Literature Glossary
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Sprung Rhythm
Definition:
We have the British poet Gerard Manley Hopkins to thank for sprung rhythm. Allegedly. Some people think he just gave a name to something that already existed. Well played, Gerard Manley Hopkins; well played.
Wherever it came from, sprung rhythm is a poetic rhythm intended to mimic the rhythm of the way people talk. The system is based on the number of stressed syllables per line, and a foot can have up to four syllables. Meanwhile, the number of unstressed syllables per line can fluctuate. It's basically structured chaos.
So what makes it "sprung"? The fact that those stressed syllables can pop up anywhere in the line, like a poetical Whack-A-Mole.
Want to spring some examples of sprung rhythm on your brain? We recommend going straight to the source and checking out Hopkins' "The Wreck of the Deutschland." It's a tricky one, content-wise; perfect to read just for the rhythm.