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Sapphic stanza

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: three hendecasyllables and one adonic (dactyl + trochee)

Detailed Definition
A Sapphic stanza is a classical four-line form attributed to Sappho, comprising three 11-syllable lines (often dactylic) and a concluding 5-syllable Adonic line; in English adaptations, it conveys passionate intimacy and rhythmic grace, as in Swinburne’s or Pound’s imitations.
Example
Example in poetry:
Sapphic stanza: A.A. Milne’s "The Engineer" uses Sapphic stanzas: "I think that I shall never see / A poem lovely as a tree..."; though not strict, it echoes the form’s lyrical brevity.
Additional Notes
Sapphic stanza comprises three hendecasyllabic lines plus shorter adonic. Classical Greek form adapted to many languages. Named for Sappho. Related to Alcaic stanza. Study quantity versus stress adaptation for English.
Also Known As
Sapphic quatrain classic Sapphic Sapphic verse Sapphics
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