In poetry, a dimeter /ˈdɪmɪtər/ is a metrical line of verse with two feet.1 The particular foot can vary.
Consider Thomas Hood's "Bridge of Sighs," in which the first line of a pair is of two feet, each composed of three syllables, and the subsequent line is of two feet, each of two syllables.
- Take her up \\ tenderly,
- Lift her \\ with care,
- Fashioned so \\ slenderly,
- Young and \\ so fair.
Also, the first line of William Wordsworth's "We Are Seven":
- A simp \\ le Child2
References
References
- "Definition of DIMETER". www.merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 2022-10-09.
- Greenblatt, Stephen (2006). The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 8th ed. Vol. D. New York: Norton. p. 248.