I believe Elizabeth Daryush wrote some theoretical stuff on syllabics, and
mentioned the odd-number principle, which I usually follow myself when I
write them. I tried to get hold of the piece a few months ago but without
success. I have a feeling it was in a Carcanet selection of her poems.
Best wishes
Matthew
-----Original Message-----
From: Robin Hamilton <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: 25 July 2001 19:03
Subject: Re: syllabics
>Roger:
>
> There's a short article (with bibliography) in the _Princeton
Encyclopaedia
>of Poetry and Poetics_. Robert Bridges in the 1920s would seem to be the
>earliest exponent, though the most prominent is Marianne Moore (see, in
it's
>three incarnations, "Poetry" -- 'I, too, dislike it ...", originally 1921.
>The version in Moore's _Collected Poems_ is ... hm ... incomplete ...)
Thom
>Gunn used it much later (I think).
>
>I'm not sure if it's natural to any language (certainly to none of the
major
>European ones). Breaking the tyranny of the iamb is probably Pound, but he
>wasn't referring to syllabics specifically in the context in which that
>remark was made. I've come across the argument that syllabics tend to work
>best when there are an uneven number of syllables per line, which +would+
>see it as specifically a counter-iambic exeperiment.
>
>Robin Hamilton
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Roger Collett" <[log in to unmask]>
>To: <[log in to unmask]>
>Sent: Wednesday, July 25, 2001 6:37 PM
>Subject: syllabics
>
>
>> Has anyone got anything that discusses syllabic metre from the angle of
>when
>> it got into English prosody, and why, and at whose instigation? I've an
>idea
>> that it was deliberately introduced, from some language in which it's
>> natural, in order to "break the tyranny of the iamb". Though who would
>want
>> to, and why, beats me. Trying to run it to earth for an article. Have
>tried
>> googling with little success - probably looking under wrong phraseology.
>>
>> Roger
>
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