Milton wrote his epic in lines of unrhymed iambic pentameter or what we call, and what Milton would have called, blank verse.

弥尔顿的史诗由不押韵的抑扬格五音步诗句写成,我们，还有弥尔顿都称其为无韵诗。

耶鲁公开课 - 弥尔顿课程节选

Up to this point in literary history, only verse written for the theater had been written in unrhymed lines of iambic pentameter, in blank verse.

文学发展到那时候，只有为戏剧写的诗,才会用不押韵的抑扬格五音步，即无韵诗。

耶鲁公开课 - 弥尔顿课程节选

How many of you know what iambic pentameter is?

你们有多少人知道抑扬格的五音步格诗？

耶鲁公开课 - 现代诗歌课程节选

Milton is alerting us to the significance of the word "first" in the very first line, in this wonderful act of violating the laws of iambic pentameter.

弥尔顿在第一句就促使我们注意到“,“初/先“一词的重要性,不惜违背了抑扬格五音步诗的格律。

耶鲁公开课 - 弥尔顿课程节选

Knowing what iambic pentameter is, is not a gift of birth, but rather something that comes through a little bit of practice, which means we have to work at it a little bit.

没有谁是生来就知道抑扬五音步格诗，是需要努力才能知道的，这说明我们必须在这个上面花点功夫。

耶鲁公开课 - 现代诗歌课程节选