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In poetry, a spondee is a metrical foot consisting of two long syllables, as determined by syllable weight in classical meters, or two stressed syllables, as determined by stress in modern meters. This makes it somewhat unique in English verse as most other feet contain at least one unstressed syllable. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wiktionary (from wiki and dictionary) is a multilingual, Web-based project to create a free content dictionary, available in over 150 languages. ... Spondee may refer to: Spondee, a metrical foot used in poetry. ... The Chinese poem Quatrain on Heavenly Mountain by Emperor Gaozong (Song Dynasty) Poetry (from the Greek , poiesis, making or creating) is a form of art in which language is used for its aesthetic qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its ostensible meaning. ... In verse, a foot is the basic unit of meter used to describe rhythm. ... In linguistics, syllable weight is the concept that syllables pattern together according to the number and/or duration of segments in the rime. ... In linguistics, stress is the relative emphasis that may be given to certain syllables in a word. ...

It is impossible to construct a whole, serious poem with spondees. Consequently, spondees mainly occur as variants within, say, an anapaestic structure. An anapaest or anapest, also called antidactylus, is a metrical foot used in formal poetry. ...

For example (from G. K. Chesterton, Lepanto): Gilbert Keith Chesterton (May 29, 1874–June 14, 1936) was an influential English writer of the early 20th century. ...

White founts falling in the courts of the sun

And the Soldan of Byzantium is smiling as they run;

This whole verse is rather unusual in structure, making it a somewhat difficult example. The following is a possible analysis, and shows the role of the spondee.

1. The basic template for both lines is anapaestic tetrameter: four feet, each consisting of two short syllables then a long syllable (duh-duh-DAH, duh-duh-DAH, duh-duh-DAH, duh-duh-DAH). It is then heavily modified:
2. The second, third and fourth feet in the second line each have three instead of two short syllables (duh-duh-duh-DAH).
3. The first anapaest in the first line is replaced with a spondee ("White founts," DAH-DAH)
4. The second anapaest in the first line is replaced with a trochee (DAH-duh).

A simpler version of the first line might be: An anapaest or anapest, also called antidactylus, is a metrical foot used in formal poetry. ... In poetry, a tetrameter is a line of four metrical feet: And the sheen of their spears was like stars on the sea (Anapaest tetrameter) (Byron, The Destruction of Sennacherib) You who are bent and bald and blind (Iambic tetrameter, except for the first foot which is a trochee) (W...

There are white fountains falling in the courts of the sun .

Two short syllables are added at the beginning, and "founts" is lengthened to "fountains." These extra syllables add "filler," so that when the poem is read stress no longer naturally falls on the syllable "fount" (or, does so to a lesser degree). As a result there are unstressed syllables just before the "fall," so that naturally becomes an anapaest ("fountains fall-," duh-duh-DAH), and the "ing" slips into the following anapaest. Chesterton's version changes all this; it is less intuitive to write and has a more unusual sound. The spondee affects this.

Another example of a poem using spondee is Gerard Manley Hopkins' Pied Beauty. He marks the 6th line thusly to indicate the spondee: "And áll trádes, their gear and tackle and trim." The poem also ends with the short spondee line "Praise Him."