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Elegiac hexameter

Meter
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 dactylic hexameter line used specifically in elegiac contexts, often slower in delivery

Detailed Definition
Elegiac hexameter is the dactylic hexameter line used in classical elegiac poetry, typically paired with a pentameter; it provides a stately, flowing rhythm suited to themes of loss, reflection, and moral contemplation in Greco-Roman and later European traditions.
Example
Example in poetry:
Elegiac hexameter: The first line of an elegiac couplet, e.g., “Time’s cruel scythe cuts youth and bloom alike”—in dactylic hexameter, setting a mournful tone.
Additional Notes
Six-foot line in classical elegiac distich pattern. Alternates with pentameter in couplets. Study with Ovid and Latin elegiac tradition.
Also Known As
funereal hexameter mourning line
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