A term used by Gerard Manley Hopkins to describe the rhythm of most language and music which he observed to be patterned by a regular beat of stressed syllables, interspersed with a variable number of unstressed syllables. In Hopkins’ view, each foot began with a stress so the natural types of rhythm were dactyl, spondee and trochee, as in the following:
Spring and Fall
to a young child
Márgarét áre you gríeving
Over Goldengrove unleaving?
Leáves líke the things of man, you
With your fresh thoughts care for, can you?
Áh! ás the heart grows older
It will come to such sights colder
By and by, nor spare a sigh
Though worlds of wanwood leafmeal lie;
And yet you wíll weep and know why.
Now no matter, child, the name:
Sórrows...
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170 words
Citation: Editors, Litencyc. "Sprung Rhythm". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 01 November 2001 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=1036, accessed 08 February 2026.]
