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Cascading tercet

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 three-line stanza where each line flows into the next with increasing momentum

Detailed Definition
A cascading tercet is a three-line stanza in which each line flows syntactically and rhythmically into the next, often through enjambment, creating a downward momentum that mimics water or thought in motion; this form emphasizes continuity and accumulation over discrete units of meaning.
Example
Example in poetry:
Cascading tercet: A series of tercets where each flows into the next—e.g., in terza rima like Dante’s Divine Comedy: “Midway upon the journey of our life / I found myself within a forest dark, / For the straightforward pathway had been lost.”
Additional Notes
A cascading tercet flows with enjambment from one three-line unit to the next, creating a waterfall effect; ideal for building momentum or emotional descent.
Also Known As
Falling tercet waterfall triplet descending three-line unit flowing tercet
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