half of the line as lines 2-4 did. The first halves have a different structure, notably with anapests and iambs (feet that start with unstressed syllables) in comparison to the dactylic beginning (with feet that started with stressed syllables).

Rhyme scheme: AAAABBCC

Lying on grass with a rushing cool breeze were hands resting, relaxing right under my head that was filled with cracked resin.

Planning on resting reclined, interrupting me was an approaching familiar speech that I've read and I recognized.

Rolling ideas revolving on through in my recesses, bravery rushed to the forefront and had me then run my tongue.

Rolling and rolling my tongue kept on frequently tripping towards left and then right. My mistakes upped and reared up reproachfully.

-

Now as that speech returns closed and removes all that weight, my mistakes, after wringing the rest of the stress off my chest,

Rested itself to reside and take residence in my reaches. Resurfacing rotten repressed removed reaches.

Rousing repression surrendered. Embarrassment, ill-preparation, hauteur clothed as pride, reservation not given but forced to be taken;

Worst of it all was the raising enraging self-hatred and anger that built up inside. Repressed by remorseful thoughts.

-

Much could have reined the pre-reign of the rogue ever roaming reminders of failure. Rage against self bottled shut for its ripening

In barreled rind meant to red and procure the most wrathed concentration of drunkening torpor to bleed in skin ruthlessly.

Having been wrung out for years, what squeezed out were impurities. Wrapping alchemical fire surrounded the residue.

Some who think they themselves right would recoil at this and require respite, but for drunks reddened eyes they'll receive.

-

Truth be told, I am a drunk with aged rage. Liquored bitterness rolling past forested buds bringing frightening words to mind.

All rationality's relative, strictly restricted to stripped away straits that were strewn and were strung, left astray longways.

If what is tried and is trusted is truth, then through trial has my trembled entrenching enragement been trailing triumphantly.

the sky was grey and gold today; the sun was shining bright

scansion:

– ◡ ◡ / – ◡ ◡ / – ◡ ◡ / – I am a / dwarf and I'm / digging a / hole

please help 😭

I would scan "family pack miralax" as – ◡ ◡ / – ◡ ◡, two (slant-)rhyming dactylic feet.

how is it, I ask you, that we are

surrounded, by so much

elegance

yet i find, i'm alone, i'm angry

even though, your words they

reassure

out of breath, i stand up, i look down

i find Me, on the ground

i'm broken

but i say, to Myself, as he cries

you have sight, you have smell

you have heart

go out now, go to see, go to sniff

go to love, and be loved

go be kind

because you, you are for, those who think,

there's no good, to be found,

they are wrong

Metrical Verse, a Starting Point

I have heard the question a lot over the years when reading online about poetry on forums, “what is the easiest way to explain Iambic Pentameter?”

Here I am going to attempt to give this answer.

First we have to understand the question. The word Iambic is referring to a type of metrical foot.

A foot within metrical poetry is a unit of measurement. There are the following types of…