[S. A. Wyatt]

Interesting poem. Here is my best guess:

In the first three stanzas, the predominant meter is dactylic tetrameter with L2 being catalectic (having the final unstressed syllables lopped off).

L4 of each stanza and the final stanza all seem free verse with rhyme to me. What is interesting is that L4 of S1 almost scans as a catalectic line with a dropped unstressed syllable, but the L4 in each subsequent stanza seems to deviate further from that norm until we get to the total collapse in the final stanza.

I would need to read this a few more times, but the collapse of meter seems to mirror the collapse of the N's state of mind by the end of the poem.

Regards,

Sean


Sorry, Roger, your post was not there when I started to reply - I am just slow on the draw. Glad to see we are mostly in agreement.