Home › Glossary › Letter B

Bucolic caesura

Prosody
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 caesura (pause) occurring after the fourth foot in dactylic hexameter, commonly used in classical pastoral or bucolic poetry for rhythmic variation.

Detailed Definition
A bucolic caesura is a deliberate pause within a line of pastoral poetry that evokes rural tranquility or natural rhythm, often coinciding with imagery of shepherds, fields, or streams; it enhances the meditative, unhurried pace characteristic of the genre.
Example
Example in poetry:
A bucolic caesura is a pause evoking pastoral calm; example: in Virgil’s Eclogues: “Tityre, tu patulae recubans sub tegmine fagi…” (pause after “Tityre”).
Additional Notes
A medial pause in pastoral poetry, often marking shifts between rural scenes or speakers. Common in eclogues where shepherds alternate verses. Creates natural breathing rhythm in nature descriptions.
Also Known As
Pastoral pause Shepherd's break Rural verse rest
Skip to main content