Iambic Pentameter

This translation of "Hymn to Beauty" follows an iambic pentameter rhythm structure. This means that the basic rhythm is iambic. An iamb is a two-syllable segment of poetry, with one unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable, as in "di-VINE" or "with-OUT." This unstressed-stressed pattern is the general rhythm followed throughout the poem, as in the line "like STU-pe-FY-ing DRUGS your KISS-es TURN." The translator takes liberties with this basic pattern often, in lines like "WHO CARES if YOU'RE a BLESS-ing OR a CURSE?" This is sometimes necessary to maintain the integrity of the poem's language in its original French.

Pentameter means that the poem has five iambs in each line, for a total of ten syllables per line. This poem maintains the syllabic count quite strictly.

Iambic pentameter is the most common metrical pattern in English, because it follows the natural rhythm of the way that...