"Can the ear hear a thirteen-syllable line as consisting of thirteen syllables? I don't think so, but I think that a series of thirteen-syllable lines (supposing that was the length chosen) would, after a while, begin to have a characteristic resemblance. For the most part, though, counting the syllables seems to be something that works, if it works, for the poet. It is a private method of organization."
James Fenton

January 1, 1970

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Added on April 10, 2026
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Original Language: English

Sources

Ch. 18: Syllabics (p. 99)

https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/James_Fenton