Enjambment is a poetic device where a thought is broken from one line to the next. It creates variation and tension, enhancing the meaning of certain words and creating pauses and pitch shifts. It can also help fit poetry within meters and rhyme schemes. Contrary to popular belief, enjambed lines can stand on their own as long as the thought continues.
For people who don’t study poetry regularly, line breaks in a poem might seem done on a whim. Indeed, each sentence and phrase is painstakingly broken down within the lines with precision and intention. One such method of breaking thoughts along the lines of a poem is called enjambment. Enjambment is the breaking of a thought from one line to the next, or from the end of one line to the beginning of the next.
The word “enjambment”, also known as run-on line, comes from the French and means “on horseback” or “to stroll”. This is an apt term because the sentences and enjambed sentences straddle the ends of the lines. It is often confused with trailing break, where a line contains a sentence or complete sentence. The term is also confused with caesura, which is when the complete thought is finished mid-line.
Poets use enjambment for several purposes. When a poem repeatedly completes a sentence or phrase within a single line, the poem can become monotonous for both reader and listener. Poetry can get stagnant, because the lines usually get long and are the same length.
Enjambment, on the other hand, makes the poem varied and pleasing to the eye and ear. This poetic device disrupts the senses by interrupting thoughts where the brain expects them to continue. It creates a different sense of expectation and forces pauses and emphasis on certain words, enhancing their meanings within the poems by creating tension. It forces the reader to pause and creates pitch shifts when spoken, making the poem sound more natural or rhythmic to the ear.
Some poets use this device for structural purposes rather than aesthetic reasons. Using the device helps fluidly fit poetry within meters and rhyme schemes. Many contemporary artists use it to create a visual mood that matches the words and tone of the poem itself.
One misconception is that true enjambment should not allow any of the enjambed lines to be able to stand on their own. This is completely false. As long as there is no punctuation within the lines and a thought remains, it is still considered enjambed. For example, in the lines “I’ve danced with the heavens / Many times through the years,” the first line may stand on its own, but since it’s not the end of the thought, it’s still an example of enjambment.
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