Anapesten

Think of Heinrich Heine, who often used triple meters to create a sing-song, ironic effect. Where English anapests feel like galloping , German Anapesten can often feel like skipping —a lighter, more folk-song quality. Meter is not a cage for words; it is a vehicle. The iamb is a sturdy wagon. The trochee is a hammer blow. The dactyl is a waltz.

An anapest is a metrical foot consisting of : two unstressed syllables followed by one stressed syllable. da-da-DUM Think of the sound of a ticking clock that suddenly slams a door. Think of a rubber band stretching for two beats and snapping on the third. anapesten

Dr. Seuss is the undisputed king of the anapest. His books are essentially long, joyful anapestic bops. Read this from The Cat in the Hat : Then our mother came in and she said to us two , "Did you have any fun ? Tell me what did you do ?" That rhythm is pure anapest. It is the sound of a child’s excitement—the words trip over each other trying to get out. Think of Heinrich Heine, who often used triple

But there is another rhythm, less stately and far more frantic. It is the rhythm of a horse breaking into a gallop, of a panicked heartbeat, of a joyful, breathless spill of words. That rhythm is the (plural: Anapesten in German, Anapests in English). The iamb is a sturdy wagon