Editing Lyric poetry (section)

==Meters==
Much lyric poetry depends on regular [[Metre (poetry)|meter]] based either on syllable or on stress – two short syllables or one long syllable typically counting as equivalent – which is required for [[song lyrics]] in order to match lyrics with interchangeable tunes that followed a standard pattern of rhythm. Although much modern lyric poetry is no longer song lyrics, the rhythmic forms have persisted without the music.

The most common meters are as follows:
* [[Iamb (foot)|Iambic]] – two [[syllables]], with the short or unstressed [[syllable]] followed by the long or stressed syllable.
* [[Trochaic]] – two syllables, with the long or stressed syllable followed by the short or unstressed syllable. In English, this metre is found almost entirely in lyric poetry.<ref>
{{cite book
 |first=Stephen |last=Adams
 |year=1997
 |title=Poetic Designs: An introduction to meters, verse forms, and figures of speech
 |page=55
 |publisher=Broadview Press
 |isbn=1-55111-129-2
}}
</ref>
* [[Pyrrhic]] – Two unstressed syllables
*[[Anapestic]] – three syllables, with the first two short or unstressed and the last long or stressed.
* [[Dactyl (poetry)|Dactylic]] – three syllables, with the first one long or stressed and the other two short or unstressed.
* [[Spondaic]] – two syllables, with two successive long or stressed syllables.
Some forms have a combination of meters, often using a different meter for the [[refrain]].