Vol.3 (04) - "Meter in English"

“Meter in English”

by Robert Wallace
Part I

Ferrick Gray

Poetically Speaking
Volume 3, Issue 4 (March 20)

 

Prefatory Comments

⠀ This essay is about another essay, namely Meter in English by Robert Wallace. He daringly put forth his ideas for simplifying the study of the structure of poetry. It was written in 1993 and later circulated to several other poets for comment. David Baker included their comments and Wallace's essay in the book Meter in English: A Critical Engagement. As one would expect, there were mixed thoughts. Some were very supportive of Wallace's ideas, and others were very critical. I have not read Baker's compilation, but I have read Wallace's essay. Later, I may read the responses to his essay, but I doubt that any will be able to persuade me to move from what I believe. In short, I believe in all of Wallace's comments and consider his work of prime importance for anyone working in structured verse. I recommend reading this essay! However, I do have a few comments to make, and for the most part, they may seem trivial, but I believe they are worth noting. Essentially, Wallace was proposing that English verse is exclusively or fundamentally iambic, and with this statement, he says, accentual-syllabic is English meter.

Percy Shelley's "Ozymandias"

Ferrick Gray

Poetry Showcase

March 14

⠀⠀ I met a traveller from an antique land,

⠀⠀ Who said—“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone

⠀⠀ Stand in the desert. . . . Near them, on the sand,

⠀⠀ Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,

⠀⠀ And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,

⠀⠀ Tell that its sculptor well those passions read

⠀⠀ Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,

⠀⠀ The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;

⠀⠀ And on the pedestal, these words appear:

⠀⠀ My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;

⠀⠀ Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!"

⠀⠀ Nothing beside remains. Round the decay

⠀⠀ Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare

⠀⠀ The lone and level sands stretch far away.

Vol.3 (04) - What Would Happen If Everything Were the Same?

What Would Happen If Everything Were the Same?

Ferrick Gray

The Yellowed Page

Volume 3, Issue 4 (March 5)

Prefatory Remarks

⠀ There is no doubt that the appeal of poetry has declined a great deal over the past decades. No one can disagree with this, but what could we say is the cause of this phenomenon?

⠀ At one point, there was a move away from formal verse to what became known as vers libre, or free-verse. For what reasons? I suppose people were thinking that all poetry had become the same. Was it? The answer to this question is partly yes, and no. Yes, formal poetry, in particular the pentameter verse, had reigned supreme for a long time, and no, all forms were not the same.

Vol.3 (03) - What Makes the Poet?

What Makes the Poet?

Ferrick Gray

The Yellowed Page
Volume 3, Issue 3 (February 28)

About the Title

⠀ When first deciding on the title for this expository piece, I wondered which would be more appropriate: the definite article or the indefinite article. Did I want to discuss what makes the poet, or what makes a poet?

⠀ No doubt, some readers would be wondering what difference it makes. I could have used either, but one is far more significant. This choice may seem trivial at first, but using the wrong word can prove detrimental. 

⠀ A poet and the poet could mean the same poet, but the implication of the first is that it could refer to any poet (person) who calls themselves a poet. This is a general description of someone who ventures into the realm of writing poetry, or at least what they call poetry. Naturally, what we call poetry is subject to personal opinion. 

Shakespeare's Sonnet XVII

William Shakespeare's Sonnet XVII

Ferrick Gray
Poetry Showcase
February 27
⠀⠀⠀Who will believe my verse in time to come,
⠀⠀⠀If it were filled with your most high deserts?
⠀⠀⠀Though yet heaven knows it is but as a tomb
⠀⠀⠀Which hides your life, and shows not half your parts.
⠀⠀⠀If I could write the beauty of your eyes,
⠀⠀⠀And in fresh numbers number all your graces,
⠀⠀⠀The age to come would say 'This poet lies;
⠀⠀⠀Such heavenly touches ne'er touched earthly faces.'
⠀⠀⠀So should my papers, yellowed with their age,
⠀⠀⠀Be scorned, like old men of less truth than tongue,
⠀⠀⠀And your true rights be termed a poet's rage
⠀⠀⠀And stretched metre of an antique song:
⠀⠀⠀⠀ But were some child of yours alive that time,
⠀⠀⠀⠀ You should live twice, in it, and in my rime.

A Breath of Wind

Kimberley Leighton

Poetry Showcase

February 18

She shimmered turquoise against blue of sky,
Her wings ethereal, joys dust from his star;
Slowly she slips from the hand of love’s lie.

Stillness surrounds, she is unable to fly
Where once she knew heavens kiss from afar;
She shimmered turquoise against blue of sky.

She gave her heart amidst a soulful sigh
With his promise to hold safely each scar,
Slowly she slips from the hand of love’s lie.

The breathless passion of her love leapt high,
Lost in his lyrics and strings of guitar —
She shimmered turquoise against blue of sky.

The inflections of his murmurs felt shy,
The heat of his need left her heart to char —
Slowly she slips from the hand of love’s lie.

Now his silence only sings of goodbye
Like fireflies lit and left in a jar —
She shimmered turquoise against blue of sky,
Slowly she slips from the hand of love’s lie.

Kimberley Leighton

Vol.2 (01) - Dante's "Vita Nuova"

Dante's "Vita Nuova"

Possibly the greatest love poem ever written.

Snippets
Volume 2, Issue 1 (February 14)

The Dual-Language Edition of Dante's Vita Nuova, translated by Anthony Mortimer.

ALMA CLASSICS
ISBN: 978-1-84749-695-9

Prefatory Remarks

⠀ Vita Nuova is a very different work than we may expect from Dante Alighieri, the author of La Commedia. While many consider this work a poem, it is an unusual combination of prose and poetry known as a prosimetrum. The prose sections are written in a manner that suggests Dante does not want to be misinterpreted. In other words, he wants the reader to understand his poems as he meant them, in the same way. As a result, Dante can be a little repetitive in his explanations.

Vol.3 (02) - Metrical Consistency

Metrical Consistency

Is it possible, or even desirable?

Ferrick Gray

The Yellowed Page

Volume 3, Issue 2 (February 7)

Prefatory Remarks

⠀ When a poet, young or old, first begins to write formal verse, every effort is made to satisfy the metrical constraints of the form. There is nothing wrong with this pursuit, and simplification of the process can often help the beginning poet on their journey.

⠀ After the basics have been practiced, not necessarily perfected, the poet must investigate sounds and words, accent or stress, on each syllable, and how they can be combined to produce the same or similar rhythm. Note here, the use of the word rhythm, not meter.

⠀ After some initial success, the poet may unknowingly begin to concentrate on the wrong aspect of writing formal verse. Meter may seem to be the most obvious aspect to concentrate on, but as we shall see, it can be detrimental to both poem and poet.

The Damask'd Rose Would Blush

Ferrick Gray

Poetry Showcase

February 6

Across thy nose, a spray of freckles found.
Why would the Maker tarnish such a sight
As yours? You think to hide and pan the ground,
And only raise your eyes within the night.
The slightest imperfection, some may say,
Makes beauty run and hide, to shed a tear,
But I desire them all, to shun? O’ nay!
To cherish them, not see, as they appear.
No cheek is fairer lo! These lips of mine,
To press upon soft skin, to feel the rush
Of coursing blood, each aching pulse divine;
Beseech thy kiss! The damask’d rose would blush.
⠀ Perfection for the one who sees with eyes,
⠀ Will blinded be, for love wears no disguise.

Vol.3 (03) - The Mighty (and Not So Mighty) Pause

The Mighty (and Not So Mighty) Pause

Ferrick Gray

Poetically Speaking
Volume 3, Issue 3 (January 29)

Prefatory Comments

When we are reading prose material, we find that we will naturally pause at different places even if there is no punctuation to signal a pause. When we are reading a verse format, we tend to mark metrical divisions with a (slight) pause at the end of a verse.

In this essay, I will discuss the nature and necessities of such pauses, and how they come together to produce flowing, connected poems. Most of what follows will have more importance to formal structures, but can be applied to others.

Zarathustra's Cows

Ferrick Gray

Poetry Showcase (January 23)

(A tale of mine.) ’Twas once upon a time,
But could it really happen? Who would know?
Caught in a dream? To dream is not a crime.

Days follow nights, then nights the days and so
Eventually the repetition reigns
Forever it would seem. The ebb and flow

Vol.3 (02) - Controlling the Pace of a Poem

Controlling the Pace of a Poem

Enjambment, Punctuation and Whitespace

Ferrick Gray

Poetically Speaking
Volume 3, Issue 2 (January 23)

Prefatory Comments

The enjoyment and beauty of a poem are greatly enhanced when the poem is read aloud. If the poet wishes their poem to be read in a particular manner, then they must organize and structure their poem appropriately. The reader will then be guided expectantly. Many poets believe that simply breaking a verse will suffice. Generally, these breaks often come across as random and do nothing to effectively control the pace, and the reader is left to their own devices for interpretation. The fact is that one needs a very discerning ear to know where and when to break a verse. In this essay I will discuss three main techniques are used to control the pace of a poem. These are enjambment, punctuation, and whitespace.

Consider Not My Lips

Kenneth Daniel Wisseman

Poetry Showcase (January 22)

Your words they flow, out pour from lips sublime,
Unlike these many worded tomes of prose,
An unforeseen revival of the rime!
Burnt in the Revolution's vogue repose.
The air of music sweet, the poet's heart,
Which bled with every beat until the bloom
Beset, his crafted charm was torn apart,
The petal pluck'd and placed upon his tomb:
'Consider not my lips to give you breath,
Depart from me! I knew such beauty not,
Nor care about what nearly spelt your death,
Your lovely writ romaunt shall be forgot.'
⠀⠀To hear my lines with longing, have not heard,
⠀⠀But on her lips—the sigh of every word.
⠀

May 4, 2025

---

Permission has been granted to reproduce earlier work on xiv lines.

Does silence ——

Ferrick Gray

Poetry Showcase (January 21)

⠀⠀⠀truly exist?
⠀⠀⠀Though I speak not, is this silence?

I hear the birds⠀⠀⠀their mingled calls,
⠀⠀⠀no quietude at all. The sounds, and hence
⠀⠀⠀it ⠀⠀⠀(silence) ⠀⠀⠀cannot be.

Vol.3 (01) - Poetry: Could It Be A Game?

Poetry: Could It Be A Game?

Ferrick Gray

The Yellowed Page

Volume 3, Issue 1 (January 18)

According to The New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, game is defined as to play, sport, jest, or amuse oneself, and to amuse, please, or give pleasure to. There is the alternative to while away time by gambling, which in some ways may be appropriate when writing poetry. But is it fair to call poetry a game? It certainly fits with the definition.

Fourteen Lines

Ferrick Gray

for Poetry Showcase

 When fourteen lines are used to write a verse,
 These fourteen lines, fond memories oft recall —
 Just fourteen lines? You ask. Well what is worse,
 To use these fourteen lines or none at all?
 In fourteen lines, I pause to gaze a while,
 In fourteen lines, I touch your tender cheek,
 In fourteen lines, I see your loving smile,
 In fourteen lines, I drown in your mystique.
 But you may wonder, if I really feel
 The things I say, (O’ quell this aching heart!)
 I beg of you, accept my sound appeal —
 To give my all, and never be apart.
  A verse so simple, with a love so true;
  In fourteen lines, I write my love for you.

Vol.3 (01) - Poetic Drama

Poetic Drama

What It Is, and Why We Need It.

Ferrick Gray  Poetically Speaking  Volume 3, Issue 1 (Jan. 7) 

Prefatory Remarks

There are several classifications for plays. Each is used to describe their characteristics, viz., verse drama, dramatic verse, and closet drama. Admittedly, any particular play may be a combination of these.

Closet drama is interesting terminology to use. It is almost as if you are hiding the fact that you read drama. However, it is similar to some of the plays written by authors such as Byron, Shelley, and Keats. Nevertheless, this type of drama or play was intended to be read from the page, rather than performed on a stage. Much like a novel. There would have been several reasons why the plays were never on stage, and the most likely would have been that it was impractical or impossible to produce.