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Becalmed meter

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

Rhythm that creates sense of stillness, suspension, or lack of movement

Detailed Definition
Becalmed meter describes a rhythmic pattern that is unusually slow, smooth, or devoid of strong stresses, evoking stillness, suspension, or tranquility—like a ship becalmed in windless seas; this meter often uses spondees, long vowels, and liquid consonants to create a hushed, meditative pace, as in elegies, lullabies, or poems of contemplation where time seems to pause, and the absence of forward drive becomes a vehicle for introspection or awe.
Example
Example in poetry:
Becalmed meter: In Wallace Stevens’ “The Snow Man,” the slow, even iambic lines (“One must have a mind of winter…”) create a becalmed meter—still, quiet, and devoid of emotional turbulence.
Additional Notes
Slowed, calm, or windless meter lacking forward momentum. Nautical metaphor for stillness. Creates contemplative or stagnant effect. Related to slow rhythm. Use deliberately for atmosphere of waiting, calm, or stasis.
Also Known As
Stilled meter motionless rhythm windless cadence stagnant meter
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