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Sep 17, 2013
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Scansion and Iambic quatrain (workshop)
1. “When I have FEARS that I may CEASE to BE…” (Keats)
2. “I MET a TRAV’ller FROM an ANtique LAND.” (Shelley)
3. “Shall I comPARE thee TO a SUMmer’s DAY?” (Shakespeare)
So here I write a trenchant little verse
which stands like rigid hemp upon the shore
and through the terms strike daily to disperse
my laxness into discipline and more
Ron
About This Poem
Style/Type: Structured: Western
Review Request Intensity: I want the raw truth, feel free to knock me on my back
Editing Stage: Editing - rough draft
Comments
Rula
11 years 9 months ago
Can you see the problem here Ron?
and through | the terms |strike dai|ly to| disperse
my lax-|ness in-|to di-|sci-pline| and more
Rula
11 years 9 months ago
However
the scansion of the three verses and the first two lines is spot on. Well done!
wesley snow
11 years 9 months ago
Thank you for working the three lines.
“When I have FEARS that I may CEASE to BE…” (Keats)
Remember that Iamb is a two syllable foot.
When I / have fears / that I / may cease / to be.
I have accented every other syllable here.
The second line is scanned correctly. Use that as your example.
Shall I comPARE thee TO a SUMmer’s DAY?”
Shall I / com-pare / thee to / a sum- / mer's day?
The third has the same problems in its scanning as the first. You are scanning what it sounds like in your head and not necessarily in Iamb.
As to the quatrain, it is flawless Iamb. Well done. Look in on my instructions on the main page and my example elsewhere here and move onto Trochee.
Rula
11 years 9 months ago
so this proves
My scaning wrong concerning the last two lines I guess.
Sorry!
wesley snow
11 years 9 months ago
Rula,
You did not scan incorrectly, you scanned differently. You read the second syllable of "daily" into the preposition "to" as a Pyrrhic which is common with a preposition. Prepositions are difficult to accent and when we try they tend to sound forced which is why (Ian, are you listening?) we try not to stress a preposition.
It was not a mistake. If we write a verse that can be scanned one way only it likely is rather dull with little natural rhythm. To produce a line of verse that is so flawless that it scans but one way and is yet natural and elegant is the height of our art:
To be or not to be that is the question.
There is a reason why this line is one of the most well known in the English language and even this is catalectic.
Rula
11 years 9 months ago
Thank you sir
I see your point.
You make me feel better now.