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Running verse

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

Poetry characterized by rapid, continuous forward movement without strong pauses

Detailed Definition
Running verse describes poetry with continuous, unbroken flow—minimal caesura, frequent enjambment, and syntactic momentum—that mimics speech or thought in motion; it avoids end-stopped rigidity, favoring fluidity and organic progression over formal segmentation.
Example
Example in poetry:
Running verse: enjambed lines that spill thought across breaks—Whitman’s catalogs; A poem where sentences ignore line endings for breathless urgency; Contemporary free verse uses running lines to mimic stream of consciousness; Running verse prioritizes syntactic flow over metrical pause; It creates momentum and intimacy.
Additional Notes
Running verse has continuous, flowing rhythm with enjambment; contrasts with heavily end-stopped verse.
Also Known As
Fleet verse Swift poetry Racing lines Rapid composition Cursorial verse
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