I- Directions: Read the lines from these two poems aloud. Can you hear
the rhythm as you say it? Which one is iambic and which is anapaestic?
1. ) A Visit from St. Nicholas by Clement Clark Moore –
2. ’Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
3. ) Remember by Christina Rossetti Remember me when I am gone away,
Gone far away into the silent land;
II- Can you match the meter to the lines of poetry?
Directions: Choose the letter of the correct answer. Hint: Look at where the first
lines are stressed (shown by the words or parts of word in bold).
1.
Don’t Feed the Troll by Lawrence Eberhart
The troll is a loathsome and pitiful creature.
It lacks any pleasant or positive feature.
A.
Dimeter – contains two metrical feet
B.
Tetrameter – contains four metrical feet
C.
Trimeter – contains three metrical feet
2.
To a Skylark by Percy Bysshe Shelley
Higher still and higher
From the earth thou springest
A.
Dimeter – contains two metrical feet
B.
Tetrameter – contains four metrical feet
C.
Trimeter – contains three metrical feet
3.
The Robin by Thomas Hardy
I fly and fly,
I see in pools
The shining sky
A.
Dimeter – contains two metrical feet
B.
Tetrameter – contains four metrical feet
C.
Trimeter – contains three metrical feet