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Sapphic line

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 first three lines of the Sapphic stanza, typically x — ∪ — x — ∪ ∪ — —

Detailed Definition
A Sapphic line is a classical metrical line attributed to the poet Sappho, consisting of three long syllables followed by a dactyl and trochee (– – – ᴗ ᴗ – ᴗ – in quantitative terms); in English, it is approximated with stressed and unstressed syllables to capture its lyrical grace.
Example
Example in poetry:
Sapphic line: The first three lines of a Sapphic stanza: "– u – – – u u – u – –" (quantitative); in English accentual approximation: "All things decay, yet beauty lingers still."
Additional Notes
Sapphic line typically means hendecasyllabic line in Sapphic meter. Pattern: ¯˘¯¯|¯˘˘¯|˘¯˘ in classical quantity. English versions use stress equivalents. Three per stanza plus adonic. Foundation of Sapphic stanza.
Also Known As
Sapphic measure Greek lyric line Sappho's meter Lesbian line
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