Talk:Syllabic verse

The description leaves me a little confused. Must a syllabic verse have the same number of syllables for every line, or would something like a cinquain be considered a syllabic verse? [[User:GK|gK ¿?]] 14:36, 13 Nov 2004 (UTC)

The point is the rules are based on syllable-count. Traditionally, it's the same in every line -- for example, heptasyllable and hendecasyllable are common forms in Spanish and French that require 7 and 11 syllables per line. But Marianne Moore, for example, wrote many poems in which each stanza followed the same form, but that was relatively arbitrary. If you can fix the article to get rid of the confusion, of course, that would be great! Tom 21:51, 14 Nov 2004 (UTC)

Then the Tanaga would be a Syllabic Verse ("a type of short Filipino poem, consisting four lines with nine syllables each"). I may eventually try to do a fixup on this article, but there are a bunch of articles that I'm working on that already have my commitment (as well as all the other nagging Wikipedia articles that need work, like the Tanaga article that needs to be de-stubbed). [[User:GK|gK ¿?]] 07:10, 15 Nov 2004 (UTC)

Dylan Thomas example

I'm not sure about the value of the "Especially When The October Wind" example. I think it somewhat clouds the issue because of its scannability as iambic pentameter, especially in the context of Robert Bridges' detailed anaylsis of Milton where he concludes that Milton was working in a syllabic tradition coming out of Chaucer. All of this of course is probably worth working into the article, but I'd rather see a simpler, clearer. more self-evident example of syllabic verse than the examples we currently have, possibly something from Elizabeth Daryush or Thom Gunn??? — Stumps 08:59, 8 March 2006 (UTC)

You're right, "October Wind" is just iambic pentameter using a lot of substitutions. "In My Craft Or Sullen Art" is syllabic, but not this one. I'll switch it for that. 86.134.222.71 02:34, 29 December 2006 (UTC)

French not stressed?

Article at the moment sez: "The modern French language does not have a significant stress accent." Surely this is mistaken. In a sentence like, "Il y a deux moutons sur la plaine" there is primary stress on "moutons" and "plaine" (and maybe on "deux," if the twoness is emphasised), and secondary stress on "sur" (and on "deux" if that's not emphasised). The Alexandrine is a perfectly regular stress meter, with two halves: either half can consist of either two anapests or three iambs. Eg. Racine

Le dessEIN en est PRIS, je PARS, cher THÉraMÈNE, Et QUItte LE séJOUR de l'aiMABle TréZÈNE.

First line: 2xanapest, 3xiamb, second line: 3xiamb, 2xanapest. Jack 23:45, 9 November 2007 (UTC)

Moore Example confusing

Corresponding lines of each stanza have equivalent syllable count? I can't readily see where stanza divisions fall in this excerpt, nor does there seem to be a clear pattern among 6,7,8-syllable lines. How is this example illustrative or helpful? Cyrusc (talk) 18:13, 4 September 2009 (UTC)

Short answer: You're absolutely right; this poem should be replaced. Long answer: As far as one can tell, "No Swan So Fine" is syllabically (7,8,6,8,8,5,9):(7,8,7,8,8,5,10) which is close but no cigar for illustrative purposes. I seem to recall reading (can't find the reference) that Moore's method was to write the poem syllabically in the first instance, but in revising it, to alter words and phrases as she saw fit, thus sometimes breaking the symmetry. So it is not safe to assume the Moore's celebrated syllabic stanzas are actually consistent; one must count on one's fingers to find out. Uncharacteristically, Timothy Steele makes the same error in All the Fun's in How You Say a Thing page 260, where he wrongly assumes that the second stanza mirrors the first. Perhaps that's how this poem got quoted as an exemplar in the first place. If I run across a better illustration, I'll pop it in, but I'm not much into modernist verse, so everyone else, please beat me to the punch. Phil wink (talk) 16:57, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

OK, on review, I'm getting off my high horse. I see that "No Swan So Fine" is perfectly adequate, but tricky: I've made (hopefully) helpful notes in the entry itself. Apologies to Moore, Steele, and all others concerned. Phil wink (talk) 18:50, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

Only two Languages?

Where's the Japanese? Where's the Italian and Spanish mentioned in the beginning? Where is a general discussion of how syllabic verse normally works and how the rules are formed and things? This article seems very English-focused... — Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.198.210.61 (talk) 06:53, 5 September 2014 (UTC)