Love of Meter Examples: Famous Poems That Showcase Beautiful Rhythm

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Why I Bothered with Rhythm Stuff

So Tuesday night, totally bored, remembered all those teachers going on about “rhythm” in poems. Felt like finally figuring out what the big deal was, you know? Heard words like “iambic pentameter” thrown around for Shakespeare and stuff. Honestly, sounded kinda fancy and complicated. Decided to just grab some famous poems everyone talks about and see if I could actually hear this rhythm everyone hypes up.

Digging Through My Old Books

First step? Rummaged through my bookshelf covered in dust. Found my high school poetry anthology buried under some thrillers. Cracked it open, pages feeling brittle. Flipped past a bunch I recognized. Remembered Shakespeare always being a pain in school, but figured his stuff was famous for a reason, right? Stopped at Sonnet 18 (“Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?”). Started reading it out loud, slowly, tapping my finger on the desk. Felt… kinda weird at first. Tried to hear that “da-DUM, da-DUM” beat. After a few lines, it suddenly clicked! It was like a little heartbeat under the words:

"Shall I / compare / thee to / a sum- / mer's day?"

Boom! Five of those “da-DUM” pairs. Felt kinda smug spotting it.

Love of Meter Examples: Famous Poems That Showcase Beautiful Rhythm

Kept flipping. Stumbled upon Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven”. Creepy poem, loved it. Started reading “Once upon a midnight dreary…” Whoa. This rhythm felt heavier, more deliberate. Not the gentle “da-DUM.” More like:

"ONCE up- / on a MID- / night DREAR- / y, WHILE I / pondered, WEAK / and WEAR-y"

Way more stressed syllables hitting hard. Like slow, dramatic drumbeats. Totally matched the spooky vibe.

Hitting a Snag with Whitman

Feeling confident, I grabbed Whitman’s “Song of Myself.” This one? Total mess at first glance. No obvious pattern like Shakespeare or Poe. Started reading:

"I celebrate myself, and sing myself,


And what I assume you shall assume,


For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you."

Where was the beat? Where was the predictable pattern? Gave me a headache. Read bigger chunks aloud, just letting the words flow. Then it hit me. It wasn’t no rhythm, it was a different kind. It wasn’t machine-like; it was like speech. Long lines, pauses where you’d naturally breathe, emphasis shifting like talking. More like ocean waves than a ticking clock. Totally threw me for a loop! Almost gave up thinking it was broken.

Putting It Together

Sat back after getting my ears beaten up by Whitman. Realized I’d actually done it:

  • Shakespeare: That steady heartbeat, makes it easy to remember, kinda soothing even when talking about deep stuff.
  • Poe: Heavy, pounding beats that build tension like crazy, perfect for his dark tales.
  • Whitman: A free-flowing rhythm that mirrors natural talk, feeling huge and unrestrained, just like his ideas.

What I figured out messing around with these:

  • Rhythm isn’t just one boring thing. It shapes the feel.
  • You don’t need fancy terms to spot it. Just read out loud, tap it out, listen close.
  • The rhythm always serves the mood. Shakespeare’s order vs. Poe’s dread vs. Whitman’s freedom.

Totally sucked at first with Whitman, but grinding through it showed me rhythm is way more flexible and cool than I thought. Won’t make me a poet, but next time I read a poem? I’ll actually listen for that secret music underneath.