Common metre, abbreviated C. M., is an iambic metre consisting of four lines of length 8,6,8,6 syllables (that is strictly the alternation of iambic tetrametre and iambic trimetre). It has historically been used for ballads such as Tam Lin, and hymns such as Amazing Grace and the Christmas carol While Shepherds Watched their Flocks By Night. An iamb is a metrical foot used in various types of poetry. ... Meter (British English spelling: metre) describes the linguistic sound patterns of a verse. ... This article discusses the unit of speech. ... Iambic tetrameter is a meter in poetry. ... Iambic trimeter is an ancient metre consisting of three iambic metra (each consisting of two iambi) used in the spoken verses of the Greek tragedy and comedy. ... Illustration by Arthur Rackham of the ballad The Twa Corbies A ballad is a story, usually a narrative or poem, in a song. ... Tam Lin is the hero of a Borders legend about fairies and mortal men. ... A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a god or other religiously significant figure. ... A piper plays Amazing Grace on Memorial Day. ... This page is about carols in general; for the short story by Charles Dickens, see A Christmas Carol. ...

Many of the poems of Emily Dickinson use this metre, with the parlor game of singing her poems to the tune of "The Yellow Rose of Texas" or the theme song from "Gilligan's Island" finding some vogue in the late 20th century. The latter is also a popular choice for "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner". This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... A parlour game is a group game played indoors. ... The Yellow Rose of Texas is a traditional folk song of the Southern United States, which became popular in 1955 in a recording by Mitch Miller. ... For the NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) video game, see The Adventures of Gilligans Island. ... One of a set of engraved metal plate illustrations by Gustave Doré. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is a poem written by the English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge in 1797–1799 and published in the first edition of Lyrical Ballads (1798). ...

Common metre is often used in hymns (see hymn metres). A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a god or other religiously significant figure. ... A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a god or other religiously significant figure. ...

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,

That saved a wretch like me!

I once was lost, but now am found,

Was blind, but now I see.

— from John Newton's "Amazing Grace"

John Newton John Newton (July 24, 1725 – December 21, 1807) was an an Anglican clergyman who had, at one time, been a slaveship master. ... A piper plays Amazing Grace on Memorial Day. ...

Ballad metre

A variant of the common metre is the ballad metre, which is often used in ballads. Like the common metre, it has stanzas of four iambic lines. The first and third typically have four-stresses; the second and fourth have three-stresses and usually rhyme.^[1] The ballad metre is distinguished from the common metre in that it has the rhyme scheme X A X A instead of A B A B.^[2] A ballad is a story in song, usually a narrative song or poem. ... An iamb is a metrical foot used in various types of poetry. ... A rhyme is a repetition of identical or similar terminal sounds in two or more different words (i. ...

Emily Dickinson is probably the best-known user of ballad metre, because it is so common in her poetry, especially in her best-known pieces: This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

Because I could not stop for Death,

He kindly stopped for me;

The Carriage held but just Ourselves

And Immortality.

— from Emily Dickinson's poem #712

It makes regular appearances in English language poetry as well. All of Wordsworth's "Lucy Poems" (including "She dwelt among the untrodden ways", or "A slumber did my spirit seal") are in ballad metre. A modern example of ballad metre, one recognizable to many people in the United States, is the theme song to Gilligan's Island (although an anapaest has crept into each of the first two lines): This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... William Wordsworth (April 7, 1770 – April 23, 1850) was a major English romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped launch the Romantic Age in English literature with their 1798 joint publication, Lyrical Ballads. ... For the NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) video game, see The Adventures of Gilligans Island. ... An anapaest or anapest, also called antidactylus, is a metrical foot used in formal poetry. ...

Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale,

a tale of a fateful trip.

That started from this tropic port,

aboard this tiny ship.

References

1. ^ Horton, Ronald A. (1995). British Literature for Christian Schools. Bob Jones U, 100–1, 718. 
2. ^ Common Questions on Emily Dickinson