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Rocking pentameter

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 five-foot line built from cretic (short-long-short) or similar rocking units, generating a rhythmic undulation or swaying motion.

Detailed Definition
Rocking pentameter is a five-foot line that blends iambic and trochaic rhythms to produce a lilting, oscillating cadence, avoiding strict metrical uniformity; this technique introduces subtle tension and musical variation into otherwise regular lines, often used to convey psychological ambivalence or naturalistic speech rhythms.
Example
Example in poetry:
A line of five metrical feet (pentameter) where the prevailing foot is the trochee (′∪); this is a trochaic pentameter.; A line where the rhythm is Stressed-unstressed five times, giving it a heavy, insistent beat: "Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary." (Poe's "The Raven" sometimes uses this structure).; The use of a trochee as the dominant foot in a five-foot line, creating a falling, rocking rhythm that contrasts with the rising iamb.; A line that begins with a strong stress and alternates with an unstressed syllable, five times: ′∪′∪′∪′∪′∪.
Additional Notes
Rocking pentameter is a line of five metrical feet, where the predominant foot is the rocking foot or amphibrach (U D U); an uncommon metrical line.
Also Known As
Rocking five-foot line swaying pentameter lilting pentameter Amphibrachic pentameter
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