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crab form

Form
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 figured verse written backwards so it can be read from end to beginning.

Detailed Definition
Crab form is a rare poetic structure in which the second half of the poem mirrors the first half in reverse order—line by line or word by word—creating a palindromic effect that emphasizes symmetry, fate, or cyclical time; it demands extreme formal control and often carries meditative or mystical implications.
Example
Example in poetry:
The crab form is a verse that reads forwards and backwards; A poem arranged as a palindrome in structure; A stanza verse that makes sense when read in reverse order; A mirrored poem with symmetrical meaning
Additional Notes
The crab form (or versus cancrinum) is a type of poem that reads the same both forward and backward, where the word order or even the letters themselves are reversed; related to palindrome.
Also Known As
Crab canon form Retrograde form Poetic palindrome Carcinisation
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