#dimeter

my name is Cow, and wen its nite, or wen the moon is shiyning brite, and all the men haf gon to bed - i stay up late. i lik the bred.

"i lik the bred" is like maybe my favorite internet poem of all time! of course!

full scansion:

◡ – / ◡ – my name / is Cow, ◡ – / ◡ – and wen / its nite, ◡ – / ◡ – or wen / the moon ◡ – / ◡ – is shiy/ning brite, ◡ – / ◡ – and all / the men ◡ – / ◡ – haf gon / to bed- ◡ – / ◡ – i stay / up late. ◡ – / ◡ – i lik / the bred.

Danish author Karl Gjellerup (June 2, 1857 - 1919) was one of the early recipients of the Nobel Prize for Literature (1917, shared with another Dane, Henrik Pontoppidan)... His work has not aged well, and no-one really reads it these days.

Gjellerup studied theology, but philosophically he was more of a humanist idealist than a believer. Later in life he became a sort of Wagnerian, sharing with his German colleague an obsession with Norse mythology.

Hollow and black 

eight legs lifeless 

out scuttles three 

each a miniature 

of the vehicle. 

Full of mother's 

flesh and blood, yet 

hungry for more. 

  Endless white plains

bleak, a tundra 

we felt ourselves 

vehicles of bone. 

Two's company 

three is a crowd. 

What use is bone 

with no flesh and blood? 

We do not share 

so I asked her 

lifeless carcass or a mirror? 

She charged, claws out 

razor fangs stung 

but I was fast. 

Scansion:

– ◡ / – ◡ Oh, good / Heavens! – ◡ / ◡ – Didn't / she know? ◡ – / ◡ – The fright/ful Tsar's ◡ – / ◡ – A fright/ful Dzo! ◡ – / ◡ – He chewed / the cud, ◡ – / ◡ – And jumped / the gate, ◡ – / ◡ – He lost / the crown, ◡ – / ◡ – And now / I'm late!

Metrical form: Mostly iambic dimeter, but line 1 is trochaic dimeter instead and line 2 is trochee + iamb.

At yes-ter-year's moon, lay down three rac-coons, at one-oh-one score, in their nest. A fa-ther of two, mo-ther long gone blue, has been found as naught but a pest. To ex-ter-mi-nate, a pup-pet-eer's fate, but that's such an un-re-fined end. The tri-o shall find, the man has no mind… …That his prey, in a fight, shall con-tend.

Full scansion:

◡ – / ◡ ◡ – At yes-ter-year's moon, ◡ – / ◡ ◡ – lay down three rac-coons, ◡ – / ◡ ◡ – / ◡ ◡ – at one-oh-one score, in their nest. ◡ – / ◡ ◡ – A fa-ther of two, – ◡ / ◡ ◡ – mo-ther long gone blue, ◡ ◡ / – ◡ – / ◡ ◡ – has been found as naught but a pest. ◡ ◡ / – ◡ – To ex-ter-mi-nate, ◡ – / ◡ ◡ – a pup-pet-eer's fate, ◡ – / ◡ ◡ – / ◡ ◡ – but that's such an un-re-fined end. ◡ – / ◡ ◡ – The tri-o shall find, ◡ – / ◡ ◡ – the man has no mind… ◡ ◡ – / ◡ ◡ – / ◡ ◡ – …That his prey, in a fight, shall con-tend.

Metrical form: Two lines of anapestic dimeter followed by a line of anapestic trimeter; all of the lines are (with the exception of the last line in the poem) acephalous, missing the first unstressed syllable of the anapest. Lines 5, 6, and 8 each reverse the order of a stressed and an unstressed syllable (bolded above) by anaclasis. ◡ – ◡ ◡ – ◡ – ◡ ◡ – (◡) ◡ – ◡ ◡ – ◡ ◡ –

Violets are violet

You're as beautiful

As the nicest bracelet

scansion:

– ◡ ◡ – Roses are red – ◡ ◡ – ◡ Violets are violet – ◡ – ◡ ◡ You're as beautiful ◡ ◡ – ◡ – ◡ As the nicest bracelet

traditional forms of seduction

typically fail to function

when a crane fly you wish to make yours

for a crane fly you see

has no mouth so to eat

so to smile so to kiss so to flirt

but if a crane fly you love

as they alight from above

and bedazzle with dazzling wings

because a crane fly you see

is an elegant thing

with a way of her own to intrigue

so your crane fly young love

must fly like a dove

in her dancing and swirling ways

this big crane fly to-do

is what you must go through

to make that crane fly your mate

so what must you do?

why you just dance too

and the crane fly will give you her heart

for a crane fly you see

is a romantic thing

and she finds her love through her art

scansion:

◡ – ◡ ◡ – ◡ ◡ – ◡ traditional forms of seduction – ◡ ◡ – ◡ – ◡ typically fail to function ◡ ◡ – / ◡ ◡ – / ◡ ◡ – when a crane fly you wish to make yours ◡ ◡ – / ◡ ◡ – for a crane fly you see ◡ ◡ – / ◡ ◡ – has no mouth so to eat ◡ ◡ – / ◡ ◡ – / ◡ ◡ – so to smile so to kiss so to flirt ◡ ◡ ◡ – / ◡ ◡ – but if a crane fly you love ◡ ◡ – / ◡ ◡ – as they alight from above ◡ ◡ – / ◡ ◡ – / ◡ ◡ – and bedazzle with dazzling wings ◡ ◡ ◡ – / ◡ ◡ – because a crane fly you see ◡ ◡ – / ◡ ◡ – is an elegant thing ◡ ◡ – / ◡ ◡ – / ◡ ◡ – with a way of her own to intrigue ◡ ◡ – / ◡ ◡ – so your crane fly young love ◡ – / ◡ ◡ – must fly like a dove ◡ ◡ – / ◡ ◡ – / ◡ – in her dancing and swirling ways ◡ ◡ – / ◡ ◡ – this big crane fly to-do ◡ ◡ – / ◡ ◡ – is what you must go through ◡ – / ◡ – / ◡ ◡ – to make that crane fly your mate ◡ – / ◡ ◡ – so what must you do? ◡ ◡ – / ◡ ◡ – why you just dance too ◡ ◡ – / ◡ ◡ – / ◡ ◡ – and the crane fly will give you her heart ◡ ◡ – / ◡ ◡ – for a crane fly you see ◡ ◡ ◡ / – ◡ – is a romantic thing ◡ – / ◡ ◡ – / ◡ ◡ – and she finds her love through her art

metrical form: ◡ ◡ – ◡ ◡ – (1st line is normally anapestic dimeter) ◡ ◡ – ◡ ◡ – (2nd line is normally anapestic dimeter) ◡ ◡ – / ◡ ◡ – / ◡ ◡ – (3rd line is anapestic trimeter)

The anapests may be replaced with iambs. A few lines have other types of variations (e.g. the first 2 lines have a somewhat different meter). The trimeter lines are the most regular part of the stanzas.