Dactylic Dimeter Poetry

Dactylic dimeter consists of two metrical feet per line, each foot following a stressed-unstressed-unstressed (DUM-da-da) pattern. It produces a quick, galloping rhythm that can sound urgent, dramatic, or whimsical. Though rare, it is famously used in Tennyson’s ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade‘ to mimic the beat of hoofs.

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The Charge of the Light Brigade

by Alfred Lord Tennyson

‘Charge of the Light Brigade’ by Alfred Lord Tennyson is a historically important poem that tells of the incredible bravery of the British cavalry during the Battle of Balaclava.

Tennyson’s use of dactylic dimeter in this poem mirrors the galloping rhythm of cavalry. The falling meter drives the poem forward with relentless momentum, echoing the movement of charging horses. This pattern underscores urgency and inevitability, reinforcing both the bravery and the tragic futility of the charge.

Theirs not to reason why,

Theirs but to do and die:

Into the valley of Death

Rode the six hundred.

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Dactylic Dimeter Poetry

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Dactylic Dimeter Poetry

The Charge of the Light Brigade

by Alfred Lord Tennyson

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