Aug. 6th, 2004

xiphias: (Default)
As most of you are probably aware, most things written in iambic pentameter are sorta approximate -- they're kinda five iambs in a row, but they're maybe squished a little, or one of the accents is kind of a little off, or whatever.

So Lis and I were briefly thinking about lines which were perfect -- things which it's almost impossible to say and NOT have it come out as five iambs in a row. To the point that you want to try to de-emphasize the iambic pentameterness of it, for fear of being too sing-songy, but you just CAN'T, because the words are so strongly shaped that way.

I mentioned, "Was this the face that launched a thousand ships?"

And Lis mentioned, "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?"

Any other lines that particularly stick in your head as having that "dih DAH dih DAH dih DAH dih DAH dih DAH" rhythm?

Iambs arranged in a pentameter.
They have a strongly singy-songy beat.
If written without rhymes, they're called "blank verse."
Bank verse approximates natural speech.
But it is far more formal and precise.
Its beat forms a hypnotic kind of sound.
Incantatory, chanting, sort of thing.
xiphias: (Default)
Friends of the family are in town from Indiana this week, and my Dad's parents had them and us over for dinner tonight. That is, this past night, Thursday night. It's now Friday morning, but the sun hasn't yet quite risen, so it's still tonight.

Anyway, Nonnie mentioned how attitudes towards alcohol had changed over her lifetime. She mentioned that, when she was twelve, she had her tonsils out. The doctor told her parents that she was going to be in some pain so swallowing would be difficult, but that she was likely to also be very thirsty. They asked her if she wanted anything. She croaked out, "Yes."

"What would you like?"

"A beer," she croaked.
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