U Ubi Sunt A medieval commonplace that reveals the mutability of all things, the loss of all through death, by posing a series of questions that ask where the strong, the beautiful, and the good have gone. Examples are Thomas Nashe's "Beauty is but a flower" and D. G. Rossetti's translation of François Villon's "The Ballad of Dead Ladies." Understatement See "Litotes." Unmetered Poetry Poetry without a regular recurring numerical principle in its rhythmic construction, also known as 'free verse'. Unstressed Syllable A syllable that is not emphasized, like the a in aghast or the ish in churlish.
