John, thanks for patching in that old discussion. The little essay on duration was attributed to Alan, but I changed that to moi. I really think my method of scanning accentual verse is crackpot and confusing, but it works for me, and it has sure as hell worked for you! I wrote that essay with an audience of one in mind. I want to reiterate that on matters prosodic I totally defer to those--like Mezey, Gwynn, and Steele--who teach as well as practice poetry.
"Does the poem sound well or ill?" Several of the participants in this discussion have not just good ears, but fabulous ears. And I'll wager that in every case that ear was developed not in the crafting of his own verse but in the memorization of great poetry. Remember what Professor Hecht told us: "Every poet I have much admired has had a great deal, and I mean a very great deal, of verse committed to heart."
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