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Alcaic short line

Meter
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

The concise concluding line of an Alcaic stanza, usually shorter in syllable count than the preceding lines.

Detailed Definition
Alcaic short line typically refers to the nine-syllable third line of the Alcaic stanza, which provides metrical contrast to the surrounding longer lines. This brevity creates a moment of rhythmic tension before the stanza's resolution in the final ten-syllable line. The shortened length emphasizes key words or ideas positioned within it, making this line structurally significant for thematic development in classical lyric compositions using the Alcaic form.
Example
Example in poetry:
Alcaic short line typically refers to the third line of the classical Alcaic stanza, shorter in length: In Horace: “sorōrum fīlēs” (brief, trochaic); Dryden’s translation: “Sisters’ sons”; Modern adaptation: “Night falls fast” (compressed urgency); Contemporary poets use it for punchy contrast: “Then—silence.”; In Auden: “He disappeared in the dead of winter”; The short line creates rhythmic tension against longer Alcaic lines.
Additional Notes
Alcaic short line is the fourth (final) line of the Alcaic strophe, usually a 9-syllable line with the pattern: −∪∪−∪−∪−. It provides a sense of closure to the stanza.
Also Known As
Alcaic short measure Brief Alcaic line Alcaic trimeter line Alcaic tetrameter
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