TREAD lightly, she is near Under the snow,
Speak gently, she can hear The daisies grow.
All her bright golden hair Tarnished with rust,
She that was young and fair Fallen to dust.
Lily-like, white as snow, She hardly knew
She was a woman, so Sweetly she grew.
Coffin-board, heavy stone, Lie on her breast,
I vex my heart alone She is at rest.
Peace, Peace, she cannot hear Lyre or sonnet,
All my life's buried here, Heap earth upon it.
中外诗歌总是调动一切可能的音素，用各种对称手段来构筑诗歌的音乐美。 语音也和一切声音一样，有三种物理特征，一是音强〔轻重〕，二是音高〔高低〕，三是音长〔长短〕。不同的语言，因其语音特征不同，所形成的音乐美也各异。 我们可以从句法和篇法上来分析各国诗歌的不同对称手法。 西洋诗无论句法也好，篇法也好，都是应用“平移对称法”来处理诗歌的语音。 英俄语以轻重音为主要语言特征，故英诗俄诗为轻重律。例如英诗就有l两大类四小类节奏律：
〔一〕轻重律〔asscending or rising meters〕。
１、一轻一重律〔iambic or iambus〕;
２、二轻一重律〔anapest〕
〔二〕重轻律〔descending or falling meters〕
１、一重一轻律〔trochee〕;
２、二重一轻律〔dactyl〕
古希腊于拉丁诗都偏重于长短，为长短律，同样可以分成“长短律”和“短长律”。
所谓“轻重律”、“长短律”，在句法里是把诗句处理成若干音步，把同一音步的“轻重”“长短”格局反复平移递推，从而形成鲜明的节拍感。在篇法里也是把同一句的节拍格句反复平移递推。
以英诗“一轻一重”的“淹博律”为例：
ｘ ａ| ｘ ａ| ｘ ａ| ｘ ａ
She walks in beauty, like the night
ｘ ａ| ｘ ａ| ｘ ａ| ｘ ａ
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
ｘ ａ| ｘ ａ| ｘ ａ| ｘ ａ
And all that's best of dark and brlght
ｘ ａ|ｘ ａ|ｘ ａ| ｘ ａ
Meet in her aspect and her eyes:
ｘ ａ|ｘ ａ| ｘ ａ| ｘ ａ
Thus mellow'd to that tender light
ｘ ａ| ｘ ａ| ｘ ａ|ｘ ａ
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.
——SHE W ALKS IN BEAUTY
在句法上，是将“ｘａ”不断平移重复；在篇法上，也是将“ｘａ|ｘａ|ｘａ|ｘａ”不断平移重复。
再看“二轻一重”的“阿那贝律”：
ｘ ａ |ｘ ｘａ|ｘ ｘ ａ| ｘ ｘａ|ｘ
O talk not to me of a name great in story;
ｘ ａ | ｘ ｘ ａ| ｘ ｘ ａ| ｘ ｘ ａ|ｘ
The days of our youth are the days of our glory;
ｘ ｘ ａ | ｘ ｘ ａ| ｘｘ ａ | ｘ ｘ ａ|ｘ
And the myrtle and ivy of sweet two-and-twenty,
ｘ ａ | ｘ ｘ ａ| ｘ ｘ ａ |ｘｘａ|ｘ
Are worth all your laurels, though ever so plenty.
