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Falling triplet

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 metrical foot or line consisting of three syllables with stress on the first syllable

Detailed Definition
A falling triplet is a three-line stanza that uses decreasing metrical stress, shortening line length, or semantic descent to evoke decline, resignation, or soft closure; its cadence mimics a sigh or fading light, making it ideal for concluding stanzas in elegies or meditative poems where emotional or physical energy wanes toward stillness.
Example
Example in poetry:
Falling triplet uses three stressed syllables in descending rhythm, as in Hopkins’ “The Windhover”: “Brute beauty and valour and act”; In “Pied Beauty,” Hopkins writes: “Glory be to God for dappled things”; Another: “Thunder rolls, lightning cracks, rain falls— / the storm has spoken”
Additional Notes
Falling triplet uses three lines with decreasing metrical stress or line length to evoke decline, resignation, or soft closure; often ends stanzas or poems with a sigh-like cadence.
Also Known As
Descending triad Diminishing triplet Cadent three-liner Descending tercet Falling tercet waterfall triplet
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