Home › Glossary › Letter C

Cursorial verse

Form
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

Light, swift-moving verse designed for rapid reading, often using short lines, fluid rhythm, and minimal syntactic complexity.

Detailed Definition
Cursorial verse employs swift, light rhythms—often anapestic or dactylic—to mimic running or rapid motion; it conveys urgency, chase, or fleeting impressions, as in Byron’s galloping stanzas or comic narrative poems with kinetic energy.
Example
Example in poetry:
Cursorial verse: "Swift-footed lines race across the page—no pause, no rest" (speed-focused); "Gallop of iambs mimics horseback pursuit" (metrical urgency); "Run, run, run—verbs propel the stanza forward" (kinetic energy); "Lines sprint like messengers bearing urgent news" (narrative haste)
Additional Notes
Cursorial verse suggests running or flowing movement—swift, continuous. From Latin "running." Related to swift pacing, dactylic meters. Contrasts with measured, stately rhythms. Rare technical term.
Also Known As
Running verse Swift-footed poetry Racing meter Fleet composition
Skip to main content