The Natural Poetic Meter of the English Language

Is iambic pentameter, the meter that Shakespeare wrote in, and Milton.

By the way- poetic meter is so much easier to learn by hearing it.   Poetic meter is music.  Writing about music, as someone said once (I have no idea who), is like dancing about architecture.  No understanding comes through.  Hearing it-that is a whole different thing!  Start with this incredible video I recommend below!

Iambic pentameter.    The meter of Shakespeare and Milton.

This is the natural meter of beauty, drama, everything beautiful, in the English language.

Greek had Greek hexameters.

Sanskrit has Slokas.

This is English's equivalent.

It is different for different languages, 

because, as Tolkien taught me, different languages sound different, and this is a wonderful beautiful thing!

(I would assume Italian's is the sonnet.)

Want to know more?

Look up this video on Youtube:

'IAMBIC PENTAMETER for Teachers and Students.  With iambic pentameter examples from Shakespeare' by Tristan and the Classics

This is easily one of the best Youtube videos I have ever seen.

And no, not just for learning.

The start of this video is simply Stunning!

You won't regret it!

God loves you!

Sincerely,

David S. Annderson 

^Parts of the video are dry lecture.  You will learn a lot of interesting things.    But the first minute or so-INCREDIBLE!  One of the most beautiful things I have ever heard!  And if you are like me, you will love the dry parts too (this is a teaching video, after all!) (I love the dry parts of the video- if you want to learn, this is how to teach!)

It is so, so hard to teach poetic meter from a book, or any way without sound.  It's like teaching jazz from a book, or rap, or rock and roll.  You really need to hear it.

And if you really want to learn as well, start paying real close attention around the 21 1/2 minute mark! (around 21:30)    Where he teaches you the secret to poetry!

#And after the 28 minutes mark or so I am geeking out- for the first time in my life I am seeing someone CRAFT poetry, like Virgil was supposed to!    Like most writers do, because this is what most writers are good at!    I only know how to put myself in the right mood and improvise!

I could never, having never practiced crafting writing, imagined how it was done!

Now I see it before my very eyes!

I am not joking you- I could never have imagined how it was done until now!