KillerMuffin
Seraphically Disinclined
- Joined
- Jul 29, 2000
- Posts
- 25,603
Anyone familiar?
It's a type of accentual verse that's a form that's not a form. It's really, really old. Old English old. Beowulf was written in it. It's not a form because it's a formula for the line, but it's a form because it's a formula. It goes something like this:
First, the line is call a stich (pronouced stick). It's divided into two half-lines called hemistichs by a ceasura.
The difference between accentual verse and metrical verse comes into play. In metrical verse, you count all of the syllables. You count the primary stress/strong stress and the secondary stress/weak stress. An iambic foot is " u / " weak stress strong stress. The whole line is scanned in that manner in metrical verse. In accentual verse, only the strong stress is counted. Stress != accent. Accent is where ordinary emphasis is placed on at least one syllable in a word of two or more syllables. In a line, accent is where emphasis is placed. Consider: What did you say? The accent is on what. Of course, like with metrical verse, accent shifts by placement in a line, assonance, consonance, meaning, etc.
Second, each hemistich has an equal number of accents. The number of unstressed syllables is unimportant.
Because of its roots in the old Anglo-Saxon oral tradition, Anglo-Saxon Prosody tends to be alliterative, which sometimes continues into the next line. Sometimes the alliteration is the absence of consonants, so then the alliteration can also consonate with the vowels inside of words. Which is tres cool.
Here's what Turco says about it (I hope this link works!):
http://books.google.com/books?id=au...ts=AIlm6uQ-iI&sig=TbmN5gT3Eqp_HhktQsVBhMmf680
Examples (One Modern, one Old):
A Photograph from the Revolution: Guaymas to Nogales
Alberto Rios
A photograph from the Mexican Revolution exists in which as far as one can see into the distance men have been hung from every telephone pole.
One woman weeps, and shouts,
gets sick on the sand, slumps against
a gray and greasy maguey plant.
Pasy pray, picked by it tiny
teeth, she is too tired to bother
as the blood bakes. Her back is numb.
Her husband is hanging; ahead, another
hundred husbands hang with him.
Women are wandering, new widows, heavy
with hunger, with heat. Here the Cause
flies its flags. A fever moves
among these mothers, making one noise.
From Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
One Christmas in Camelot King Arthur sat
at ease with his lords and loyal liegemen
arranged as brothers round the Round Table.
Their reckless jokes rang about that rich hall
till they turned from the table to the tournament field
and jousted like gentlemen with lances and laughs,
then trooped to court in a carolling crowd.
For the feast lasted a full fifteen days
of meals and merriment (as much as could fit.)
Such gay glee must gladden the ear --
by day what a din, and dancing by night!
The halls and chambers were heaped with happy
lords and ladies as high as you like!
There they were gathered with all the world's goodness:
knights as kind as Christ himself,
ladies as lovely as ever have lived,
and the noblest king our nation has known.
They were yet in the pride, in the prime of their youth,
and filled
as full of heaven's blessing
as the king had strength of will.
And mighty men surpassing
all were gathered on that hill.
It's a type of accentual verse that's a form that's not a form. It's really, really old. Old English old. Beowulf was written in it. It's not a form because it's a formula for the line, but it's a form because it's a formula. It goes something like this:
First, the line is call a stich (pronouced stick). It's divided into two half-lines called hemistichs by a ceasura.
The difference between accentual verse and metrical verse comes into play. In metrical verse, you count all of the syllables. You count the primary stress/strong stress and the secondary stress/weak stress. An iambic foot is " u / " weak stress strong stress. The whole line is scanned in that manner in metrical verse. In accentual verse, only the strong stress is counted. Stress != accent. Accent is where ordinary emphasis is placed on at least one syllable in a word of two or more syllables. In a line, accent is where emphasis is placed. Consider: What did you say? The accent is on what. Of course, like with metrical verse, accent shifts by placement in a line, assonance, consonance, meaning, etc.
Second, each hemistich has an equal number of accents. The number of unstressed syllables is unimportant.
Because of its roots in the old Anglo-Saxon oral tradition, Anglo-Saxon Prosody tends to be alliterative, which sometimes continues into the next line. Sometimes the alliteration is the absence of consonants, so then the alliteration can also consonate with the vowels inside of words. Which is tres cool.
Here's what Turco says about it (I hope this link works!):
http://books.google.com/books?id=au...ts=AIlm6uQ-iI&sig=TbmN5gT3Eqp_HhktQsVBhMmf680
Examples (One Modern, one Old):
A Photograph from the Revolution: Guaymas to Nogales
Alberto Rios
A photograph from the Mexican Revolution exists in which as far as one can see into the distance men have been hung from every telephone pole.
One woman weeps, and shouts,
gets sick on the sand, slumps against
a gray and greasy maguey plant.
Pasy pray, picked by it tiny
teeth, she is too tired to bother
as the blood bakes. Her back is numb.
Her husband is hanging; ahead, another
hundred husbands hang with him.
Women are wandering, new widows, heavy
with hunger, with heat. Here the Cause
flies its flags. A fever moves
among these mothers, making one noise.
From Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
One Christmas in Camelot King Arthur sat
at ease with his lords and loyal liegemen
arranged as brothers round the Round Table.
Their reckless jokes rang about that rich hall
till they turned from the table to the tournament field
and jousted like gentlemen with lances and laughs,
then trooped to court in a carolling crowd.
For the feast lasted a full fifteen days
of meals and merriment (as much as could fit.)
Such gay glee must gladden the ear --
by day what a din, and dancing by night!
The halls and chambers were heaped with happy
lords and ladies as high as you like!
There they were gathered with all the world's goodness:
knights as kind as Christ himself,
ladies as lovely as ever have lived,
and the noblest king our nation has known.
They were yet in the pride, in the prime of their youth,
and filled
as full of heaven's blessing
as the king had strength of will.
And mighty men surpassing
all were gathered on that hill.
