It just, uses, ten sy,llables, a time.

With stressed, ones last, and un, stressed ones, before.

In groups, of five, in each, pentam, meter.

"Iamb" is the stress pattern. It sound like a-DUM. Or kind of like"i-AM".

"Penta" is five.

"Meter" means we're talking about poetry or song.

So you have five sets of a-DUM stress in each line of poetry.

a-DUM a-DUM a-DUM a-DUM a-DUM

>As yet but knock, breathe, shine and seek to mend.

This video (at about 7m 30s if the time stamp doesn’t work) has a great sequence of playing iambic pentameter against the Pink Panther theme song to help illustrate how the rhythm works.

This is a great explanation and a great example!

"But soft! What light through yonder window breaks" is another good example from Shakespeare.

(but SOFT)(what LIGHT)(through YON)(der WIN)(dow BREAKS)

The example I remember from school (also from Romeo and Juliet)…

(he JESTS) (at SCARS) (that NE-) (-ver FELT) (a WOUND)

a HORSE a HORSE my KINGdom FOR a HORSE

roMEO roMEO whereFORE art THOU roMEO