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Syllabic verse (specific)

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

Verse measured by number of syllables per line, regardless of stress or quantity

Detailed Definition
Syllabic verse (specific) is a metrical system where line length is determined strictly by the number of syllables per line—regardless of stress or quantity—as seen in French or Japanese poetic forms like the haiku (5-7-5), prioritizing syllable count over accentual or quantitative rhythm.
Example
Example in poetry:
Syllabic verse (specific) is exemplified by Marianne Moore’s “No Swan So Fine,” with its meticulously counted lines (7, 8, 4, 6, 9, 7, 3); in “The Fish,” Moore uses a repeating 1-3-9-6-8 syllable pattern per stanza; Elizabeth Daryush’s “Still-Life” follows a strict 8-8-8-8 syllabic quatrain; contemporary poet Annie Finch revives syllabic forms in “Calendars,” using fixed counts to echo ritual time; Dylan Thomas’s “In Country Sleep” uses syllabic structure beneath its lyrical surface to control pacing and breath.
Additional Notes
Meter based on syllable count regardless of stress (e.g., haiku's 5-7-5). Common in Romance languages, Japanese forms. Contrast with accentual-syllabic verse dominant in English.
Also Known As
syllable-count verse quantitative syllabics
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