Listen to the Metta Sutta as chanted in Sri Lankan devotional style (chanter unknown).

The Pali language alternates "long" and "short" syllables in innumerable creative patterns that yield a distinctive rhythm to its poetry. The long syllable is held for two "beats," while the short syllables get only one. This metrical pattern is marked on the text below. See if you can follow how it unfolds in the recitation of the sutta.

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1	2
3	4
5	6
7	8
9	10