tehehehe - No prob - Don't be scared
--- Actually the ballad meter is similar to regular speaking pattern of Americans... I've been reading a WONDERFUL book KIM that I think will shed some light on the poetic "mumbojumbo" LOL - It explains it in great detail in "everyday" language and is just a pleasure to read actually.
Don't laugh - but it's called Poetry For Dummies. I actually bought my copy directly from Shop JPiC
--- At anyrate I really do recommend it....
Anyway the way it's explained in Poetry For Dummies is AWESOMELY simple:
An Iamb is the sound DUH-duh where the 1st syllable is stressed - 2nd syllable is not...
As in the word collapse - how it sounds COLlapse or COLLapse...
Trimeter is three feet - Tetrameter is five feet ---- which is to say a string of either 3 of the DUH-duh sounds or 5 of the DUH-duh sounds
Thus iambic trimeter will SOUND like DUH-duh DUH-duh DUH-duh
The tetrameter will sound like DUH-duh DUH-duh DUH-duh DUH-duh DUH-duh
lol
But as with any poetry - the artist may even take liberties from being within such a restricted form - but the overall effect of the alternated iambic trimeter and iambic tetrameter is really nice.
Anyway - hope that makes sense
It really is quite simple the way Poetry For Dummies explains it - I just hope to have explained it well
Hope this helps
Jacquii.
