This column by Tom Radzienda, an instructor in poetry and culture at Srinakharinwirot University, aims to encourage your interest and develop your skill in creating poetry. Poetry is a combination of visualisation, observation, imagination and creative use of language. Discover your poetic side, too!

January 28, 2003

The weight of the poem

Who would think that a poem could be weighed? Of course, we expect vegetables and meat to be weighed at the market. It’s normal for a boxer to be weighed before a match. But why weigh a poem?

The weight of a poem is determined by the number of stressed syllables in each line relative to the number of unstressed syllables in the line. More stress in a line creates a slower, heavier, more serious tone for the poem. On the contrary, a line of poetry with little stress is lighter, faster moving, and more carefree. The following examples demonstrate this concept. Read each line aloud to observe the weight and pace of the poem.

Heavy-weight poetry

A "heavy" line of poetry means more stressed syllables relative to the total number of syllables. More stress in a line of poetry makes us read more slowly, and creates a heavy, solemn feeling. Heavy stress is suitable for serious subjects and themes such as funerals, loss and darkness. Read the following lines aloud and observe the heaviness of each one. Then, write two lines of poetry that are heavy and slow. Choose a suitable theme that is serious or profound. Count the number of stressed and unstressed syllables to determine the weight of the line.

Line of poetry	Stressed	Unstressed
Donne: Death, be not proud, though some have call-ed thee	7	3
Hughes: I’ve known rivers, ancient, dusky rivers	6	4

Warning

Before going any further, please note that poets are not actually crazy enough to sit around and measure every line of poetry that they write. This activity is intended only to raise your awareness of this aspect of poetry. With practice, you will learn to weigh each line of poetry that you write instinctively.

Middleweight lines of poetry

A "middleweight" line of poetry implies a balance between stressed and unstressed syllables. In the following examples, the number of stressed and unstressed syllables is nearly equal. This is the most common style of writing in English. Try writing two lines of poetry that have balance between stressed and unstressed syllables.

Line of poetry	Stressed	Unstressed
Bronte: Hope was but a timid friend Watching how my fate would tend	4	3
Thomas: The hand that signed the paper felled a city	5	6

Each line by Bronte begins on a stressed syllable, followed by an unstressed syllable. This creates a "falling" rhythm. A falling rhythm feels a little bit heavier than when a line begins on an unstressed syllable, as in the example by Dylan Thomas. Beginning on an unstressed syllable, followed by a stressed syllable, makes a "rising" rhythm.

Feather-weight poetry

Stress patterns in a poem complement the meaning and images of the words. Light stress is most suitable for fast, gentle, carefree subjects. In the examples below, notice how there are only four stressed syllables out of a total of twelve syllables. Fewer stresses per line allow us to read more quickly. This is suitable for subjects such as butterflies, running rabbits, flying birds or freedom. Write two lines of poetry that are fast, light and carefree.

Line of poetry	Stressed	Unstressed
When the butterfly sweeps across oceans of love	4	8
And the fire of its wings is the beautiful sun	4	8

MEASURING POETRY

Read each of these examples aloud. Which lines sound the most suitable? Notice how each line has been written more heavily or lightly by adjusting the grammar and vocabulary.

These times of sweet, mute thought	heavy
When to the sessions of sweet, silent thought	medium
During the sessions of the sweetest, silent thinking	light

I sigh, lacking all things sought	heavy
I sigh the lack of many a thing I sought	medium
I was sighing about the lack of many a thing that I was looking for	light

The ideal weight

What would be a suitable weight for each of the following subjects and themes: heavy, medium or light?

Subject	Weight	Subject	Weight
Elephants	Heavy	Traffic jams
Angels floating		Water skiing
Falling in love		A broken heart

Reading poetry aloud

Always be aware of stress patterns when reading poetry aloud. On the other hand, don’t sound like a clock mechanically ticking. Use stress to emphasise important points and create the appropriate weight that is suitable for your subject.

Critiquing poems

If you’re interested in having your poetry critiqued, submit a poem along with your name, age and address to the address below. Watch this column for feedback on your poems in an upcoming week.

poet tree
c/o Learning Post
Eighth Floor Bangkok Post Building
136 Na Ranong
Klongtoey 10110, Bangkok

Tom Radzienda is an instructor in poetry and culture at Srinakharinwirot University. His most recent collection of poetry is A Promise for Siam.

You can send your poem by email. Mark the subject line: Poet Tree and send to this address: learningpost@bangkokpost.co.th

Visit Tom's poetry column at www.bangkokpost.com/poetry

Read other Poet tree columns here.

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