A type of poetry characterized by its four strong beats per line, caesura between the second and third beats, and alliteration for at least three of the beats of each line. Its formal verse made it be a form of oral poetry that audiences could remember and repeat. Sylvia Plath and other Modern English writers have used the form; generally, the Anglo-Saxon form of poetry is used in conjuring a base, gutteral emotion or thought because of its ancient roots and forceful lines.