Scansion of Poetry DEFINITIONS Scan verb to assign

Scansion of Poetry!!! DEFINITIONS: Scan – (verb) to assign long and short marks/symbols to vowels in order to create long and short syllables in a line of poetry Syllable – (noun) an uninterrupted segment of speech or verse consisting of a vowel sound, a diphthong, or a consonant e. g. Cae/cil/i/us (4 syllables) Dipthong – (noun) 2 or more vowels coming together to make 1 sound e. g. “ae” = “eye” Meter – rhythm of sound based on accents or rhyme e. g. Dactylic Hexameter = the meter of the AENEID Elision – omitting part of a word for ease in pronunciation or flow of the line Verse – lines of poetry divided into certain regular units called feet Foot – a combination of syllables

DACTYLIC HEXAMETER (the meter used by Vergil and Ovid, et al. ) �Dactyl – foot of poetry marked by -ᴜᴜ �Spondee – foot of poetry marked by - �Composed of 6 feet of either dactyls or spondees � 5 th foot is always a dactyl � 6 th foot is always a spondee EXAMPLES: diceret aequas praemia montes fatis

Syllables: long or short? ? ? �Syllables are long by nature ◦ It contains a long vowel or a dipthong �Syllables are long by position ◦ It contains a short vowel followed by 2 consonants in 1 or 2 words E. G. litora caedem conderet soror atria EXCEPTIONS: a vowel followed by a “p, b, t, d, c, g, l, r” may be either long or short to “fit” the needs of the verse e. g. patrem

When to ELIDE words together! � 3 Conditions under which you “elide” a vowel; ◦ Elide the vowel at the END of the word when the next word BEGINS with a vowel, dipthong or the letter -h ◦ Elide a dipthong at the END of the word when the next word BEGINS with… ◦ Elide the letter –m AND it’s preceding VOWEL when the next word begins with… EXAMPLES: 1. ) vade age 2. ) Juno aeternum 3. ) omnium et 4. ) terram heros

Tips for Scanning Poetry!!! Mark all ELISIONS 2. Go to the end, mark the 5 th foot as a dactyl and the 6 th foot as a spondee 3. Mark all syllables that are long by nature or by position (see previous slides) 4. Mark any remaining syllables E. G. 1. Albanique patres atque altae moenia Romae **proceed to the practice attached to your outline**