Home › Glossary › Letter S

shepherd's rest

Sound
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 symbolic or rhythmic pause in pastoral poetry suggesting respite

Detailed Definition
A shepherd’s rest is a brief, tranquil interlude in pastoral poetry where the shepherd pauses from labor to reflect, sing, or commune with nature; this motif symbolizes harmony between humanity and the natural world, offering respite from both physical toil and urban complexity.
Example
Example in poetry:
In “The Passionate Shepherd,” Marlowe writes: “And we will sit upon the rocks, / Seeing the shepherds feed their flocks”—shepherd’s rest; Spenser’s “Colin Clouts Come Home Againe” depicts idyllic pastoral pauses; Virgil’s “Eclogues” include shepherd’s rest scenes of song and shade; Modern pastoral like Wendell Berry’s poems evoke shepherd’s rest through rural stillness
Additional Notes
shepherd's rest: A motif in pastoral poetry and related art forms, symbolizing a place of idyllic peace, natural beauty, and simple comfort, often contrasting with the complexities of urban or courtly life.
Also Known As
Pastoral pause shepherd’s rest rural repose Bucolic dieresis
Skip to main content