Rhythm, Meter and Scansation of the Poem

 Like the rhythms in nature, such as the motion of the planets, the succession of seasons, and the beating of the heart, poetic rhythm usually is organized in regularly recurring patterns. Such patterns regulate the motion of the music and aid the human ear in grasping its structure. The most basic rhythmic unit is the Iambic pentameter, alternates weak unstressed and strong stressed syllables to make a ten-syllable line (weak strong/weak strong/weak strong/weak strong/weak strong).

 iamb-- x / . . . . . . . . . (adjective form = iambic)

trochee-- / x . . . . . . . . (adjective form = trochaic)

anapest-- x x / . . . . . . . (adjective form = anapestic)

dactyl-- / x x . . . . . . . . (adjective form = dactylic)

pyrrhic-- x x . . . . . . . . (adjective form = pyrrhic)

spondee-- / / . . . . . . . . (adjective form = spondaic)

dimeter  --two feet per line

trimeter --three feet per line

tetrameter   --four feet per line

pentameter  --five feet per line

hexameter--six feet per line

heptameter --seven feet per line

octameter  --eight feet per line

FOR EXAMPLE:

x / x / x / x / x / . . . iambic pentameter

x / x / x / x /  . . iambic tetrameter

/ x / x / x / x / x / x . . . trochaic hexameter

x x / x x / x x / . . . anapestic trimeter

/ x x / x x / x x / x x . . . dactylic tetrameter

x x / x x / . . . anapestic dimeter

/ x x / x / x / x / . . iambic pentameter with an initial trochaic substitution

SCANSATION:

Teach me half the gladness

That thy brain must know

Such harmonious madness

From my lips would flow

The world should listen, then as I am

listening now!

Tea 'ch me/ha 'lf the/ gla 'd ness

Tha 't thy/ bra 'in must/ kno 'w

Suc 'h har/mo 'ni-our/ma 'd ness

Fro 'm my/li 'ps would /flo 'w

The wo 'rld/ should li 'st/en the 'n/ as I ' / am

                li 'st(en)/ing no 'w

Prosodic name: The lines are in Trochaic Trimeter except the last line which is in Iambic hexameter.

1)       The second and fourth lines are catalectic.

2)       The 2^nd foot of the 3^rd line is Dactylic variation.

To one who has been long in city pent

Tis very sweet to look into the fair

And open face of heaven – to breathe a prayer

Full in the smile of the blue firmament.

Ans.

To o 'ne/ who ha 's/ been lo 'ng/ in ci 't/ y pe 'nt

Tis ve 'r/-y swe 'et/ to lo 'ok/ into '/the fa 'ir

And o '-/pen fa 'ce/of he 'aven/ to bre 'athe/ a pra 'y/er

Full i 'n/the smi 'le/ of the blu 'e fi 'r-/ma-me 'nt

Prosodic Name: Iambic pentameter

Variation: 1) The last foot of the third line is hyper metrical.

 The 3^rd foot of the 4^th line is Pyrrhic and 4^th foot of the same line is a spondee.

Here we will also find the different names of versification: blank verse, free verse, heroic couplet, Terza Rima etc.

Ardhendu De