Originally posted by rwingettHm, that doesn't quite add up for me either. At best it's a very free iambic pentameter, or you have to read it in a quite unnatural way. For example, I would normally read the first line as:
Uhhh...that's not iambic pentameter. This is iambic pentameter:
I learned to play chess from a Swedish aunt,
Now I can castle and move en passant.
But she still beats me at every game;
I think that her teaching must be to blame.
You see? An iambic foot has two syllables, one stressed and one unstressed. A line of iambic pentameter would have 5 iambic feet, or ten syllables.
I LEARNED to play CHESS from a SWEdish AUNT,
rather than:
I LEARNED to PLAY chess FROM a SWEdish AUNT.
By the way, Wikipedia has a neat article about the iambic pentameter written in iambic pentameter: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iambic_pentameter
Originally posted by NordlysThe first line is problematic, I admit. But I attribute that to trying to retain Grampy Bobby's rhyme of Swedish Aunt/en passant. Each seems more of an anapestic foot. But the second couplet is SOLID.
Hm, that doesn't quite add up for me either. At best it's a very free iambic pentameter, or you have to read it in a quite unnatural way. For example, I would normally read the first line as:
I LEARNED to play CHESS from a SWEdish AUNT,
rather than:
I LEARNED to PLAY chess FROM a SWEdish AUNT.
By the way, Wikipedia has a neat article about the iambic pentameter written in iambic pentameter: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iambic_pentameter
Originally posted by rwingettRex, let's scrap aunt/passant in favor of a less strained rhyme.
The first line is problematic, I admit. But I attribute that to trying to retain Grampy Bobby's rhyme of Swedish Aunt/en passant. Each seems more of an anapestic foot. But the second couplet is SOLID.
How about...
Learned chess early on from a kind uncle who tried
to instill respect for toxic pawns and liver fried.
Are we gaining on it?
