I'm unsure how to scan these stanzas and mark the accented (/) and unaccented (u) syllables. Could someone help by copying and pasting the stanzas in their reply and marking the syllables above their lines. These stanzas are from different poems. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Stanza 1
We make more fuss of ballads than of
blueprints –
That’s why so many poets end up rich,
While engineers scrape by in cheerless
garrets.
Who needs a bridge or dam? Who needs a
ditch?
Stanza 2
Now as I was young and easy under the apple
boughs
About the lilting house and happy as the
grass was green,
The night above the dingle starry,
Time let me hail and climb
Golden in the heydays of his eyes,
And honoured among wagons I was prince of
the apple towns
And once below a time I lordly had the
trees and leaves
Trail with daisies and barley
Down the rivers of the windfall light.
Stanza 3
The sounds
Of the Harlem night
Drop one by one into stillness.
The last player-piano is closed.
The last victrola ceases with the
" Jazz Boy Blues. "
The last crying baby sleeps
And the night becomes
Still as a whispering heartbeat.
I toss
Without rest in the darkness,
Weary as the tired night,
My soul
Empty as the silence,
Empty with a vague,
Aching emptiness,
Desiring,
Needing someone,
Something.
Stanza 4
The sea is calm tonight.
The tide is full, the moon lies fair
Upon the straits; on the French coast the
light
Gleams and is gone; the cliffs of England
stand,
Glimmering and vast, out in the tranquil bay.
Come to the window, sweet is the night-air!
Only, from the long line of spray
Where the sea meets the moon-blanched land,
Listen! you hear the grating roar
Of pebbles which the waves draw back, and
fling,
At their return, up the high strand,
Begin, and cease, and then again begin,
With tremulous cadence slow, and bring
The eternal note of sadness in.
Here's the first stanza.
Stanza 1
We make/ more fuss/ of ball/ads than/ of
blue/prints –
That’s why/ so man/y poe/ts end/ up rich/,
While en/gin eers/ scrape by/ in cheer/less
gar/rets.
Who needs/ a bridge/ or dam?/ Who needs/ a
ditch?/
Say the other stanzas aloud and try to scan them.
When saying these stanzas aloud which one of these types of syllables the stressed one, the accented (/) or the unaccented (u)?
I'm sorry, but I don't understand your question.
In these lines the accented syllables are in CAPS.
The SEA is CALM toNIGHT.
The TIDE is FULL, the MOON lies FAIR
When an unaccented syllable is followed by an accented syllable, that's called an iamb. (The reverse is called a trochee.)
http://www.writing.upenn.edu/~afilreis/88v/meter.html
When you say the lines aloud, you should be able to hear yourself saying the accented syllables a bit more loudly than the others.
Stanza 1:
We make more fuss of ballads than of / (u) blueprints –
That’s why so many poets end up rich, / (u u) (u)
While engineers scrape by in cheerless / (u) (u) (u)
garrets. / (u)
Who needs a bridge or dam? Who needs a / (u u u) (u)
ditch? / (u)
Stanza 2:
Now as I was young and easy under the apple / (u u)
boughs / (u)
About the lilting house and happy as the / (u u)
grass was green, / (u u u)
The night above the dingle starry, / (u u)
Time let me hail and climb / (u u)
Golden in the heydays of his eyes, / (u u)
And honoured among wagons I was prince of / (u u u)
the apple towns / (u u)
And once below a time I lordly had the / (u u)
trees and leaves / (u)
Trail with daisies and barley / (u u u)
Down the rivers of the windfall light. / (u u)
Stanza 3:
The sounds / (u)
Of the Harlem night / (u u)
Drop one by one into stillness. / (u) (u) (u)
The last player-piano is closed. / (u) (u) (u)
The last victrola ceases with the / (u) (u)
" Jazz Boy Blues. " / (u) (u) (u)
The last crying baby sleeps / (u) (u) (u)
And the night becomes / (u) (u) (u)
Still as a whispering heartbeat. / (u) (u)
I toss / (u)
Without rest in the darkness, / (u) (u)
Weary as the tired night, / (u) (u)
My soul / (u)
Empty as the silence, / (u) (u)
Empty with a vague, / (u) (u)
Aching emptiness, / (u) (u)
Desiring, / (u) (u)
Needing someone, / (u) (u)
Something. / (u)
Stanza 4:
The sea is calm tonight. / (u) (u)
The tide is full, the moon lies fair / (u) (u)
Upon the straits; o