Tutorial on Beats in Poetry, or Quantitative Rhythm (Not a Poem)

One of the most misunderstood uses of rhythm in poetry is the use of Beats. This is called Quantitative rhythm. It is the most comprehensive use of rhythm because it takes into account the beats of a word rather than the syllables.

Let’s start by looking at an iamb, like: "annoy". It has three beats, but only two syllables. The first syllable is unstressed and the second is stressed. By stressing that second syllable it becomes longer, equal to two unstressed syllables. In music you could notate this with an eighth note and a quarter note. Let’s take the word “syllable”, an anapest. It has four beats, as the first syllable is stressed and the others are not. Three syllables yet four beats. Two syllable words, spondees such as; "hum drum", being both stressed syllables, have the same number of beats as the word "syllable". This allows us to count out the lines differently, based upon the actual rhythm of the sounds, not the syllables.

Now, with poetry, just as with music, there is phrasing involved. We do not need to count out the rhythms exactly when we speak. The listener has the ability to count it out by listening to the stressed syllables and unstressed syllables alone, as this is a critical part of understanding language. If they can talk or understand speach, they can hear it.


Where this is most useful is in free verse, as it allows us to make excitingly complex little rhythms within a single line, within a few lines, and/or all throughout the poem changing it from a simple group of words to a song. Many people are unconsciously aware of these rhythms, recognizing the continuity of the flow, without ever realizing exactly what is causing it.

EXAMPLE:

The maiden had a ribbon blue
That was tied to the brim of her hat
It dangled as she galloped by
Clip-clip, clop-clop, she rode past

See how it appears to be classic poetry even though there is not even remotely a rhyme involved anywhere in it? That is because the cadence of the beats makes it into a song.

The MAI-den HAD a RIB-bon BLUE
That was TIED to the BRIM of her HAT
It DAN-gled AS she GAL-loped BY
CLIP-CLIP, CLOP-CLOP she rode PAST


The first and third lines have eight syllables and twelve beats.
The second line has nine syllables and twelve beats,
The fourth line has seven syllables and twelve beats

So they are quantitatively the same, twelve beats each, even though they are all different syllable counts. We can diagram this out with the following:

Iamb, iamb, iamb, iamb,
Anapest, anapest, anapest
Iamb, iamb, iamb, iamb
Spondee, spondee, anapest

Iambs each have three beats, anapests and spondees have four each.

This demonstrates how to use meter alone to make poetry, so now when you add slant rhyme, it seems to be much closer than it actually is because your ear is expecting a rhyme, so as long as it is even in the same ballpark, it will score. If you add exact rhymes, then you will capture more than just the feel of a good poem, but of an excellent song.