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balanced line

Structure
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 verse exhibiting internal symmetry or equilibrium in phrasing or stress

Detailed Definition
A balanced line in poetry features syntactic, rhythmic, or semantic symmetry within a single line, often dividing into two equally weighted halves that mirror or complement each other in structure or meaning, enhancing the poem’s musicality and rhetorical force through internal equilibrium.
Example
Example in poetry:
Shakespeare’s sonnet line: “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” balances two clauses of equal weight and rhythm; Alexander Pope’s heroic couplet: “To err is human, to forgive, divine” exhibits perfect syntactic and rhythmic equilibrium; Emily Dickinson’s line: “Hope is the thing with feathers— / That perches in the soul—” balances abstract concept with concrete image; Robert Frost’s “The woods are lovely, dark and deep” balances three adjectives with parallel stress and meaning.
Additional Notes
A balanced line features internal symmetry in rhythm, syntax, or meaning; often used in heroic couplets or aphoristic poetry; effective for emphasizing contrast, equivalence, or moral insight.
Also Known As
Symmetrical line Equipoised line Harmonic line Isobaric line Parallel line
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