question about blank verse

RGDATA!

I came across this on another site earlier, on the subject of blank verse.

The example used confused me, as to me it clearly uses rhyme as well as a definite meter. Am I missing something or is this just a poor example?

In the following poem, Emily Dickenson (1830-1886) demonstrates blank verse, as she does not use rhyme, but she uses iambic meter. She engages the lyrical qualities of her poem by using carefully placed commas for a pause. This is like the conductor indicating where to hold a note for an extra beat with his baton. If you read the poem aloud, you will be able to hear the rhythmic, musical quality to the poem- its meter.

THEY say that “time assuages”,—
Time never did assuage;
An actual suffering strengthens,
As sinews do, with age.
Time is a test of trouble,
But not a remedy.
If such it prove, it prove too
There was no malady.

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art4018.asp

davyjose

RGDATA! wrote: »

I came across this on another site earlier, on the subject of blank verse.

The example used confused me, as to me it clearly uses rhyme as well as a definite meter. Am I missing something or is this just a poor example?

In the following poem, Emily Dickenson (1830-1886) demonstrates blank verse, as she does not use rhyme, but she uses iambic meter. She engages the lyrical qualities of her poem by using carefully placed commas for a pause. This is like the conductor indicating where to hold a note for an extra beat with his baton. If you read the poem aloud, you will be able to hear the rhythmic, musical quality to the poem- its meter.

THEY say that “time assuages”,—
Time never did assuage;
An actual suffering strengthens,
As sinews do, with age.
Time is a test of trouble,
But not a remedy.
If such it prove, it prove too
There was no malady.

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art4018.asp

Afaik, from leaving cert English, there are a number of different iambic meters, of which Iambic Pentameter is the most common. Again, my limited knowledge of iambic Pentameter (and i know nothing about the other Iambic Meters), is that it should both follow a certain meter, and also rhyme. sound simple, eh?

Not sure if that clears anything up, but i'm not a poet whatsoever.

pickarooney

Weird, it definitely uses rhyme. They misspelled her name as well.

Matt Holck

Blank verse is verse so meter is a factor
the author can choose to rhyme or not
whatever sounds best

I think
iambic pentameter was invented to avoid the sing song 4 count or three count rhythms
though some middle eastern rhythms are 5 count

dawvee

An iambic meter just means the metrical foot (the base unit of the meter) is iambs. An iamb is two syllables - one short (unaccented) followed by a long/accented syllable. Pentameter just means there are five of those feet in a line.

Iambic meters are common in English because English lends itself well to iambs (lots of words or short phrases that follow the da-DA da-DA da-DA etc. pattern). Blank verse is typically defined as unrhymed iambic pentameter. So no, the poem given is not a good example of blank verse.