Hello,I have a question about metrica of second line which is below, of Metamorphoses.
I’m trying to divide it according to dactylicus, which is consist of generally a long and two short syllable. Can someone help to me divide it to small parts(pes)?
I did for first one. (— for long for - for short)
In no-va fert ă-nĭ-mus mū-tā-tās dī-ce-re for-mas
(— - -) (— - -) (— —)(— —) (— - -) (— —)
corpora; di, coeptis (nam vos mutastis et illas)
First off, I’m going to give you a link to Allen &Greenough, Chapter 7. This will give rules for syllabification:
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0001%3Asmythp%3D7
Here is one for Latin Prosody in general:
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0001%3Apart%3D3%3Asection%3D1%3Asubsection%3D1%3Asmythp%3D602
I also found this nice handout:
http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/virgil/scansion.pdf
There’s a lot information in there that you don’t need right now, but you should read chapters 602-615 (They’re very short).
As to your immediate question, I’m guessing you’re not sure about the quantities in mutastis and possibly di. Mutastis can be split two ways, either mu-ta-stis, or mu-tas-tis. Mutastis, by the way, is a shortened form of mūtāvistis. Either way, u and a are naturally long and the I is short and is followed by only one consonant, so it scans thus: mū-tā-stĭ-sĕ-tīl-lās. Di is a contracted form of deī or diī and so is long - dī. I’ll give you one more hint: out of the six feet, only two are dactyls!
When you get better at this—or even before then (why not start now?)—you’ll be able to see/hear that each line divides itself into two, at the caesura:
in nova fert animus | mutatas dicere formas
corpora, di coeptis | (nam vos mutastis et illas) ….
Each verse has almost identical rhythmical structure.
When reading hexameters it’s always a good idea to aim for the caesura. Then the rest usually falls readily into place, without having to fuss about syllabification and such.