Home › Glossary › Letter C

colophon verse

Structure
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 closing stanza that functions like a colophon, offering authorial or contextual notes

Detailed Definition
Colophon verse is a short poetic inscription, often placed at the end of a manuscript or printed work, that identifies the author, scribe, date, or place of composition; in modern poetry, it may function as a meta-commentary or farewell gesture, blending bibliographic detail with lyrical reflection to frame the poem as both artifact and personal testament, bridging textual production and artistic intention.
Example
Example in poetry:
In medieval manuscripts, a colophon verse might read: “Here ends the book, God grant the scribe relief”; Ben Jonson’s dedicatory poems often function as colophon verse, summarizing intent; In Persian poetry, closing verses like “Finished by Hafez, servant of the Friend” serve as colophon verse; Emily Dickinson’s envelope poems sometimes include colophon-like notes: “This is my letter to the World / That never wrote to Me”.
Additional Notes
colophon verse: A final verse functioning like a colophon in a book, often offering reflective closure, signature, or dedication.
Also Known As
Publisher’s mark verse Finishing emblem stanza Colophon poetry Colophon stanza
Skip to main content