Home › Glossary › Letter A

Asclepiadic line

Meter
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

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 quantitative line pattern (— ∪ — x — ∪ ∪ — —) used in Horatian odes

Detailed Definition
An Asclepiadic line is a lyric meter consisting of a choriamb (–uu–) flanked by iambic or trochaic elements, often structured as –uu–uu–x; favored by Horace for its melodic balance, it conveys refined emotion and philosophical reflection in classical and neoclassical odes.
Example
Example in poetry:
Asclepiadic line: A single metrical unit of the Asclepiad form; e.g., “Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori” (Horace, Odes 3.2), though this is actually Alcaic—true Asclepiadic lines follow the – u u – u u – u – pattern.
Additional Notes
Single verse line following Asclepiadic pattern. Greek quantitative meter. Study alongside other classical line types. Important for understanding Horatian ode structure and Greek lyric poetry generally.
Also Known As
Asclepiad measure Greek lyric line Choriambic-based line Horatian measure
Skip to main content