The opposite of anapestic meter (da-da-DUM, da-da-DUM, da-da-DUM, da-da-DUM, da-da-DUM)
is dactylic meter (DUM-da-da, DUM-da-da, DUM-da-da, DUM-da-da, DUM-da-da)
Dactylic meter is commonly found in the historic, epic poems of the Latins, the Greeks, and the English. These are the opening lines of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem, Evengeline
“THIS is the forest primeval. The murmuring pines and the hemlocks, Bearded with moss, and in garments green, indistinct in the twilight, Stand like Druids of eld, with voices sad and prophetic, Stand like harpers hoar, with beards that rest on their bosoms. Loud from its rocky caverns, the deep-voiced neighboring ocean Speaks, and in accents disconsolate answers the wail of the forest.”
There are many different meters and all of them make magical music in the mind.
Remember! The name of the meters don’t matter, so do not let them intimidate you. Just read the words and feel the rhythms as thoughtlessly as if you were listening to music.
Do it daily, and within a few weeks you will be writing blank verse without realizing it.
