In
poetry
Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...
, a dimeter is a metrical line of verse with two
feet
The foot ( : feet) is an anatomical structure found in many vertebrates. It is the terminal portion of a limb which bears weight and allows locomotion. In many animals with feet, the foot is a separate organ at the terminal part of the leg made ...
. The particular
foot
The foot ( : feet) is an anatomical structure found in many vertebrates. It is the terminal portion of a limb which bears weight and allows locomotion. In many animals with feet, the foot is a separate organ at the terminal part of the leg made ...
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 Child
References
Types of verses
{{Poetry-stub