Syllabic verse stress accent (as English does). This means that the French metric line is generally determined by the number of syllables. The most common metric lengths are the ten-syllable line ("décasyllabe"), the eight-syllable line ("octosyllabe") and the twelve-syllable line (the so-called "alexandrine"). Special syllable counting rules apply to French poetry. A silent or mute 'e' counts as a syllable before a consonant, but not before a vowel (where "h aspiré" counts as a consonant). When it falls at the end of a line, the mute "e" is hypermetrical (outside the count of syllables). Polish syllabic verse is similar to French. The
How many angels can dance on the head of a pin? Suite Part II: Let It Grow", a song from the 1973 Grateful Dead album Wake of the Flood, includes the line "As well to count the angels dancing on a pin." In the comic book "The Crow" by James O'Barr, the main character asks this question to one of his victims before killing them, answering himself, "Depends on the tune". The song "Velodrome" from Minnesota rapper Dessa's 2018 album Chime, references this question in the first verse asking, "Aquinas, call on me/ How many angels on the/ Head of your pin?" How many angels can dance on the head of