Why is ketchup not called tomato ketchup? Why is milk not called cow milk? I guess if something is by the far the most popular type in its category it becomes the default. It’s a lot easier to say “pickles,” “ketchup,” and “milk” rather than specify if everyone knows what you mean anyway. Obviously this is relative to the culture you’re part of.

In all seriousness though, the “de-dum, de-dum, de-dum, de-dum” is supposed to act like the background pulse while the more dramatic emphases and variations cause the musical flow that makes writers like Milton and Shakespeare masters of iambic pentameter. The best way to improve your appreciation is to read them aloud or to find a high quality audiobook to listen to while you’re reading. Older texts can take a little more effort to get into but are really rewarding as well, so best of luck in your reading and enjoy!

The trick for this is simple once you see / it’s all about conforming to the flow / of normal English speech, which has a pulse / of stressed and unstressed syllables which can, / by careful choice of words and phrases be / contained within this metric scheme for long / and drawn out passages that ebb and flow, / with sentences that never seem to end.