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Anisometric verse

Form
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 poetic form composed of stanzas with lines of deliberately uneven length, used for visual contrast or expressive variation.

Detailed Definition
Anisometric verse consists of lines of unequal metrical length, deliberately varying lineation to reflect thematic shifts, emotional intensity, or organic form; it contrasts with isometric verse and is common in modernist and free verse traditions.
Example
Example in poetry:
Whitman’s free verse mixes long catalogs with abrupt short lines for emotional contrast; Modernist poems like Pound’s "Cantos" vary line length to mimic thought; Anisometric verse rejects uniformity for expressive flexibility; This technique appears in confessional poetry for psychological realism; Uneven lines mirror life’s irregular rhythms and intensities.
Additional Notes
Anisometric verse consists of lines with unequal metrical lengths; it contrasts with isometric (uniform) verse and allows for greater expressive flexibility, often seen in free verse or modern lyric poetry.
Also Known As
Irregular verse Unequal-line verse Variable-length verse
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