That *!%%##!! metre again!

[Neville Briggs]

GET IT RIGHT...MANFRED


BONANZA IS....
dum diddle um diddle um diddle um diddle ah daaah
dum diddle um diddle um diddle um diddle umte dum tum tuuum.

[Terry]

G/day David,
one of the most common faults I have come across with metre, is the dropping of a syllable in words that have three or more syllables. I suspect this is partly because as Aussies, we have a habit of doing just that when we speak.

Cheers Terry

[David Campbell]

Nice one, Marty...is there a performance coming on? Maybe a second verse?

I'd do it myself, but I've got arthritis,
My back has gone out, I can't reach my knees...

Good point, Terry, we get a bit lazy sometimes. And it's easy to do. For example, technically speaking the last line of 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' doesn't scan.

Like a diamond in the sky.

'diamond' actually has 3 syllables, but we usually pronounce it 'dimond' to give that line the same number of syllables as the other three.

Cheers
David

[Neville Briggs]

Well then syllable counters, Lord Byron wrote a famous poem The Destruction of Sennacharib which starts off'

"The Assyrian came down like a wolf on the fold
And his cohorts were gleaming in purple and gold ".

Did Byron get it wrong, is Assyrian , 3 syllables or 4.
was Byron a lazy Aussie speaker

The answer: Metre is not about rules and measurements, it not a scientiific mathematical
formula it is about the sound of speech.

[Zondrae]

G'day Neville,

Let me know when you are judging a comp. I might have half a chance. Would you let me have family as two syllables?

[william williams]

WE WANT NEVILLE. WE WANT NEVILLE as PM (Prime Master judge)

[Neville Briggs]

Dunno Marty, I wasn't the judge at Tamworth, you'd have to ask him.
I suppose they decided on a certain approach, that was up to them.
I do remember that when David read out his winning entry that he made reference to the fact that his poem was perhaps a little bit different in metric structure from the standard approach of bush poetry for past similar competitions. ( words to that effect I think )

I am just pointing out, for general interest, that metre is not necessarily as cut and dried as some want it to be. It can be, if you want it to be. And I suspect that David Campbell, from his remarks in this post , would agree with me. Sort of

I emphasise AGAIN, that I think, with Glenny, that it is a good idea when starting off in writing verse to stick to an unvarying pattern until one gains some facility, THEN I think it is a useful approach to start working on variety of structure.
Broadly speaking, people who enter competitions should be expected to be past the beginner's stage.

C.J. Dennis is renowned for always writing his verse in precise unvarying metric structure and precise full rhyme. That was his chosen way and he mastered that approach.
That doesn't mean that his approach was the best way or that we all must always follow exactly his method to achieve " correct " poetry writing. And I think we shouldn't .

C.J.Dennis was a very skilful poet and had the ability to make lots of variations and interest in other places apart from the metre and rhyme. Unless we have his ability, we run the risk of producing pretty dull.... de DA de DA de DA de DA de DA de DA de DA de DA de DA de DA ...ad nauseum ,if we always stick to precise metric structure..
Speaking for myself, I certainly don't have his ability.

I hope I said something that makes sense.
I don't think of it as a class Marty. A ThinkTank for like-minded people who like to discuss what they are passionate about.


YES ZONDRAE...FAMILY, 2 SYLLABLES, or if you want it to be..3 syllables. the reader should be able to tell from the context.


Thanks for the vote William. ( it won't happen ) Thank goodness, they say.

[Neville Briggs]

And some examples closer to home of. perhaps, metre that is possibly not hard and fast.


Henry Lawson's poem " Sweeney "

" He was wringing-wet, and really in a sad and sinful plight,
And his hat was in his left hand, and a bottle in his right ."

Is the accent on "left" or "hand" according to usual speech. Is Henry's metre correct ?

from the same poem

" But an honest, genial twinkle in the eye that wasn't hurt
Seemed to hint of something better, spite of drink and rags and dirt ."

Is genial 2 syllables or three ? In Henry's metre it is 2.


JUst wondering what people might think ?

[william williams]

Here Here Marty you are doing what I am doing cause I ain't got the brains to do it the judges way. Cause my bushmans use of Kings English is not good enough for rhythem and metre.

bill the old battler

[Rimeriter]

Readin' it proper makes it sound right.

or - should that be -

Readin' it right makes it sound proper.

?????
Jim.