Poetic Terms Dictionary
Meter & Rhythm

Accentual Verse

Old English and Germanic tradition; revived by Gerard Manley Hopkins in the 19th century as the basis for Sprung Rhythm.

Definition

Poetry measured by the number of stressed syllables per line, regardless of how many unstressed syllables surround them.

Example

Beowulf: each half-line carries four stresses, regardless of syllable count.

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