iambic tetrameter in porphyria's lover?
where are the stresses in these lines,
"when glided in porphyria; straight"
"porphyria worshiped me: surprise"
"porphyria's love: she guessed not how"
it seems the rest is just reagular iambic tetrameter one of the lines "i
/ x / / x x / x
I listened with heart fit to break" has an irregular iambic tetrameter which reflects broken heart. broken heart/broken meter. these line with the name in are throwing me off though any help would be great.
Comments
It's difficult to read a meter when you only give disconnected lines. However: the first three lines you gave are regular iambic tetrameters: (Porphyria is only three syllables)
gli / in/ phy/ straight
phy/ wor/ me / prise
phy/ love/ guessed / how
This is how Browning conceived the poem: a a strict meter, with a few exceptions. You are right about the last line you quoted: it is irregular. An iamb, a pyrrhic, a spondee, an iamb.
This has no set meter.
some is iambic, some trochaic, there is even amphimacic mixed in. It would have to be called free verse.
For one thing, each line has 9 syllables, and has a definite beat...I like this!
'glid'....phyr...straight
phyr...wor...prise
phyr...guess....and it could be 'how' too
Good Morning!