Choriamb
Choriambics refers to poetry built around the choriamb, a classical metrical foot used in ancient Greek and Latin verse.
A choriamb follows this rhythm pattern:
long – short – short – long
Written in symbols: — ◡ ◡ —
The word “choriamb” comes from Greek and combines two other metrical ideas: the trochee (— ◡) and the iamb (◡ —). When placed together, they create the four-syllable unit — ◡ ◡ —. Because of its balanced shape, the choriamb feels steady and symmetrical, with weight at the beginning and end and lighter motion in the middle.
In classical poetry, choriambs were rarely used alone. Instead, they were often part of larger, repeating patterns. One famous example appears in the odes of Horace, who adapted Greek choriambic meters into Latin. Earlier Greek lyric poets such as Pindar also used complex meters that included choriambic movement.
A common choriambic line in classical verse might look like this when scanned:
— ◡ ◡ — | — ◡ ◡ — | — ◡ ◡ —
This repetition produces a rolling, wave-like rhythm. Because it alternates between heavy and light syllables in a tight unit, it creates both motion and containment.

In English poetry, we do not measure long and short syllables the way Greek and Latin did. Instead, English poets imitate choriambics using stressed and unstressed syllables. A choriamb in English stress-based rhythm would look like this:
STRESS – unstress – unstress – STRESS
For example (approximate pattern):
FALLing aWAY into DARKness of NIGHT
English choriambics are less strict than classical forms, but poets sometimes use them to create a distinctive pulse that feels both lyrical and slightly dramatic.
In simple terms, choriambics is poetry built around the repeating rhythm — ◡ ◡ —, a compact, balanced metrical foot that played an important role in ancient lyric verse and continues to influence rhythmic experimentation in English poetry today.

Falling Away Into Darkness

FALLing aWAY into DARKness of NIGHT,
TRUTH fading OUT of the SHADows of FEAR,
HEARTS drifting AWay from the FOUNtain of LIFE,
FAITH turning PALE in the COLDness of DOUBT.

SIGNS rising UP with a WONdering GLOW,
VOICES that SHIMmer yet LEAD us aSTRAY,
FALSEhood in FAIRness disGUISEs its deCEIT,
CALLing the WEAK with a SOFTened comMAND.

LAWless deSIRes aWAken in FORCE,
COLDness inCREASEs and conSUMES all comPASsion,
SOULS in deCLINing deSCEND into SHADE,
DEEP in the VALleys of TREMBling and FEAR.

TEST every TEACHing with WATCHful disCERN,
SEARCHing the SCRIPTure in STEADfast deLIGHT,
WALK in the SPIRit aFLAME with his FIRE,
LIGHT casting OUT all the SHADows of EVIL.

STAND in the DAYlight unSHAKen and STRONG,
HOLD to the HOPE that is FIRM and unCHANGED,
CHRIST is the TRUE and the TRUSTworthy LORD,
DAWN breaking THROUGH all the DARKness of NIGHT.