Some basics of
Latin poetry were first discussed here:
04.09.25: The best
place to start Latin poetry is … in a cave! [2]; some basics concerning
Classical Latin poetry
https://www.facebook.com/groups/latinforstarters/posts/774016828542921/
[i] In print, you
will either come across completely unscanned versions of verse or, as I have
written below, edited texts with naturally long vowels marked (see the
next post: identifying long and short syllables)
Sīdereō genitor
residēns in vertice caelī
Nōminis ōrāmus
venerātiō sānctificētur
In nōbīs Pater alte
tuī: tranquillaque mundō
Adveniat rēgnumque
tuum lūx alma reclaudat
In caelō ut terrīs
fīat tua clāra voluntās
Vītālisque hodiē
sānctī substantia pānis
Prōveniat nōbīs;
tua mox largītiō solvat
Innumera indulgēns
errōris dēbita prāvī
Et nōs haut aliter
concēdere foenora nostrīs
Tētrī saeva procul
temptātiō daemonis absit
Aequē malīs tua
nōs in lūcem dextera tollat
[ii] A fully scanned
version would have this or a similar format:
l.1: Sī-dĕ-rĕ- ¦ ō gĕ-nĭ- ¦ tōr rĕ-sĭ- ¦ dēns īn ¦
vēr-tĭ-cĕ ¦ cāe-lī
l.2: Nō-mĭ-nĭs ¦ ōr-ā- ¦ mūs vĕ-nĕ- ¦ rā- tiō
¦ sānc- tĭ- fĭ- ¦ cē-tŭr
l.3: Īn nō- ¦ bīs pă- tĕr ¦ āl-tĕ tŭ- ¦ ī: trān- ¦
qu-īl-lă-quĕ ¦ mūn-dō
l.4: Ād-vĕ-nĭ- ¦ āt rēg- ¦ nūm-quĕ tŭ- ¦ ūm lūx ¦ āl-mă
rĕ- ¦ clāu-dăt
l.5: Īn cāe- ¦ l(o) ͜
ūt tēr- ¦ rīs fī- ¦ āt tŭ-ă ¦ clāră vŏ- ¦ lūn-tās
l.6: Vī-tā- ¦ līs-qu(e) ͜
(h)ŏ-dĭ- ¦ ē sānc- ¦ tī sūb- ¦ stān-tĭ-ă ¦ pā-nĭs
l.7: Prō-vĕ-nĭ- ¦ āt nō- ¦ bīs; tŭ-ă ¦ mōx lār- ¦ gī-tiō
¦ sōl-văt
l.8: Īn-nŭ-mĕ- ¦ r(a) ͜
īn-dūl- ¦ gēns ēr- ¦ rō-rīs ¦ dē-bĭ-tă ¦ prāvī
l.9: Ēt nōs ¦ hāut ă-lĭ-¦ tēr cōn- ¦ cē-dĕ-rĕ ¦ fōe-nŏ-ră
¦ nōs-trīs
l.10: Tē-trī ¦ sāe-vă prŏ- ¦ cūl tēmp- ¦ tā-tiō
¦ dāe-mŏ-nĭs ¦ āb-sĭt
l.11: Āe-quĕ mă- ¦ līs tŭ-ă ¦ nōs īn ¦ lū-cēm ¦ dēx-tĕ-ră
¦ tōl-lăt
As an example. The
links below are to a poem V by Catullus:
[i] The first link
takes you to a completely unscanned version
http://rudy.negenborn.net/catullus/text2/l5.htm
[ii] The second
takes you to a scanned version
http://rudy.negenborn.net/catullus/text2/sc5.htm
[1] Metre
References are
made here to long and short syllables; that is discussed in the next post
Vincent describes
the verse as dactylic hexameter:
(1) a dactyl is
a long syllable followed by two short syllables: — UU
Line 1: SĪ-DĔ-RĔ-
¦ ō gĕ-nĭ- ¦ tōr rĕ-sĭ- ¦ dēns īn ¦ vēr-tĭ-cĕ ¦ cāe-lī
(2) Two short
syllables can equal one long syllable i.e. — UU = — — ; a combination of
two long syllables is known as a spondee
Sī-dĕ-rĕ- ¦ ō
gĕ-nĭ- ¦ tōr rĕ-sĭ- ¦ (2) DĒNS ĪN ¦ vēr-tĭ-cĕ ¦ cāe-lī
Combinations, six feet
of six dactyls or spondees, is known as hexameter.
[1] Sī-dĕ-rĕ- ¦
[2] ō gĕ-nĭ- ¦ [3] tōr rĕ-sĭ- ¦ [4] dēns īn ¦ [5] vēr-tĭ-cĕ ¦ [6] cāe-lī
(3) The last
syllable of a line can be long or short; this is usually indicated by X i.e. — X;
a syllable of this type is called an anceps
[i] In the first
line, the final syllable is long:
Sī-dĕ-rĕ- ¦ ō
gĕ-nĭ- ¦ tōr rĕ-sĭ- ¦ dēns īn ¦ vēr-tĭ-cĕ ¦ cāe-LĪ
[ii] In Line 2 the
final syllable is short:
Nō-mĭ-nĭs ¦
ōr-ā- ¦ mūs vĕ-nĕ- ¦ rā- tiō ¦ sānc- tĭ- fĭ- ¦ cē-TŬR
When a poem is
scanned, sometimes no mark is given above an anceps because it makes no
difference.
[iii] Note that
/i/ when it is with another vowel e.g. -iō- or -ia- can,
depending on the rhythm, be [a] similar to English /y/ and not scanned
separately, or [b] a separate vowel
sound
[a]
[l.2] vĕ-nĕ- ¦
rā- tiō [imagine ve-ne-¦ ra-tyo (or -tjo- as written
in some scans)]
[l.7] lār- ¦ gī-tiō
[l.10] tēmp- ¦ tā-tiō
[b]
[l.4] the /i/ is
scanned as an independent vowel: Ād-vĕ-nĭ- ¦ āt i.e. it is pronounced
distinctly seperately from the following /a/
[l.6] sūb- ¦ stān-tĭ-ă
[l.7] Prō-vĕ-nĭ- ¦ āt
