Most of us are familiar with the heavy, marching beat of the : "The curfew tolls the knell of parting day." (da-DUM, da-DUM, da-DUM).
Strictly speaking, Byron uses a mix, but the dominant, driving rhythm is anapestic. The two quick syllables ( the As- ) launch you into the stressed SYR , creating a sense of unstoppable forward motion. That is the anapest. To understand why the anapest is special, you have to look at its mirror image: the dactyl (DUM-da-da). The dactyl is the rhythm of a waltz: "HALF a league, HALF a league" (Tennyson’s Charge of the Light Brigade ). It is a falling rhythm—you start high and tumble down. anapesten
And once you learn to hear it, you will never unhear it. Let’s start with the technical definition, then move to the magic. Most of us are familiar with the heavy,