Anapaest definition and meaning

What is Anapaest?

Anapaest is a three-part foot with an emphasis on the third (last) syllable. In ancient Greece it was used in marching songs, and later in dramatic works.

It’s pretty simple to define anapaest if you know the structure of the foot: UU—. Two first syllables are unstressed, the last one is stressed.

Anapaest examples in poetry:

The Assyrian came down like the wolf on the fold,

And his cohorts were gleaming in purple and gold;

And the sheen of their spears was like stars on the sea,

When the blue wave rolls nightly on deep Galilee.

The Destruction of Sennacherib by Lord Byron

I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky

And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by…

Sea Fever by John Masefield

Anapaest definition and meaning video