Lincoln's Birthday (Revision 4)

[milo]

so these are iambic line as well?


I had an unborn son. At eighteen weeks (how does this line have three iambs? ) i guess i'm scanning it wrong, i can almost get three but fail.

iHAD anUN bornSON atEIGHT eenWEEKS - perfect ip

Christine and I, we wove our hands. I swept

chrisTINE andI weWOVE ourHANDS iSWEPT - perfect ip -ellision on "our"
her cheeks and kept my eyes fixed on her wet
[herCHEEKS andKEPT myEYES fixedON herWET - perfect ip, promoted "on"

no cure for this regret: Inside that speck

noCURE forTHIS reGRET inSIDE thatSPECK - perfect ip
so let me get this right. a poem of iambic pentameter only has to have three iambs per line?
so all this time i've actually been writing in iambic pent when people have said i wasn't?

i realise that shakespeare threw in an odd spanner or two and i've done the same but three iambs per line makes it iambic pentameter seems a bit of a cheat. thanks for the enlightenment

It is weird, I had written a whole post explaining this and then I deleted it because I don't want to look like a know it all

Rules for ip:

Lines should have 5 iambs and nothing else.

Exceptions:

there are some acceptable substituions in ip. Substitutions should be used to add emphasis or add to the reading. Substituions should NOT be used because the author cannot find an acceptable iamb.

acceptable sub:

1. Trochees can be substituted for any of the first 4 feet though earlier is better.

2. Double iambs (pyrrhic-trochee) should be used SPARINGLY.

3. Headless iambs can be used for first foot (9 syllable iambic line starting with a hard accent). NOT to be used in first line.

4. Fem endings.

5. Spondees can be used as a sub for any foot although shouldn't occur in the first line and no more than 1 per line. Also, shouldn't occur in line with a troche.

as you can see, the only line that has only 3 iambs has a double iamb sub and it is to be used sparingly (once per poem would be overkill)

3 beat feet should not be used without either a letter from the Pope or from Leanne (I would try the Pope first).