''Within and Without: A Dramatic Poem'' is an 1855 poetic play, the first published work of Scottish author

George MacDonald George MacDonald (10 December 1824 – 18 September 1905) was a Scottish author, poet and Christian Congregational minister. He was a pioneering figure in the field of modern fantasy literature and the mentor of fellow writer Lewis Carroll. I ...

. It is written mostly in unrhymed

iambic pentameter Iambic pentameter () is a type of metric line used in traditional English poetry and verse drama. The term describes the rhythm, or meter, established by the words in that line; rhythm is measured in small groups of syllables called "feet". "Iambi ...

, although portions are written in

rhyme A rhyme is a repetition of similar sounds (usually, the exact same phonemes) in the final stressed syllables and any following syllables of two or more words. Most often, this kind of perfect rhyming is consciously used for a musical or aesthetic ...

d iambic pentameter, mixed iambic and

anapestic tetrameter Anapestic tetrameter is a poetic meter that has four anapestic metrical feet per line. Each foot has two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed syllable. It is sometimes referred to as a "reverse dactyl", and shares the rapid, driving pace of ...

, and other forms. In its original printing, the piece is 183 pages long. It is prefaced with a dedicatory poem entitled "To Louisa Powell MacDonald" (MacDonald's wife).

External links

Scans from Google Books
* Scottish poems 1855 poems Poetry by George MacDonald {{UK-poem-stub