CHAPTER

20
Rhythm and Versification
Up and down the City Road,
In and out the Eagle;
Thats the way the money goes,
!op goes the weasel"
!ro#a#ly $ery few of the countless children%and adults%who sometimes find themsel$es singing this
ditty ha$e the faintest idea of what it is a#out" It endures #ecause it is catchy%a strong, easily remem#ered
rhythm" E$en if you &ust read it aloud without singing it, we thin' you will agree"
If you try to specify e(actly what the rhythm is%for instance, #y putting an accent mar' on each
sylla#le that you stress hea$ily%you may run into difficulties" )ou may #ecome unsure of whether you
stress up and down e*ually; may#e you will decide that up is hardly stressed more than and, at least
compared with the hea$y stress that you put on down. +ifferent readers ,really, singers- will recite it
differently" +oes this mean that anything goes. /f course not" 0o one will emphasi1e and or the, &ust as
no one will emphasi1e the second sylla#le in city or the second sylla#le in money. There may #e some
$ariations from reader to reader, #ut there will also #e a good deal that all readers will agree on" 2nd
surely all readers agree that it is memora#le"
+oes this song ha$e a meaning. 3ell, historians say that the Eagle was a ta$ern and music hall in the
City Road, in Victorian 4ondon" !eople went there to eat, drin', and sing, with the result that they
sometimes spent too much money and then had to pawn ,or 5pop6- the 5weasel6%though no one is sure
what the weasel is" It doesnt really matter; the song li$es #y its rhythm"
0ow consider this poem #y E1ra !ound ,7889:7;<2-" !ounds early wor' is highly rhythmical; later
he #ecame sympathetic to =ascism and he grew increasingly anti>?emitic, with the result that for many
readers his later wor' is much less interesting%&ust a lot of nasty ideas, rather than memora#le
e(pressions" !ound ought to ha$e remem#ered his own definition of literature@ 54iterature is news that
stays news"6 /ne way of staying is to use unforgetta#le rhythms"
EZRA POUND
2n Immorality A7;7;B
?ing we for lo$e and idleness,
0aught else is worth the ha$ing"
Though I ha$e #een in many a land,
There is naught else in li$ing"
2nd I would rather ha$e my sweet, 9
Though rose>lea$es die of grie$ing,
Than do high deeds in Cungary
To pass all mens #elie$ing"
2 good poem" To #egin with, it sings; as !ound said, 5!oetry withers and dries out when it lea$es music,
or at least imagined music, too far #ehind it" !oets who are not interested in music are, or #ecome, #ad
poets"6 Cymns and #allads, it must #e remem#ered, are songs, and other poetry, too, is sung, especially #y
children" Children reciting a counting>out rhyme, or singing on their way home from school, are en&oying
poetry@
!ease>porridge hot,
!ease>porridge cold,
!ease>porridge in the pot
0ine days old"
0othing $ery important is #eing said, #ut for generations children ha$e en&oyed the music of these lines,
and adults, too, ha$e recalled them with pleasure%though few people 'now what pease>porridge is"
The 5music6%the catchiness of certain sounds%should not #e underestimated" Cere are lines
chanted #y the witches in Macbeth:
+ou#le, dou#le, toil and trou#le;
=ire #urn and cauldron #u##le"
This is rather far from words that mean appro(imately the same thing@ 5Twice, twice, wor' and care; D
=ire ignite, and pot #oil"6 The difference is more in the sounds than in the instructions" 3hat is lost in the
paraphrase is the magic, the incantation, which resides in ela#orate repetitions of sounds and stresses"
Rhythm ,most simply, in English poetry, stresses at regular inter$als- has a power of its own" 2 good
march, said Eohn !hilip ?ousa ,the composer of 5?tars and ?tripes =ore$er6-, 5should ma'e e$en someone
with a wooden leg step out"6 2 highly pronounced rhythm is common in such forms of poetry as charms,
college yells, and lulla#ies; all of them ,li'e the witches speech- are aimed at inducing a special effect
magically" It is not surprising that carmen, the 4atin word for 5poem6 or 5song,6 is also the 4atin word for
charm, and the word from which 5charm6 is deri$ed"
Rain, rain, go away;
Come again another day"
Floc' that 'ic'G Floc' that 'ic'G Floc' that 'ic'G
Roc'>a>#ye #a#y, on the tree top,
3hen the wind #lows, the cradle will roc'"
In much poetry, rhythm is only half>heard, #ut its omnipresence is suggested #y the fact that when poetry
is printed it is customary to #egin each line with a capital letter" !rose ,from 4atin prorsus, 5forward,6
5straight on6- 'eeps running across the paper until the right>hand margin is reached, and then, merely
#ecause the paper has gi$en out, the writer or printer starts again at the left, with a small letter" Fut $erse
,4atin versus, 5a turning6- often ends well short of the right>hand margin, and the ne(t line #egins at the
left%usually with a capital%not #ecause paper has run out #ut #ecause the rhythmic pattern #egins again"
4ines of poetry are continually reminding us that they ha$e a pattern"
Fefore turning to some other highly rhythmical pieces, a word of caution@ a mechanical, un$arying
rhythm may #e good to put the #a#y to sleep, #ut it can #e deadly to readers who wish to 'eep awa'e"
!oets $ary their rhythm according to their purpose; a poet ought not to #e so regular that he or she is ,in
3" C" 2udens words- an 5accentual pest"6 In competent hands, rhythm contri#utes to meaning; it says
something" The rhythm in the lines from Macbeth, for e(ample, helps suggest the strong #inding power of
magic" 2gain E1ra !ound has a rele$ant comment@ 5Rhythm must ha$e meaning" It cant #e merely a
careless dash off, with no grip and no real hold to the words and sense, a tumty tum tumty tum tum ta"6
?ome e(amples will #e useful"
Consider this description of Cell from Eohn Hiltons Paradise Lost ,the hea$ier stresses are mar'ed
#y I-@
RJc's, ca$Ies, la'
I
es, fenIs, #ogIs, denIs, anKd shLdes of
K
deLth"
?uch a succession of stresses is highly unusual" Elsewhere in the poem Hilton chiefly uses iam#ic feet%
alternating unstressed and stressed sylla#les%#ut here he immediately follows one hea$y stress with
another, there#y helping to communicate the 5meaning6%the impressi$e monotony of Cell" 2s a second
e(ample, consider the function of the rhythm in two lines #y 2le(ander !ope@
3heKn M&a(K strIi$es somKe rocI's $asIt weigIht toK thrIow,
Th
K
e linIe toJ lL#oKrs, anKd th
K
e worIds mJ$e slJw"
The hea$ier stresses ,again, mar'ed #y I- do not merely alternate with the lighter ones ,mar'ed K-; rather,
the great weight of the roc' is suggested #y three consecuti$e stressed words, 5roc's $ast weight,6 and the
great effort in$ol$ed in mo$ing it is suggested #y another three consecuti$e stresses, 5line too la#ors,6 and
#y yet another three, 5words mo$e slow"6 0ote, also, the a#undant pauses within the lines" In the first line,
unless ones speech is slo$enly, one must pause at least slightly after 52&a(,6 5stri$es,6 5roc's,6 5$ast,6
5weight,6 and 5throw"6 The grating sounds in 52&a(6 and 5roc's6 do their wor', too, and so do the
e(plosi$e ts" 3hen !ope wishes to suggest lightness, he re$erses his procedure and he groups unstressed
sylla#les@
0ot so, when swift Camilla scours the plain,
=liNs oeKr thunK#Nndi
K
ng cJrn, anKd s'Oms aKlonKg th
K
e mLin"
This last line has twel$e sylla#les and is thus longer than the line a#out 2&a(, #ut the addition of 5along6
helps to communicate lightness and swiftness #ecause in this line ,it can #e argued- neither sylla#le of
5along6 is strongly stressed" If 5along6 is omitted, the line still ma'es grammatical sense and #ecomes
more 5regular,6 #ut it also #ecomes less imitati$e of lightness"
The $ery regularity of a line may #e meaningful too" ?ha'espeare #egins a sonnet thus@
3heKn P doK coQnt th
K
e clocI' thaKt tNlls th
K
e timIe"
This line a#out a mechanism runs with appropriate regularity" ,It is worth noting, too, that 5count the
cloc'6 and 5tells the time6 emphasi1e the regularity #y the repetition of sounds and synta("- Fut notice
what ?ha'espeare does in the middle of the ne(t line@
2nKd sNe th
K
e #rL$e dLy sunI' inK hOdeoKus nigIht"
3hat has he done. 2nd what is the effect.
Cere is another poem that refers to a cloc'" In England, until capital punishment was a#olished,
e(ecutions regularly too' place at 8@00 2"H"
A. E. HOUSMAN
For another poem by the English poet A. E. Housman !"#$%!$&'( and )or a brie) biography, see page
'"&.
Eight OClock [1922]
Ce stood, and heard the steeple
?prin'le the *uarters on the morning town"
/ne, two, three, four, to mar'et>place and people
It tossed them down" R
?trapped, noosed, nighing his hour,
Ce stood and counted them and cursed his luc';
2nd then the cloc' collected in the tower
Its strength, and struc'" 8
The chief ,#ut not un$arying- pattern is iam#ic; that is, the odd sylla#les are less emphatic than the e$en
ones, as in
CeK stJod, anKd heLrd th
K
e stNepleK
Try to mar' the sylla#les, stressed and unstressed, in the rest of the poem" Fe guided #y your ear, not #y a
mechanical principle, and dont worry too much a#out difficult or uncertain parts; different readers may
reasona#ly come up with different results"
U T/!IC? =/R CRITIC24 TCI0SI0T 20+ 3RITI0T
7" >3here do you find two or more consecuti$e stresses. 3hat e(planations ,related to meaning- can
#e offered.
2" >3hat do you thin' is the effect of the short line at the end of each stan1a. 2nd what significance
can you attach to the fact that these lines ,unli'e the first and third lines in each stan1a- end with a
stress.
=ollowing are some poems in which the strongly felt pulsations are highly important"
WILLIAM CARLOS WILLIAMS
A poem by *illiam +arlos *illiams !""&%!$'&(, along with a brie) biography, appears on page ,#!. -he
.reughel also spelled .rueghel( painting described in /-he 0ance1 is shown on the ne2t page.
The +ance A7;RRB
In Freughels great picture, The Sermess,U
the dancers go round, they go round and
around, the s*ueal and the #lare and the
tweedle of #agpipes, a #ugle and fiddles
tipping their #ellies ,round as the thic'> 9
sided glasses whose wash they impound-
their hips and their #ellies off #alance
to turn them" Sic'ing and rolling a#out
the =air Trounds, swinging their #utts, those
shan's must #e sound to #ear up under such 70
rollic'ing measures, prance as they dance
in Freughels great picture, The Sermess"
U T/!IC? =/R CRITIC24 TCI0SI0T 20+ 3RITI0T
7" >Read 3illiamss poem aloud se$eral times, and decide where the hea$y stresses fall" Har' the
hea$ily stressed sylla#les I, the lightly stressed ones V, and the unstressed ones K" 2re all the lines
identical. 3hat effect is thus gained, especially when read aloud. 3hat does the parenthetical
statement ,lines 9:W- do to the rhythm. +oes a final sylla#le often recei$e a hea$y stress here. 2re
there noticea#le pauses at the ends of the lines. 3hat is the conse*uence. 2re the dancers walt1ing.
2" >3hat sylla#les rhyme or are repeated ,e"g", 5round6 in lines 2 and 9, and 5:pound6 in line W; 5:
ing6 in lines 9, 8, ;, and 77-. 3hat effect do they ha$e.
X" >3hat do you thin' the a#sence at the #eginning of each line of the customary capital contri#utes
to the meaning. 3hy is the last line the same as the first.
ROBERT FRANCIS
3obert Francis !$4!%!$",( was born in 5pland, Pennsylvania, and educated at Harvard. He taught only
brie)ly, a term here or there and an occasional summer, devoting himsel) )or the most part to reading and
writing.
The Pitcher [1960]
Cis art is eccentricity, his aim
Cow not to hit the mar' he seems to aim at,
Cis passion how to a$oid the o#$ious,
Cis techni*ue how to $ary the a$oidance"
The others throw to #e comprehended" Ce 9
Throws to #e a moment misunderstood"
)et not too much" 0ot errant, arrant, wild,
Fut e$ery seeming a#erration willed"
0ot to, yet still, still to communicate
Ha'ing the #atter understand too late" 70
If you read this poem aloud, pausing appropriately where the punctuation tells you to, you will hear the
poet trying to represent something of the pitchers 5eccentricity"6 ,5Eccentric,6 you may 'now, literally
means 5off center"6- 2 pitcher tries to decei$e a #atter, perhaps #y throwing a #all that will une(pectedly
cur$e o$er the plate; the poet playfully decei$es the reader, for instance, with une(pected pauses" In line 9,
for e(ample, he puts a hea$y pause ,indicated #y a period- not at the end of the line, #ut &ust #efore the
end"
U Topics for Critical Thin'ing and 3riting
7" >0otice that some lines contain no pauses, #ut the ne(t>to>last line contains two within it
,indicated #y commas- and none at the end" 3hat do you suppose =rancis is getting at.
2" >3hat significance can #e attached to the fact that only the last two lines really rhyme
,communicateDlate-, whereas other lines do not *uite rhyme.
VERSIFICATION: A GLOSSARY FOR REFERENCE
The technical $oca#ulary of pr!"y ,the study of the principles of $erse structure, including meter,
rhyme, and other sound effects, and stan1aic patterns- is large" 2n understanding of these terms will not
turn anyone into a poet, #ut it will ena#le one to discuss some aspects of poetry more efficiently" 2
'nowledge of them, li'e a 'nowledge of most other technical terms ,e"g", 5misplaced modifier,6 5woofer,6
5automatic transmission6-, allows for *uic' and accurate communication" The following are the chief
terms of prosody"
M#t#r
Host English poetry has a pattern of !tr#!!#" $%&&#'t#"( sounds, and this pattern is the m#t#r ,from the
Tree' word for 5measure6-" 2lthough in /ld En>glish poetry ,poetry written in England #efore the
0orman>=rench Con*uest in 70WW- a line may ha$e any num#er of unstressed sylla#les in addition to four
stressed sylla#les, most poetry written in England since the Con*uest not only has a fi(ed num#er of
stresses in a line #ut also has a fi(ed num#er of unstressed sylla#les #efore or after each stressed one" ,/ne
really ought not to tal' of 5unstressed6 or 5unaccented6 sylla#les, since to utter a sylla#le%howe$er
lightly%is to gi$e it some stress" It is really a matter of relative stress, #ut the fact is that 5unstressed6 or
5unaccented6 are parts of the esta#lished terminology of $ersification"-
In a line of poetry, the )t is the #asic unit of measurement" /n rare occasions it is a single stressed
sylla#le, #ut generally a foot consists of two or three sylla#les, one of which is stressed" ,?tress is indicated
#y I, lac' of stress #y K"- The repetition of feet, then, produces a pattern of stresses throughout the poem"
Two cautions@
7" >2 poem will seldom contain only one 'ind of foot throughout; significant $ariations usually occur,
#ut one 'ind of foot is dominant"
2" >In reading a poem one pays attention to the sense as well as to the metrical pattern" Fy paying
attention to the sense, one often finds that the stress falls on a word that according to the metrical pattern
would #e unstressed" /r a word that according to the pattern would #e stressed may #e seen to #e
unstressed" =urthermore, #y reading for sense, one finds that not all stresses are e*ually hea$y; some are
almost as light as unstressed sylla#les, and sometimes there is a h*#r+', !tr#!!- that is, the stress is
e*ually distri#uted o$er two ad&acent sylla#les" To repeat@ read )or sense, allowing the meaning to help
indicate the stresses"
M#tr+&%. F##t
The most common feet in English poetry are the following si("
I%m/ ,ad&ecti$e@ +%m/+&-@ one unstressed sylla#le followed #y one stressed sylla#le" The iam#, said to
#e the most common pattern in English speech, is surely the most common in English poetry" The
following e(ample has four iam#ic feet@
HyK hNart i
K
s lO'ee aK sinIginKg #Ord"
%Christina Rossetti
Tr&h## $tr&h%+&(: one stressed sylla#le followed #y one unstressed"
3N werKe $NrKy tOreKd, wN weKre $NrKy mNrrKy
%Edna ?t" Vincent Hillay
A'%p#!t $%'%p#!t+&(: two unstressed sylla#les followed #y one stressed"
TheKre arKe mLnyK wh
K
o sLy thaKt aK dJg haKs hi
K
s dLy"
%+ylan Thomas
D%&ty. $"%&ty.+&(: one stressed sylla#le followed #y two unstressed" This trisylla#ic foot, li'e the
anapest, is common in light $erse or $erse suggesting &oy, #ut its use is not limited to such material, as
4ongfellows Evangeline shows" Thomas Coods sentimental 5The Fridge of ?ighs6 #egins@
Ta'Ie heKr upK tNnd
K
erlyK"
Sp'"## $!p'"%+&(: two stressed sylla#les; most often used as a su#stitute for an iam# or trochee"
?mLrt lLd, toK slOp #eKtOmes aKwIay"
%2" E" Cousman
Pyrrh+&: two unstressed sylla#les; it is often not considered a legitimate foot in English"
M#tr+&%. L+'#!
2 metrical line consists of one or more feet and is named for the num#er of feet in it" The following names
are used@
m'm#t#r: one foot p#'t%m#t#r: fi$e feet
"+m#t#r: two feet h#0%m#t#r: si( feet
tr+m#t#r: three feet h#pt%m#t#r: se$en feet
t#tr%m#t#r: four feet &t%m#t#r: eight feet
2 line is scanned for the 'ind and num#er of feet in it, and the !&%'!+' tells you if it is, say, anapestic
trimeter ,three anapests-@
2
K
s I
K
caIme toK th
K
e Ndgge of
K
th
K
e wJods"
%Ro#ert =rost
/r, in another e(ample, iam#ic pentameter@
Th
K
e sQmmeKr thQndeKr, li'
I
e aK wJodeKn #Nll
%4ouise Fogan
2 line ending with a stress has a m%!&1.+'# #'"+',- a line ending with an e(tra unstressed sylla#le has a
)#m+'+'# #'"+',. The &%#!1r% ,usually indicated #y the sym#ol DD- is a slight pause within the line" It
need not #e indicated #y punctuation ,notice the fourth and fifth lines in the following *uotation-, and it
does not affect the metrical count@
2wa'e, my ?t" EohnG DD lea$e all meaner things
To low am#ition, DD and the pride of 'ings"
4et us DD ,since life can little more supply
Than &ust to loo' a#out us DD and to die-
E(patiate free DD oer all this scene of Han;
2 mighty ma1eG DD #ut not without a plan;
2 wild, DD where weeds and flowers promiscuous shoot;
/r garden, DD tempting with for#idden fruit"
%2le(ander !ope
The $arying position of the caesura helps to gi$e !opes lines an informality that plays against the
formality of the pairs of rhyming lines"
2n #'"2!tpp#" .+'# concludes with a distinct syntactical pause, #ut a r1'2' .+'# has its sense
carried o$er into the ne(t line without syntactical pause" ,The running on of a line is called #'3%m/m#'t.-
In the following passage, only the first is a run>on line@
)et if we loo' more closely we shall find
Host ha$e the seeds of &udgment in their mind@
0ature affords at least a glimmering light;
The lines, though touched #ut faintly, are drawn right"
%2le(ander !ope
Heter produces rhythm4 recurrences at e*ual inter$als; #ut rhythm ,from a Tree' word meaning
5flow6- is usually applied to larger units than feet" /ften it depends most o#$iously on pauses" Thus, a
poem with run>on lines will ha$e a different rhythm from a poem with end>stopped lines, e$en though
#oth are in the same meter" 2nd prose, though it is unmetrical, can ha$e rhythm, too"
In addition to #eing affected #y syntactical pause, rhythm is affected #y pauses attri#uta#le to
consonant clusters and to the length of words" 3ords of se$eral sylla#les esta#lish a different rhythm from
words of one sylla#le, e$en in metrically identical lines" /ne can say, then, that rhythm is altered #y shifts
in meter, synta(, and the length and ease of pronunciation" Fut e$en with no such shift, e$en if a line is
repeated word for word, a reader may sense a change in rhythm" The rhythm of the final line of a poem,
for e(ample, may well differ from that of the line #efore, e$en though in all other respects the lines are
identical, as in =rosts 5?topping #y 3oods on a ?nowy E$ening6 ,page ;XW-, which concludes #y
repeating 52nd miles to go #efore I sleep"6 /ne may simply sense that the final line ought to #e spo'en,
say, more slowly and with more stress on 5miles"6
P%tt#r'! ) S1'"
Though rhythm is #asic to poetry, rhym#%the repetition of the identical or similar stressed sound or
sounds%is not" Rhyme is, presuma#ly, pleasant in itself; it suggests order; and it may also #e related to
meaning, for it #rings two words sharply together, often implying a relationship, as in the now trite dove
and love, or in the more imaginati$e throne and alone.
P#r)#&t4 or #0%&t4 rhym#: +iffering consonant sounds are followed #y identical stressed $owel
sounds, and the following sounds, if any, are identical )oe6toe7 meet6)leet7 bu))er6rougher(.
0otice that perfect rhyme in$ol$es identity of sound, not of spelling" Fi2 and stic8s, li'e bu))er and
rougher, are perfect rhymes"
H%.)2rhym# ,or ))2rhym#-@ /nly the final consonant sounds of the words are identical; the stressed
$owel sounds as well as the initial consonant sounds, if any, differ soul6oil7 mirth6)orth7 trolley
6bully("
Ey#2rhym#: The sounds do not in fact rhyme, #ut the words loo' as though they would rhyme cough
6bough("
M%!&1.+'# rhym#: The final sylla#les are stressed and, after their differing initial consonant sounds,
are identical in sound star86mar87 support6retort("
F#m+'+'# rhym# ,or "1/.# rhym#-@ ?tressed rhyming sylla#les are followed #y identical unstressed
sylla#les revival6arrival7 )latter6batter("
Tr+p.# rhym# is a 'ind of feminine rhyme in which identical stressed $owel sounds are followed #y
two identical unstressed sylla#les machinery6scenery7 tenderly6slenderly("
E'" rhym# ,or t#rm+'%. rhym#-@ The rhyming words occur at the ends of the lines"
I't#r'%. rhym#: 2t least one of the rhyming words occurs within the line ,/scar 3ildes 5Each
narrow cell in which we dwell1-"
A..+t#r%t+': ?ometimes defined as the repetition of initial sounds ,5All the awful auguries,6 or
5.ring me my bow of burning gold6-, and sometimes as the prominent repetition of a consonant
,5a)ter li)es )it)ul )e$er6-"
A!!'%'&#: The repetition, in words of pro(imity, of identical $owel sounds preceded and followed #y
differing consonant sounds" 3hereas tide and hide are rhymes, tide and mine are assonantal"
C'!'%'&#: The repetition of identical consonant sounds and differing $owel sounds in words in
pro(imity )ail6)eel7 rough6roo)7 pitter6patter(" ?ometimes consonance is more loosely defined
merely as the repetition of a consonant )ail6peel("
O'm%tp#+%: The use of words that imitate sounds, such as hiss and bu99. There is a mista'en
tendency to see onomatopoeia e$erywhere%for e(ample in thunder and horror. Hany words
sometimes thought to #e onomatopoeic are not clearly imitati$e of the thing they refer to; they
merely contain some sounds that, when we 'now what the word means, seem to ha$e some
resem#lance to the thing they denote" Tennysons lines from 5Come down, / maid6 are usually
cited as an e(ample of onomatopoeia@
The moan of do$es in immemorial elms
2nd murmuring of innumera#le #ees"
If you ha$e read the preceding%and, admittedly, not entirely engaging%paragraphs, you may ha$e
found yourself mentally repeating some catchy sounds, lets say our e(ample of internal rhyme ,5Each
narrow cell in which we dwell6- or our e(ample of alliteration ,5Fring me my #ow of #urning gold6-" 2s
the creators of ad$ertising slogans 'now, all of us%not &ust poets%can #e hoo'ed #y the sounds of words,
#ut pro#a#ly poets are especially fond of sa$oring words" Consider the following poem"
GALWAY 5INNELL
.orn in !$:, in Providence, 3hode ;sland, <alway =innell was educated at Princeton and the 5niversity
o) 3ochester. He is the author o) several boo8s o) poems, and he has won many awards, including the
Pulit9er Pri9e )or Poetry and the American .oo8 Award.
Blackberry Eating [1980]
I lo$e to go out in late ?eptem#er
among the fat, o$erripe, icy, #lac' #lac'#erries
to eat #lac'#erries for #rea'fast,
the stal's $ery pric'ly, a penalty
they earn for 'nowing the #lac' art 9
of #lac'#erry>ma'ing@ and as I stand among them
lifting the stal's to my mouth, the ripest #erries
fall almost un#idden to my tongue,
as words sometimes do, certain peculiar words
li'e strengths or s>uinched, 70
many>lettered, one>sylla#led lumps,
which I s*uee1e, s*uinch open, and splurge well
in the silent, startled, icy, #lac' language
of #lac'#erry>eating in late ?eptem#er"
Sinnell does not use rhyme, #ut he uses other 'inds of aural repetition" =or instance, in the first line we
get 5lo$e6 and 5late,6 and the l sound ,already present in the title of the poem- is pic'ed up in the second
line, in 5#lac' #lac'#erries"6 The 8 sound is then continued in the ne(t line, in 5stal's6 and the l and 8 in
5pric'ly,6 and 5pric'ly6 contains not only the 8 and the l of 5#lac'#erry6 #ut also the r.
In lines <:; Sinnell compares eating #lac'#erries%an action in$ol$ing the tongue and the lips, and
the mind also, if one is sa$oring the #erries%to spea'ing 5certain peculiar words"6 There is no need for us
to point out additional connections #etween words in the poem, #ut we do want to mention that the last
line ends with the same two words as the first, pro$iding closure, which is one of the things rhyme
normally does"
U T/!IC? =/R CRITIC24 TCI0SI0T 20+ 3RITI0T
7" >?pecify three words that you li'e to 5s*uinch,6 and e(plain why"
2" >?pecify one poem, other than a poem in this chapter ,the poem need not #e in this #oo'-, in
which you thin' the repetitions of sounds are especially important, and e(plain why you hold this
$iew"
A Nt# %/1t P#t+& Frm!
52rt is nothing without form,6 the =rench author Tusta$e =lau#ert maintained, and its true that wor's of
art ha$e a carefully designed shape" Host o#$iously, for instance, a good story has an ending that satisfies
the reader or hearer" In real life, things 'eep going, #ut when a good story ends, the audience feels that
there is nothing more to say, at least nothing more of interest to say"
3ith poems that rhyme, the rhyme>scheme pro$ides a pattern, a shape, a structure that seems
insepara#le from the content" If you recite a limeric', you will immediately see how the shape is
insepara#le from the content@
There was a young fellow from 4ynn
3ho was so e(ceedingly thin
That when he essayed
To drin' lemonade
Ce slipped through the straw and fell in"
If you put the words in a different order, and you ignore meter and rhyme%that is, if you destroy the form
and turn the passage into something li'e 52 young man, so thin that he fell through a straw into a glass of
lemonade, li$ed in 4ynn6%you can instantly see the importance of form"
4ets #riefly loo' at a more serious e(ample" )ou may recall Cousmans 5Eight /Cloc'6 ,page <;7-,
a poem whose title corresponds to the hour at which e(ecutions in England used to ta'e place"
Ce stood, and heard the steeple
?prin'le the *uarters on the morning town"
/ne, two, to mar'et>place and people
It tossed them down"
?trapped, noosed, nighing his hour,
Ce stood and counted them and cursed his luc';
2nd then the cloc' collected in the tower
Its strength, and struc'"
The rhyme of 5struc'6 with 5luc'6 ,in this instance, #ad luc'- is conclusi$e" 3e dont as' if the #ody was
remo$ed from the gallows and #uried, or if the condemned mans wife ,if he had one- grie$ed, or if his
children ,if he had any- turned out well or #adly" 0one of these things is of any rele$ance" There is
nothing more to say" The form and the content perfectly go together" In this e(ample, the lines, each of
which rhymes with another line%we might say that each line is tied to another line%seem especially
appropriate for a man who is 5strapped6 and 5noosed"6
Fut why do poets use forms esta#lished #y rhyme. In an essay called 5The Constant ?ym#ol,6 Ro#ert
=rost says that a poet regards rhymes as 5stepping stones" " " " The way will #e 1ig1ag, #ut it will #e a
straight croo'edness li'e the wal'ing stic' he cuts in the #ushes for an em#lem"6 Cousmans stepping>
stones in the second stan1a too' Couseman ,and ta'e the reader- from hour to luc8, then to tower and then
with great finality to the end of the wal', struc8" 3e thin' this stan1a is inspired, and we imagine that
Cousmans inspiration was mightily helped #y his need for rhymes%his need to get 5stepping stones6 that
would allow him to continue the 5straight croo'edness6 of his wal' with this condemned man" Cis wal'>
with>words, or rather his wal' with words>that>set>forth>ideas, produced 5luc'6 and 5struc',6 and ena#led
him to gi$e to his readers the memora#le image of the cloc' as a machine that e(ecutes the man"
3hen you read Cousmans or =rosts actual lines%or #etter, when you read them aloud and hear and
feel the effect of these rhymes%you can understand why =rost more than once said he would as soon write
unrhymed poetry as he would 5play tennis with the net down"6 The rules go$erning the game of tennis or
the game of writing do not interfere with the game; rather, the rules allow the players to play a game" The
rules allow poets to write poems; the rules%the restraints%pro$ide the structure that allows poets to
accomplish something" !oets are somewhat li'e Coudini, who accepted shac'les so that he could triumph
o$er them" 3ithout the handcuffs and other restraints, he could accomplish nothing" /r consider the
string on a 'ite; far from impeding the 'ites flight, the string allows the 'ite to fly" ?pea'ing in less high>
flying terms, we can *uote from a tal' that =rost ga$e to college students in 7;X<, 5The !oets 0e(t of Sin
in College"6 Ce told them%and he was spea'ing not only to young poets #ut to all students%that in their
endea$ors, of whate$er sort, they 5must ha$e form%performance" The thing itself is indescri#a#le, #ut it
is felt li'e athletic form" To ha$e form, feel form in sports%and #y analogy feel form in $erse"6
!oets ha$e testified that they use rhyme partly #ecause, far from impeding them, it helps them to say
interesting things in a memora#le way" True, some rhymes ha$e #een used so often that although they
were once rich in meaning%for instance%5lo$e6 and 5do$e6 or 5moon6 and 5Eune6%they ha$e #ecome
clichNs, their use indicating not an imaginati$e leap #ut a reliance on what has #een said too often" Fut
other rhymes%lets say 5earth6 and 5#irth6 or 5law6 and 5flaw6%can lead poets to say interesting things
that they might otherwise not ha$e thought of"
In his 54etter of 2d$ice to a )oung !oet,6 Eonathan ?wift ,whom you may 'now as the author of
<ulliver?s -ravels, 7<2W-, said@ 5Verse without rhyme is a #ody without a soul"6 2 stri'ing, and indeed
surprising, comment@ ?wift dares to propose that the soul of a poem depends not on the content #ut,
rather, on a crucial element of its form, the presence of rhyme" In part he is reminding us here of the
importance of craft in the writing of a poem, of the sheer s'ill and deli#eration that ma'es the literary
wor' feel e(actly right, as though it had to #e this way"
St%'6%+& P%tt#r'!
4ines of poetry are commonly arranged in a rhythmical unit called a stan1a ,from an Italian word
meaning 5room6 or 5stopping>place6-" Usually all the stan1as in a poem ha$e the same rhyme pattern" 2
stan1a is sometimes called a *#r!#4 though verse may also mean a single line of poetry" ,In discussing
stan1as, rhymes are indicated #y identical letters" Thus, abab indicates that the first and third lines rhyme
with each other, while the second and fourth lines are lin'ed #y a different rhyme" 2n unrhymed line is
denoted #y 2.- Common stan1aic forms in English poetry are the following@
C1p.#t: a stan1a of two lines, usually #ut not necessarily with end>rhymes" +ouplet is also used for a
pair of rhyming lines" The &t!y..%/+& &1p.#t is iam#ic or trochaic tetrameter@
Cad we #ut world enough and time,
This coyness, lady, were no crime"
%2ndrew Har$ell
H#r+& &1p.#t: a rhyming couplet of iam#ic pentameter, often 5closed,6 that is, containing a
complete thought, with a fairly hea$y pause at the end of the first line and a still hea$ier one at the end of
the second" Commonly, there is a parallel or an antithesis ,contrast- within a line or #etween the two lines"
It is called heroic #ecause in England, especially in the eighteenth century, it was much used for heroic
,epic- poems"
?ome foreign writers, some our own despise;
The ancients only, or the moderns, pri1e"
%2le(ander !ope
Tr+p.#t ,or t#r&#t-@ a three>line stan1a, usually with one rhyme"
3henas in sil's my Eulia goes
Then, then ,methin's- how sweetly flows
That li*uefaction of her clothes"
%Ro#ert Cerric'
71%tr%+': a four>line stan1a, rhymed or unrhymed" The h#r+& ,or #.#,+%&- 81%tr%+' is iam#ic
pentameter, rhyming abab. That is, the first and third lines rhyme ,so they are designated a-, and the
second and fourth lines rhyme ,so they are designated b-"
THREE COMPLE9 FORMS: THE SONNET4 THE VILLANELLE4
AND THE SESTINA
Th# S''#t
2 sonnet is a fourteen>line poem, predominantly in iam#ic pentameter" The rhyme is usually according to
one of two schemes" The It%.+%' or P#tr%r&h%' !''#t4 named for the Italian poet =rancesco !etrarch
,7X0R:7X<R-, has two di$isions@ The first eight lines ,rhyming abba abba- are the octa$e, and the last si(
,rhyming cd cd cd, or a $ariant- are the sestet" Terard Hanley Cop'inss 5Tods Trandeur6 ,page ;;7- is
an Italian sonnet" The second 'ind of sonnet, the E',.+!h or Sh%:#!p#%r#%' !''#t4 is usually arranged
into three *uatrains and a couplet, rhyming abab cdcd e)e) gg. ,=or e(amples see the ne(t two poems"- In
many sonnets there is a mar'ed correspondence #etween the rhyme scheme and the de$elopment of the
thought" Thus an Italian sonnet may state a generali1ation in the octa$e and a specific e(ample in the
sestet" /r an English sonnet may gi$e three e(amples%one in each *uatrain%and draw a conclusion in
the couplet"
3hy poets choose to imprison themsel$es in fourteen tightly rhymed lines is something of a mystery"
Tradition has a great deal to do with it@ the form, ha$ing #een handled successfully #y ma&or poets, stands
as a challenge" In writing a sonnet a poet gains a little of the authority of !etrarch, ?ha'espeare, Hilton,
3ordsworth, and other masters who showed that the sonnet is not merely a tric'" 2 second reason perhaps
resides in the $ery tightness of the rhymes, which can help as well as hinder" Hany poets ha$e felt, along
with Richard 3il#ur ,in Mid@+entury American Poets, ed" Eohn Ciardi-, that the need for a rhyme has
suggested
" " " ar#itrary connections of which the mind may ta'e ad$antage if it li'es" =or e(ample, if one
has to rhyme with tide, a great num#er of rhyme>words at once come to mind ,ride, #ide, shied,
confide, 2'enside, etc"-" Host of these, in com#ination with tide, will pro#a#ly suggest nothing
apropos, #ut one of them may re$eal precisely what one wanted to say" If none of them does, tide
must #e dispensed with" Rhyme, austerely used, may #e a stimulus to disco$ery and a stretcher of
the attention"
S+0 S''#t!
WILLIAM SHA5ESPEARE
3illiam ?ha'espeare ,79WR:7W7W-, #orn in ?tratford>upon>2$on in England, is chiefly 'nown as a
dramatic poet, #ut he also wrote nondramatic poetry" In 7W0; a $olume of 79R of his sonnets was
pu#lished, apparently without his permission" !ro#a#ly he chose to 'eep his sonnets unpu#lished not
#ecause he thought that they were of little $alue, #ut #ecause it was more prestigious to #e an amateur
,unpu#lished- poet than a professional ,pu#lished- poet" 2lthough the sonnets were pu#lished in 7W0;,
they were pro#a#ly written in the mid>79;0s, when there was a $ogue for sonneteering" 2 contemporary
writer in 79;8 said that ?ha'espeares 5sugred ?onnets AcirculateB among his pri$ate friends"6
Sonnet !
That time of year thou mayst in me #ehold
3hen yellow lea$es, or none, or few, do hang
Upon those #oughs which sha'e against the cold,
Fare ruined choirsU where late the sweet #irds sang" R
In me thou seest the twilight of such day
2s after sunset fadeth in the west,
3hich #y>and>#y #lac' night doth ta'e away,
+eaths second self that seals up all in rest, 8
In me thou seest the glowing of such fire
That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,
2s the death#ed whereon it must e(pire,
Consumed with that which it was nourished #y" 72
This thou percei$st, which ma'es thy lo$e more strong,
To lo$e that well which thou must lea$e ere long"
U T/!IC? =/R CRITIC24 TCI0SI0T 20+ 3RITI0T
7" >In the first *uatrain ,the first four lines- to what 5time of year6 does ?ha'espeare compare
himself. In the second *uatrain ,lines 9:8- to what does he compare himself. In the third. If the
se*uence of the three *uatrains were re$ersed, what would #e gained or lost.
2" >In line 8, what is 5+eaths second self6. 3hat implications do you percei$e in 5seals up all in
rest,6 as opposed, for instance, to 5#rings most welcome rest6.
X" >In line 7X, e(actly what is 5This6.
R" >In line 7R, suppose in place of 5To lo$e that well which thou must lea$e ere long,6 ?ha'espeare
had written 5To lo$e me well whom thou must lea$e ere long"6 3hat if anything would ha$e #een
gained or lost.
9" >3hat is your personal response to this sonnet. +o you feel that its lessons apply to you. !lease
e(plain"
W" >+id you find this sonnet hard to understand when you read it for the first time. 2fter you reread
and studied it, did it #ecome more difficult, or less so. +o you li'e to read difficult poems.
Sonnet 1"6
!oor soul, the center of my sinful earth,
Hy sinful earthU these re#el powrs that thee array,
3hy doest thou pine within and suffer dearth,
!ainting thy outward walls so costly gay.
3hy so large cost,U ha$ing so short a lease, 9
+ost thou upon thy fading mansion spend.
?hall worms, inheritors of this e(cess,
Eat up thy charge. Is this thy #odys end.
Then, soul, li$e thou upon thy ser$ants loss,
2nd let that pine to aggra$ate thy store; 70
Fuy terms di$ineU in selling hours of dross;
3ithin #e fed, without #e rich no more"
?o shalt thou feed on +eath, that feeds on men,
2nd death once dead, theres no more dying then"
U T/!IC? =/R CRITIC24 TCI0SI0T 20+ 3RITI0T
7" >2s we indicate in our comment on the facsimile of this poem, the first three words of the second
line pro#a#ly should #e replaced with other words" 3hat words would you suggest. ,3e gi$e some
of the most widely accepted suggestions, #ut feel free to offer your own"-
2" >In what tone of $oice would you spea' the first line. The last line. Trace the spea'ers shifts in
emotion throughout the poem"
X" >3hat is your personal response to this poem. +o you feel that its lessons apply to you. +o you
find this sonnet more meaningful, or less meaningful, to you than ?onnet <X ,a#o$e-. !lease e(plain
R" >+id you find this poem hard to understand when you read it for the first time. 2fter you reread
and studied it, did the poem #ecome more difficult, or less so. Is this sonnet more difficult than
?onnet <X ,a#o$e-. 3hat is the difference #etween a poem that is challenging, a poem that is
difficult, and a poem that is o#scure.
;OHN MILTON
Aohn Milton !'4"%!',B( was born into a well@to@do )amily in London, where )rom childhood he was a
student o) languages, mastering at an early age Latin, <ree8, Hebrew, and a number o) modern
languages. ;nstead o) becoming a minister in the Anglican +hurch, he resolved to become a poet and
spent )ive years at his )amily?s country home, reading. His attac8s against the monarchy secured him a
position in Cliver +romwell?s Puritan government as Latin secretary )or )oreign a))airs. He became
totally blind, but he continued his wor8 through secretaries, one o) whom was Andrew Marvell, author o)
/-o His +oy Mistress1 page ,,$(. *ith the restoration o) the monarchy in !''4, Milton was )or a time
con)ined but was later pardoned in the general amnesty. 5ntil his death he continued to wor8 on many
subDects, including his greatest poem, the epic Paradise Lost.
3hen I Consider Cow Hy 4ight Is ?pent A7W99B
3hen I consider how my light is spent
Ere half my days, in this dar' world and wide,
2nd that one talent which is death to hideU
4odged with me useless,U though my soul more #ent R
To ser$e therewith my Ha'er, and present
Hy true account, lest he returning chide;
5+oth Tod e(act day>la#or, light denied.6
I fondlyU as'; #ut !atience to pre$entU 8
That murmur, soon replies, 5Tod doth not need
Either mans wor' or his own gifts; who #est
Fear his mild yo'e, they ser$e him #est" Cis state
Is 'ingly" Thousands at his #idding speed 72
2nd post oer land and ocean without rest@
They also ser$e who only stand and wait"6
U T/!IC? =/R CRITIC24 TCI0SI0T 20+ 3RITI0T
7" >This sonnet is sometimes called 5/n Cis Flindness,6 though Hilton ne$er ga$e it a title" +o you
thin' this title gets toward the heart of the poem. E(plain" If you were to gi$e it a title, what would
the title #e.
2" >Read the para#le in Hatthew 29"7R:X0, and then consider how close the para#le is to Hiltons
life as Hilton descri#es it in this poem"
X" >3here is the turn. 3hat characteristics are attri#uted to Tod after the turn.
R" >Compare the tone of the first and the last sentences" Cow does the length of each of these
sentences contri#ute to the tone.
9" >Could you imagine someone saying, 5This poem changed my life6. 3hat 'ind of change in a
persons life might this sonnet produce.
W" >3hat is your own e(perience of #lindness. Ca$e you e$er lost your eyesight. =or a long or a
short period. +o you 'now a #lind person. 3hat is the nature of your interaction with him or her.
;OHN CROWE RANSOM
A graduate o) Eanderbilt 5niversity and a 3hodes scholar at C2)ord, Aohn +rowe 3ansom returned to
teach at Eanderbilt, where he and others )ounded an important poetry Dournal, -he Fugitive. ;n !$&, he
moved to =enyon +ollege, where he )ounded and edited the =enyon 3eview. 0istinguished as a poet and
a teacher, he also wrote signi)icant literary criticism. Cne o) his boo8s, -he Few +riticism !$B!(, gave
its name to a critical movement see pages !,B:%!,BB(.
Pia##a Piece [192]
%I am a gentleman in a dustcoat trying
To ma'e you hear" )our ears are soft and small
2nd listen to an old man not at all,
They want the young mens whispering and sighing"
Fut see the roses on your trellis dying 9
2nd hear the spectral singing of the moon;
=or I must ha$e my lo$ely lady soon,
I am a gentleman in a dustcoat trying"
%I am a lady young in #eauty waiting
Until my truelo$e comes, and then we 'iss" 70
Fut what gray man among the $ines is this
3hose words are dry and faint as in a dream.
Fac' from my trellis, ?ir, #efore I screamG
I am a lady young in #eauty waiting"
U T/!IC? =/R CRITIC24 TCI0SI0T 20+ 3RITI0T
7" >3ho spea's the octa$e. 3hat words especially characteri1e him. Characteri1e the spea'er of the
sestet"
2" >In lines ;:70, the young lady is waiting for her 5truelo$e"6 Comment on the suggestions in this
word" In line 7R she is still 5waiting"6 =or whom does she thin' she is waiting. =or whom does the
reader 'now she is waiting. Cow do you 'now.
X" >The first and last lines of the octa$e are identical, and so are the first and last lines of the sestet"
3hat does this indicate a#out the degree to which the spea'ers communicate to each other.
R" >3hat is the point of Ransoms poem. Is this an appropriate *uestion to as' a#out a poem%
whether it does or does not ma'e a point. !lease e(plain"
9. ;. 5ENNEDY
G. A. =ennedy was born in Few Aersey in !$:$. He has taught at -u)ts 5niversity and is the author o)
several boo8s o) poems, boo8s )or children, and college te2tboo8s.
=ennedy alludes line B( to Milton?s Paradise Lost, E;;, :4#%4,: /Heaven opened wide H Her ever@
during gates, harmonious sound H Cn golden hinges moving. . . .1 For an account o) the slaughter o) the
innocents line #(, see Matthew :.!'. -he Eenerable .ede ',#%,&#(, in line ', was an English theologian
and historian.
$othing in %ea&en '(nction) a) *t O(ght [196+]
0othing in Cea$en functions as it ought@
!eters #ifocals, #lindly sat on, crac';
Cis gates lurch wide with the cac'le of a coc',
0ot turn with a hush of gold as Hilton had thought;
Tangs of the slaughtered innocents 'eep huffing 9
The nim#us off the Venera#le Fede
4i'e that of an old dandelion gone to seed;
2nd the #eatific choir 'eep #rea'ing up, coughing"
Fut Cell, slee' Cell hath no freewheeling part@
0one ta'es his own sweet time, none *uic'ens pace" 70
2s' anyone, Cow come you here, poor heart.%
2nd he will slot a *uarter through his face,
)oull hear an instant clic', a tear will start
Imprinted with an a#stract of his case"
U Topic for Critical Thin'ing and 3riting
In the octa$e Sennedy uses off>rhymes crac8, coc87 hu))ing, coughing(, #ut in the sestet all the
rhymes are e(act" Cow do the rhymes help to con$ey the meaning. ,0otice, too, that lines, X, R, 9, <,
and 8 all ha$e more than the usual ten sylla#les" 2gain, why.-
BILLY COLLINS
.orn in Few Ior8 +ity in !$B!, +ollins is a pro)essor o) English at Lehman +ollege o) the +ity 5niversity
o) Few Ior8. He is the author o) si2 boo8s o) poetry and the recipient o) numerous awards, including one
)rom the Fational Endowment )or the Arts. +ollins?s Jailing Alone Around the 3oom: Few and Jelected
Poems was published in :44!7 in the same year, he was appointed poet laureate o) the 5nited Jtates.
-he )ollowing sonnet uses the Petrarchan )orm o) an octave and a sestet. Jee page "4!.( Petrarch is
additionally present in the poem by the allusion in line & to /a little ship on love?s storm@tossed seas,1
because Petrarch compared the hapless lover, denied the )avor o) his mistress, to a ship in a storm: -he
lover cannot guide his ship because the Forth Jtar is hidden Petrarch?s beloved Laura averts her eyes(,
and the sails o) the ship are agitated by the lover?s piti)ul sighs. As you will see, Petrarch and Laura
e2plicitly enter the poem in the last three lines.
;n line " +ollins re)ers to the stations o) the cross. ;n 3oman +atholicism, one o) the devotions
consists o) prayers and meditations be)ore each o) )ourteen crosses or images set up along a path that
commemorates the )ourteen places at which Aesus halted when, Dust be)ore the +ruci)i2ion, he was
ma8ing his way in Aerusalem to <olgotha.
Sonnet [1999]
2ll we need is fourteen lines, well, thirteen now,
and after this ne(t one &ust a do1en
to launch a little ship on lo$es storm>tossed seas,
then only ten more left li'e rows of #eans" R
Cow easily it goes unless you get Eli1a#ethan
and insist the iam#ic #ongos must #e played
and rhymes positioned at the ends of lines,
one for e$ery station of the cross" 8
Fut hang on here while we ma'e the turn
into the final si( where all will #e resol$ed,
where longing and heartache will find an end,
where 4aura will tell !etrarch to put down his pen, 72
ta'e off those cra1y medie$al tights,
#low out the lights, and come at last to #ed"
U T/!IC? =/R CRITIC24 TCI0SI0T 20+ 3RITI0T
7" >The headnote e(plains the stations of the cross ,line 8-, #ut what is the point of introducing this
image into a sonnet.
2" >0ormally the 5turn6 ,volta- in an Italian sonnet occurs at the #eginning of the ninth line; the
first eight lines ,the octa$e- esta#lish some sort of pro#lem, and the final si( lines ,the sestet-
respond, for instance #y answering a *uestion, or #y introducing a contrasting emotion" In your
$iew, how satisfactorily does Collins handle this form.
X" >+oes this sonnet interest you. +o you find it cle$er. Is that a good thing or a #ad thing.
R" >+o you thin' that you could ha$e written this sonnet. Could you ha$e written ?ha'espeares
sonnets <X and 7RW ,pages 802:80X-. 3hat do your responses to these *uestions suggest to you
a#out the writing of poetry.
Th# V+..%'#..#
The name comes from an Italian words, villanella, meaning 5country song6 or 5peasant song,6 and
originally, in the si(teenth century, the su#&ect was the supposedly simple life of the shepherd, #ut in
=rance in the se$enteenth century ela#orate rules were de$eloped" Variations occur, #ut usually a $illanelle
has the following characteristics@
Y >=i$e stan1as with three lines each ,tercets-, rhyming aba, and a final stan1a with four lines ,a
*uatrain-"
Y >The first line of the first stan1a is repeated as the last line of the second stan1a and the last line
of the fourth stan1a"
Y >The third line of the first stan1a is repeated as the last line of the third stan1a and the last line of
the fifth stan1a"
Y >The *uatrain that concludes the $illanelle rhymes abaa, using the first and third lines of the first
stan1a as the ne(t>to>last and the last lines of the final stan1a%i"e", the poem ends with a couplet"
Fecause the $illanelle repeats one sound thirteen times ,in the first and last line of each tercet, and in the
first, third, and fourth lines of the *uatrain-, it strongly con$eys a sense of return, a sense of not going
forward, e$en a sense of dwelling on the past" 3e gi$e four e(amples of the form"
If you are going to write a $illanelle, here are two tips@
Y >Fegin #y writing a couplet ,a pair of rhyming lines-; in fact, write se$eral couplets on different
topics, and then decide which couplet you thin' is most promising" 0e(t, insert #etween these two
lines a line that ma'es sense in the conte(t #ut that does not rhyme with them"
Y >Each line need not end with a pause, and in fact some run>on lines pro#a#ly will help to pre$ent
the poem from #ecoming too sing>songy"
EDWIN ARLINGTON ROBINSON
Edwin Arlington 3obinson !"'$%!$&#( was born in Head -ide, Maine, and raised in the nearby town o)
<ardner, which he later adapted as the setting, /-ilbury -own,1 )or many o) his poems. His boo8s o)
verse include -he -orrent and the Fight .e)ore !"$'(7 +aptain +raig and Cther Poems !$4:(7 -he
-own 0own the 3iver !$!4(7 and6his )irst maDor success6-he Man Against the J8y !$!'(.
The %o()e on the %ill [1896]
They are all gone away,
The Couse is shut and still,
There is nothing more to say" X
Through #ro'en walls and gray
The winds #low #lea' and shrill@
They are all gone away" W
0or is there one to>day
To spea' them good or ill@
There is nothing more to say" ;
3hy is it then we stray
2round the sun'en sill.
They are all gone away, 72
2nd our poor fancy>play
=or them is wasted s'ill@
There is nothing more to say" 79
There is ruin and decay
In the Couse on the Cill@
They are all gone away" 78
There is nothing more to say"
U T/!IC? =/R CRITIC24 TCI0SI0T 20+ 3RITI0T
7" >4ine 7 is repeated se$eral times" !lease e(plain your response to the line the first time you hear
it" 0ow e(plain your response when you hear it the final time" 3hat conclusions are you led to.
2" >3ere you surprised to encounter the pronoun 5we6 in stan1a four. Cow does this 5we6 affect
your response to the poem. 2nd how does it #ear on your understanding of the spea'er.
X" >0ot, too, the use of 5our6 in stan1a fi$e" +oes the poet need this 5our6 or not. !lease e(plain"
R" >In the first and last stan1as, 5Couse6 is capitali1ed" +oes this choice add to or detract from the
impact of the poem.
9" >3e ha$e printed the $ersion of 5The Couse on the Cill6 that Ro#inson ga$e in his +ollected
Poems, pu#lished in 7;X<" Fut the original $ersion of 78;W is somewhat different" Cere, for
e(ample, is the original stan1a three@
2re we more fit than they
To meet the Hasters will.%
There is nothing more to say"
In your $iew, does the re$ision ma'e the poem #etter or worse. 3ho is the 5Haster6. 2nd
what is the purpose of this reference.
W" >/nce a poem has #een pu#lished, do you thin' that its author has the right to re$ise it. Isnt it
confusing for readers to ha$e different $ersions of 5the same poem6.
DYLAN THOMAS
+ylan Thomas ,7;7R:7;9X- was #orn and grew up in ?wansea, in 3ales" Cis first $olume of poetry,
pu#lished in 7;XR, immediately made him famous" Endowed with a highly melodious $oice, on three tours
of the United ?tates he was immensely successful as a reader #oth of his own and of other poets wor'" Ce
died in 0ew )or' City"
,o $ot -o -entle into That -oo. $ight [19+2]
+o not go gentle into that good night,
/ld age should #urn and ra$e at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light"
Though wise men at their end 'now dar' is right,
Fecause their words had for'ed no lightning they 9
+o not go gentle into that good night"
Tood men, the last wa$e #y, crying how #right
Their frail deeds might ha$e danced in a green #ay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light"
3ild men who caught and sang the sun in flight, 70
2nd learn, too late, they grie$ed it on its way,
+o not go gentle into that good night"
Tra$e men, near death, who see with #linding sight
Flind eyes could #la1e li'e meteors and #e gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light" 79
2nd you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, #less, me now with your fierce tears, I pray"
+o not go gentle into that good night"
Rage, rage against the dying of the light"
U T/!IC? =/R CRITIC24 TCI0SI0T 20+ 3RITI0T
7" >The intricate form of the $illanelle might seem too fussy for a serious poem a#out dying" +o you
find it too fussy. /r does the form here somehow succeed.
2" >Cow would you descri#e the spea'ers tone. Is it accurate or misleading to say that 5+o 0ot To
Tentle into That Tood 0ight6 is an angry poem.
X" >3hat is the spea'ers attitude toward death. +o you share this attitude or not. !lease e(plain"
R" >This is a famous poem" 3hy do you thin' that is the case.
ELIZABETH BISHOP
Eli1a#eth Fishop ,7;77:7;<;- was #orn in 3orcester, Hassachusetts" Fecause her father died when she
was eight months old and her mother was confined to a sanitarium four years later, Fishop was raised #y
relati$es in 0ew England and 0o$a ?cotia" 2fter graduation from Vassar College in 7;XR, where she was
co>editor of the student literary maga1ine, she li$ed ,on a small pri$ate income- for a while in Sey 3est,
=rance, and He(ico, and then for much of her adult life in Fra1il, #efore returning to the United ?tates to
teach at Car$ard"
One /rt [196]
The art of losing isnt hard to master;
so many things seem filled with intent
to #e lost that their loss is no disaster" X
4ose something e$ery day" 2ccept the fluster
of lost door 'eys, the hour #adly spent"
The art of losing isnt hard to master" W
Then practice losing farther, losing faster@
places, and names, and where it was you meant
to tra$el" 0one of these will #ring disaster" ;
I lost my mothers watch" 2nd loo'G my last, or
ne(t>to>last, of three lo$ed houses went"
The art of losing isnt hard to master" 72
I lost two cities, lo$ely ones" 2nd, $aster,
some realms I owned, two ri$ers, a continent"
I miss them, #ut it wasnt a disaster" 79
%E$en losing you ,the &o'ing $oice, a gesture
I lo$e- I shant ha$e lied" Its e$ident
the art of losings not too hard to master 78
though it may loo' li'e ,*rite itG- li'e disaster"
U T/!IC? =/R CRITIC24 TCI0SI0T 20+ 3RITI0T
7" >3hat was your response to the title when you first read it. +id your response change after you
read the poem and studied it further.
2" >Is the form connected to the poems theme. If so, in what way.
X" >4inger o$er line 7@ 3hy is 5losing6 an 5art6. 2nd why does Fishop echo the phrasing of the
first line in lines later in the poem. +oes the echo ma'e the poem feel repetiti$e.
R" >=ollow Fishops uses of the words 5lose,6 5losing,6 and 5loss6 from one to the ne(t" +o you find
her reliance on these $ery closely related words to #e important for the poems meaning, or does it
stri'e you as a lot or a little confusing. Can a poem #e a lot or a little confusing and yet still #e a
good poem.
9" >Can we tell what 'ind of loss Fishop is e(ploring. If we can, where does this 'ind of loss
#ecome clear.
W" >3hom is Fishop addressing when she says ,not the e(clamation point- 5*rite itG6. 3hy is this
command in the poem, and why is it in parentheses.
<" >Cas this poem helped you to understand a loss or losses that you ha$e e(perienced yourself.
?omething, perhaps, that you did not understand #efore a#out what 5losing6 someone or something
important means. +o you ha$e an insight of your own into losing and loss that Fishop has not
considered, at least not in this poem. Is this an insight that you would want to share with others%in
a poem, for e(ample%or 'eep to yourself.
WENDY COPE
3endy Cope was #orn in 7;R9 in Sent, in the south of England, and educated at ?t" Cildas College at
/(ford Uni$ersity, where she too' a degree in history, and then at the 3estminster College of Education"
2fter wor'ing for a num#er of years as a music teacher in 4ondon, she #ecame a tele$ision critic, a
columnist, a freelance writer, and, a#o$e all, a poet" Cer #oo's of $erse include Ha'ing Cocoa for
Singsley 2mis ,7;8W- and ?erious Concerns ,7;;7-, #oth of which were #est>sellers in England, and If I
+ont Snow ,2007-"
0ea.ing Sche1e [1986]
Cere is !eter" Cere is Eane" They li'e fun"
Eane has a #ig doll" !eter has a #all"
4oo', Eane, loo'G 4oo' at the dogG ?ee him runG X
Cere is Hummy" ?he has #a'ed a #un"
Cere is the mil'man" Ce has come to call"
Cere is !eter" Cere is Eane" They li'e fun" W
To !eterG To EaneG Come, mil'man, comeG
The mil'man li'es Hummy" ?he li'es them all"
4oo', Eane, loo'G 4oo' at the dogG ?ee him runG ;
Cere are the curtains" They shut out the sun"
4et us peepG /n tiptoe EaneG )ou are smallG
Cere is !eter" Cere is Eane" They li'e fun" 72
I hear a car, Eane" The mil'man loo's glum"
Cere is +addy in his car" +addy is tall"
4oo', Eane, loo'G 4oo' at the dogG ?ee him runG 79
+addy loo's $ery cross" Cas he a gun.
Up mil'manG Up mil'manG /$er the wallG
Cere is !eter" Cere is Eane" They li'e fun" 78
4oo', Eane, loo'G 4oo' at the dogG ?ee him runG
U T/!IC? =/R CRITIC24 TCI0SI0T 20+ 3RITI0T
7" >3hat was your first response to this poem. 2fter you read it through se$eral times, did your
response change. !lease e(plain"
2" >3hat does the word 5scheme6 mean. 3hat ma'es this word in the title a good choice for the
poem that follows.
X" >+o you thin' that Cope intends her poem to #e comic in its effect on the reader. /r would you
characteri1e the effect in different terms.
R" >Cow does the form of this poem contri#ute to its meaning. Could you imagine the poem
affecting you in the same way if Cope had written it in a different form%for e(ample, without the
pattern of rhymes.
9" >Cas this poem gi$en you a new insight into the relationship #etween form and meaning. If so,
please descri#e this insight and e(plain how it will affect your reading of other poems"
Th# S#!t+'%
This fiendishly ela#orate form de$eloped in twelfth>century Europe, especially in southern =rance, among
the trou#adours, court poets who sang for no#les" ,The name comes from the Italian sesto, 5si(th,6
#ecause there are si( stan1as of si( lines each%#ut then, to complicate matters, there is a se$enth stan1a,
a three>line 5en$oy6 or 5en$oi,6 a summing up that uses 'ey words of the first si( stan1as"-
Hore precisely%this is mind>#oggling%the si( words that end the si( lines of the first stan1a are
used at the ends of all the following lines #ut in a different though fi(ed order in each stan1a" ,Rhyme is
not used in this form"- This fi(ed order has #een characteri1ed as a sort of #ottoms>up pattern, a term
that will #ecome clear as we descri#e the stan1as" In the second stan1a the )irst line ends with the last
word of the last line ,the #ottom- of the first stan1a; the second line of the second stan1a ends with the
first line of the first; the third line ends with the last word of the fifth line of the first stan1a%i"e", with the
ne(t>to>#ottom line of the first stan1a" The fourth line of the second stan1a ends with the second line of the
first, the fifth with the fourth line of the first, and the si(th with the third line of the first"
Thus, if we designate the final words of the first stan1a, line #y line, as 7, 2, X, R, 9, W,
the final words of the second stan1a are W, 7, 9, 2, R, X;
the third stan1a@ X, W, R, 7, 2, 9
the fourth stan1a@ 9, X, 2, W, 7, R
the fifth stan1a@ R, 9, 7, X, W, 2
the si(th stan1a@ 2, R, W, 9, X, 7
The en$oy of three lines must use these si( words, #ut there are $arious possi#le patterns%for instance, 9,
X, 7 at the ends of the three lines, and 2, R, W in the middle of the lines"
If you are going to write a sestina, two tips@
Y >/nce you ha$e settled on your topic%lets say 5loss6 or 5a restless spirit of ad$enture6%&ot
down si( words that you thin' are rele$ant, and get going"
Y >)ou need not end each line with a pause, and in fact most good sestinas use considera#le
en&am#ment%i"e", the sense of the line runs o$er into the ne(t line"
RUDYARD 5IPLING
Rudyard Sipling ,78W9:7;XW- was #orn in India of English parents, #ut at the age of si( he was sent to
England for his education" Ce returned to India when he was se$enteen, wor'ed as a &ournalist and
creati$e writer for se$en years in Fom#ay, and then returned to England" Huch of his writing cele#rates
the achie$ements of Fritish colonialism, and he is therefore out of fa$or today, #ut if it is true that he did
not see that imperialism is partly a money>ma'ing rac'et #uilt on e(ploitation, it is ne$ertheless also true
that he often depicts the 5nati$es6 with great sympathy and insight"
;n his poems he o)ten adopted the voice o) the uneducated London coc8ney who has ?listed as a
soldier, a@servin? o) ?Er MaDesty the Kueen in A)rica, A)ghanistan, or ;nDia. Jome readers have )elt that
some o) the poems are better when one reads them without heeding the dialect.
Se)tina o2 the Tra1340oyal [1896]
?pea'in in general, I ?a$e tried ?em all%
The ?appy roads that ta'e you oer the world"
?pea'in in general, I ?a$e found them good
=or such as cannot use one #ed too long,
Fut must get ?ence, the same as I ?a$e done, 9
2n go o#ser$in matters till they die"
3hat do it matter where or ?ow we die,
?o long as we$e our ?ealth to watch it all%
The different ways that different things are done,
2n men an women lo$in in this world; 70
Ta'in our chances as they come along,
2n when they aint, pretendin they are good.
In cash or credit%no, it arent no good;
)ou ?a$e to ?a$e the ?a#it or youd die,
Unless you li$ed your life #ut one day long, 79
0or didnt prophesy nor fret at all,
Fut drew your tuc'er someow from the world,
2n ne$er #othered what you might ha done"
Fut, Tawd, what things are they I ?a$ent doneG
I$e turned my ?and to most, an turned it good, 20
In $arious situations round the world%
=or ?im that doth not wor' must surely die;
Fut thats no reason man should la#our all
?Is life on one same shift%lifes none so long"
Therefore, from &o# to &o# I$e mo$ed along" 29
!ay couldnt old me when my time was done,
=or something in my ead upset it all,
Till I ad dropped whate$er t was for good,
2n, out at sea, #eeld the doc'>lights die,
2n met my mate%the wind that tramps the worldG X0
Its li'e a #oo', I thin', this #loomin world,
3hich you can read and care for &ust so long,
Fut presently you feel that you will die
Unless you get the page youre readin done,
2n turn another%li'ely not so good; X9
Fut what youre after is to turn em all"
Tawd #less this worldG 3hate$er she ath done%
E(cep when awful long%I$e found it good"
?o write, #efore I die, 5E li'ed it allG6
U T/!IC? =/R CRITIC24 TCI0SI0T 20+ 3RITI0T
7" >2s our headnote mentions, Siplings spea'ers often are coc'neys, uneducated 4ondoners who
drop their hs and their final gs" Is the dialect effecti$e in this poem, or does the poem get #etter if
you read it straight in standard English. E(plain"
2" >Cow would you characteri1e the spea'ers $iew of life. 2nd how would you characteri1e the
spea'er himself. 3ould you agree with someone who said that the spea'er is a shallow egoist, an
irresponsi#le fellow who see's only his own instant gratification. E(plain"
X" >Try your hand at writing your own en$oy ,Siplings last three lines- for this poem" 4i'e Sipling,
you will ha$e to use world and done in your first line, long and good in your second, and die and all
in your third"
ELIZABETH BISHOP
For a biographical note, see page "!!.
Se)tina [196+]
?eptem#er rain falls on the house"
In the failing light, the old grandmother
sits in the 'itchen with the child
#eside the 4ittle Har$el ?to$e,
reading the &o'es from the almanac,
laughing and tal'ing to hide her tears" W
?he thin's that her e*uinoctial tears
and the rain that #eats on the roof of the house
were #oth foretold #y the almanac,
#ut only 'nown to a grandmother"
The iron 'ettle sings on the sto$e"
?he cuts some #read and says to the child, 72
;t?s time )or tea now7 #ut the child
is watching the tea'ettles small hard tears
dance li'e mad on the hot #lac' sto$e,
the way the rain must dance on the house"
Tidying up, the old grandmother
hangs up the cle$er almanac 78
on its string" Firdli'e, the almanac
ho$ers half open a#o$e the child,
ho$ers a#o$e the old grandmother
and her teacup full of dar' #rown tears"
?he shi$ers and says she thin's the house
feels chilly, and puts more wood in the sto$e" 2R
;t was to be, says the Har$el ?to$e"
; 8now what ; 8now, says the almanac"
3ith crayons the child draws a rigid house
and a winding pathway" Then the child
puts in a man with #uttons li'e tears
and shows it proudly to the grandmother" X0
Fut secretly, while the grandmother
#usies herself a#out the sto$e,
the little moons fall down li'e tears
from #etween the pages of the almanac
into the flower #ed the child
has carefully placed in the front of the house" XW
-ime to plant tears, says the almanac"
The grandmother sings to the mar$elous sto$e
and the child draws another inscruta#le house"
U T/!IC? =/R CRITIC24 TCI0SI0T 20+ 3RITI0T
7" >+oes Fishops choice of title seem strange to you. 3hy would she use the name of the poetic
form for her title. +o you thin' that a different title might #e more effecti$e. !lease gi$e e(amples,
and e(plain why they would or would not #e #etter"
2" >2s carefully as you can, descri#e the effect of line 7"
X" >In the first stan1a, why is the grandmother crying. Cow are her tears in lines W and < related to
the 5small hard tears6 of the tea'ettle in line 7R. 0ote, too, the later references to tears" !lease
comment on these as well"
R" >?e$eral of the lines in this poem are italici1ed" +o the italics ma'e the lines more forceful.
?hould Fishop ha$e made the force of the lines clear without changing the 5loo'6 of the lines on the
page.
9" >3hat is an almanac. Ca$e you e$er seen one. 3hy would someone want an almanac. 3hat is
the significance of the almanac in this poem.
W" >3hat is your response to the fact that this poem is a sestina. +o you thin' you could write a
poem in this form. 3hat would #e the #enefit to you of such an assignment.
SHAPED POETRY OR PATTERN POETRY
3e ha$e #een tal'ing a#out shapes or patterns determined #y rhymes, #ut some poems%admittedly few%
ta'e their shape from the length of the lines, which form a simple image, such as a sphere, an egg, a $ase,
or a wing" 3e ha$e already printed one poem of this sort in our first chapter, Eames Herrills 5Christmas
Tree,6 which is shaped li'e%well, you can guess"
Cere is a famous e(ample of shaped poetry, a pair of wings" 3e print it sideways, as it was printed in
the earliest edition, in 7WXX, though in that edition the first stan1a was printed on the left>hand page, the
second on the right>hand page"
GEORGE HERBERT
Teorge Cer#ert ,79;X:7WXX-, #orn into a distinguished 3elsh family, studied at the Uni$ersity of
Cam#ridge ,England- and #ecame a clergyman" Fy all accounts he li$ed an admira#le life and was
deser$edly 'nown in his community as 5Coly Hr" Cer#ert"6
0ote@ In line 7, store means 5a#undance,6 5plenty"6 In line 70, the fall refers to the loss of innocence
that resulted when 2dam ate the for#idden fruit in the garden of Eden" In the ne(t>to>last line, imp, a term
from falconry, means 5to graft, to insert feathers into a wing"6
Ea)ter45ing)
U T/!IC? =/R CRITIC24 TCI0SI0T 20+ 3RITI0T
7" 3hy are wings especially rele$ant to a poem a#out Easter.
2" >3e dont thin' one can argue that the length of e$ery line is e(actly suited to the meaning of the
line, #ut we do thin' that some of the lengths are parallel or reinforce some of the ideas within those
lines" =or instance, the first line, spea'ing of a mans original 5wealth and store,6 is a long line"
3hy is this length more appropriate to the meaning than it would #e to, say, 54ord, who created a
man who soon would fall6. 2nd note especially the fifth and si(th lines of each stan1a@ 3ould you
agree that their length suits their meaning.
X" >+o you thin' this poem is a mere no$elty, or do you thin' it deser$es close attention and indeed
is memora#le. !lease e(plain
LILLIAN MORRISON
4illian Horrison, #orn in Eersey City, 0ew Eersey, is an anthologist and fol'lorist and a writer of
childrens #oo's as well as a poet in her own right" The first #oo's she pu#lished were collections of fol'
rhymes that she assem#led and edited while wor'ing as a li#rarian at the 0ew )or' !u#lic 4i#rary" In
7;8< Horrison recei$ed the Trolier 2ward for 5outstanding contri#utions to the stimulation of reading #y
young people"6 ?he li$es in 0ew )or' City"
The Si.e6alk 0acer [198]
/r Cn the J8ateboard
?'imming
an asphalt sea
I swer$e, I cur$e, I
sway; I speed to whirring
sound an inch a#o$e the 9
ground; Im the sailor
and the sail, Im the
dri$er and the wheel
Im the one and only
single engine 70
human auto
mo#ile"
U T/!IC? =/R CRITIC24 TCI0SI0T 20+ 3RITI0T
7" >Is the poem really a#out a s'ate#oard. If not, what is it a#out.
2" >The first line is 5?'imming"6 3ould the poem #e impro$ed or wea'ened if it #egan 5I s'im6.
!lease e(plain"
X" >The second line rhymes with the fifth and se$enth ,5sea,6 5the6- and with the ninth ,5only6-"
3hat other rhymes do you find. 3hat is the effect of using rhymes that are not at the ends of the
lines.
R" >=rom a grammatical point of $iew, a period could #e put at the end of line 8" 3hy do you
suppose Horrison did not put a period there.
BLAN5 VERSE AND FREE VERSE
2 good deal of English poetry is unrhymed, much of it in /.%': *#r!#%that is, unrhymed iam#ic
pentameter" Introduced into English poetry #y Cenry Coward, the Earl of ?urrey, in the middle of the
si(teenth century, late in the century it #ecame the standard medium ,especially in the hands of Harlowe
and ?ha'espeare- of English drama" In the se$enteenth century, Hilton used it for Paradise Lost, and it
has continued to #e used in #oth dramatic and nondramatic literature" =or an e(ample see the first scene
of Hamlet ,page 778;-" 2 passage of #lan' $erse that has a rhetorical unity is sometimes called a *#r!#
p%r%,r%ph.
The second 'ind of unrhymed poetry fairly common in English, especially in the twentieth century, is
)r## *#r!# ,or *#r! .+/r#-@ rhythmical lines $arying in length, adhering to no fi(ed metrical pattern and
usually unrhymed" ?uch poetry may seem formless; Ro#ert =rost, who strongly preferred regular meter
and rhyme, said that he would not consider writing free $erse any more than he would consider playing
tennis without a net" Fut free $erse does ha$e a form or pattern, often largely #ased on repetition and
parallel grammatical structure" 3hitmans 52 0oiseless !atient ?pider6 ,page <7X- is an e(ample;
2rnolds 5+o$er Feach6 ,page ;;0- is another e(ample, though less typical #ecause it uses rhyme"
Thoroughly typical is 3hitmans 53hen I Ceard the 4earnd 2stronomer"6
WALT WHITMAN
For a biography o) the American poet *alt *hitman !"!$%!"$:(, see the note pre)acing /A Foiseless
Patient Jpider1 page ,!&(.
5hen * %ear. the 7earn. /)trono1er [186+]
3hen I heard the learnd astronomer,
3hen the proofs, the figures, were ranged in columns #efore me,
3hen I was shown the charts and diagrams, to add, di$ide, and measure them,
3hen I sitting heard the astronomer where he lectured with much applause in the lecture>
room,
Cow soon unaccounta#le I #ecame tired and sic', 9
Till rising and gliding out I wanderd off #y myself,
In the mystical moist night>air, and from time to time,
4oo'd up in perfect silence at the stars"
3hat can #e said a#out the rhythmic structure of this poem. Rhymes are a#sent, and the lines $ary greatly
in the num#er of sylla#les, ranging from ; ,the first line- to 2X ,the fourth line-, #ut when we read the
poem we sense a rhythmic structure" The first four lines o#$iously hang together, each #eginning with
53hen6; indeed, three of these four lines #egin 53hen I"6 3e may notice, too, that each of these four lines
has more sylla#les than its predecessor ,the num#ers are ;, 7R, 78, and 2X-; this increase in length, li'e
the initial repetition, is a 'ind of pattern" Fut then, with the fifth line, which spea's of fatigue and surfeit,
there is a shrin'age to 7R sylla#les, offering an enormous relief from the pre$ious swollen line with its 2X
sylla#les" The second half of the poem%the pattern esta#lished #y 53hen6 in the first four lines is
dropped, and in effect we get a new stan1a, also of four lines%does not relentlessly diminish the num#er
of sylla#les in each succeeding line, #ut it almost does so@ 7R, 7R, 7X, 70"
The second half of the poem thus has a pattern too, and this pattern is more or less the re$erse of the
first half of the poem" 3e may notice too that the last line ,in which the poet, now released from the
oppressi$e lecture hall, is in communion with nature- is $ery close to an iam#ic pentameter line; that is,
the poem concludes with a metrical form said to #e the most natural in English" The effect of naturalness
or ease in this final line, moreo$er, is increased #y the a#sence of repetitions ,e"g", not only of 53hen I,6
#ut e$en of such syntactic repetitions as 5charts and diagrams,6 5tired and sic',6 5rising and gliding6- that
characteri1e most of the pre$ious lines" This final effect of naturalness is part of a carefully constructed
pattern in which rhythmic structure is part of meaning" Though at first glance free $erse may appear
unrestrained, as T" ?" Eliot ,a practitioner- said, 50o vers is libre for the man who wants to do a good
&o#6%or for the woman who wants to do a good &o#"
THE PROSE POEM
The term prose poem is sometimes applied to a short wor' that loo's li'e prose #ut that is highly
rhythmical or rich in images, or #oth" Cere is a modern e(ample"
CAROLYN FORCH<
Carolyn =orchN was #orn in +etroit in 7;90" 2fter earning a #achelors degree from Hichigan ?tate
Uni$ersity and a masters degree from Fowling Treen ?tate Uni$ersity, she tra$eled widely in the
?outhwest, li$ing among !ue#lo Indians" Fetween 7;<8 and 7;8W she made se$eral $isits to El ?al$ador,
documenting human rights $iolations for 2mnesty International" Cer first #oo' of poems, Tathering the
Tri#es, won the )ale )ounger !oets award in 7;<9" Cer second #oo' of poems, The Country Fetween Us
,7;87-, includes 5The Colonel,6 which has #een called a prose poem"
The Colonel [1988 3(bl9 1981]
3hat you ha$e heard is true" I was in his house" Cis wife carried a tray of coffee and sugar" Cis
daughter filed her nails, his son went out for the night" There were daily papers, pet dogs, a pistol on
the cushion #eside him" The moon swung #are on its #lac' cord o$er the house" /n the tele$ision was
a cop show" It was in English" Fro'en #ottles were em#edded in the walls around the house to scoop
the 'neecaps from a mans legs or cut his hands to lace" /n the windows there were gratings li'e
those in li*uor stores" 3e had dinner, rac' of lam#, good wine, a gold #ell was on the ta#le for calling
the maid" The maid #rought green mangoes, salt, a type of #read" I was as'ed how I en&oyed the
country" There was a #rief commercial in ?panish" Cis wife too' e$erything away" There was some
tal' then of how difficult it had #ecome to go$ern" The parrot said hello on the terrace" The colonel
told it to shutup, and pushed himself from the ta#le" Hy friend said to me with his eyes@ say nothing"
The colonel returned with a sac' used to #ring groceries home" Ce spilled many human ears on the
ta#le" They were li'e dried peach hal$es" There is no other way to say this" Ce too' one of them in his
hands, shoo' it in our faces, dropped it into a water glass" It came ali$e there" I am tired of fooling
around he said" 2s for the rights of anyone, tell your people they can go fuc' themsel$es" Ce swept
the ears to the floor with his arm and held the last of his wine in the air" ?omething for your poetry,
no. he said" ?ome of the ears on the floor caught this scrap of his $oice" ?ome of the ears on the floor
were pressed to the ground"
U T/!IC? =/R CRITIC24 TCI0SI0T 20+ 3RITI0T
7" >Cow would you characteri1e the colonel in a few sentences.
2" >3e are told that the colonel spo'e of 5how difficult it had #ecome to go$ern"6 3hat do you
suppose the colonel assumes is the purpose of go$ernment. 3hat do you assume its purpose is.
X" >Cow much do we 'now a#out the narrator. Can we guess the narrators purpose in $isiting the
colonel. Cow would you characteri1e the narrators tone. +o you #elie$e the narrator.
R" >3hat is your response to the last sentence.
9" >3hat, if anything, is gained #y calling this wor' a 5prose poem6 rather than a short story.
E1ra !ound
Chapter 20 D Rhythm and Versification
2" E" Cousman
Chapter 20 D Rhythm and Versification
7 5#rm#!! Carni$al"
Ro#ert =rancis
!ieter Freughel the Elder, Peasant 0ance, c" 79W8, oil on wood, 77R Z 7WR cm" ,Sunsthistorisches
Huseum, Vienna"-
Chapter 20 D Rhythm and Versification
Versification@ 2 Tlossary for Reference
Chapter 20 D Rhythm and Versification
Versification@ 2 Tlossary for Reference
Chapter 20 D Rhythm and Versification
Talway Sinnell
Chapter 20 D Rhythm and Versification
Three Comple( =orms@ The ?onnet, the Villanelle, and the ?estina
Chapter 20 D Rhythm and Versification
= &h+r the part of the church where ser$ices were sung"
3illiam ?ha'espeare
2 My !+')1. #%rth see the comment #eneath the facsimile on page 80R" 9 &!t e(pense" 77 B1y t#rm!
"+*+'# #uy ages of immortality"
Chapter 20 D Rhythm and Versification
?onnet 7RW as it appears in the first pu#lication of ?ha'espeares sonnets, 7W0;" 0otice that the first line
ends with the words 5my sinful earth,6 and the second line #egins with the same words" Virtually all
readers agree that the printer mista'enly repeated the words" =irst of all, the line ma'es almost no sense;
secondly, it has 72 sylla#les ,5powres6 is monosylla#ic- where 70 sylla#les are normal" 2mong attracti$e
suggested emendations%usually two sylla#les instead of the four of 5Hy sinful earth6%are those that pic'
up imagery of conflict e(plicit in 5re##ell powres,6 such as 5!rey to,6 5Thrall to,6 5=oiled #y,6 and 5Ve(ed
#y,6 and emendations that pic' up imagery of hunger e(plicit in 5Eate6 and 5fed,6 such as 5=eeding6 and
5?tar$ed #y"6 Fut there are plenty of other candidates, such as 5=ooled #y,6 5Re#u'e these,6 and 54eagued
with"6
Eohn Hilton
X There is a pun in talent, relating Hiltons literary talent to Christs !ara#le of the Talents ,Hatthew
29"7R ff"-, in which a ser$ant is re#u'ed for not putting his talent ,a unit of money- to use" R 1!#.#!! a pun
on use, i"e", usury, interest" 8 )'".y foolishly" pr#*#'t forestall"
Chapter 20 D Rhythm and Versification
Filly Collins
Chapter 20 D Rhythm and Versification
Edwin 2rlington Ro#inson
Chapter 20 D Rhythm and Versification
Eli1a#eth Fishop
Chapter 20 D Rhythm and Versification
3endy Cope
Chapter 20 D Rhythm and Versification
Rudyard Sipling
Chapter 20 D Rhythm and Versification
Teorge Cer#ert
Chapter 20 D Rhythm and Versification
4ord, who createdst man in wealth and store,
Though foolishly he lost the same,
+ecaying more and more,
Till he #ecame
Host poor@
3ith thee
/ let me rise
2s lar's, harmoniously,
2nd sing this day thy $ictories@
Then shall the fall further the flight in me" 70
Hy tender age in sorrow did #egin@
2nd still with sic'nesses and shame
Thou didst so punish sin,
That I #ecame
Host thin"
3ith thee
4et me com#ine,
2nd feel this day thy $ictory@
=or, if I imp my wing on thine,
2ffliction shall ad$ance the flight in me" 20
4illian Horrison
Chapter 20 D Rhythm and Versification
Carolyn =orchN