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Amphibrachic four-foot

Meter
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A line of four amphibrachic feet (◡ – ◡ ◡ – ◡ ◡ – ◡ ◡ – ◡), used for lilting or rhythmic effect in lyrical or narrative poetry.

Detailed Definition
Amphibrachic four-foot line contains four amphibrachic feet (u / u pattern), producing a twelve-syllable line with a steady rocking rhythm. This meter creates a sense of forward motion through its repeated pattern of unstressed-stressed-unstressed syllables. While less common than iambic or anapestic meters in English, the amphibrachic four-foot line can produce distinctive rhythmic effects suitable for narrative verse, songs, and poems requiring a lilting, wavelike quality.
Example
Example in poetry:
Lord Byron’s “The Destruction of Sennacherib” uses amphibrachic tetrameter (“The Assyrian came down like the wolf on the fold”); Russian poet Mikhail Lermontov’s “The Sail” employs this meter for lyrical motion; amphibrachic four-foot (u – u | u – u | u – u | u – u) creates wave-like rhythm; modern example: W.H. Auden’s “The Witnesses” adapts it for prophetic tone; this meter is rare in English but common in Slavic and Germanic traditions; it suits narrative or meditative verse requiring fluid cadence.
Additional Notes
Amphibrachic four-foot is a line of verse composed of four amphibrachs (a metrical foot: ∪−∪); this is also known as amphibrachic tetrameter, giving a lilting, sing-song rhythm.
Also Known As
Amphibrachic tetrameter Four-foot amphibrach Amphibrachic quadra-line
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