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Elegiac pentameter

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

The second line in an elegiac couplet, featuring two equal halves divided by caesura

Detailed Definition
Elegiac pentameter is the second line in the classical elegiac couplet, consisting of a dactylic hexameter followed by a dactylic pentameter with a central caesura and truncated second half; used by Ovid and Propertius, it creates a sighing, reflective rhythm ideal for themes of love and loss.
Example
Example in poetry:
Elegiac pentameter: The second line of an elegiac couplet: “Yet love endures beyond the grave’s cold door”—dactylic pentameter with a central caesura.
Additional Notes
The second line of elegiac couplet: dactylic hexameter with catalexis creating shorter line. Technical term for classical meter. Study how pentameter complements hexameter's momentum. Important for understanding quantitative verse traditions.
Also Known As
Elegiac five-measure Mourning pentameter Lament five-foot line Dirge five-beat verse Greek five-foot Iambic elegy
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