Meter & Rhythm
Syncopation
From Greek synkope: a cutting short. Applied to verse prosody by analogy with musical syncopation; useful for describing rhythmic counterpoint against a metrical ground.
Definition
A rhythmic displacement in which the expected stressed beat is delayed or shifted — borrowed from musical terminology.
Example
Hopkins's sprung rhythm and Dickinson's dashes both produce syncopated rhythmic pauses against the expected metrical pattern.