The traditional concept of rhythm equates it with metre and consequently separates off rhythm from meaning, the subject, and indeed language altogether. This is illustrated with reference to existing discussion of rhythm (as exemplified by Heusler) and various linguistic concepts of rhythm dealt with in the first part of the study. The second part takes its bearings from Henri Meschonnic's concept of rhythm, which in line with the pre-Platonic meaning of the word conceives of rhythm as the given shaping of meaning in discourse. The study closes with an analysis of three texts (Goethe, Benn, Grimm) in terms of the semantic function performed by rhythm.