Last time I talked about a type of meter called the IAMB.
Today I am going to talk about the ANAPAEST.
To use ‘dancing’ as a metaphor for meter, the iamb might be likened to a march da DUM, da DUM, da DUM, etc where the anapaest would be a waltz da da DUM, da da DUM, da da DUM, da da DUM.
Seuss was particularly fond of this type of meter and many of his verse stories are written this way.
The first story in Dr. Seuss’ Book of Bedtime Stories is called Dr. Seuss’ Sleep Book. Here is the first verse.
The news just came in
From the County of Keck
That a very small bug
By the name of Van Vleck
Is yawning so wide
You can see down his neck.
When we pop this into a syllable grid here’s what we can see..
The | news | just | came | in | from | the | Coun | ty | of | Keck | |
That | a | ve | ry | small | bug | by | the | name | of | Van | Vleck |
Is | yaw | ning | so | wide | you | can | see | down | his | neck |
And here’s the first verse from Horton Hears a Who!
On the fifteenth of May in the Jungle of Nool
In the heat of the day in the cool of the Pool
He was splashing…enjoying the jungle’s great joys…
When Horton the elephant heard a small noise
On | the | fif | teenth | of | May | in | the | Jun | gle | of | Nool |
In | the | heat | of | the | day | in | the | cool | of | the | Pool |
He | was | splash | ing | en | joy | ing | the | jun | gle’s | great | joys |
When | Hor | ton | the | el | e | phant | heard | a | small | noise |
As you can see, the pattern is quite distinct. Each line contains 4 stressed syllables separated by two unstressed ones.
In the last line we’re introduced to Horton the elephant. Here are some other characters that would fit the meter…
Shirley the crocodile
Martin the Terrier
Freddy the butterfly
Here are some that don’t…
Frank the mongoose
Jacqueline the chook
Marmaduke the Great White Shark
And here’s why…
Shirley the crocodile
Martin the terrier
Freddy the butterfly
When | Shir | ley | the | croc | o | dile | heard | a | small | noise |
When | Mar | tin | the | te | rri | er | heard | a | small | noise |
When | Fre | ddy | the | butt | er | fly | heard | a | small | noise |
Frank the mongoose
Jacqueline the chook
Marmaduke the Great White Shark
When | Hor | ton | the | el | e | phant | heard | a | small | noise | |
When | Frank | the | mon | goose | heard | a | small | noise | |||
When | Jac | que | line | the | chook | heard | a | small | noise | ||
When | Mar | ma | duke | the | Great | White | Shark | heard | a | small | noise |
If I really wanted to use the name Jacqueline this is how I could do it and stay true to the meter…
When Jacqueline chicken perceived a small noise.
When | Hor | ton | the | el | e | phant | heard | a | small | noise |
When | Jac | que | line | chick | en | per | ceived | a | small | noise |
Okay I’ll leave it there.
Happy rhyming 🙂