From the 14th century English epic poems were written in
heroic couplets,and
rhyme royal,though in the 16th century the
Spenserian stanzaand
blank versewere also introduced. The
French alexandrine is currently the heroic line in French literature, though in earlier literature – such as the
chanson de geste – the
decasyllable grouped in
laisses took precedence. In Polish literature, couplets of
Polish alexandrines (syllabic lines of 7+6 syllables) prevail.In Russian,
iambic tetrameter verse is the most popular.In Serbian poetry, the decasyllable is the only form employed.
