More Verse: Hipponactean Tetrameters
-
- Textkit Zealot
- Posts: 3399
- Joined: Fri Jan 03, 2003 4:55 pm
- Location: Madison, WI, USA
- Contact:
More Verse: Hipponactean Tetrameters
I motivated to play with a different metrical form last week. Technically, the verse is a trochaic tetrameter catalectic scazon. Isn't that a lovely name? Before I explain the meter, here are the symbols I'll use:
~ is a resolvable long (i.e., can be replaced by two short positions)
- is a long that must remain so
u is a short position
x is anceps, either long or short
The usual trochaic tetramenter catalectic is this:
~ u ~ x ~ u ~ x | ~ u ~ x - u - ||
The catalectic bit of the name means the last foot has the last position amputated. So here, - u - is the last trochaic metron. Most of the time the name "tetrameter" alone means this meter.
But I'm using a metrical variation created by Hipponax, "scazon" or "lame", where the last three syllables are long:
~ u ~ x ~ u ~ x | ~ u ~ x - - - ||
Hipponax wrote famously hostile verse, so his meter seemed appropriate for my mood.
ὦ σκίουρε χθόνιε, κενόφρον, ὃς λίην ταράσσεις με και ῥοδὸν καὶ θαλερὰ δένδρα, πανταχοῖ πηλὸν βάλλων ῥίζαν ἐνδάκνεις ἀκόσμως ὥστε πάντα τέθνηκεν· ζητέοντα κίρκον ἔλαθες, ὄσσε δ’ οὔτι λήσεις μου· ὅσσα σήμερον βιβρώσκεις τόσσα πιανεῖς κῆπον.
(Edit: typo - missing sigma in ἐνδάκνεις fixed.)
I'm using σκίουρος χθόνιος for "chipmunk" here. A ground squirrel is a different annoying rodent, but I could come up with nothing better.
~ is a resolvable long (i.e., can be replaced by two short positions)
- is a long that must remain so
u is a short position
x is anceps, either long or short
The usual trochaic tetramenter catalectic is this:
~ u ~ x ~ u ~ x | ~ u ~ x - u - ||
The catalectic bit of the name means the last foot has the last position amputated. So here, - u - is the last trochaic metron. Most of the time the name "tetrameter" alone means this meter.
But I'm using a metrical variation created by Hipponax, "scazon" or "lame", where the last three syllables are long:
~ u ~ x ~ u ~ x | ~ u ~ x - - - ||
Hipponax wrote famously hostile verse, so his meter seemed appropriate for my mood.
ὦ σκίουρε χθόνιε, κενόφρον, ὃς λίην ταράσσεις με και ῥοδὸν καὶ θαλερὰ δένδρα, πανταχοῖ πηλὸν βάλλων ῥίζαν ἐνδάκνεις ἀκόσμως ὥστε πάντα τέθνηκεν· ζητέοντα κίρκον ἔλαθες, ὄσσε δ’ οὔτι λήσεις μου· ὅσσα σήμερον βιβρώσκεις τόσσα πιανεῖς κῆπον.
(Edit: typo - missing sigma in ἐνδάκνεις fixed.)
I'm using σκίουρος χθόνιος for "chipmunk" here. A ground squirrel is a different annoying rodent, but I could come up with nothing better.
Last edited by annis on Fri Aug 27, 2004 12:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.
William S. Annis — http://www.aoidoi.org/ — http://www.scholiastae.org/
τίς πατέρ' αἰνήσει εἰ μὴ κακοδαίμονες υἱοί;
τίς πατέρ' αἰνήσει εἰ μὴ κακοδαίμονες υἱοί;
-
- Textkit Zealot
- Posts: 3399
- Joined: Fri Jan 03, 2003 4:55 pm
- Location: Madison, WI, USA
- Contact:
Then you are reading them right.chad wrote:those last words sound ominous, if i'm reading them right. i fear for the safety of that little creature
Well, I'm working my way up to some of the more interesting Aeolic strophic forms, but I think I might work with some more of the iambic/trochaic variety until such time as Msr. Porson and his annoying law cause me less trouble.i really like this poem will... what verse form are you thinking of trying next?
William S. Annis — http://www.aoidoi.org/ — http://www.scholiastae.org/
τίς πατέρ' αἰνήσει εἰ μὴ κακοδαίμονες υἱοί;
τίς πατέρ' αἰνήσει εἰ μὴ κακοδαίμονες υἱοί;
-
- Textkit Enthusiast
- Posts: 603
- Joined: Tue Sep 23, 2003 11:42 pm
- Location: Cambridge
-
- Textkit Fan
- Posts: 200
- Joined: Fri Apr 23, 2004 8:47 pm
- Location: London, UK
-
- Textkit Zealot
- Posts: 3399
- Joined: Fri Jan 03, 2003 4:55 pm
- Location: Madison, WI, USA
- Contact:
Sure! The non-scazon variety goes by the name "trochaic septenarius" in Latin verse. I'm not sure if the scazon tetrameter was used in Latin, though the trimeter version certainly was.Michaelyus wrote:Can we do this in Latin?
William S. Annis — http://www.aoidoi.org/ — http://www.scholiastae.org/
τίς πατέρ' αἰνήσει εἰ μὴ κακοδαίμονες υἱοί;
τίς πατέρ' αἰνήσει εἰ μὴ κακοδαίμονες υἱοί;
-
- Textkit Zealot
- Posts: 3399
- Joined: Fri Jan 03, 2003 4:55 pm
- Location: Madison, WI, USA
- Contact:
χάριν ἔχω σοι τῶν ἐπῶν σου τῶν ἐμά γε βιβαζόντων.whiteoctave wrote:νῦν με ταῦτ / ἔπῆ πρὸς ἄστρα παμφαῆ βιβάζειν δεῖ
William S. Annis — http://www.aoidoi.org/ — http://www.scholiastae.org/
τίς πατέρ' αἰνήσει εἰ μὴ κακοδαίμονες υἱοί;
τίς πατέρ' αἰνήσει εἰ μὴ κακοδαίμονες υἱοί;
-
- Textkit Fan
- Posts: 200
- Joined: Fri Apr 23, 2004 8:47 pm
- Location: London, UK
Because this is a tetrameter, I hoped that an inherently short syllable on the first side of the caesura would become long if the conditions were right. I wasn't sure though.
This is to be sung by a bass playing Julius Polybius:
Quid? Quid? Ecce! Unusquisque ne sibi illud legit. Non! Cuculla et Zmyrna scorta mihi favent bini.
Awaiting your corrections.
I'm in a rush right now... so I'll refine this later.
This is to be sung by a bass playing Julius Polybius:
Quid? Quid? Ecce! Unusquisque ne sibi illud legit. Non! Cuculla et Zmyrna scorta mihi favent bini.
Awaiting your corrections.
I'm in a rush right now... so I'll refine this later.
-
- Textkit Enthusiast
- Posts: 603
- Joined: Tue Sep 23, 2003 11:42 pm
- Location: Cambridge
it's not a bad effort m.
i get a bit lost on the scansion:
quid quid ecc(e) = ~u~
unusquisque = ~~~u
ne sib(i) illud legit = ~u~~~~
which together gives ~u~~/~~u/~u~/~~~, so the middle two trochaic metra need some alteration.
i presume it's the -que that you thought would precede the caesura. i don't know of any such occurrences of lengthening in this verse.
the latter sentence almost works well:
non Cuculla ~u~~ (open vowels are lengthened before z, sm, sc, st, sp)
Zmyrna scorta ~u~u (strictly ~~~u, because the 'a' would be lengthened before sc-, but not to worry.)
mihi favent bini u~u/~~~
which gives ~u~~/~u~u/Xu~u/~~~ - a syllable is missing where the x is.
bini is masc., but it should either be binae (if you want it to go with the two women) or bina (if with appositional scorta), preusming of course i have interpreted you sentence correctly.
i like the sentiment!
~D
i get a bit lost on the scansion:
quid quid ecc(e) = ~u~
unusquisque = ~~~u
ne sib(i) illud legit = ~u~~~~
which together gives ~u~~/~~u/~u~/~~~, so the middle two trochaic metra need some alteration.
i presume it's the -que that you thought would precede the caesura. i don't know of any such occurrences of lengthening in this verse.
the latter sentence almost works well:
non Cuculla ~u~~ (open vowels are lengthened before z, sm, sc, st, sp)
Zmyrna scorta ~u~u (strictly ~~~u, because the 'a' would be lengthened before sc-, but not to worry.)
mihi favent bini u~u/~~~
which gives ~u~~/~u~u/Xu~u/~~~ - a syllable is missing where the x is.
bini is masc., but it should either be binae (if you want it to go with the two women) or bina (if with appositional scorta), preusming of course i have interpreted you sentence correctly.
i like the sentiment!
~D
-
- Textkit Fan
- Posts: 200
- Joined: Fri Apr 23, 2004 8:47 pm
- Location: London, UK
I've spotted my mistake (in blue):
Quīd? quĭd? ēccĕ! ~ u ūnūs- | quīsquĕnĕ sĭb(i) īllūd lēgit. || Nōn! Cŭcūll(a) ēt Zmŷrnā | scōrtă mĭhĭ făvēnt bīnaē.
(There is no "y" with a macron in my character map)
Quīd? quĭd? ēccĕ! quīd? quĭd? ūnūs- | quīsquĕnĕ sĭb(i) īllūd lēgit. || Nōn! Cŭcūll(a) ēt Zmŷrnā | scōrtă mĭhĭ făvēnt bīnaē.
Awaiting your corrections.
Quīd? quĭd? ēccĕ! ~ u ūnūs- | quīsquĕnĕ sĭb(i) īllūd lēgit. || Nōn! Cŭcūll(a) ēt Zmŷrnā | scōrtă mĭhĭ făvēnt bīnaē.
(There is no "y" with a macron in my character map)
Quīd? quĭd? ēccĕ! quīd? quĭd? ūnūs- | quīsquĕnĕ sĭb(i) īllūd lēgit. || Nōn! Cŭcūll(a) ēt Zmŷrnā | scōrtă mĭhĭ făvēnt bīnaē.
Awaiting your corrections.