+@node hymn meter
+@section hymn meter
+
+ES: ?,
+I: ?,
+F: ?,
+D: ?,
+NL: ?,
+DK: ?,
+S: ?,
+FI: ?.
+
+A group or list of numbers that indicate the number of syllables in a
+line of a hymn's verse. Different hymnals have different ways of noting
+the hymn meter -- consider a hymn having four lines in two couplets that
+alternate between eight and seven syllables. The @emph{English Hymnal}
+notes this as 87.@w{ }87. Other hymnals may note it as 8787, 87.87, or
+8@w{ }7@w{ }8@w{ }7.
+
+Some frequently-used hymn meters have traditional names:
+
+@itemize
+
+@item 66.86 is called Short Meter (abbreviated SM or S.M.)
+
+@item 86.86 is called Common Meter (CM or C.M.)
+
+@item 88.88 is called Long Meter (LM or L.M.)
+
+@end itemize
+
+Some hymns and their tunes are doubled versions of a simpler meter: for
+easier reading, a hymn with a meter of 87.87.87.87 is usually written
+87.87D. The traditional names above also have doubled versions:
+
+@itemize
+
+@item 66.86.66.86 is Double Short Meter (DSM or D.S.M.)
+
+@item 86.86.86.86 is Double Common Meter (DCM or D.C.M.)
+
+@item 88.88.88.88 is Double Long Meter (DLM or D.L.M.)
+
+@end itemize
+
+
+