Question about scanning hexameter poetry

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djt
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Joined: Mon May 31, 2010 11:09 am

Question about scanning hexameter poetry

Post by djt »

I've been trying to scan part of Ovid Metamorphoses VIII, and have noticed that sometimes the word "tibi" seems to need a short second syllable, e.g.

line 94) sed patrium tibi crede caput!" scelerataque dextra

line 131) officium tibi sit! te vere coniuge digna est,

And sometimes it seems to need a long one, e.g.

line 91) Scylla tibi trado patriaeque meosque penates;
or
line 98) orbe suo, tellusque tibi pontusque negetur!
or
line 137) praeposuisse tibi: tu plus feritatis habebas.

I suppose that lines 91 and 94 are covered by the rule that allows the syllable preceding cr/tr etc. to be either long or short, but what about lines 131 and 98 and 137? In line 131 I have "tibi" as the second and third syllables of a dactyl, whereas in lines 98 and 137, I have it split between two feet, with the second "i" in the first syllable of a spondee. Have I scanned them wrongly? Is there a rule I'm unaware of, or can that second "i" in "tibi" (and presumably therefore, "mihi" and "sibi") always be scanned however is convenient to fit in with the rest of the line?

Thanks for any advice you can offer,

djt

modus.irrealis
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Re: Question about scanning hexameter poetry

Post by modus.irrealis »

The final -i can be short or long. From here: "Final i is common in mihi, tibi, sibi, ibi, ubi"

djt
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Joined: Mon May 31, 2010 11:09 am

Re: Question about scanning hexameter poetry

Post by djt »

Thanks for your help with this, and for the useful link you provided.

djt
modus.irrealis wrote:The final -i can be short or long. From here: "Final i is common in mihi, tibi, sibi, ibi, ubi"

adrianus
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Re: Question about scanning hexameter poetry

Post by adrianus »

You're pretty bloated with odd advertising, Sofi (colesterol estres laboral agorafobia obesidad infantil diabetes mellitus bodas weddingplanners vitamina c mesoterapia corporal homeopata!) Are you on commission?

Gravidior praeconiis deformibus es, Sofi. Accipisne eis ostendendis aes?
I'm writing in Latin hoping for correction, and not because I'm confident in how I express myself. Latinè scribo ut ab omnibus corrigar, non quod confidenter me exprimam.

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