Home › Glossary › Letter I

inscribed 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

A poem composed as if carved or written onto a physical object, often commemorative

Detailed Definition
Inscribed verse refers to poetry composed as if carved, written, or embedded in a physical object—such as a monument, letter, or artifact—blending textual and material presence; it often explores themes of memory, permanence, and voice, using apostrophe or ekphrasis to animate the imagined surface of inscription.
Example
Example in poetry:
Keats’s epitaph “Here lies one whose name was writ in water” is an inscribed verse on his tombstone; Percy Bysshe Shelley’s “Adonais” includes the inscribed verse “Cor Cordium” (Heart of Hearts) on Keats’s grave; Robert Frost’s “The Gift Outright” was inscribed in public memory after his presidential recitation; Maya Lin’s Vietnam Veterans Memorial includes inscribed verses from letters and names.
Additional Notes
Inscribed verse appears on monuments, tombs, or public spaces, often commemorative or epitaphic; brevity and permanence are key; tone ranges from solemn (Keats’s epitaph) to celebratory (inaugural poems).
Also Known As
Epitaphic verse monumental poetry commemorative inscription engraved lyric Handwritten verse Stone verse
Skip to main content