Anacreontic meter

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

A light, lyrical meter inspired by the Greek poet Anacreon, typically using dactylic or iambic rhythms to celebrate love, wine, and revelry.

Detailed Definition
Anacreontic meter is a lyrical form traditionally composed of four lines with a specific pattern (often resembling iambic or trochaic rhythms with a final short syllable), used to celebrate love, wine, and merriment in the style of the ancient Greek poet Anacreon.
Example
Example in poetry:
Anacreontic meter is a lyrical form of ˘ ˘ ¯ ˘ ¯ per foot, used for light themes; Thomas Moore’s “Anacreontic” begins: “Let the harp be tuned to pleasure’s lay.”
Additional Notes
Rhythm pattern associated with Anacreontic verse; typically trochaic or mixed short lines. Related to drinking song meters. Creates light, bouncing quality suited to celebration. Study variations in English adaptations.
Also Known As
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