Strictly speaking, Byron uses a mix, but the dominant, driving rhythm is anapestic. The two quick syllables ( the As- ) launch you into the stressed SYR , creating a sense of unstoppable forward motion. That is the anapest. To understand why the anapest is special, you have to look at its mirror image: the dactyl (DUM-da-da). The dactyl is the rhythm of a waltz: "HALF a league, HALF a league" (Tennyson’s Charge of the Light Brigade ). It is a falling rhythm—you start high and tumble down.
Dr. Seuss is the undisputed king of the anapest. His books are essentially long, joyful anapestic bops. Read this from The Cat in the Hat : Then our mother came in and she said to us two , "Did you have any fun ? Tell me what did you do ?" That rhythm is pure anapest. It is the sound of a child’s excitement—the words trip over each other trying to get out. anapesten
Most of us are familiar with the heavy, marching beat of the : "The curfew tolls the knell of parting day." (da-DUM, da-DUM, da-DUM). Strictly speaking, Byron uses a mix, but the
And you will know you are in the presence of the most joyful, frantic, and unstoppable rhythm in the English language. To understand why the anapest is special, you