Iambic dimeter
An iambic foot (iamb) has a short syllable followed by a long syllable (SL, or U/).
Dimeter is two feet per line.
Example
The following is not quite perfect iambic dimeter. For instance, the fifth line of the first verse has two short syllables before the first long one (And a happy). This is anapest, which actually doesn’t upset the rhythm if you say “And-a” with hardly a break between the words. The rhythm also changes in the last line of the third verse, and in the last two lines of the fourth verse. This variation adds interest to the overall rhythm of the poem.
When up aloft
I fly and fly,
I see in pools
The shining sky,
And a happy bird
Am I, am I!
When I descend
Toward the brink
I stand and look
And stop and drink
And bathe my wings
And chink, and pink.
When winter frost
Makes earth as steel
I search and search
But find no meal,
And most unhappy
Then I feel.
But when it lasts,
And snows still fall,
I get to feel
No grief at all
For I turn to a cold, stiff
Feathery ball!
Thomas Hardy – The Robin
A closer look at the feet in this poem
U = short syllable; / = long syllable; | = division between feet
