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Varied tetrameter

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 four-foot line that employs irregular or mixed metrical patterns

Detailed Definition
Varied tetrameter is a four-beat line that blends different metrical feet—iambs with anapests, trochees, or spondees—to create dynamic rhythm within a song-like structure; common in ballads and lyrical poetry, it balances musicality with the natural inflections of speech for expressive versatility.
Example
Example in poetry:
Coleridge’s “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” uses varied tetrameter: “The ice was here, the ice was there”; modern example: “Wind howls through the pines at night” (iambic-trochaic mix); another: “She danced beneath the silver moon” (anapestic-trochaic); ballads often use mixed tetrameter/trimeter.
Additional Notes
Varied tetrameter incorporates different feet within four-beat lines; it maintains rhythmic vitality while allowing expressive flexibility in lyrical or narrative poems.
Also Known As
Irregular four-beat Flexible medium line Adaptive tetrameter Complex tetrameter Mixed four-foot verse
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