Metrical Feet (Coleridge poem) Summary

The poem opens with a playful demonstration of the varying kinds of metrical feet used in composing poetry. Here, Coleridge simultaneously defines and illustrates trochees, spondees, dactyls, iambs, anapests, amphibrachs and amphimacers. After explicating these forms, the poet addresses his son, Derwent, and tells him that if he remains "innocent, steady and wise," while also delighting in the natural world, possessing a "tender heart" and keeping a clear mind, then he could win not only fame, but also his father's and God's love. Ending on an affectionate note, Coleridge finishes the poem by telling his son that even if he looked from the top of a mountain, he could find no one who loves him as much as his father.