Rhythm and Rhyme in Poetry Jim Roth’s Website

Sonnets Made Easy

Scansion is marking the rhythm of a poem and Accent in poetry means whether a syllable is stressed or said with more force than another.

Strange New Words

For unaccented (unstressed) syllables, we use a or ^ or —

For accented (stressed) syllables, we use /

iamb trochee anapest dactyl

today daily intervene interesting

today daily intervene interesting

— / / — — — / / — — —

today someday intervene interesting

Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost

Whose woods these are I think I know.

His house is in the village though;

He will not see me stopping here

To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer

To stop without a farmhouse near

Between the woods and frozen lake

The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake

To ask if there is some mistake.

The only other sounds the sweep

Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely dark and deep.

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep.

First, scansion or rhythm pattern

Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening

Whose woods these are I think I know.

His house is in the village though;

He will not see me stopping here

To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer

To stop without a farmhouse near

Between the woods and frozen lake

The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake

To ask if there is some mistake.

The only other sounds the sweep

Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely dark and deep.

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep.

--Robert Frost

— /

An example of an iamb is the word today

Tetrameter means “measure of four”

Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening

— / — / — / — /

Whose woods these are I think I know.

His house is in the village though;

He will not see me stopping here

To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer

To stop without a farmhouse near

Between the woods and frozen lake

The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake

To ask if there is some mistake.

The only other sounds the sweep

Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely dark and deep.

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep.

--Robert Frost

Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening

— / — / — / — /

Whose woods these are I think I know.

— / — / — / — /

His house is in the village though;

He will not see me stopping here

To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer

To stop without a farmhouse near

Between the woods and frozen lake

The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake

To ask if there is some mistake.

The only other sounds the sweep

Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely dark and deep.

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep.

--Robert Frost

Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening

— / — / — / — /

Whose woods these are I think I know.

— / — / — / — /

His house is in the village though;

— / — / — / — /

He will not see me stopping here

To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer

To stop without a farmhouse near

Between the woods and frozen lake

The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake

To ask if there is some mistake.

The only other sounds the sweep

Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely dark and deep.

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep.

--Robert Frost

Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening

— / — / — / — /

Whose woods these are I think I know.

— / — / — / — /

His house is in the village though;

— / — / — / — /

He will not see me stopping here

— / — / — / — /

To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer

To stop without a farmhouse near

Between the woods and frozen lake

The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake

To ask if there is some mistake.

The only other sounds the sweep

Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely dark and deep.

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep.

--Robert Frost

Rhyme scheme

Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening

— / — / — / — /

Whose woods these are I think I know. A

— / — / — / — /

His house is in the village though; A

— / — / — / — /

He will not see me stopping here B

— / — / — / — /

To watch his woods fill up with snow. A

My little horse must think it queer B

To stop without a farmhouse near B

Between the woods and frozen lake C

The darkest evening of the year. B

He gives his harness bells a shake C

To ask if there is some mistake. C

The only other sounds the sweep D

Of easy wind and downy flake. C

The woods are lovely dark and deep. D

But I have promises to keep, D

And miles to go before I sleep, D

And miles to go before I sleep. D

--Robert Frost

Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost

Whose woods these are I think I know.

His house is in the village though;

He will not see me stopping here

To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer

To stop without a farmhouse near

Between the woods and frozen lake

The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake

To ask if there is some mistake.

The only other sounds the sweep

Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely dark and deep.

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep.