Iambic pentameter
Five iambs to the line: ten syllables, the stress falling on the even ones. It is the line of the sonnet, of blank verse, of the heroic couplet, and of most English narrative and dramatic verse since Chaucer. Below, what the metre is and how to recognise it, then every poem on Laurel measured as iambic pentameter, with how closely each keeps it.
What iambic pentameter is
Five beats to the line, each one a light syllable followed by a heavy one: da-DUM five times, ten syllables in all. It is the commonest line in English poetry, the line of Shakespeare, Milton, Wordsworth and Keats, and the one most people mean when they say a poem has a rhythm.
da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM
shall I com-PARE thee TO a SUM-mer’s DAY?
Shakespeare, Sonnet 18; the beats in capitals
How to tell
Count ten syllables, then say the line aloud and listen for five heavy ones falling on the even syllables. The first foot is often turned round (DUM-da), and a line may carry an eleventh light syllable at the end. It is most often mistaken for iambic tetrameter, which has eight syllables and four beats, so the count settles it.
Paste a poem of your own and Laurel will say whether it is in iambic pentameter, stanza by stanza. How to scan a line.
9,678 poems on Laurel in iambic pentameter
- Sonnet CXLI William Shakespeare, The Sonnets · 100%
- Sonnet CXLIX William Shakespeare, The Sonnets · 100%
- Sonnet CXLVIII William Shakespeare, The Sonnets · 100%
- Sonnet CXXXVI William Shakespeare, The Sonnets · 100%
- Sonnet CXXXVII William Shakespeare, The Sonnets · 100%
- Sonnet LXXIII William Shakespeare, The Sonnets · 100%
- Sonnet XC William Shakespeare, The Sonnets · 100%
- Sonnet XCII William Shakespeare, The Sonnets · 100%
- Sonnet XCVIII William Shakespeare, The Sonnets · 100%
- Sonnet XLIII William Shakespeare, The Sonnets · 100%
- Sonnet XLVII William Shakespeare, The Sonnets · 100%
- Sonnet XLVIII William Shakespeare, The Sonnets · 100%
- Venus and Adonis William Shakespeare · 95%
- Book XI: The Third Battle, and the Acts of Agamemnon Homer, The Iliad · 98%
- Book XVI: The Sixth Battle, the Acts and Death of Patroclus Homer, The Iliad · 98%
- Book XIII: The Arrival of Ulysses in Ithaca Homer, The Odyssey · 97%
- Book V: The Acts of Diomed Homer, The Iliad · 97%
- Book IV: The Breach of the Truce, and the First Battle Homer, The Iliad · 97%
- Book XVII: The Seventh Battle, for the Body of Patroclus.—The Acts of Menelaus Homer, The Iliad · 97%
- Book XXII: The Death of the Suitors Homer, The Odyssey · 97%
- Book VII: The Single Combat of Hector and Ajax Homer, The Iliad · 97%
- Book III: The Duel of Menelaus and Paris Homer, The Iliad · 97%
- Book XIII Homer, The Iliad · 97%
- Book XXIII: Funeral Games in Honour of Patroclus Homer, The Iliad · 97%
- Book II: The Trial of the Army, and Catalogue of the Forces Homer, The Iliad · 97%
- Book XIV: Juno Deceives Jupiter by the Girdle of Venus Homer, The Iliad · 97%
- Book V: The Departure of Ulysses from Calypso Homer, The Odyssey · 97%
- Book XV: The Fifth Battle at the Ships; and the Acts of Ajax Homer, The Iliad · 97%
- Book XXI: The Bending of Ulysses’ Bow Homer, The Odyssey · 97%
- Book XV: The Return of Telemachus Homer, The Odyssey · 96%
- Book XXIII Homer, The Odyssey · 96%
- Book XI: The Descent into Hell Homer, The Odyssey · 96%
- Book II: The Council of Ithaca Homer, The Odyssey · 96%
- Book XII: The Sirene, Scylla, and Charybdis Homer, The Odyssey · 96%
- Book XVII Homer, The Odyssey · 96%
- Book XX Homer, The Odyssey · 96%
- Book XXIV Homer, The Odyssey · 96%
- Inferno: Canto XV Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy · 96%
- Paradiso: Canto III Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy · 96%
- Inferno: Canto XVII Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy · 95%
- Inferno: Canto XXX Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy · 95%
- Purgatorio: Canto XXVI Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy · 95%
- Paradiso: Canto VIII Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy · 95%
- Purgatorio: Canto XV Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy · 95%
- Inferno: Canto XXI Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy · 95%
- Paradiso: Canto XX Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy · 95%
- Inferno: Canto IX Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy · 95%
- Inferno: Canto XIII Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy · 95%
- Purgatorio: Canto X Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy · 95%
- A day agone, as I rode sullenly Dante Alighieri, The New Life
- A gentle thought there is will often start Dante Alighieri, The New Life
- A very pitiful lady, very young Dante Alighieri, The New Life
- All my thoughts always speak to me of Love Dante Alighieri, The New Life
- All ye that pass along Love’s trodden way Dante Alighieri, The New Life
- At whiles (yea oftentimes) I muse over Dante Alighieri, The New Life
- Beyond the sphere which spreads to widest space Dante Alighieri, The New Life
- Canst thou indeed be he that still would sing Dante Alighieri, The New Life
- Death, alway cruel, Pity’s foe in chief Dante Alighieri, The New Life
- Even as the others mock, thou mockest me Dante Alighieri, The New Life
- For certain he hath seen all perfectness Dante Alighieri, The New Life
- I felt a spirit of love begin to stir Dante Alighieri, The New Life
- Lycidas John Milton, L'Allegro, Il Penseroso, Comus, and Lycidas · 96%
- The Measure John Milton, L'Allegro, Il Penseroso, Comus, and Lycidas · 95%
- Book X John Milton, Paradise Lost · 94%
- Book III John Milton, Paradise Lost · 94%
- Book IV John Milton, Paradise Lost · 93%
- Book IX John Milton, Paradise Lost · 93%
- Book VII John Milton, Paradise Lost · 93%
- Book V John Milton, Paradise Lost · 93%
- Book II John Milton, Paradise Lost · 93%
- Book VIII John Milton, Paradise Lost · 93%
- Book I John Milton, Paradise Lost · 93%
- The Two Brothers John Milton, L'Allegro, Il Penseroso, Comus, and Lycidas · 93%
- Book VI John Milton, Paradise Lost · 92%
- Book IV John Milton, Paradise Regained · 92%
- The Persons John Milton, L'Allegro, Il Penseroso, Comus, and Lycidas · 92%
- Book III John Milton, Paradise Regained · 92%
- Book I John Milton, Paradise Regained · 92%
- Song John Milton, L'Allegro, Il Penseroso, Comus, and Lycidas · 91%
- Book II John Milton, Paradise Regained · 90%
- Comus: Can any mortal mixture of earth's mould John Milton, L'Allegro, Il Penseroso, Comus, and Lycidas
- The Sompnour’s Tale: Prologue Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales · 96%
- The Prioress’s Tale: Prologue Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales · 95%
- The Reeve’s Tale: The Tale Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales · 95%
- The Cook’s Tale: Prologue Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales · 95%
- The Squire’s Tale: Prologue Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales · 95%
- The Reeve’s Tale: Prologue Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales · 94%
- Chaucer’s Tale of Melibœus: Prologue Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales · 94%
- The Canon’s Yeoman’s Tale: Prologue Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales · 94%
- The Miller’s Tale: Prologue Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales · 94%
- Pars Tertia. Third Part Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales · 93%
- The Manciple’s Tale: Prologue Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales · 93%
- The Nun’s Priest’s Tale: Prologue Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales · 93%
- Elegiac Stanzas William Wordsworth, The Prelude, and Other Poems · 99%
- The King of Sweden William Wordsworth, The Brothers, and Other Poems · 99%
- "It Is Not to Be Thought of That the Flood" William Wordsworth, The Brothers, and Other Poems · 98%
- Calais, August, 1802 William Wordsworth, The Brothers, and Other Poems · 98%
- Composed in the Valley Near Dover, on the Day of Landing William Wordsworth, The Brothers, and Other Poems · 98%
- Part Second William Wordsworth, The Brothers, and Other Poems · 98%
- "It Was an April Morning: Fresh and Clear" William Wordsworth, The Brothers, and Other Poems · 97%
- "Pelion and Ossa Flourish Side by Side" William Wordsworth, The Brothers, and Other Poems · 97%
- The Small Celandine William Wordsworth, The Prelude, and Other Poems · 97%
- "'Tis Said, That Some Have Died for Love" William Wordsworth, The Brothers, and Other Poems · 97%
- To M. H William Wordsworth, The Brothers, and Other Poems · 96%
- The Cuckoo and the Nightingale William Wordsworth, The Brothers, and Other Poems · 96%
- Departure from the Vale of Grasmere. August, 1803 William Wordsworth, The Brothers, and Other Poems · 96%
- A Pastoral Poem William Wordsworth, The Brothers, and Other Poems · 96%
- The Female Vagrant William Wordsworth, Lyrical Ballads · 96%
- Old Man Travelling; Animal Tranquillity and Decay, a Sketch William Wordsworth, Lyrical Ballads · 95%
- The Foster-Mother’s Tale, a Dramatic Fragment William Wordsworth, Lyrical Ballads · 95%
- Tribute to the Memory of the Same Dog William Wordsworth, The Prelude, and Other Poems · 95%
- "When, to the Attractions of the Busy World" William Wordsworth, The Prelude, and Other Poems · 94%
- A Conversational Poem, Written in April, 1798 William Wordsworth, Lyrical Ballads · 94%
- At Applethwaite, Near Keswick William Wordsworth, The Prelude, and Other Poems · 94%
- Book Thirteenth: Imagination and Taste, How Impaired and Restored—Concluded William Wordsworth, The Prelude, and Other Poems · 94%
- Book Fourth: Summer Vacation William Wordsworth, The Prelude, and Other Poems · 93%
- Vaudracour and Julia William Wordsworth, The Prelude, and Other Poems · 93%
- Book Fifth: Books William Wordsworth, The Prelude, and Other Poems · 93%
- Book First: Introduction.—Childhood and School-Time William Wordsworth, The Prelude, and Other Poems · 93%
- Book Fourteenth: Conclusion William Wordsworth, The Prelude, and Other Poems · 93%
- To William Wordsworth William Wordsworth, The Prelude, and Other Poems · 93%
- The Dungeon William Wordsworth, Lyrical Ballads · 83%
- Lines Written a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey, on Revisiting the Banks of the Wye during a Tour, July 13, 1798 William Wordsworth, Lyrical Ballads
- To Kosciusko John Keats, Poems (1817) · 97%
- To My Brother George John Keats, Poems (1817) · 96%
- To Autumn John Keats, Lamia, Isabella, The Eve of St. Agnes, and Other Poems · 96%
- Calidore John Keats, Poems (1817) · 95%
- To George Felton Mathew John Keats, Poems (1817) · 95%
- Ode on a Grecian Urn John Keats, Lamia, Isabella, The Eve of St. Agnes, and Other Poems · 94%
- Hyperion, Book III John Keats, Lamia, Isabella, The Eve of St. Agnes, and Other Poems · 94%
- Isabella; or, The Pot of Basil John Keats, Lamia, Isabella, The Eve of St. Agnes, and Other Poems · 94%
- Book IV John Keats, Endymion: A Poetic Romance · 94%
- To Hope John Keats, Poems (1817) · 94%
- To My Brother George John Keats, Poems (1817) · 94%
- Lamia, Part II John Keats, Lamia, Isabella, The Eve of St. Agnes, and Other Poems · 94%
- Ode to Psyche John Keats, Lamia, Isabella, The Eve of St. Agnes, and Other Poems · 94%
- Ode to a Nightingale John Keats, Lamia, Isabella, The Eve of St. Agnes, and Other Poems · 93%
- To Charles Cowden Clarke John Keats, Poems (1817) · 93%
- Sleep and Poetry John Keats, Poems (1817) · 93%
- Lamia, Part I John Keats, Lamia, Isabella, The Eve of St. Agnes, and Other Poems · 93%
- Imitation of Spenser John Keats, Poems (1817) · 93%
- Specimen of an Induction to a Poem John Keats, Poems (1817) · 93%
- Hyperion, Book I John Keats, Lamia, Isabella, The Eve of St. Agnes, and Other Poems · 93%
- Hyperion, Book II John Keats, Lamia, Isabella, The Eve of St. Agnes, and Other Poems · 93%
- Ode on Melancholy John Keats, Lamia, Isabella, The Eve of St. Agnes, and Other Poems · 93%
- Book III John Keats, Endymion: A Poetic Romance · 92%
- Book II John Keats, Endymion: A Poetic Romance · 92%
- Book I John Keats, Endymion: A Poetic Romance · 92%
- To G. A. W John Keats, Poems (1817) · 91%
- Addressed to Haydon John Keats, Poems (1817) · 90%
- The Eve of St. Agnes John Keats, Lamia, Isabella, The Eve of St. Agnes, and Other Poems
- A Hate-Song Percy Bysshe Shelley, Ode to the West Wind, and Other Poems · 100%
- Cancelled Opening of the Triumph of Life Percy Bysshe Shelley, Alastor, and Other Poems · 100%
- Cancelled Passage of Mont Blanc Percy Bysshe Shelley, Ode to the West Wind, and Other Poems · 100%
- Demogorgon: God: Almighty God Percy Bysshe Shelley, Alastor, and Other Poems · 100%
- Epitaph Percy Bysshe Shelley, Ode to the West Wind, and Other Poems · 100%
- Fragment 5 Percy Bysshe Shelley, Alastor, and Other Poems · 100%
- Fragment: 'And That I Walk Thus Proudly Crowned' Percy Bysshe Shelley, Ode to the West Wind, and Other Poems · 100%
- Fragment: 'I Faint, I Perish with My Love!' Percy Bysshe Shelley, Ode to the West Wind, and Other Poems · 100%
- Fragment: 'My Head Is Wild with Weeping' Percy Bysshe Shelley, Ode to the West Wind, and Other Poems · 100%
- Fragment: A Tale Untold Percy Bysshe Shelley, Ode to the West Wind, and Other Poems · 100%
- Fragment: Music and Sweet Poetry Percy Bysshe Shelley, Ode to the West Wind, and Other Poems · 100%
- Fragment: Rain Percy Bysshe Shelley, Ode to the West Wind, and Other Poems · 100%
- Fragment: To One Singing Percy Bysshe Shelley, Ode to the West Wind, and Other Poems · 100%
- Fragment: To a Friend Released from Prison Percy Bysshe Shelley, Ode to the West Wind, and Other Poems · 100%
- The Waning Moon Percy Bysshe Shelley, Ode to the West Wind, and Other Poems · 100%
- Fragment 3 Percy Bysshe Shelley, Alastor, and Other Poems · 98%
- Fragment 4 Percy Bysshe Shelley, Alastor, and Other Poems · 97%
- Canto VIII Percy Bysshe Shelley, Alastor, and Other Poems · 95%
- Second Guest: And I Percy Bysshe Shelley, Alastor, and Other Poems · 95%
- To Mary Percy Bysshe Shelley, Alastor, and Other Poems · 95%
- Canto III Percy Bysshe Shelley, Alastor, and Other Poems · 95%
- Fragments Connected with Epipsychidion Percy Bysshe Shelley, Alastor, and Other Poems · 95%
- Canto XII Percy Bysshe Shelley, Alastor, and Other Poems · 95%
- Olimpio: Now Percy Bysshe Shelley, Alastor, and Other Poems · 94%
- Canto I LV Lord Byron, Childe Harold's Pilgrimage · 100%
- Canto IV CV Lord Byron, Childe Harold's Pilgrimage · 100%
- Canto IV CXXXV Lord Byron, Childe Harold's Pilgrimage · 100%
- Canto IV LXXXIV Lord Byron, Childe Harold's Pilgrimage · 100%
- Canto I XXXVII Lord Byron, Childe Harold's Pilgrimage · 100%
- Canto IV CL Lord Byron, Childe Harold's Pilgrimage · 99%
- Canto IV LXXV Lord Byron, Childe Harold's Pilgrimage · 99%
- Canto IV IX Lord Byron, Childe Harold's Pilgrimage · 99%
- Canto II LXXVIII Lord Byron, Childe Harold's Pilgrimage · 99%
- Canto II LXXXI Lord Byron, Childe Harold's Pilgrimage · 99%
- Canto II XXX Lord Byron, Childe Harold's Pilgrimage · 99%
- Canto III XCIV Lord Byron, Childe Harold's Pilgrimage · 99%
- Canto V Lord Byron, Don Juan · 96%
- Canto IV Lord Byron, Don Juan · 95%
- Canto VI Lord Byron, Don Juan · 95%
- Canto VIII Lord Byron, Don Juan · 95%
- Canto II Lord Byron, Don Juan · 95%
- Canto I Lord Byron, Don Juan · 95%
- Canto X Lord Byron, Don Juan · 94%
- Canto XIII Lord Byron, Don Juan · 94%
- Dedication Lord Byron, Don Juan · 94%
- Canto VII Lord Byron, Don Juan · 94%
- Canto IX Lord Byron, Don Juan · 94%
- Canto III Lord Byron, Don Juan · 94%
- "Tu Mi Chamas" Lord Byron, The Giaour, and Other Poems
- A Sketch Lord Byron, The Giaour, and Other Poems
- Address Intended to Be Recited at the Caledonian Meeting Lord Byron, The Giaour, and Other Poems
- Address, Spoken at the Opening of Drury-Lane Theatre, October 10, 1812 Lord Byron, The Giaour, and Other Poems
- By Dr. Plagiary Lord Byron, The Giaour, and Other Poems
- Farewell to Malta Lord Byron, The Giaour, and Other Poems
- Fragment from the "Monk of Athos" Lord Byron, The Giaour, and Other Poems
- From Job I Lord Byron, The Giaour, and Other Poems
- From Job II Lord Byron, The Giaour, and Other Poems
- Herod's Lament for Mariamne Lord Byron, The Giaour, and Other Poems
- Julian Lord Byron, The Giaour, and Other Poems
- Lara: Canto I Lord Byron, The Giaour, and Other Poems
- The Little Black Boy William Blake, Poems of William Blake · 98%
- The Little Black Boy William Blake, Songs of Innocence and of Experience · 98%
- The Chimney Sweeper William Blake, Poems of William Blake · 90%
- The Chimney-Sweeper William Blake, Songs of Innocence and of Experience · 90%
- Laughing Song William Blake, Poems of William Blake · 85%
- Laughing Song William Blake, Songs of Innocence and of Experience · 85%
- The Little Boy Found William Blake, Poems of William Blake · 71%
- The Little Boy Found William Blake, Songs of Innocence and of Experience · 71%
- Forbearance Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Poems of Coleridge · 100%
- Lines Composed 2Ist February 1827 Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Poems of Coleridge · 100%
- On a Ruined House in a Romantic Country Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Poems of Coleridge · 100%
- The Only Sure Friend of Declining Life a Soliloquy Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Poems of Coleridge · 100%
- An Allegory Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Poems of Coleridge · 99%
- An Allegory Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Poems of Coleridge · 98%
- Constancy to an Ideal Object Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Poems of Coleridge · 98%
- While He Sang a Song to Purcell's Music Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Poems of Coleridge · 98%
- Sonnet Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Poems of Coleridge · 97%
- Or the Poet in the Clouds Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Poems of Coleridge · 97%
- The Two Founts Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Poems of Coleridge · 97%
- Poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Poems of Coleridge · 97%
- To Zante Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven, and Other Poems · 94%
- To My Mother Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven, and Other Poems · 94%
- Part I Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven, and Other Poems · 94%
- Part II Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven, and Other Poems · 93%
- To Helen Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven, and Other Poems · 93%
- To M. L. S Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven, and Other Poems · 92%
- The Coliseum Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven, and Other Poems · 91%
- A Valentine Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven, and Other Poems · 90%
- An Enigma Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven, and Other Poems · 86%
- Silence Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven, and Other Poems · 85%
- Sonnet—To Science Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven, and Other Poems · 83%
- An Apartment in a Palace. Politian and Baldazzar Edgar Allan Poe, Politian
- Rome.—A Hall in a Palace. Alessandra and Castiglione Edgar Allan Poe, Politian
- Rome.—A Lady’s Apartment, with a Window Open and Looking into A, Garden. Lalage, in Deep Mourning, Reading at a Table on Which Lie, Some Books and a Hand Mirror. In the Background Jacinta (A Servant, Maid) Leans Carelessly upon a Chair Edgar Allan Poe, Politian
- The Gardens of a Palace—Moonlight. Lalage and Politian Edgar Allan Poe, Politian
- The Suburbs. Politian Alone Edgar Allan Poe, Politian
- The Lost Jewel Emily Dickinson, Poems · 91%
- Now Finale to the Shore Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass · 86%
- America Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass · 75%
- Ball’s Bluff. A Reverie Herman Melville, Battle-Pieces and Aspects of the War
- Misgivings Herman Melville, Battle-Pieces and Aspects of the War
- The House-top. A Night Piece Herman Melville, Battle-Pieces and Aspects of the War
- The Returned Volunteer to His Rifle Herman Melville, Battle-Pieces and Aspects of the War
- A Prayer in Spring Robert Frost, A Boy's Will · 100%
- The Oven Bird Robert Frost, Mountain Interval · 100%
- The Pasture Robert Frost, North of Boston · 100%
- The Smile Robert Frost, Mountain Interval · 100%
- A Brook in the City Robert Frost, New Hampshire · 99%
- Into My Own Robert Frost, A Boy's Will · 99%
- A Hillside Thaw Robert Frost, New Hampshire · 99%
- The Exposed Nest Robert Frost, Mountain Interval · 99%
- A Boundless Moment Robert Frost, New Hampshire · 99%
- Range-Finding Robert Frost, Mountain Interval · 98%
- An Old Man's Winter Night Robert Frost, Mountain Interval · 98%
- Two Look at Two Robert Frost, New Hampshire · 98%
- The Telephone Robert Frost, Mountain Interval · 98%
- The Mountain Robert Frost, North of Boston · 98%
- The Line-Gang Robert Frost, Mountain Interval · 98%
- Wild Grapes Robert Frost, New Hampshire · 97%
- The Onset Robert Frost, New Hampshire · 97%
- In the Home Stretch Robert Frost, Mountain Interval · 97%
- The Cow in Apple Time Robert Frost, Mountain Interval · 97%
- Place for a Third Robert Frost, New Hampshire · 97%
- Evening in a Sugar Orchard Robert Frost, New Hampshire · 97%
- The Axe-Helve Robert Frost, New Hampshire · 97%
- To E. T Robert Frost, New Hampshire · 97%
- Our Singing Strength Robert Frost, New Hampshire · 96%
- The Census-Taker Robert Frost, New Hampshire · 96%
- The Fear Robert Frost, North of Boston · 96%
- After Apple-picking Robert Frost, North of Boston · 96%
- Mending Wall Robert Frost, North of Boston · 96%
- The Bonfire Robert Frost, Mountain Interval · 96%
- The Housekeeper Robert Frost, North of Boston · 96%
- The Self-seeker Robert Frost, North of Boston · 96%
- Snow Robert Frost, Mountain Interval · 96%
- The Tuft of Flowers Robert Frost, A Boy's Will · 95%
- An Encounter Robert Frost, Mountain Interval · 95%
- The Wood-pile Robert Frost, North of Boston · 95%
- Home Burial Robert Frost, North of Boston · 95%
- The Code Robert Frost, North of Boston · 94%
- The Generations of Men Robert Frost, North of Boston · 94%
- A Servant to Servants Robert Frost, North of Boston · 93%
- A Dream Pang Robert Frost, A Boy's Will · 93%
- The Vantage Point Robert Frost, A Boy's Will · 92%
- Waiting Afield at Dusk Robert Frost, A Boy's Will · 86%
- Beggar Boy Langston Hughes, The Weary Blues · 100%
- Fantasy in Purple Langston Hughes, The Weary Blues · 87%
- The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock T. S. Eliot, Prufrock and Other Observations · 96%
- Poem III T. S. Eliot, Prufrock and Other Observations · 94%
- La Figlia Che Piange T. S. Eliot, Prufrock and Other Observations · 93%
- Poem I T. S. Eliot, Prufrock and Other Observations · 92%
- Poem II T. S. Eliot, Prufrock and Other Observations · 89%
- Aunt Helen T. S. Eliot, Prufrock and Other Observations · 89%
- Cousin Nancy T. S. Eliot, Prufrock and Other Observations · 88%
- Conversation Galante T. S. Eliot, Prufrock and Other Observations · 85%
- Tea at the Palaz of Hoon Wallace Stevens, Harmonium · 100%
- The Worms at Heaven’s Gate Wallace Stevens, Harmonium · 98%
- Anecdote of Canna Wallace Stevens, Harmonium · 98%
- The Doctor of Geneva Wallace Stevens, Harmonium · 96%
- Hibiscus on the Sleeping Shores Wallace Stevens, Harmonium · 96%
- The Bird with the Coppery, Keen Claws Wallace Stevens, Harmonium · 93%
- To the One of Fictive Music Wallace Stevens, Harmonium · 93%
- Peter Quince at the Clavier IV Wallace Stevens, Harmonium · 92%
- Of the Manner of Addressing Clouds Wallace Stevens, Harmonium · 92%
- A Nice Shady Home Wallace Stevens, Harmonium · 91%
- A High-Toned Old Christian Woman Wallace Stevens, Harmonium · 90%
- Approaching Carolina Wallace Stevens, Harmonium · 90%
- Portrait of the Author William Carlos Williams, Sour Grapes · 89%
- Broadway William Carlos Williams, Al Que Quiere! · 87%
- Time the Hangman William Carlos Williams, Sour Grapes · 81%
- Ref Ezra Pound, Personae · 100%
- Personae Ezra Pound · 97%
- An Idyl for Glaucus Ezra Pound, Personae · 97%
- In the Old Age of the Soul Ezra Pound, Personae · 97%
- Revolt Ezra Pound, Personae · 97%
- Masks Ezra Pound, Personae · 96%
- In Durance Ezra Pound, Personae · 94%
- Near Perigord Ezra Pound, Lustra · 94%
- A Vision of Italy Ezra Pound, Personae · 94%
- Poem III Ezra Pound, Lustra · 93%
- The White Stag Ezra Pound, Personae · 93%
- And Thus in Nineveh Ezra Pound, Personae · 92%
- Marvoil Ezra Pound, Personae · 92%
- Marvoil Ezra Pound, Personae · 92%
- Poem II Ezra Pound, Lustra · 87%
- A Ballad of the Mulberry Road Ezra Pound, Lustra · 86%
- Bridget W. B. Yeats, Poems · 100%
- Father Hart W. B. Yeats, Poems · 100%
- Hush! W. B. Yeats, Poems · 100%
- Maurteen (To Father Hart) W. B. Yeats, Poems · 100%
- Oona W. B. Yeats, Poems · 100%
- S. Patric W. B. Yeats, Poems · 100%
- The Child W. B. Yeats, Poems · 100%
- The Child W. B. Yeats, Poems · 100%
- The Man Who Dreamed of Faeryland W. B. Yeats, Poems · 99%
- To the Rose upon the Rood of Time W. B. Yeats, Poems · 98%
- The Sorrow of Love W. B. Yeats, Poems · 97%
- These Are the Clouds W. B. Yeats, Responsibilities · 96%
- All Things Can Tempt Me W. B. Yeats, Responsibilities · 95%
- King and No King W. B. Yeats, Responsibilities · 94%
- No Second Troy W. B. Yeats, Responsibilities · 94%
- Upon a House Shaken by the Land Agitation W. B. Yeats, Responsibilities · 94%
- Aedh Tells of the Perfect Beauty W. B. Yeats, The Wind Among the Reeds · 94%
- Mongan Thinks of His Past Greatness W. B. Yeats, The Wind Among the Reeds · 93%
- The Secret Rose W. B. Yeats, The Wind Among the Reeds · 93%
- The Two Kings W. B. Yeats, Responsibilities · 93%
- Into the Twilight W. B. Yeats, The Wind Among the Reeds · 92%
- To a Shade W. B. Yeats, Responsibilities · 92%
- Aedh Thinks of Those Who Have Spoken Evil of His Beloved W. B. Yeats, The Wind Among the Reeds · 92%
- At the Abbey Theatre W. B. Yeats, Responsibilities · 92%
- The Fascination of What's Difficult W. B. Yeats, Responsibilities · 91%
- Breasal the Fisherman W. B. Yeats, The Wind Among the Reeds · 90%
- Reconciliation W. B. Yeats, Responsibilities · 90%
- The Mountain Tomb W. B. Yeats, Responsibilities · 89%
- A Coat W. B. Yeats, Responsibilities · 89%
- To My Heart, Bidding It Have No Fear W. B. Yeats, The Wind Among the Reeds · 87%
- Aedh Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven W. B. Yeats, The Wind Among the Reeds · 85%
- A Prayer for My Daughter W. B. Yeats, Michael Robartes and the Dancer
- A Prayer on Going into My House W. B. Yeats, The Wild Swans at Coole
- All Souls’ Night W. B. Yeats, The Tower
- Among School Children W. B. Yeats, The Tower
- Ancestral Houses W. B. Yeats, The Tower
- Broken Dreams W. B. Yeats, The Wild Swans at Coole
- From ‘Oedipus at Colonus’ III W. B. Yeats, The Tower
- From ‘Oedipus at Colonus’ IV W. B. Yeats, The Tower
- Her Friends Bring Her a Christmas Tree W. B. Yeats, The Wild Swans at Coole
- Her Praise W. B. Yeats, The Wild Swans at Coole
- In Memory of Major Robert Gregory W. B. Yeats, The Wild Swans at Coole
- Leda and the Swan W. B. Yeats, The Tower
- My Descendants W. B. Yeats, The Tower
- My House W. B. Yeats, The Tower
- Nineteen Hundred and Nineteen W. B. Yeats, The Tower
- On Being Asked for a War Poem W. B. Yeats, The Wild Swans at Coole
- Poem I W. B. Yeats, The Tower
- Poem II W. B. Yeats, The Tower
- Sailing to Byzantium W. B. Yeats, The Tower
- She W. B. Yeats, Michael Robartes and the Dancer
- She W. B. Yeats, Michael Robartes and the Dancer
- She W. B. Yeats, Michael Robartes and the Dancer
- The Double Vision of Michael Robartes III W. B. Yeats, The Wild Swans at Coole
- The Leaders of the Crowd W. B. Yeats, Michael Robartes and the Dancer
- The Living Beauty W. B. Yeats, The Wild Swans at Coole
- The People W. B. Yeats, The Wild Swans at Coole
- The Phases of the Moon W. B. Yeats, The Wild Swans at Coole
- The Scholars W. B. Yeats, The Wild Swans at Coole
- The Second Coming W. B. Yeats, Michael Robartes and the Dancer
- Audley Court Alfred Tennyson, The Early Poems · 99%
- Love and Duty Alfred Tennyson, The Early Poems · 98%
- Edwin Morris, or the Lake Alfred Tennyson, The Early Poems · 98%
The first 400 of 9,678 poems, best-known poets first. The rest are reachable through their poets.
Each poem's metre was measured from its own words by the method described here; the figure beside a poem is the share of its stressed syllables that fall on the beat. Forms are named from the rhyme scheme and line count together.