Double-Dactyls
An explnation for the form of the Double-dactyl
with thanks to onone and to this helpful site:
http://www.stinky.com/dactyl/dactyl.html
A dactyl is three syllables with the emphasis on the first syllable. A
double dactyl is two of those together (BUM-bum-bum BUM-bum-bum). There
are some words out there that are double dactyls (invisibility,
extracurricular, verisimilitude, for example).
A double dactyl poem has eight lines. Lines 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 and 7 are all
six syllables with the emphasis on the 1st and 4th syllables. Lines 4
and 8 are both four syllables -- a dactyl plus an extra (BUM-bum-bum
BUM!) and these lines rhyme.
And then there are some specifications about what goes in each line.
Line 1 is nonsense -- higgledy piggledy, or whatever you feel like
making up!
Line 2 is a name or proper title -- Boromir Steward's Son
Line 3 is whatever you want (six syllables)
Line 4 is whatever you want (four syllables)
Lines 5, 6, and 7 can be whatever you want, but ONE of them has to be
one word that's a double dactyl.
Line 8 is whatever you want, but generally has a kind of twist to it,
like a lymerick's ending. Line 8 also rhymes with line 4.
Is that more than you ever wanted to know? Wink I love them! For me
it's just a matter of finding the right words and putting them in -- a
little like a cross-word puzzle. - onone
