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Shortened trimeter

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 three-beat line reduced in syllabic or metrical length from a conventional form

Detailed Definition
Shortened trimeter is a three-beat line reduced to two or even one strong stress—such as “Wind blows cold” or “Love is gone”—creating starkness, urgency, or minimalist intensity. Common in haiku-inspired or epigrammatic verse, it strips language to its essence, relying on implication and white space to amplify emotional weight without elaboration.
Example
Example in poetry:
Shortened trimeter: “Waves crash sharp”; “Birds fly home”; “Snow cloaks stone”; “Fire eats night”; “Bells toll deep”; “Roots grip fast”—each line trims the third foot for rhythmic urgency, common in haiku-influenced or telegraphic modern verse.
Additional Notes
Shortened trimeter reduces three-beat lines to two or one strong stress (“Wind blows cold”), creating starkness or urgency. Effective in minimalist or haiku-inspired verse.
Also Known As
Reduced trimeter Truncated trimeter Trimeter truncated
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