The Disquieting Muses

“The Disquieting Muses” is a semi-formal poetic form composed of seven eight-line stanzas for a total of 56 lines. It is written mostly in iambic tetrameter—eight syllables per line, with a stressed syllable following an unstressed syllable. There is some variation in the metrical stresses, particularly surrounding the word “Mother” (Line 1 and others), which draws the ear to the word. Other variations happen around “Mixie Blackshort” (Line 10) and several other instances to accommodate the story. While most lines run eight syllables, there are some that vary between seven and ten syllables.

The poem does not use a formal rhyme scheme but utilizes rhythm and some internal, near, or slant rhymes, such as “stead” and “heads” (Lines 5-6), “witches” and “stitched” (Lines 11, 16), “footed” and “stood” (Line 29), “balloon” and “million” (Line 43), and others. Often the fifth and seventh lines of each stanza will rhyme at the end (though this is not the case in every stanza); for example, “stead” and “head” (Lines 5, 7), “said” and “bed” (Lines 13, 15), “aside” and “cried” (Lines 37, 39).

The poem also combines a free verse, confessional quality with classical allusions and repeated words, giving the poem the feel of a grownup nursery rhyme.