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Sapphic quatrain

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

A four-line stanza following Sapphic metrical pattern (three Sapphic lines + adonic)

Detailed Definition
A Sapphic quatrain adapts the classical Sapphic stanza into four lines, typically with three longer lines of trochaic or dactylic rhythm followed by a shorter Adonic line; though rare in English, it evokes lyric intensity and feminine tradition through its compressed, musical architecture.
Example
Example in poetry:
Sapphic quatrain: "O moon, white blossom of the sky, / You rise in silence, cold and high, / Your light spills soft on field and stream— / Night’s gentle, silver dream." (approximating Sapphic rhythm in English).
Additional Notes
Four-line stanza in Sapphic meter (three hendecasyllabic lines plus Adonic). Classical Greek form revived in English. Study Sappho fragments and Horatian odes.
Also Known As
Sapphic stanza classic quatrain
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