Substitution (poetry)
Encyclopedia
In English poetry substitution is the use of an alien metric foot
in a line of otherwise regular metrical pattern
. For instance in an iambic line of "da DUM", a trochaic
substitution would introduce a foot of "DUM da".
The following line from John Keats
' Ode to Autumn is straightforward iambic pentameter
:
Using '°' for a weak syllable, '/' for a strong syllable, and '|' for divisions between feet it can be represented as:
The opening of a sonnet
by John Donne
demonstrates troachaic substitution of the first foot ("Batter"):
Donne uses an inversion (DUM da instead of da DUM) in the first foot of the first line to stress the key verb, "batter", and then sets up a clear iambic pattern with the rest of the line
Foot (prosody)
The foot is the basic metrical unit that generates a line of verse in most Western traditions of poetry, including English accentual-syllabic verse and the quantitative meter of classical ancient Greek and Latin poetry. The unit is composed of syllables, the number of which is limited, with a few...
in a line of otherwise regular metrical pattern
Meter (poetry)
In poetry, metre is the basic rhythmic structure of a verse or lines in verse. Many traditional verse forms prescribe a specific verse metre, or a certain set of metres alternating in a particular order. The study of metres and forms of versification is known as prosody...
. For instance in an iambic line of "da DUM", a trochaic
Trochee
A trochee or choree, choreus, is a metrical foot used in formal poetry consisting of a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed one...
substitution would introduce a foot of "DUM da".
Trochaic substitution
In a line of verse that normally employs iambic meter, trochaic substitution describes the replacement of an iamb by a trochee.The following line from John Keats
John Keats
John Keats was an English Romantic poet. Along with Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley, he was one of the key figures in the second generation of the Romantic movement, despite the fact that his work had been in publication for only four years before his death.Although his poems were not...
' Ode to Autumn is straightforward iambic pentameter
Iambic pentameter
Iambic pentameter is a commonly used metrical line in traditional verse and verse drama. The term describes the particular rhythm that the words establish in that line. That rhythm is measured in small groups of syllables; these small groups of syllables are called "feet"...
:
- To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
Using '°' for a weak syllable, '/' for a strong syllable, and '|' for divisions between feet it can be represented as:
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| To | swell | | | the | gourd, | | | and | plump | | | the | ha- | | | zel | shells |
The opening of a sonnet
Sonnet
A sonnet is one of several forms of poetry that originate in Europe, mainly Provence and Italy. A sonnet commonly has 14 lines. The term "sonnet" derives from the Occitan word sonet and the Italian word sonetto, both meaning "little song" or "little sound"...
by John Donne
John Donne
John Donne 31 March 1631), English poet, satirist, lawyer, and priest, is now considered the preeminent representative of the metaphysical poets. His works are notable for their strong and sensual style and include sonnets, love poetry, religious poems, Latin translations, epigrams, elegies, songs,...
demonstrates troachaic substitution of the first foot ("Batter"):
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| Bat- | ter | | | my | heart | | | three- | per- | | | soned | God, | | | for | you | | |
Donne uses an inversion (DUM da instead of da DUM) in the first foot of the first line to stress the key verb, "batter", and then sets up a clear iambic pattern with the rest of the line