A Guide to Latin Meter and Verse Composition

by Califf, David J., Ph.d.; Traupman, John

• ISBN13: 9781898855729
• ISBN10: 1898855722
• Edition: Bilingual
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-07-01
• Publisher: Anthem Pr

Summary

This textbook is the first comprehensive guide to Latin verse composition to be published in over one hundred years. It combines a detailed analysis of the Roman poets' metrical practices with a series of graduated exercises designed to train the student in the composition of original Latin verse. Beginning with the dactylic hexameter and working through elegiac, lyric and dramatic meters, the exercises in this volume accomplish more than simply teaching the basic rules of prosody and versification. They also help cultivate an ear for rhythm, build vocabulary, sharpen grammatical skills and develop attentiveness to the nuances of poetic style and diction. 'A Guide to Latin Meter and Verse Composition' therefore represents an invaluable resource for students and teachers at all levels, not only for verse composition but also for a fuller understanding and appreciation of the metrical artistry of Latin poetry.

Author Biography

Dr David J Califf teaches Latin at the Academy of Notre Dame in Villanova, Pennsylvania. He has published widely on Latin poetry and verse composition, and a number of his Latin poems have appeared in The Classical Outlook.

Table of Contents

Preface	viii
Preliminary remarks	1	(1)
Section I: Rhythm and Meter in English and Latin Poetry	2	(3)
Section II: General Rules for Determining the Quantity of Syllables	5	(4)
Vowel Quantity	7	(1)
Vowel Quantity	8	(1)
Section III: The Dactylic Hexameter	9	(5)
The Hexameter in English	10	(1)
Scansion, No Elisions	11	(1)
Scansion, Elisions	12	(1)
Scansion, Proper Names	13	(1)
Section IV: The Caesura	14	(3)
Caesura and Diaresis	16	(1)
Section V: Variations and Irregularities	17	(8)
Section VI: Greek Words and Names	25	(3)
Metrical Anomalies	27	(1)
Section VII: Sound and Sense	28	(1)
Section VIIA: Rhythm	29	(4)
Rhythmic Effects	32	(1)
Section VIIB: Consonants and Vowels	33	(5)
Alliteration, etc.	37	(1)
Section VIIC: Word Order	38	(28)
Word Order	44	(1)
Sound and Sense in Vergil's Eclogue 6	45	(3)
Hexameter Jumbles 1	48	(1)
Hexameter Jumbles 2	49	(1)
Hexameter Jumbles 3	50	(1)
Hexameter Jumbles 4, elisions	51	(2)
Hexameter Jumbles 5, mixed lines	53	(1)
Hexameter Jumbles 6, double lines	54	(1)
The End of the Line 1	55	(1)
The End of the Line 2	56	(1)
The First Hemistich	57	(1)
The Second Hemistich	58	(1)
Entire Hexameters	59	(2)
Sentences Across a Line Break	61	(2)
Synonyms	63	(1)
Synonyms in the Hexameter	64	(2)
Section VIII: Circumlocution	66	(26)
Hexameters from a Paraphrase	74	(13)
Latin Translations of English Poetry	87	(5)
Section IX: The Elegiac Meter	92	(16)
Elegiac Scansion	97	(2)
Jumbled Pentameters	99	(1)
Jumbled Couplets	100	(1)
The End of the Pentameter	101	(1)
The Full Couplet	102	(2)
Elegiacs from a Paraphrase	104	(4)
Section X: The Sapphic Meter	108	(16)
Sapphic Scansion	115	(3)
Jumbled Sapphic Hendecasyllables	118	(1)
The Sapphic Stanza	119	(2)
Sapphics from a Paraphrase	121	(3)
Section XI: The Alcaic Meter	124	(19)
Alcaic Scansion	131	(2)
Jumbled Alcaic Lines	133	(1)
The Alcaic Stanzas	134	(2)
Alcaics from a Paraphrase	136	(7)
Section XII: Asclepiadic Meters	143	(23)
Asclepiadic Scansion	151	(2)
Jumbled Asclepiads	153	(2)
Asclepiadic Stanzas	155	(2)
Asclepiads from a Paraphrase	157	(9)
Section XIII: The Hendecasyllabic Meter	166	(11)
Hendecasyllabic Scansion	169	(1)
Jumbled Hendecasyllables	170	(1)
The Hendecasyllabic Line	171	(1)
Hendecasyllables from a Paraphrase	172	(5)
Section XIV: Iambic Meters	177	(18)
Iambic Scansion	183	(3)
Iambic Meter Identification	186	(2)
Jumbled Iambics	188	(1)
Iambic Stanzas	189	(2)
Iambics from a Paraphrase	191	(4)
Metrical Tables	195	(6)
Glossary of Terms	201	(9)
Modern Latin Poets Represented in the Exercises	210	(2)
Bibliography	212