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Dactylic Hexameter

What is Meter?
Meter = Rhythm
A combination of short and long syllables

In Latin oetry!
A"thors #rote #ords follo#ing a s ecific attern of rhythm$ or meter%

Why might rhythm be im ortant?


M"sic
&om are reading the lyrics to their "s"al erformance'
Lyrics to something rhythmic (Dr. Huskey uses Eminem) read. Insert clip of actual song. Point out natural rhythm; its part of the song. Its a subtle, but still infinitely important, part of the presentation.

Meter
Meter com rised of ())*
Metron = +ree, for foot *he idea #as that the #ords march thro"gh the ears li,e feet

(eet
(eet com rised of short -. and/or long -. syllables 0ome of the different feet
Dactyl - . 0 ondee - . Iamb - . *rochee - . &horiamb - .

1"t #e only need the first t#o today' Dactyl and 0 ondee

Dactyl
Dactyl loooong2short2short or 3d"m diddy4 Dactyl = +ree, for (inger
Loo,s li,e the 5oints of a finger

0 ondee
0 ondee looong2looong or 3d"m d"m4 0 onde = +ree, for libations
Libations = ceremonial drin, offering 0ongs for libations com osed #ith 3d"m d"m4 rhythm s ondee foot

Dactylic Hexameter
Dactyl = (inger Metron = (oot Hexa = 0ix 0o!%% Dactylic Hexameter = 6 (inger2li,e (eet

Dactylic Hexameter

In a erfect #orld$ e7ery foot #o"ld be a dactyl exce t the last one 1"t the #orld isn8t erfect$ so!

Dactylic Hexameter

A"thors "se 0 ondees too +eneral R"les


Last syllable al#ays long 9th foot almost al#ays a dactyl

Example
Primus amor Phoebi Daphne Peneia, quem non fors ignara dedit, sed saeva Cupidinis ira,

Example
Delius hunc nuper, victa serpente superbus, viderat adducto flectentem cornua nervo 'quid' que 'tibi, lascive puer, cum fortibus armis?'

Example

Ho# do yo" ,no# if a syllable is short or long?


*o determine if a syllable is long or short$ loo, at t#o things'
:at"re of the #ord
&ase$ :"mber$ ;sage -ad7erb$ ad5ecti7e$ etc%.

<osition of the #ord


What comes before or after

:at"re
Here are some general r"les for select 7o#els and syllables' A final 2o$ 2i$ or 2" is "s"ally long by nat"re%
common exce tion' the final 2i in tibi and mihi$ #hich may be either short or long as the meter re="ires% -*he first 2i2 in both #ords is al#ays short%.

A final 2>s$ 2?s$ or 2@s is "s"ally long by nat"re%


common exce tions' +ree, ro er names and other +ree, #ords ta,en directly into Latin%

A final 2a or 2is is often short by nat"re%


common exce tions' 2a in the first declension ablati7e sing"lar is al#ays long$ as is 2is in the first and second declensions ablati7e / dati7e l"ral%

A final 2e is "s"ally short by nat"re%


common exce tions' 2e in the fifth declension ablati7e sing"larA 2e on ad7erbs formed from second declension ad5ecti7es%

A final 2"s is "s"ally short by nat"re%


common exce tions' fo"rth declension geniti7e sing"lar$ and nominati7e / acc"sati7e l"ral -b"t not fo"rth declension nominati7e sing"lar.%

A final 2am$ 2em$ or 2"m is al#ays short by nat"re%


http://www.skidmore.edu/academics/classics/courses/metrica/nature.html

<osition
A 7o#el is considered longBby osition #hen directly follo#ed by t#o consonants $ #hether in the same #ord or beginning the s"bse="ent #ord%B
(or instance$ if the nominati7e na"ta immediately recedes the 7erb scit$ the final 2a becomes long for the "r ose of filling o"t the meter' na"tC scit% -*he #ord is still nominati7e$ of co"rse%.B

*his r"le is not ironclad$ as certain consonant combinationsDli,e 2cr$ 2 r$ and 2trD#ill not al#ays Ema,e osition%E 0ome im ortant oints'
*he consonant 2h2 is not "s"ally considered a f"ll consonant$ and #ill not ca"se a 7o#el to ma,e osition% (or instance$ in the hrase tenet haec -Eshe "nderstands these thingsE.$ the syllable 2et in tenet is short$ not long% *he consonants 2x2 and 2F2 ma,e osition all by themsel7es$ since they are act"ally do"ble consonants -2,s2 and 2ds2$ res ecti7ely.% *he combination 2="2$ #hich is rono"nced 2,#2$ 5"st as in )nglish$ is treated as a single consonant$ and ne7er ma,es osition% ("rthermore$ the 2"2 ne7er recei7es a long or short mar, d"ring scansion$ as is the ractice for consonants% *he 7o#el 2i2 is sometimes considered a consonant$ "s"ally #hen it begins a #ord and is follo#ed by a 7o#el% In s"ch cases$ e%g% I"no$ the 2i2 is rono"nced as an )nglish 2y2 -#hich$ recall$ is li,e#ise sometimes a 7o#el$ sometimes a consonant.% A good r"le of th"mb is to find a deri7ati7e from the #ord in ="estion' if the 2i2 becomes a 252 in )nglish -e%g% G"no H I"no.$ then it is a consonant$ and may hel another #ord ma,e osition% ("rthermore$ the 2i2 in ="estion sho"ld not recei7e a long or a short mar,%

0yllabification
0yllables are "s"ally di7ided bet#een a 7o#el and a single consonant 'B 7i2r"m$ not 7ir2"m% When a 7o#el is follo#ed by t#o consonants in the same #ord$ the di7ison comes bet#een the consonants'B ar2ma$ not arm2a or a2rma%
)xce tion' When a 7o#el is follo#ed by aBsto -a consonant formed by com lete air bloc,age$ e%g% t$ d$ $ b$ ,$ g. l"s aBli="id -a consonant that can be rolonged$ e%g% l or r.%B

)lision
A final syllable ending in a 7o#el may be omitted from the meter before a #ord beginning #ith a 7o#el -or an h2.%
)IAM<L)' na"ta est is three syllables% 1eca"se est begins$ and na"ta ends$ #ith a 7o#el$ the final 2a is elided or E,noc,ed o"t$E lea7ing t#o syllables' na"ta est - rono"nced Eno# testE.%

A final syllable ending in the letter 2m may be omitted from the meter before a #ord beginning #ith a 7o#el -or an h2.%
)IAM<L)' na"tam est becomes na"tam est -Eno# testE.%

Why bother scanning for meter?


Rhythm adds nuance
Quick lines versus slow lines

Lost in Translating
Dont know whats going on? Often times the meter will help you realize something that is the key to getting yourself out of a translation corner.

)xam le

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