quired by any one who is willing to work at
it steadily and consistently. First, a start in the right direction, and
then practice--practice--practice.

Nothing "dashed off" or "turned out," but every composition saved from
the wastebasket made--

Correct in construction,
Clear in thought,
Simple in diction.

II

METER

CHAPTER II

METER

A metrical composition is divided into lines, each line containing a
definite number of syllables. These syllables are grouped by twos and
threes into "feet" which, by their makeup, determine the meter or
movement of the line.

Meter in English verse is built up through accent alone, but, though
this principle differs entirely from that of the ancients, who depended
on the length of the syllable, we still cling to the names with which
they distinguished the different feet. It will be discovered that by
combining accented and unaccented syllables into groups of two, three
and four an immense variety of feet can be produced. In fact the Roman
poets made use of about thirty. In English verse we disregard the
four-syllabled foot altogether and make use only of the two and three
syllabled.

Those commonly accepted are:

Iambus [u][-] Dactyl [-][u][u]

Trochee [-][u] Anapest [u][u][-]

Spondee [-][-] Amphimacer [-][u][-]

Amphibrach [u][-][u]

The dash stands for the accented syllable.

An idea of the use of these meters in verse may be gained from the
following examples:

IAMBIC

u -- | u ---- | u -- | u - | u | -----
"From low | to high | doth dis | solu | tion | climb

u - | u ---- | u - | u - | u --
And sink | from high | to low | along | a scale."

TROCHAIC

---- u | --- u | -- u | -- u
"Tell us, | Master, | of thy | wisdom

-- u | --- u | ---- u | ---- u
Ere the | chains of | darkness | bind thee."

DACTYLLIC

---- u u | -- u u
"Take her up | tenderly

-- u u | --
Lift her with | care."

ANAPESTIC

u u ---- | u u -- | u u ---- | u
"If he talks | of his bak | ing or brew | ing

u u ----- | u u --- | u u ---
If he comes | to you rid | ing a cob."

A line of spondees is rarely found in our English because a succession
of accented syllables is almost impossible with us and the amphimacer
and amphibrach are seldom more than secondary feet in a dactyllic or
anapestic line. W