A FEW TERMS OF PROSODY
EXPLAINED
Read the following simple poem by Mary Lamb:
In Memoriam
A child’s a plaything for an hour；
Its pretty tricks we try
For that or for a longer space, —
Then tire，and lay it by.
But I knew one that to itself
All seasons could control；
That would have mock’d the sense of pain
Out of a grieved soul.
Thou straggler into loving arms，
Young climber up of knees，
When I forget thy thousand ways，
Then life and all shall cease！
This poem consists of twelve lines，in three groups of four lines each. A line is called a verse. A group of （usually four or more） verses is called a stanza.
Read the poem aloud，and you will feel that each verse consists of three or four units of two syllables each，the first unaccented and the second accented. Such a unit is called a foot. In English prosody，there are four common kinds of feet. A foot of two syllables with the accent on the second is called an iambus，as “indeed”. A foot of two syllables with the accent on the first is called an trochee，as “lady”. A foot of three syllables with the accent on the third is called an anapaest，as “magazine”. A foot of three syllables with the accent on the first is called a dactyl，as “recently”. Of these four，the iambus is by far the commonest.
In each of the stanzas of the above poem，there is a certain identity of sound between the ends of the second and fourth verses. This identity of sound is called rhyme. A one-syllable rhyme is called male or masculine or single，as in “try” and “by”. A two-syllable rhyme is called female or feminine or double，as in “mother” and “brother”. There are three-syllable and four-syllable rhymes，but they are not common.
Now read the above poem again and answer these question：
1．How many verses does it consist of？
2．How many stanzas does it consist of？
3．How many feet does each verse consist of？
4．What kind of feet are they？
5．How many rhymes does this poem contain？
6．Are they male or female rhymes？