Poetry, often honored as the language of the soul, is a unique form of expression that eclipses traditional prose. Meter serves as one of the key contributors to confer the beauty and cadence to poetry. Meter, in the realm of poetry, is akin to the heartbeat that gives life to the verses. It is the systematic disposition of stressed and unstressed syllables that paints a picture with the sounds which shapes the poem's emotional impact and intellectual resonance. Meter functions as an apparatus for poetic expression, allowing poets to choreograph language with precision and artistry.

1. What is Meter and its Types in Poetry
Introduction: Few Words about Meter
Poetry, often honored as the language of the soul, is a unique form of expression
that eclipses traditional prose. Meter serves as one of the key contributors to confer the
beauty and cadence to poetry. Meter, in the realm of poetry, is akin to the heartbeat that
gives life to the verses. It is the systematic disposition of stressed and unstressed
syllables that paints a picture with the sounds which shapes the poem's emotional
impact and intellectual resonance. Meter functions as an apparatus for poetic
expression, allowing poets to choreograph language with precision and artistry.
Definition: What is Meter?
Meter is a building block of a verse that serves tone, rhythm, pattern and flow of
beats in a verse. Meter can be defined as
“Pattern, number and arrangement of beats in a line is called meter”
Study of meter along with rhyme, accents, syllables, rhythm etc. is called Prosody.
Number of beats in a line tells how lengthy a verse is like tetrameter, pentameter etc.
and arrangement of beats in a line tells which meter is applied like iambic meter,
trochee meter etc. In some poems meter is not used, in some rhyme is not used (Blank
verse) and in some poems, both are not used (Free verse).
The Basic Building Block: What is Metrical Foot
The foundation of meter lies in the concept of the metrical foot, a fundamental unit
composed of a combination of stressed and unstressed syllables. Each foot represents
a single rhythmic pulse within the poetic line, much like a beat in music. In poetry a
syllable consists of a single vowel sound or a single vowel sound surrounded by one or
more consonant sounds. Two syllables form a foot by combining together and two feet
form a meter.
Types of Foot or Meter in Poetry (Sound wise)
Disyllables
Feet with two syllables are called disyllable.
● Trochee:
Pronounced DUH-duh, as in “ladder” Unstressed syllable is followed by a
stressed syllable.
● Iamb:
Pronounced duh-DUH, as in “indeed.” Stressed syllable followed by an
unstressed syllable.

2. ● Spondee:
Pronounced DUH-DUH, as in “T.V”. Two stressed syllables.
Trisyllables
Feet with three syllables are called trisyllable.
● Dactyl:
Pronounced DUH-duh-duh, as in “certainly.” Stressed syllable followed by two
unstressed syllables.
● Anapest:
Pronounced duh-duh-DUH, as in “what the heck!”. Two unstressed syllables
followed by a stressed syllable. (Anapestic poetry typically divides its stressed
syllables across multiple words.)
Types of Foot or Meter in Poetry (Length wise)
● One foot = Monometer
● Two feet = Dimeter
● Three feet = Trimeter
● Four feet = Tetrameter
● Five feet = Pentameter
● Six feet = Hexameter
● Seven feet = Heptameter
● Eight feet = Octameter
The above image shows how to count syllables.

3. The Rhythmic Symphony: Combination of Meters and Foot
By combining meter and feet in various patterns, poets create diverse types of
meter, each imparting a unique rhythmic flavor to their poetic creations. Some of the
most prominent types of meter in English poetry include:
Iambic Pentameter:
Five iambs per line, the most common meter in English poetry, often associated
with a graceful, flowing rhythm. (e.g. "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" –
William Shakespeare). Iambic meter is a smooth, flowing in rhythm, flexible, adaptable,
natural in speech pattern, suitable for expressing various tones, timeless and traditional
meter in poetry. That is why it is the most commonly and widely used meter of poetry.
Trochaic Meter:
A series of trochees, often used to convey a sense of power, vigor, or briskness.
(e.g., "From the land of corn and pumpkins, who in open cars come roaring," – Carl
Sandburg). Trochaic meter is opposite to iambic meter and has a distinct rhythmic
pattern with a strong-weak stress sequence. It creates a lively and upbeat rhythm, gives
an energetic feel and lends a comic and playful tone to the poetic themes. Edgar Allan
Poe's famous poem "The Raven" is an example of trochaic octameter.
Anapestic Meter:
A pattern of anapests, imparting a lighthearted, lilting rhythm, often associated with
humor or nursery rhymes. (e.g., “The Destruction of Sennacherib"Lord Byron). With a
weak-weak-strong stress sequence anapestic meter creates a lively and light rhythm,
suitable for humorous, playful, or upbeat poetic themes. Two short syllables followed by
a longer stressed syllable contributes to a bouncing or galloping feel. It is often used in
narrative poetry due to its flowing and storytelling-friendly rhythm.
Dactylic Meter:
A dactylic meter is most commonly used in hexameter (six metrical feet per line), it
can also be used in other forms, such as pentameter (five metrical feet per line) and
trimeter (three metrical feet per line). (e.g., "In the days of old," – Alfred, Lord
Tennyson). The dactylic meter has a galloping, rolling and energetic rhythm, it creates a
sense of movement and momentum in poetry making it suitable for the classical
hexameter used in the classical works like Homer's "Iliad" and "Odyssey". In tone it is
lighthearted, comic and humorous, requires a high level of skill and craftsmanship and
creates a wide range of effects in poetry.
Spondaic Meter:
Spondaic meter is usually used in short poems because consistently
stressed-stressed pattern creates lack of variation which feels monotonous if used in
extended forms of poetry. (e.g., "This is the forest primeval," – William Cullen Bryant). A
series of spondees, imparts a heavy, solemn rhythm, often used to convey gravity or
seriousness and creates a sense of power and intensity expressing strong emotions or

4. moments of emphasis in poetry. It may be used strategically to draw attention to specific
words or moments in a poem. Its limited use can make words, feelings or meanings
stand out when employed. Poets often mix and match metrical feet to create varied and
expressive rhythms within a poem. Spondaic meter can be a handy and powerful tool
when used deliberately to create such variation of rhythm in poems by the poets.
How to Identify or Recognize the Meter of a Poem?
To recognize meter or meter of a poem, first of all we have to learn sounds vowels
are 20 and consonant sounds are 24 according to the IPA chart. For example, in cat
there are two consonants [k,t] and one vowel sounds. After identifying vowel and
consonant sounds in a word.
Next, we have to identify syllables in a word and total syllables in a line. A
combination of a single vowel along with one or more consonants is called a syllable
and a single, alone vowel is also called a syllable. For example, the first line of the
poem Daffodils “I won dered lone ly as a cloud” has eight syllables. The last syllable
cloud has one vowel sound [ou] along with three consonant sounds [k,l,d], this
combination of vowel and consonant sounds is called syllable. After recognizing the
syllables, now it is time to identify meter (length wise), two syllables together form a
meter. We can count eight syllables or beats a line, make it a tetrameter and ten
syllables or beats make it pentameter.
In the last step we identify the meter of a poem sound wise. For this we must know
stressed and unstressed syllables. With the help of stressed and unstressed syllables
different meters like Iambic, spondee, dactyl etc. are created. Stressed syllables are
uttered long, loud and clear on the other hand unstressed syllables are uttered short,
low and unclear. For example, in the phrase “I won | dered lone | ly as | a cloud “, the
first meter consists of two syllables ‘I’ and ‘won’ where first syllable ‘I’ is unstressed and
the second syllable ‘won’ is unstressed. Unstressed syllable followed by a stressed
syllable is called Iambic meter. In the above example there are four iambic meters in
this line that is why it is called iambic tetramer.

6. The above image shows how to identify the meter of a poem.
Why Poetry is Difficult Genre of Literature
To write and understand poetry is often considered difficult because it demands
brevity, precision, deep emotions, vivid imagery, complex ideas, figurative language,
metaphors, similes, symbols, meter, rhyme, rhythm, sonic devices, cultural and
historical references, personal and emotional expressions and above all choosing the
right words and arranging them in a way that maximizes impact is challenging in poetry.
Despite all challenges, especially in writing poetry, to maintain rhyme and meter
throughout the poem is most difficult to cope with. Writing a poem may take from a few
days to a few weeks, during this time a poet has to take care of all above-mentioned
traits, still rhyme and meter will challenge the most if one is writing rhymed poetry. For
example, “Daffodils” a poem by William Wordsworth has four sestets (stanzas with six
lines) of iambic tetrameter and rhyme scheme of the said poem is ababcc. First difficulty
for the poet in this poem is to maintain the same rhyme scheme in all four stanzas. A
single line differing from the required rhyme scheme can take weeks as the poet would
have to search such words which match the theme and meaning along with required
sound.
Second meter can be challenging. For example, the poem “Daffodils” has four
stanzas of six line each line has iambic tetrameter, it means in the whole poem, the poet
had to write 96 iambic meters (first syllable stressed and second unstressed). To find
such words which descend equal to the theme of the poem along with maintaining the
sequence of unstressed and stressed syllables throughout 96 meters would have been
greatly challenging for the poet.
Cultural and linguistic diversity, emphasis on sound and music, ambiguity and
openness to interpretation, figurative language, conciseness and precision are the other
elements for the poet to consider while writing a poem.
What is Difference between Meter from Rhythm Definition
Definition of Meter
Meter is the organized pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of
poetry. It involves the arrangement of these syllables into metrical feet.
Definition of Rhythm
Rhythm refers to the pattern of sounds created by the arrangement of stressed and
unstressed syllables in a line of poetry. It is the audible flow and cadence produced
when the poem is read aloud.

7. In short, meter is the structural arrangement of stressed and unstressed syllables in
a line, organized into metrical feet, while rhythm is the audible flow and pattern of
sounds created by the arrangement of stressed and unstressed syllables. Meter
contributes to the rhythm of a poem, but rhythm extends beyond the formalized
structure of meter to encompass the overall musicality and expressive qualities of the
language.
Metrical Variations in a Poem
In spite of all the efforts made by the poets, poems often have a few lines that
violate well-defined overall metric patterns. These fluctuations in meters are called
metric variations. A common variation is the inversion of a foot, which changes an iamb
meter into a trochee meter. A second variation is a headless verse, where the first
syllable of the first foot lacks. A third variation is catalexis, where the end of a line is
shortened by a foot, or two or part of it.
Features that Meter Lends to the Poetry
Meter, the rhythmic structure in poetry, serves as a fundamental and enriching
element, contributing various features that enhance the overall aesthetic and expressive
qualities of the verse. Here are some key features that meter lends to poetry:
Rhythmic Cadence:
Meter establishes a rhythmic cadence within a poem, providing it with a musical
quality that captivates the reader or listener. This cadence creates a flow that carries the
reader through the verses, making the poem more engaging and memorable.
Emotional Resonance:
The choice of meter influences the emotional resonance of a poem. Whether it's the
contemplative pace of iambic pentameter or the urgent beat of trochaic meter, the
rhythmic pattern contributes to the overall emotional tone, allowing poets to evoke
specific feelings in their audience.
Pacing and Tempo:
Meter plays a crucial role in determining the pacing and tempo of a poem. The
arrangement of stressed and unstressed syllables controls the speed at which the poem
is read, influencing the reader's experience and emphasizing certain moments or ideas.
Structural Unity:
Meter provides a structural unity to a poem, offering a framework that organizes the
verses. This organized structure aids in the coherence of the poem, allowing readers to
follow a consistent pattern that contributes to the overall artistic expression.
Enhanced Memorability:
The repetitive nature of meter contributes to the memorability of poems. The
consistent rhythm aids in the retention of verses, making them easier to remember and

8. recite. This quality has historically played a significant role in the oral transmission of
poetry through generations.
Expressive Nuances:
Meter allows poets to convey expressive nuances by manipulating the stress
patterns. Through variations in meter, poets can create emphasis, tension, or resolution
within a poem. This flexibility adds depth and complexity to the emotional and thematic
layers of the work.
Aesthetic Pleasure:
The rhythmic patterns of meter contribute to the aesthetic pleasure of poetry. Just
as music appeals to the ear, meter in poetry appeals to the sense of rhythm, creating a
harmonious and pleasing experience for the audience.
Cultural and Historical Significance:
Different cultures and historical periods have favored specific meters, and the
choice of meter in a poem can carry cultural or historical significance. For instance, the
use of iambic pentameter is often associated with classical English poetry, while other
cultures may have distinct rhythmic traditions.
Symbolic Impact:
Meter can be used symbolically to enhance the thematic impact of a poem. A shift
in meter can signify a turning point or a change in perspective, adding layers of meaning
to the verses. Poets use this symbolic impact to convey subtle messages and create a
more profound connection with the audience.
Artistic Flexibility:
Meter provides poets with artistic flexibility, allowing them to experiment with
different rhythmic patterns to suit the mood and theme of their work. Whether it's the
free verse of Walt Whitman or the structured sonnets of Shakespeare, poets can
choose a meter that complements their artistic vision and creative intent.
Conclusion
To conclude, meter in poetry is a versatile and powerful tool that contributes
significantly to the richness and depth of poetic expression. Its rhythmic features
enhance the emotional impact, create structural unity, and offer a timeless and
memorable quality to the art of poetry.