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Palinodes

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

Poems in which the poet retracts a previously expressed opinion.

Detailed Definition
Palinodes are poems that retract, revise, or recant an earlier statement or poem, often through ironic reversal or thematic re-evaluation; the form originates in ancient Greek poetry (e.g., Stesichorus’s palinode to Helen) and is used to explore the instability of truth and poetic authority.
Example
Example in poetry:
Palinodes retract earlier statements; Sir Philip Sidney’s “Astrophil and Stella” includes palinodes of love; modern example: Anne Carson’s “The Beauty of the Husband” uses palinodic structure: “He was not beautiful. He was beautiful”; palinodes create complexity through reversal; they’re common in love poetry and philosophical verse; this device shows evolving thought or irony.
Additional Notes
Palinodes: Poems retracting or revising earlier statements; often an apology, parody, or ironic reversal.
Also Known As
Recantation poems Retraction verse Counter-poems Denial poetry
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