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Concluding hexastich

Structure
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 concluding six-line stanza that provides thematic closure or resolution, often functioning as a poetic coda or summative turn.

Detailed Definition
A six-line concluding stanza, particularly common in certain ballade variants and Occitan poetry, that serves as an envoy or dedicatory conclusion. The hexastich form provides more space for elaborate dedication or final commentary than shorter envoy forms like the quatrain, while maintaining the concision and focus appropriate to a concluding gesture. This structure allows poets to address recipients, summarize themes, or provide closing meditation with slightly more development than briefer conclusions permit.
Example
Example in poetry:
In Shakespeare’s sonnets, the final six lines often resolve or complicate the preceding argument; In John Keats’ “Ode on a Grecian Urn,” the closing hexastich (“Beauty is truth, truth beauty…”) delivers philosophical conclusion; In Gwendolyn Brooks’ “The Children of the Poor,” the last six lines intensify maternal anxiety; In Terrance Hayes’ “American Sonnet,” concluding hexastichs often pivot to political urgency; In Tracy K. Smith’s “The United States Welcomes You,” final six lines deliver bureaucratic threat with chilling brevity.
Additional Notes
Six-line envoy structure. Common in certain ballade variants and Occitan poetry. The hexastich form allows more elaborate dedication or commentary than shorter envoy forms while maintaining concision.
Also Known As
Six-line conclusion Terminal sextet Hexastich envoy Six-line send-off Envoi hexastich Final sextet
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