Dīc mihi, Dāmoetā, ‖ cuium pecus? # An Meliboeī?(V.E.3, 1).This diaeresis, though common in Juvenal, is rare in most of the Latin poets (even the bucolic), and when it does occur, it is usually accompanied by a penthemimeral caesura. Lucian Mueller and others deny that the bucolic diaeresis ever forms the principal break in a line.2560.When a line has several caesuras, it is often hard to determine which is the principal one. In general, masculine caesuras out-rank feminine; the penthemimeral takes precedence over the hephthemimeral, and the latter over all other caesuras. But if the hephthemimeral, or even one of the minor caesuras, coincides with an important pause in the sentence, it may out-rank the penthemimeral. Thus in the versePaulāt(im) adnābam ‖ terrae; ‖ iam tūta tenēbam(V. 6, 358),the principal caesura is afterterrae, notadnābam.Lines without a principal caesura are rare. An instance isNōn quīvīs videt inmodulāta poēmata iūdex(H.AP.263).2561.The great flexibility of the hexameter makes it an admirable vehicle of poetic expression. Accumulated spondees give the verse a slow and ponderous movement: as in the lineIll(ī) in|ter sē|sē ‖ ma|gnā vī | bracchia | tollunt(V.G.4, 174).The multiplication of dactyls imparts to the verse a comparatively rapid and impetuous motion, as in the famous verseQuadrupe|dante pu|trem ‖ soni|tū quatit | ungula | campum(V. 8, 596).But even when dactyls are numerous, the Latin hexameter, “the stateliest measure ever moulded by the lips of man,” should not be read with the jerky 3/8 movement which is characteristic of the English hexameter.2562.The following passage may serve to illustrate the movement of the hexameter, and to show how the use of the different caesuras imparts variety to the measure:Ō soci|ī ‖ —nequ(e) e|n(im) īgnā|rī ‖ sumus | ante ma|lōrum—ō pas|sī gravi|ōra, ‖ da|bit deus | hīs quoque | fīnem.Vōs et | Scyllae|am ‖ rabi|em ‖ peni|tusque so|nantēsaccē|stis scopu|lōs, ‖ vōs | et Cȳ|clōpea | saxaexper|tī; ‖ revo|cāt(e) ani|mōs, ‖ mae|stumque ti|mōremmittite: | forsan et | haec ‖ ō|lim ‖ memi|nisse iu|vābit.(V. 1, 198).Compare in English:Rolls and rages amain the restless, billowy ocean,While with a roar that soundeth afar the white-maned breakersLeap up against the cliffs, like foemen madly rejoicing.Notes on the Hexameter.2563.(1.) In all probability, the hexameter was originally a composite verse, made up of two tripodies, or of a tetrapody and a dipody. Hence hiatus in the principal caesura is not very rare, even in the Augustan poets. The stress upon the first and fourth theses was probably stronger than that upon the other four.2564.(2.) In the second half of the hexameter, particularly in the fifth and sixth feet, verse-ictus and word-accent show a strong tendency to coincide.2565.(3.) A monosyllable rarely stands before the principal caesura or at the end of the verse. When the verse ends in a monosyllable, the thesis of the last foot is generally a monosyllable also, as in the lineCrīspīnus minimō mē prōvocat; accipe, sī vīs(H.S.1, 4, 14).Exceptions to this rule sometimes occur when the poet wishes to produce a particular effect, as inParturient montēs, nāscētur rīdiculus mūs(H.AP.139).2566.(4.) A hexameter generally ends in a word of two or three syllables, almost never in one of four, rarely in one of five. Butspondaicverses (2556) generally end with a word of four syllables, more rarely with one of three, almost never with one of two.2567.(5.) Spondaic verses are comparatively rare in Ennius and Lucretius, but become more frequent in Catullus. They are not common in Vergil, Horace, Propertius and Ovid, and do not occur at all in Tibullus. Persius has one spondaic verse, Valerius Flaccus one, Claudian five, Silius Italicus six, Statius seven. Ennius has lines composed entirely of spondees, and so in one instance (116, 3) Catullus. Ennius also resolves the thesis of a dactyl in a few cases.2568.(6.) A verse which is connected with the following one by elision (2492) is called hypermetrical. Such verses are rare, and usually end with the enclitics-queor-ve.2569.(7.) The dactylic hexameter was introduced into Latin literature by Ennius, and was further perfected by Lucilius, Lucretius, and Cicero, who took him as their model. Catullus and the group to which he belonged followed Alexandrian models more closely, while the great poets of the Augustan age carried the technique of the hexameter to its highest perfection. Horace in his lyric poetry treats the hexameter with great strictness; but in the Satires and Epistles he handles it with much freedom, imparting to the measure a more colloquial character by the frequent use of spondees and by less rigorous treatment of the caesura.The Dactylic Pentameter.2570.TheDactylic Pentameteris a verse consisting of two catalectic dactylic tripodies, separated by a fixed diaeresis. Spondees are admitted in the first tripody, but not in the second. The final thesis of the first tripody is protracted to a tetraseme (2516) to compensate for the omission of the arsis. The scheme is therefore–́ ⏔ | –́ ⏔ | ⏘́ # –́ ⏑ ⏑ | –́ ⏑ ⏑ | –́ ⌅2571.(1.) The verse is not asynartetic (2535), neithersyllaba ancepsnor hiatus being allowed at the end of the first tripody.2572.(2.) This verse is known as the pentameter because the ancient grammarians measured it– ⏑ ⏑ | – ⏑ ⏑ | – – | ⏑ ⏑ – | ⏑ ⏑ –2573.The pentameter is rarely used except in combination with the hexameter, with which it forms the so-calledElegīac Distich:–́ ⏔ | – ⏔ | – ⏔ | –́ ⏔ | –́ ⏔ | –́ ––́ ⏔ | –́ ⏔ | ⏘́ # –́ ⏑ ⏑ | –́ ⏑ ⏑ | –́ ⌅2574.The Elegiac Distich is used chiefly in elegiac poetry (whence the name), in amatory verse and in epigrams. The end of the pentameter generally coincides with a pause in the sense. As examples of the Elegiac Distich, the following may serve:Quam legis | ex il|lā ‖ tibi | vēnit e|pistola | terrālātus u|b(ī̆) aequore|īs # additur | Hister a|quīs.Sī tibi | contige|rit ‖ cum | dulcī | vīta sa|lūte,candida | fortū|nae # pars manet | ūna me|ae.O.Tr.5, 7, 1.Compare in English (but see2561ad fin.):“These lame hexameters the strong-winged music of Homer!No—but a most burlesque, barbarous experiment . . .Hexameters no worse than daring Germany gave us,Barbarous experiment, barbarous hexameters.”(Tennyson).2575.The Elegiac Distich was introduced into Roman poetry by Ennius, who used it in epigrams. Varro employed it in hisSaturae, and Catullus seems to have been the first of the Latins who used it in Elegiac poetry. The elegiac and amatory poets of the Augustan age, especially Ovid, perfected it, and wielded it with unequalled grace and ease.2576.Ovid nearly always closes the pentameter with a disyllabic word; but earlier poets, especially Catullus, are less careful in this regard. Elision is less frequent in the pentameter than in the hexameter. It sometimes occurs in the main diaeresis of the pentameter, though rarely.The Dactylic Tetrameter Acatalectic(orAlcmanian).2577.This verse is chiefly used in composition with a trochaic tripody to form the Greater Archilochian verse (2677); but it occurs alone once in Terence (Andria625), and is employed in stichic series (2546) by Seneca. The scheme is:–́ ⏔ | –́ ⏔ | –́ ⏔ | –́ ⏑ ⏑An example is:hocine | crēdibi|l(e) aut memo|rābile(T. Andr. 625).This verse is often calledAlcmanianbecause it was used by the Greek poet Alcman.The Dactylic Tetrameter Catalectic(orArchilochian).2578.This verse consists of four dactylic feet, the last one being incomplete. The scheme is:–́ ⏔ | –́ ⏔ | –[bracketed long over pair of breves]| –́ ⏑ ⌃An example is:Cármine | pérpetu|ṓ cele|brā́r(e) et(H. 1, 7, 6).This verse differs from the preceding in that the last foot is always a trochee or spondee, never a dactyl. It is used only in the Alcmanian strophe (2724).The Dactylic Trimeter Catalectic(orLesser Archilochian).2579.This verse has the scheme:–́ ⏑ ⏑ | –́ ⏑ ⏑ | –́ ⌅An example is:Árbori|búsque co | maé(H. 4, 7, 2).It is used chiefly in the First Archilochian Strophe (see2725). In form it is the same as the second half of the pentameter (2570).2580.These verses (2578,2579) are often calledArchilochianbecause they were first used by the Greek poet Archilochus.IAMBIC RHYTHMS.2581.These are ascending rhythms (2528) in 3/8 time. The fundamental foot is the Iambus (⏑ –́), for which its metrical equivalent the tribrach ⏑ ⏑́ ⏑, the irrational spondee > –́, the irrational dactyl > ⏑́ ⏑, the cyclic anapaest ⏑ ⏑ –́, or the proceleusmatic ⏑ ⏑ ⏑́ ⏑ is sometimes substituted.2582.The Greek poets excluded all feet except the iambus and tribrach, and in comedy the anapaest, from the even places in iambic verse. The Latin poets were not so strict: but when one of the even feet was formed by a word or a word-ending, they did not usually allow the foot to be a spondee or an anapaest, but required it to be an iambus.The Iambic Trimeter Or Senarius.2583.TheIambic Trimeteris the verse most frequently used by the Roman dramatists. It consists of six iambic feet, or three iambic dipodies. The ictus on the second thesis of each dipody was probably weaker than that upon the first thesis. Some ancient authorities, however, held that the ictus on the second thesis was the stronger. The last foot is always an iambus. The normal scheme is therefore:⏑ –́ | ⏑ –̇ | ⏑ –́ | ⏑ –̇ | ⏑ –́ | ⏑ –̇Some prefer (see2529) to regard this verse as a trochaic trimeter catalectic with anacrusis. The normal scheme will then be:⏑ ⁝ –́ ⏑ | –̇ ⏑ | –́ ⏑ | –̇ ⏑ | –́ ⏑ | –̇ ⌃2584.The Latin poets differ widely in their treatment of the Senarius, some (especially Plautus, Terence, and the other early dramatists) handling it with great freedom, while others (especially Phaedrus and Publilius Syrus) conform more closely to Greek models. We may therefore distinguish two periods:(A.) Early Period.2585.Any one of the substitutions enumerated in 2581 is admitted in any foot except the last. The scheme is therefore:⏑͐ –́⏑͐ –̇⏑͐ –́⏑͐ –̇⏑͐ –́⏑ –̇⏑ ⏑́ ⏑⏑ ⏑̇ ⏑⏑ ⏑́ ⏑⏑ ⏑̇ ⏑⏑ ⏑́ ⏑> ⏑́ ⏑> ⏑̇ ⏑> ⏑́ ⏑> ⏑̇ ⏑[> ⏑́ ⏑]⏑ ⏑ –́⏑ ⏑ –̇⏑ ⏑ –́⏑ ⏑ –̇⏑ ⏑ –́⏑ ⏑ ⏑́ ⏑⏑ ⏑ ⏑̇ ⏑⏑ ⏑ ⏑́ ⏑⏑ ⏑ ⏑̇ ⏑⏑ ⏑ ⏑́ ⏑The main caesura is usually penthemimeral (2544); but it is sometimes hephthemimeral, in which case there is generally a secondary caesura in, or diaeresis after, the second foot.The following passage may serve to show the rhythm:Ubi vén|t(um) ad ae|dīs ‖ ést | Dromō | pultát | forēs;anŭs quaé|dam prō|dit; ‖ haéc | ub(i) ape|rit ṓs|tium,contínu(ō) | hic sē | coniḗ|cit ‖ in|tr(ō), ego cṓn|sequor;anŭs fóri|bus ob|dit ‖ pés|sul(um), ad | lānám | redit.Hīc scī́|rī potu|it ‖ aút | nusqu(am) ali|bī, Clī́|nia,quō stúdi|ō vī|tam ‖ su͡ám | t(ē) absen|t(e) exḗ|gerit,ubi d(ē) ín|prōvī|sōst ‖ ín|terven|tum múli|erī,&c.T.Hau.275.⏑ ⏑ –́⏑ –̇> ‖ –́⏑ –̇> –́⏑ –̇⏑ ⏑ –́> –̇⏑ ‖ –́⏑ ⏑̇ ⏑⏑ –́⏑ –̇> ⏑́ ⏑> –̇> –́⏑ ‖ –̇⏑ ⏑ –́⏑ –̇⏑ ⏑ ⏑́ ⏑⏑ –̇> ‖ –́⏑ –̇> –́⏑ –̇> –́> ⏑̇ ⏑⏑ ‖ –́> ⏑̇ ⏑> –́⏑ –̇> ⏑́ ⏑> –̇> ‖ –́> –̇> –́⏑ –̇⏑ ⏑ –́> –̇> ‖ –́> –̇> ⏑́ ⏑⏑ –̇2586.(1.) In the early dramatists, substitutions are very numerous, and lines which follow the normal scheme are rare. Substitutions are most frequent in the first foot.2587.(2.) Four shorts rarely stand in succession unless they belong to the same foot. Hence a dactyl or tribrach is seldom followed by an anapaest.2588.(3.) The dactyl and proceleusmatic are rare in the fifth foot. The proceleusmatic occurs chiefly in the first foot.2589.(4.) The fifth foot is very often a spondee. It must not be a pure iambus except (a.) when the line ends with a polysyllable of four or more syllables; (b.) when it ends with a word which forms a Cretic (2521); (c.) when it ends with an iambic word preceded by one which forms a Fourth Paeon (2521), or by an anapaestic word which is itself preceded by a final short syllable; (d.) when there is a change of speakers before the last foot; (e.) when elision occurs in the fifth or sixth foot.2590.(5.) The main caesura is rarely preceded by a monosyllable.2591.(6.) In the Senarius, and in the other iambic and trochaic verses of the early dramatists, a resolved arsis or thesis is usually placed so that its first syllablebegins a word, or so that the two shorts of the resolved arsis or thesis areenclosedby other syllables belonging to the same word. Hence a dactylic word with the ictus on the penult or ultima (e.g.tempóre) rarely occurs. But there are occasional exceptions to the rule, especially in the case of words that are closely connected (e.g. a preposition with its case).(B.) Later Period.2592.Later writers conform more closely to Greek usage, but differ from one another in the degree of strictness with which they follow it. The general scheme is:⏑͐ –́⏑ –̇⏑͐ ‖ –́⏑ –̇⏑͐ –́⏑ –̇⏑ ⏑́ ⏑⏑ ⏑̇ ⏑⏑ ‖ ⏑́ ⏑⏑ ⏑̇ ⏑⏑ ⏑́ ⏑> ⏑́ ⏑> ‖ ⏑́ ⏑[⏑ ⏑ –́][⏑ ⏑ –̇][⏑ ⏑ ⏑́ ⏑]The main caesura is usually the penthemimeral (2544). The hephthemimeral sometimes occurs, but usually in connection with the penthemimeral, or with a diaeresis after the second foot. If the hephthemimeral is used without either of these, the second and third trochees of the line must form one word, as inut gaú|det īn|sitī́|va ‖ dē|cerpḗns | pira.(H.Epod.2, 19.)2593.(1.) The anapaest is rare in nearly all classical writers; Catullus does not admit it at all, and Horace only five times in all. The proceleusmatic is admitted in the first foot by Seneca, the author of theOctāvia, Phaedrus, Publilius Syrus and Terentianus Maurus; other writers exclude it altogether. Catullus keeps the fifth foot pure, and Horace does not admit the tribrach in the fifth foot.2594.(2.) Catullus (4 and 29), Horace (Epod.16), Vergil (Cat.3, 4, 8), and the authors of thePriāpēasometimes use thepureiambic trimeter, without resolutions or substitutions.2595.(3.) Phaedrus follows in part the earlier usage, admitting the spondee, dactyl, and anapaest, in every foot except the last. The dactyl he employs chiefly in the first, third, and fifth feet, the anapaest in the first and fifth. The proceleusmatic he admits only in the first.2596.The rhythm of the Senarius may be illustrated by the following lines:But one amid the throng of eager listeners,A sable form with scornful eye and look averse,Out-stretched a lean fore-finger and bespake Haroun.The Choliambus(orScazon).2597.TheCholiambusis an iambic trimeter in which a trochee has been substituted for the final iambus. The penultimate syllable is therefore long instead of short. The caesura is generally the penthemimeral (2544). If it is hephthemimeral, there is regularly a diaeresis after the second foot. The scheme is:⏑͐ –́⏑ –̇⏑͐ –́⏑ –̇⏑ –́–́ ⏑[⏑ ⏑́ ⏑]⏑ ⏑̇ ⏑⏑ ⏑́ ⏑⏑ ⏑̇ ⏑> ⏑́ ⏑> ⏑́ ⏑⏑ ⏑ –́An example is:Fulsḗ|re quon|dam ‖ cán|didī| tibī́ | sṓlēs.(Cat. 8, 3.)2598.(1). The anacrustic scheme (see2529) of the choliambus is:⏑ ⏑̆͐–́ ⏑–̇ ⏑͐–́ ⏑–̇ ⏑⏗́–́ ⏑⏑́ ⏑ ⏑⏑̇ ⏑ ⏑⏑́ ⏑ ⏑⏑̇ ⏑ ⏑i.e. trochaic trimeter with anacrusis (2529), syncope (2541), and protraction (2516).2599.(2.) Resolutions and substitutions are less common in the choliambus than in the ordinary trimeter. No monosyllable exceptestis admitted at the end of the line. The tribrach in the first foot is rare, and the fifth foot is regularly an iambus.2600.(3). The verse is namedCholiambus(i.e. “lame” or “limping iambus”) orScazon(“hobbler”) from its odd, limping movement. It is sometimes called Hipponactean from its inventor Hipponax, and is chiefly used to produce a satiric or ludicrous effect. It was introduced into Roman poetry by Cn. Mattius, and was employed by Varro, Catullus, Persius, Petronius, Martial, and others.The Iambic Trimeter Catalectic.2601.TheIambic Trimeter Catalecticoccurs in Horace (1, 4 and 2, 18). The caesura is regularly penthemimeral (2544). Resolutions are not admitted, except in one doubtful case,rēgumque puerīs(2, 18, 34), wherepu͡erīsmay be read (with synizesis: see2499). The scheme is:⏑͐ –́⏑ –̇⏑͐ ‖ –́⏑ –̇⏑ ⏗́ –̇[⏑ ⏑̇ ⏑]Examples are:Meā́ | renī|det ‖ ín | domō | lacū́|nar.(H. 2, 18, 2.)⏑ –́ | ⏑ –̇ | ⏑ ‖ –́ | ⏑ –̇ | ⏑ ⏗́ –̇Seu pó|scit a|gnā sī́|ve mā|lit haé|dō.(H. 1, 4, 12.)> –́ | ⏑ –̇ | > ‖ –́ | ⏑ –̇ | ⏑ ⏗́ –̇2602.(1.) The anacrustic scheme is:⏑͐ ⁞ –́ ⏑ | –̇ ⏑͐ # –́ ⏑ | –̇ ⏑ | ⏗́ –̇ ⌃,i.e. trochaic trimeter catalectic with anacrusis (2529), syncope (2541), and protraction (2516).2603.(2.) Horace seems to have changed his practice with reference to the first foot. In 1, 4 the first foot is a spondee in nine lines out of ten; in 2, 18, it is a spondee in only two lines out of twenty.The Iambic Tetrameter Acatalectic(orOctonarius).2604.This verse consists of four iambic dipodies, or eight complete iambic feet. The substitutions enumerated in 2581 are admitted in the first seven feet; but the last foot is always an iambus. The principal break in the line is usually a diaeresis after the fourth foot (which in that case must be a pure iambus), or a caesura after the arsis of the fifth. The full scheme is:⏑͐ –́⏑͐ –̇⏑͐ –́⏑͐ –̇⏑͐ –́⏑͐ –̇⏑͐ –́⏑ –̇⏑ ⏑́ ⏑⏑ ⏑̇ ⏑⏑ ⏑́ ⏑⏑ ⏑̇ ⏑⏑ ⏑́ ⏑⏑ ⏑̇ ⏑⏑ ⏑́ ⏑> ⏑́ ⏑> ⏑̇ ⏑> ⏑́ ⏑> ⏑̇ ⏑> ⏑́ ⏑> ⏑̇ ⏑> ⏑́ ⏑⏖ –́⏑ ⏑ –̇⏑ ⏑ –́⏑ ⏑ –̇⏑ ⏑ –́⏑ ⏑ –̇⏑ ⏑ –́⏖ ⏑́ ⏑⏑ ⏑ ⏑̇ ⏑⏑ ⏑ ⏑́ ⏑⏑ ⏑ ⏑̇ ⏑⏑ ⏑ ⏑́ ⏑⏑ ⏑ ⏑̇ ⏑⏑ ⏑ ⏑́ ⏑2605.The following lines are examples of this metre:Enĭm vḗ|rō, Dā|ve,nī́l|locīst# sēgníti|ae neque | sōcór|diae,quant(um) ín|tellē|xī módo | senis # sentén|tiam | dē nū́|ptiīs:quae sī́|nōn a|stū prṓ|viden|tur ‖ m(ē)aút|erum | pessúm | dabunt.(T.Andr.206.)⏖ –́> –̇⏑ –́⏑ –̇ # > ⏑́ ⏑> ⏑̇ ⏑> –́⏑ –̇> –́> –̇> ⏑́ ⏑⏑ –̇ # > –́⏑ –̇> –́⏑ –̇> –́> –̇> –́⏑ –̇ | > ‖ –́⏑ –̇> –́⏑ –̇2606.Compare in English:He smote the rock, and forth a tide of crystal waters streamed amain;Up sprang the flowrets from the ground, and Nature smiled o’er all the plain.2607.(1.) The iambic octonarius is chiefly a comic verse. Terence has about eight hundred lines in this measure, Plautus only about three hundred, Varro a few.2608.(2.) Substitutions are much less common than in the senarius, especially in the even feet.2609.(3.) When there is a diaeresis after the fourth foot, so that the line is divided into two equal halves, the verse isasynartetic(2535). There seems, however, to be no certain instance of hiatus in the diaeresis in the Terentian plays.Iambic Septenarius.(A.) Early Usage.2610.TheIambic Septenariusconsists of seven and a half iambic feet. In any of the complete feet the substitutes mentioned in 2581 are admitted. There is usually a diaeresis after the fourth foot, which in that case must be a pure iambus. If there is not such a diaeresis, there is generally a caesura after the arsis of the fifth foot. The scheme of substitution is:—⏑͐ –́⏑͐ –̇⏑͐ –́⏑͐ –̇⏑͐ –́⏑͐ –̇⏑͐ –́⏑͐ ⌅⏑ ⏑́ ⏑⏑ ⏑̇ ⏑⏑ ⏑́ ⏑⏑ ⏑̇ ⏑⏑ ⏑́ ⏑⏑ ⏑̇ ⏑⏑ ⏑́ ⏑> ⏑́ ⏑> ⏑̇ ⏑> ⏑́ ⏑> ⏑̇ ⏑> ⏑́ ⏑> ⏑̇ ⏑> ⏑́ ⏑⏖ –́⏖ –̇⏖ –́⏖ –̇⏖ –́⏖ –̇⏖ –́⏖ ⏑́ ⏑⏖ ⏑̇ ⏑⏖ ⏑́ ⏑⏖ ⏑̇ ⏑⏖ ⏑́ ⏑⏖ ⏑̇ ⏑⏖ ⏑́ ⏑2611.Examples of the Septenarius are the lines:Spērā́|bit sūm|ptum síbi | senex ‖ levā́|t(um) ess(e) hā|runc ábi|tū:n(ē) ill(e) haúd | scit hoc | paulúm | lucrī ‖ quant(um) ḗ|ī da|mn(ī) adpór|tet.Tū nés|ciēs | quod scī́s, | Dromō, ‖ sī sápi|ēs. Mū|tum dī́|cēs.(T.Hau.746.)> –́> –̇> ⏑́ ⏑⏑ –̇⏑ –́> –̇> ⏑́ ⏑> ⌅> –́⏑ –̇> –́⏑ –̇> –́> –̇> –́⏑ ⌅> –́⏑ –̇> –́⏑ –̇> ⏑́ ⏑> –̇> –́> ⌅Compare in English:“Now who be ye would cross Lochgyle, this dark and stormy water?”(Campbell.)2612.(1.) The Iambic Septenarius of the early comedy is not properly a “tetrameter catalectic” like the Greek, for the penultimate syllable is sometimes resolved, which is never the case in the Greek catalectic tetrameter. For the same reason the ordinary anacrustic (2529) scheme of the early Septenarius is erroneous; for a triseme cannot be resolved.2613.(2.) When there is a diaeresis after the fourth foot, the verse is asynartetic (see2535).2614.(3.) The Septenarius seems not to have been used in tragedy.(B.) Later Usage.2615.Varro and Catullus (25) employ a form of the Septenarius which conforms more closely to Greek models, keeping the arses of the even feet pure and rarely admitting resolutions. There is regularly a diaeresis after the fourth foot. The scheme is:—⏑͐ –́ | ⏑ –̇ | ⏑͐ –́ | ⏑ –̇ # ⏑͐ –́ | ⏑ –̇ | ⏑͐ ⏗́ –̇or anacrustically (2529)
Dīc mihi, Dāmoetā, ‖ cuium pecus? # An Meliboeī?(V.E.3, 1).
Dīc mihi, Dāmoetā, ‖ cuium pecus? # An Meliboeī?(V.E.3, 1).
This diaeresis, though common in Juvenal, is rare in most of the Latin poets (even the bucolic), and when it does occur, it is usually accompanied by a penthemimeral caesura. Lucian Mueller and others deny that the bucolic diaeresis ever forms the principal break in a line.
2560.When a line has several caesuras, it is often hard to determine which is the principal one. In general, masculine caesuras out-rank feminine; the penthemimeral takes precedence over the hephthemimeral, and the latter over all other caesuras. But if the hephthemimeral, or even one of the minor caesuras, coincides with an important pause in the sentence, it may out-rank the penthemimeral. Thus in the verse
Paulāt(im) adnābam ‖ terrae; ‖ iam tūta tenēbam(V. 6, 358),
Paulāt(im) adnābam ‖ terrae; ‖ iam tūta tenēbam(V. 6, 358),
the principal caesura is afterterrae, notadnābam.
Lines without a principal caesura are rare. An instance is
Nōn quīvīs videt inmodulāta poēmata iūdex(H.AP.263).
Nōn quīvīs videt inmodulāta poēmata iūdex(H.AP.263).
2561.The great flexibility of the hexameter makes it an admirable vehicle of poetic expression. Accumulated spondees give the verse a slow and ponderous movement: as in the line
Ill(ī) in|ter sē|sē ‖ ma|gnā vī | bracchia | tollunt(V.G.4, 174).
Ill(ī) in|ter sē|sē ‖ ma|gnā vī | bracchia | tollunt(V.G.4, 174).
The multiplication of dactyls imparts to the verse a comparatively rapid and impetuous motion, as in the famous verse
Quadrupe|dante pu|trem ‖ soni|tū quatit | ungula | campum(V. 8, 596).
Quadrupe|dante pu|trem ‖ soni|tū quatit | ungula | campum(V. 8, 596).
But even when dactyls are numerous, the Latin hexameter, “the stateliest measure ever moulded by the lips of man,” should not be read with the jerky 3/8 movement which is characteristic of the English hexameter.
2562.The following passage may serve to illustrate the movement of the hexameter, and to show how the use of the different caesuras imparts variety to the measure:
Ō soci|ī ‖ —nequ(e) e|n(im) īgnā|rī ‖ sumus | ante ma|lōrum—ō pas|sī gravi|ōra, ‖ da|bit deus | hīs quoque | fīnem.Vōs et | Scyllae|am ‖ rabi|em ‖ peni|tusque so|nantēsaccē|stis scopu|lōs, ‖ vōs | et Cȳ|clōpea | saxaexper|tī; ‖ revo|cāt(e) ani|mōs, ‖ mae|stumque ti|mōremmittite: | forsan et | haec ‖ ō|lim ‖ memi|nisse iu|vābit.(V. 1, 198).
Ō soci|ī ‖ —nequ(e) e|n(im) īgnā|rī ‖ sumus | ante ma|lōrum—
ō pas|sī gravi|ōra, ‖ da|bit deus | hīs quoque | fīnem.
Vōs et | Scyllae|am ‖ rabi|em ‖ peni|tusque so|nantēs
accē|stis scopu|lōs, ‖ vōs | et Cȳ|clōpea | saxa
exper|tī; ‖ revo|cāt(e) ani|mōs, ‖ mae|stumque ti|mōrem
mittite: | forsan et | haec ‖ ō|lim ‖ memi|nisse iu|vābit.(V. 1, 198).
Compare in English:
Rolls and rages amain the restless, billowy ocean,While with a roar that soundeth afar the white-maned breakersLeap up against the cliffs, like foemen madly rejoicing.
Rolls and rages amain the restless, billowy ocean,
While with a roar that soundeth afar the white-maned breakers
Leap up against the cliffs, like foemen madly rejoicing.
Notes on the Hexameter.
2563.(1.) In all probability, the hexameter was originally a composite verse, made up of two tripodies, or of a tetrapody and a dipody. Hence hiatus in the principal caesura is not very rare, even in the Augustan poets. The stress upon the first and fourth theses was probably stronger than that upon the other four.
2564.(2.) In the second half of the hexameter, particularly in the fifth and sixth feet, verse-ictus and word-accent show a strong tendency to coincide.
2565.(3.) A monosyllable rarely stands before the principal caesura or at the end of the verse. When the verse ends in a monosyllable, the thesis of the last foot is generally a monosyllable also, as in the line
Crīspīnus minimō mē prōvocat; accipe, sī vīs(H.S.1, 4, 14).
Crīspīnus minimō mē prōvocat; accipe, sī vīs(H.S.1, 4, 14).
Exceptions to this rule sometimes occur when the poet wishes to produce a particular effect, as in
Parturient montēs, nāscētur rīdiculus mūs(H.AP.139).
Parturient montēs, nāscētur rīdiculus mūs(H.AP.139).
2566.(4.) A hexameter generally ends in a word of two or three syllables, almost never in one of four, rarely in one of five. Butspondaicverses (2556) generally end with a word of four syllables, more rarely with one of three, almost never with one of two.
2567.(5.) Spondaic verses are comparatively rare in Ennius and Lucretius, but become more frequent in Catullus. They are not common in Vergil, Horace, Propertius and Ovid, and do not occur at all in Tibullus. Persius has one spondaic verse, Valerius Flaccus one, Claudian five, Silius Italicus six, Statius seven. Ennius has lines composed entirely of spondees, and so in one instance (116, 3) Catullus. Ennius also resolves the thesis of a dactyl in a few cases.
2568.(6.) A verse which is connected with the following one by elision (2492) is called hypermetrical. Such verses are rare, and usually end with the enclitics-queor-ve.
2569.(7.) The dactylic hexameter was introduced into Latin literature by Ennius, and was further perfected by Lucilius, Lucretius, and Cicero, who took him as their model. Catullus and the group to which he belonged followed Alexandrian models more closely, while the great poets of the Augustan age carried the technique of the hexameter to its highest perfection. Horace in his lyric poetry treats the hexameter with great strictness; but in the Satires and Epistles he handles it with much freedom, imparting to the measure a more colloquial character by the frequent use of spondees and by less rigorous treatment of the caesura.
The Dactylic Pentameter.
2570.TheDactylic Pentameteris a verse consisting of two catalectic dactylic tripodies, separated by a fixed diaeresis. Spondees are admitted in the first tripody, but not in the second. The final thesis of the first tripody is protracted to a tetraseme (2516) to compensate for the omission of the arsis. The scheme is therefore
–́ ⏔ | –́ ⏔ | ⏘́ # –́ ⏑ ⏑ | –́ ⏑ ⏑ | –́ ⌅
–́ ⏔ | –́ ⏔ | ⏘́ # –́ ⏑ ⏑ | –́ ⏑ ⏑ | –́ ⌅
2571.(1.) The verse is not asynartetic (2535), neithersyllaba ancepsnor hiatus being allowed at the end of the first tripody.
2572.(2.) This verse is known as the pentameter because the ancient grammarians measured it
– ⏑ ⏑ | – ⏑ ⏑ | – – | ⏑ ⏑ – | ⏑ ⏑ –
– ⏑ ⏑ | – ⏑ ⏑ | – – | ⏑ ⏑ – | ⏑ ⏑ –
2573.The pentameter is rarely used except in combination with the hexameter, with which it forms the so-calledElegīac Distich:
–́ ⏔ | – ⏔ | – ⏔ | –́ ⏔ | –́ ⏔ | –́ ––́ ⏔ | –́ ⏔ | ⏘́ # –́ ⏑ ⏑ | –́ ⏑ ⏑ | –́ ⌅
–́ ⏔ | – ⏔ | – ⏔ | –́ ⏔ | –́ ⏔ | –́ –
–́ ⏔ | –́ ⏔ | ⏘́ # –́ ⏑ ⏑ | –́ ⏑ ⏑ | –́ ⌅
2574.The Elegiac Distich is used chiefly in elegiac poetry (whence the name), in amatory verse and in epigrams. The end of the pentameter generally coincides with a pause in the sense. As examples of the Elegiac Distich, the following may serve:
Quam legis | ex il|lā ‖ tibi | vēnit e|pistola | terrālātus u|b(ī̆) aequore|īs # additur | Hister a|quīs.Sī tibi | contige|rit ‖ cum | dulcī | vīta sa|lūte,candida | fortū|nae # pars manet | ūna me|ae.O.Tr.5, 7, 1.
Quam legis | ex il|lā ‖ tibi | vēnit e|pistola | terrā
lātus u|b(ī̆) aequore|īs # additur | Hister a|quīs.
Sī tibi | contige|rit ‖ cum | dulcī | vīta sa|lūte,
candida | fortū|nae # pars manet | ūna me|ae.O.Tr.5, 7, 1.
Compare in English (but see2561ad fin.):
“These lame hexameters the strong-winged music of Homer!No—but a most burlesque, barbarous experiment . . .Hexameters no worse than daring Germany gave us,Barbarous experiment, barbarous hexameters.”(Tennyson).
“These lame hexameters the strong-winged music of Homer!
No—but a most burlesque, barbarous experiment . . .
Hexameters no worse than daring Germany gave us,
Barbarous experiment, barbarous hexameters.”(Tennyson).
2575.The Elegiac Distich was introduced into Roman poetry by Ennius, who used it in epigrams. Varro employed it in hisSaturae, and Catullus seems to have been the first of the Latins who used it in Elegiac poetry. The elegiac and amatory poets of the Augustan age, especially Ovid, perfected it, and wielded it with unequalled grace and ease.
2576.Ovid nearly always closes the pentameter with a disyllabic word; but earlier poets, especially Catullus, are less careful in this regard. Elision is less frequent in the pentameter than in the hexameter. It sometimes occurs in the main diaeresis of the pentameter, though rarely.
The Dactylic Tetrameter Acatalectic(orAlcmanian).
2577.This verse is chiefly used in composition with a trochaic tripody to form the Greater Archilochian verse (2677); but it occurs alone once in Terence (Andria625), and is employed in stichic series (2546) by Seneca. The scheme is:
–́ ⏔ | –́ ⏔ | –́ ⏔ | –́ ⏑ ⏑
–́ ⏔ | –́ ⏔ | –́ ⏔ | –́ ⏑ ⏑
An example is:
hocine | crēdibi|l(e) aut memo|rābile(T. Andr. 625).
hocine | crēdibi|l(e) aut memo|rābile(T. Andr. 625).
This verse is often calledAlcmanianbecause it was used by the Greek poet Alcman.
The Dactylic Tetrameter Catalectic(orArchilochian).
2578.This verse consists of four dactylic feet, the last one being incomplete. The scheme is:
–́ ⏔ | –́ ⏔ | –[bracketed long over pair of breves]| –́ ⏑ ⌃
–́ ⏔ | –́ ⏔ | –[bracketed long over pair of breves]| –́ ⏑ ⌃
An example is:
Cármine | pérpetu|ṓ cele|brā́r(e) et(H. 1, 7, 6).
Cármine | pérpetu|ṓ cele|brā́r(e) et(H. 1, 7, 6).
This verse differs from the preceding in that the last foot is always a trochee or spondee, never a dactyl. It is used only in the Alcmanian strophe (2724).
The Dactylic Trimeter Catalectic(orLesser Archilochian).
2579.This verse has the scheme:
–́ ⏑ ⏑ | –́ ⏑ ⏑ | –́ ⌅
–́ ⏑ ⏑ | –́ ⏑ ⏑ | –́ ⌅
An example is:
Árbori|búsque co | maé(H. 4, 7, 2).
Árbori|búsque co | maé(H. 4, 7, 2).
It is used chiefly in the First Archilochian Strophe (see2725). In form it is the same as the second half of the pentameter (2570).
2580.These verses (2578,2579) are often calledArchilochianbecause they were first used by the Greek poet Archilochus.
2581.These are ascending rhythms (2528) in 3/8 time. The fundamental foot is the Iambus (⏑ –́), for which its metrical equivalent the tribrach ⏑ ⏑́ ⏑, the irrational spondee > –́, the irrational dactyl > ⏑́ ⏑, the cyclic anapaest ⏑ ⏑ –́, or the proceleusmatic ⏑ ⏑ ⏑́ ⏑ is sometimes substituted.
2582.The Greek poets excluded all feet except the iambus and tribrach, and in comedy the anapaest, from the even places in iambic verse. The Latin poets were not so strict: but when one of the even feet was formed by a word or a word-ending, they did not usually allow the foot to be a spondee or an anapaest, but required it to be an iambus.
The Iambic Trimeter Or Senarius.
2583.TheIambic Trimeteris the verse most frequently used by the Roman dramatists. It consists of six iambic feet, or three iambic dipodies. The ictus on the second thesis of each dipody was probably weaker than that upon the first thesis. Some ancient authorities, however, held that the ictus on the second thesis was the stronger. The last foot is always an iambus. The normal scheme is therefore:
⏑ –́ | ⏑ –̇ | ⏑ –́ | ⏑ –̇ | ⏑ –́ | ⏑ –̇
⏑ –́ | ⏑ –̇ | ⏑ –́ | ⏑ –̇ | ⏑ –́ | ⏑ –̇
Some prefer (see2529) to regard this verse as a trochaic trimeter catalectic with anacrusis. The normal scheme will then be:
⏑ ⁝ –́ ⏑ | –̇ ⏑ | –́ ⏑ | –̇ ⏑ | –́ ⏑ | –̇ ⌃
⏑ ⁝ –́ ⏑ | –̇ ⏑ | –́ ⏑ | –̇ ⏑ | –́ ⏑ | –̇ ⌃
2584.The Latin poets differ widely in their treatment of the Senarius, some (especially Plautus, Terence, and the other early dramatists) handling it with great freedom, while others (especially Phaedrus and Publilius Syrus) conform more closely to Greek models. We may therefore distinguish two periods:
(A.) Early Period.
2585.Any one of the substitutions enumerated in 2581 is admitted in any foot except the last. The scheme is therefore:
The main caesura is usually penthemimeral (2544); but it is sometimes hephthemimeral, in which case there is generally a secondary caesura in, or diaeresis after, the second foot.
The following passage may serve to show the rhythm:
Ubi vén|t(um) ad ae|dīs ‖ ést | Dromō | pultát | forēs;anŭs quaé|dam prō|dit; ‖ haéc | ub(i) ape|rit ṓs|tium,contínu(ō) | hic sē | coniḗ|cit ‖ in|tr(ō), ego cṓn|sequor;anŭs fóri|bus ob|dit ‖ pés|sul(um), ad | lānám | redit.Hīc scī́|rī potu|it ‖ aút | nusqu(am) ali|bī, Clī́|nia,quō stúdi|ō vī|tam ‖ su͡ám | t(ē) absen|t(e) exḗ|gerit,ubi d(ē) ín|prōvī|sōst ‖ ín|terven|tum múli|erī,&c.T.Hau.275.
Ubi vén|t(um) ad ae|dīs ‖ ést | Dromō | pultát | forēs;
anŭs quaé|dam prō|dit; ‖ haéc | ub(i) ape|rit ṓs|tium,
contínu(ō) | hic sē | coniḗ|cit ‖ in|tr(ō), ego cṓn|sequor;
anŭs fóri|bus ob|dit ‖ pés|sul(um), ad | lānám | redit.
Hīc scī́|rī potu|it ‖ aút | nusqu(am) ali|bī, Clī́|nia,
quō stúdi|ō vī|tam ‖ su͡ám | t(ē) absen|t(e) exḗ|gerit,
ubi d(ē) ín|prōvī|sōst ‖ ín|terven|tum múli|erī,&c.T.Hau.275.
2586.(1.) In the early dramatists, substitutions are very numerous, and lines which follow the normal scheme are rare. Substitutions are most frequent in the first foot.
2587.(2.) Four shorts rarely stand in succession unless they belong to the same foot. Hence a dactyl or tribrach is seldom followed by an anapaest.
2588.(3.) The dactyl and proceleusmatic are rare in the fifth foot. The proceleusmatic occurs chiefly in the first foot.
2589.(4.) The fifth foot is very often a spondee. It must not be a pure iambus except (a.) when the line ends with a polysyllable of four or more syllables; (b.) when it ends with a word which forms a Cretic (2521); (c.) when it ends with an iambic word preceded by one which forms a Fourth Paeon (2521), or by an anapaestic word which is itself preceded by a final short syllable; (d.) when there is a change of speakers before the last foot; (e.) when elision occurs in the fifth or sixth foot.
2590.(5.) The main caesura is rarely preceded by a monosyllable.
2591.(6.) In the Senarius, and in the other iambic and trochaic verses of the early dramatists, a resolved arsis or thesis is usually placed so that its first syllablebegins a word, or so that the two shorts of the resolved arsis or thesis areenclosedby other syllables belonging to the same word. Hence a dactylic word with the ictus on the penult or ultima (e.g.tempóre) rarely occurs. But there are occasional exceptions to the rule, especially in the case of words that are closely connected (e.g. a preposition with its case).
(B.) Later Period.
2592.Later writers conform more closely to Greek usage, but differ from one another in the degree of strictness with which they follow it. The general scheme is:
The main caesura is usually the penthemimeral (2544). The hephthemimeral sometimes occurs, but usually in connection with the penthemimeral, or with a diaeresis after the second foot. If the hephthemimeral is used without either of these, the second and third trochees of the line must form one word, as in
ut gaú|det īn|sitī́|va ‖ dē|cerpḗns | pira.(H.Epod.2, 19.)
ut gaú|det īn|sitī́|va ‖ dē|cerpḗns | pira.(H.Epod.2, 19.)
2593.(1.) The anapaest is rare in nearly all classical writers; Catullus does not admit it at all, and Horace only five times in all. The proceleusmatic is admitted in the first foot by Seneca, the author of theOctāvia, Phaedrus, Publilius Syrus and Terentianus Maurus; other writers exclude it altogether. Catullus keeps the fifth foot pure, and Horace does not admit the tribrach in the fifth foot.
2594.(2.) Catullus (4 and 29), Horace (Epod.16), Vergil (Cat.3, 4, 8), and the authors of thePriāpēasometimes use thepureiambic trimeter, without resolutions or substitutions.
2595.(3.) Phaedrus follows in part the earlier usage, admitting the spondee, dactyl, and anapaest, in every foot except the last. The dactyl he employs chiefly in the first, third, and fifth feet, the anapaest in the first and fifth. The proceleusmatic he admits only in the first.
2596.The rhythm of the Senarius may be illustrated by the following lines:
But one amid the throng of eager listeners,A sable form with scornful eye and look averse,Out-stretched a lean fore-finger and bespake Haroun.
But one amid the throng of eager listeners,
A sable form with scornful eye and look averse,
Out-stretched a lean fore-finger and bespake Haroun.
The Choliambus(orScazon).
2597.TheCholiambusis an iambic trimeter in which a trochee has been substituted for the final iambus. The penultimate syllable is therefore long instead of short. The caesura is generally the penthemimeral (2544). If it is hephthemimeral, there is regularly a diaeresis after the second foot. The scheme is:
An example is:
Fulsḗ|re quon|dam ‖ cán|didī| tibī́ | sṓlēs.(Cat. 8, 3.)
Fulsḗ|re quon|dam ‖ cán|didī| tibī́ | sṓlēs.(Cat. 8, 3.)
2598.(1). The anacrustic scheme (see2529) of the choliambus is:
i.e. trochaic trimeter with anacrusis (2529), syncope (2541), and protraction (2516).
2599.(2.) Resolutions and substitutions are less common in the choliambus than in the ordinary trimeter. No monosyllable exceptestis admitted at the end of the line. The tribrach in the first foot is rare, and the fifth foot is regularly an iambus.
2600.(3). The verse is namedCholiambus(i.e. “lame” or “limping iambus”) orScazon(“hobbler”) from its odd, limping movement. It is sometimes called Hipponactean from its inventor Hipponax, and is chiefly used to produce a satiric or ludicrous effect. It was introduced into Roman poetry by Cn. Mattius, and was employed by Varro, Catullus, Persius, Petronius, Martial, and others.
The Iambic Trimeter Catalectic.
2601.TheIambic Trimeter Catalecticoccurs in Horace (1, 4 and 2, 18). The caesura is regularly penthemimeral (2544). Resolutions are not admitted, except in one doubtful case,rēgumque puerīs(2, 18, 34), wherepu͡erīsmay be read (with synizesis: see2499). The scheme is:
Examples are:
Meā́ | renī|det ‖ ín | domō | lacū́|nar.(H. 2, 18, 2.)⏑ –́ | ⏑ –̇ | ⏑ ‖ –́ | ⏑ –̇ | ⏑ ⏗́ –̇
Meā́ | renī|det ‖ ín | domō | lacū́|nar.(H. 2, 18, 2.)
⏑ –́ | ⏑ –̇ | ⏑ ‖ –́ | ⏑ –̇ | ⏑ ⏗́ –̇
Seu pó|scit a|gnā sī́|ve mā|lit haé|dō.(H. 1, 4, 12.)> –́ | ⏑ –̇ | > ‖ –́ | ⏑ –̇ | ⏑ ⏗́ –̇
Seu pó|scit a|gnā sī́|ve mā|lit haé|dō.(H. 1, 4, 12.)
> –́ | ⏑ –̇ | > ‖ –́ | ⏑ –̇ | ⏑ ⏗́ –̇
2602.(1.) The anacrustic scheme is:
⏑͐ ⁞ –́ ⏑ | –̇ ⏑͐ # –́ ⏑ | –̇ ⏑ | ⏗́ –̇ ⌃,
⏑͐ ⁞ –́ ⏑ | –̇ ⏑͐ # –́ ⏑ | –̇ ⏑ | ⏗́ –̇ ⌃,
i.e. trochaic trimeter catalectic with anacrusis (2529), syncope (2541), and protraction (2516).
2603.(2.) Horace seems to have changed his practice with reference to the first foot. In 1, 4 the first foot is a spondee in nine lines out of ten; in 2, 18, it is a spondee in only two lines out of twenty.
The Iambic Tetrameter Acatalectic(orOctonarius).
2604.This verse consists of four iambic dipodies, or eight complete iambic feet. The substitutions enumerated in 2581 are admitted in the first seven feet; but the last foot is always an iambus. The principal break in the line is usually a diaeresis after the fourth foot (which in that case must be a pure iambus), or a caesura after the arsis of the fifth. The full scheme is:
2605.The following lines are examples of this metre:
Enĭm vḗ|rō, Dā|ve,nī́l|locīst# sēgníti|ae neque | sōcór|diae,quant(um) ín|tellē|xī módo | senis # sentén|tiam | dē nū́|ptiīs:quae sī́|nōn a|stū prṓ|viden|tur ‖ m(ē)aút|erum | pessúm | dabunt.(T.Andr.206.)
Enĭm vḗ|rō, Dā|ve,nī́l|locīst# sēgníti|ae neque | sōcór|diae,
quant(um) ín|tellē|xī módo | senis # sentén|tiam | dē nū́|ptiīs:
quae sī́|nōn a|stū prṓ|viden|tur ‖ m(ē)aút|erum | pessúm | dabunt.(T.Andr.206.)
2606.Compare in English:
He smote the rock, and forth a tide of crystal waters streamed amain;Up sprang the flowrets from the ground, and Nature smiled o’er all the plain.
He smote the rock, and forth a tide of crystal waters streamed amain;
Up sprang the flowrets from the ground, and Nature smiled o’er all the plain.
2607.(1.) The iambic octonarius is chiefly a comic verse. Terence has about eight hundred lines in this measure, Plautus only about three hundred, Varro a few.
2608.(2.) Substitutions are much less common than in the senarius, especially in the even feet.
2609.(3.) When there is a diaeresis after the fourth foot, so that the line is divided into two equal halves, the verse isasynartetic(2535). There seems, however, to be no certain instance of hiatus in the diaeresis in the Terentian plays.
Iambic Septenarius.
(A.) Early Usage.
2610.TheIambic Septenariusconsists of seven and a half iambic feet. In any of the complete feet the substitutes mentioned in 2581 are admitted. There is usually a diaeresis after the fourth foot, which in that case must be a pure iambus. If there is not such a diaeresis, there is generally a caesura after the arsis of the fifth foot. The scheme of substitution is:—
2611.Examples of the Septenarius are the lines:
Spērā́|bit sūm|ptum síbi | senex ‖ levā́|t(um) ess(e) hā|runc ábi|tū:n(ē) ill(e) haúd | scit hoc | paulúm | lucrī ‖ quant(um) ḗ|ī da|mn(ī) adpór|tet.Tū nés|ciēs | quod scī́s, | Dromō, ‖ sī sápi|ēs. Mū|tum dī́|cēs.(T.Hau.746.)
Spērā́|bit sūm|ptum síbi | senex ‖ levā́|t(um) ess(e) hā|runc ábi|tū:
n(ē) ill(e) haúd | scit hoc | paulúm | lucrī ‖ quant(um) ḗ|ī da|mn(ī) adpór|tet.
Tū nés|ciēs | quod scī́s, | Dromō, ‖ sī sápi|ēs. Mū|tum dī́|cēs.
(T.Hau.746.)
Compare in English:
“Now who be ye would cross Lochgyle, this dark and stormy water?”(Campbell.)
“Now who be ye would cross Lochgyle, this dark and stormy water?”(Campbell.)
2612.(1.) The Iambic Septenarius of the early comedy is not properly a “tetrameter catalectic” like the Greek, for the penultimate syllable is sometimes resolved, which is never the case in the Greek catalectic tetrameter. For the same reason the ordinary anacrustic (2529) scheme of the early Septenarius is erroneous; for a triseme cannot be resolved.
2613.(2.) When there is a diaeresis after the fourth foot, the verse is asynartetic (see2535).
2614.(3.) The Septenarius seems not to have been used in tragedy.
(B.) Later Usage.
2615.Varro and Catullus (25) employ a form of the Septenarius which conforms more closely to Greek models, keeping the arses of the even feet pure and rarely admitting resolutions. There is regularly a diaeresis after the fourth foot. The scheme is:—
⏑͐ –́ | ⏑ –̇ | ⏑͐ –́ | ⏑ –̇ # ⏑͐ –́ | ⏑ –̇ | ⏑͐ ⏗́ –̇
⏑͐ –́ | ⏑ –̇ | ⏑͐ –́ | ⏑ –̇ # ⏑͐ –́ | ⏑ –̇ | ⏑͐ ⏗́ –̇
or anacrustically (2529)