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Asclepiadean 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 classical metrical form using a specific pattern of long and short syllables, typically based on the glyconic with added choriamb

Detailed Definition
Asclepiadean meter is a classical quantitative verse form originating in Greek and Latin poetry, based on the choriamb (a metrical foot of long-short-short-long syllables) and typically arranged in lines like – u u – – u u – – x (where x is an anceps); famously used by Horace in his odes, it creates a stately, rolling rhythm that English poets rarely imitate directly due to the shift from quantitative to accentual-syllabic prosody.
Example
Example in poetry:
Horace’s Odes I.1: “Maecenas atavis edite regibus,” which uses the glyconic and pherecratean lines characteristic of Asclepiadean meter; Catullus 30, employing the choriambic base with variable endings typical of the form; Modern imitation: “Stars wheel above the sleeping town— / soft winds hum the old refrain,” mimicking the rhythmic pattern; A reconstructed line: “O Muse, whose voice the ages keep,” following the ˘ ¯ ¯ ˘ ¯ ˘ ¯ structure
Additional Notes
Asclepiadean meter is a classical Greek and Latin verse form based on the choriamb (long-short-short-long), often used by Horace; rarely used in English but valuable for understanding quantitative meter and adaptation challenges in translation.
Also Known As
Asclepiadic verse choriambic meter Horatian rhythm classical Asclepiadean Asclepiad measure Asclepiadean Asclepiad
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