Thank you for giving me the opportunity to clarify this concept. Pausing is a fundamental element of timing, and a sense of timing is one of the most important parts of reading poetry aloud, especially when it comes to poems written in rhyme and meter. Without these elements, the "musical" architecture of the work remains hidden. Of course, if we're talking in terms of reading poetry in general, pausing where the line breaks isn't always necessary and may in fact be the "wrong" thing to do in certain contexts (it's a common error made by beginners). For example, pausing at the end of each line in Keats' "Ode to a Nightingale" would certainly be a mistake. However, in the case of "La Belle Dame Sans Merci", purposefully written with the rhythm of a medieval style ballad in mind, I would say that pausing at the end of each line is essential to keep that rhythm from unravelling. Don't pause, and you won't be able to keep the consistent pace that is needed throughout. This is quite evident from the poem's formal characteristics: look at how tricky the last line of each stanza is, often being significantly shorter than the rest. But Keats even spells it out for us by ending almost every single line of the poem with a punctuation mark of some kind, and the few times that he doesn't, because he has to resort to enjambement, he trusts that we readers will understand that pause is still needed, because pause is constantly reinforced in that position before and after, meaning that suddenly deciding not to pause there would break the rhythm. Don't pause, and by the time you reach line number four, all pace is out the window. This poem may seem formally simple, but we shouldn't make that fool us - it really isn't. Another poem that comes to mind that requires pausing at the end of each line when read aloud is Robert Frost's "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening". That one also has a very tight meter that looks simple on the surface.
Nicely read! Beautiful and sad poem by the greatest English bard.
True, and I would add eerie and enigmatic too. Thank you for commenting!
After Shakespeare?
Thanks for sharing your lovely reading.
Thank you for watching! I appreciate your kind words and support.
Why is there pause after every line?
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to clarify this concept.
Pausing is a fundamental element of timing, and a sense of timing is one of the most important parts of reading poetry aloud, especially when it comes to poems written in rhyme and meter. Without these elements, the "musical" architecture of the work remains hidden.
Of course, if we're talking in terms of reading poetry in general, pausing where the line breaks isn't always necessary and may in fact be the "wrong" thing to do in certain contexts (it's a common error made by beginners). For example, pausing at the end of each line in Keats' "Ode to a Nightingale" would certainly be a mistake. However, in the case of "La Belle Dame Sans Merci", purposefully written with the rhythm of a medieval style ballad in mind, I would say that pausing at the end of each line is essential to keep that rhythm from unravelling. Don't pause, and you won't be able to keep the consistent pace that is needed throughout.
This is quite evident from the poem's formal characteristics: look at how tricky the last line of each stanza is, often being significantly shorter than the rest. But Keats even spells it out for us by ending almost every single line of the poem with a punctuation mark of some kind, and the few times that he doesn't, because he has to resort to enjambement, he trusts that we readers will understand that pause is still needed, because pause is constantly reinforced in that position before and after, meaning that suddenly deciding not to pause there would break the rhythm. Don't pause, and by the time you reach line number four, all pace is out the window. This poem may seem formally simple, but we shouldn't make that fool us - it really isn't.
Another poem that comes to mind that requires pausing at the end of each line when read aloud is Robert Frost's "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening". That one also has a very tight meter that looks simple on the surface.
@@JohnReadsPoetry Thank you for explaining this.
@@williamfarnham1635 No problem! Thanks for watching.