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Strong-stress 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

A metrical system structured by stressed beats rather than syllable counts.

Detailed Definition
Strong-stress verse is a metrical system based on a fixed number of accented syllables per line, with variable numbers of unaccented syllables, rooted in Old English and Middle English poetic traditions; it prioritizes rhythmic vigor and oral delivery over syllabic regularity, exemplified by Beowulf’s four-stress lines and revived by modern poets like Auden to evoke archaic power or folk authenticity in contemporary contexts.
Example
Example in poetry:
Strong-stress verse emphasizes 2–4 heavy beats per line, common in Old English: “Hwæt! We Gardena in geardagum” (“Beowulf”—4 stresses); “Foweles in the frith, / The fisches in the flod” (Middle English lyric—2 stresses per line); Modern example: “Stone on stone, blood on bone” (4 strong stresses); “Fire in the thatch, sword in the hand” mimics alliterative strong-stress tradition.
Additional Notes
Strong-stress verse|Poetry, common in Old English, where meter is determined by the number of stressed syllables per line, regardless of the number of unstressed syllables; related to alliterative verse and accentual verse.
Also Known As
Accentual verse strong-beat verse stress-based poetry Accentual four-beat line Alliterative verse
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