Galliambic verse

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Versus Galliambicus (Latin), or the Galliambic Verse (English), is a verse built from the Ionic à minore dimeter catalectic verse, as it is a verse added upon an Ionic à minori dimeter base.[1] The Galliambic verse consists of two iambic dimeters catalectic of which the last one lacks the final syllable. It is structured with four Ionic à minore feet that is varied by resolutio) or contraction. This metre, is also meant for the goddess Cybele. In Latin galliambus, is a song of the priests of Cybele, the ancient nature goddess of Anatolia.[2]

The Galliambic metre is constructed as shown below: 

uu | uu u uu u | – – || uu | uu u uu u | ×
  • "x" represents an anceps
  • a "u" represents a short syllable
  • a "—" represents a long syllable
  • a "uu" can be either 2 short syllables or 1 long syllable
  • the "||" represents the caesura of the verse

Examples[]

The Galliambic Verse is found in Catullus 63:

  • "()" represents a synaloepha
 u u  | -  u  -  u  | -  -  || u u  -  u u  u u|u
Sŭpĕr | āltă vēctŭs | Āttĭs || cĕlĕrī rătĕ mărĭ|ă 
 u   u    | -  u  -   u| - - || u u | -  u u  u u |u
Phrygĭ(um)| ūt nĕmŭs cĭ|tātō || cŭpĭ|dē pĕdĕ tĕtĭg|ĭt

- Catullus 63, lines 1-2

Variations[]

As the Galliambic meter admits substitutions of two short syllables for a long one, there are variations on how this verse is structured on different sentences.

this is one type of variation of the Galliambic verse[]

 u u | - u  u u  u |-  - ||  u u|-   u u  | u u |-
stĭmŭ|lātŭs ĭbĭ fŭr|entī || răbĭ|ē, văgŭs | ănĭm|ī,

-Catullus 63, Line 4

this is another type variation of the Galliambic verse[]

u u | u u u   u     u u |-  -   || u     u|  - u   u u  u|u
Ĕgŏ | mŭlĭĕr, ĕg(o) ădŏl|ēscēns,|| ĕg(o) ĕ|phēbŭs, ĕgŏ pŭ|ĕr

- Catullus 63, Line 63

this is another type of variation of the Galliambic verse[]

u u |  u u u  - u      - - ||  u     u -  u  u u  u| u
ĕgŏ | vĭrĭdĭs ălgĭ(da) Īdǣ || nĕv(e) ămĭctă lŏcă cŏ|lăm.

- Catullus 63, Line 70

Modern use[]

Alfred, Lord Tennyson used the Galliambic metre for his poem, Boadicea[3].

Although Catullus 63 is not typically translated directly into Galliambics, as they present more of a challenge in English, Peter Green did so for his 2005 edition of the complete poems of Catullus.[4]

References[]

  1. ^ White, John Tahourdin (1852). A Latin Grammar (original ed.). §230: 1852, Oxford University. p. 342. Retrieved March 31, 2020.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  2. ^ Merriam Webster, Merriam Webster. "Merriam Webster". Merriam Webster. Merriam Webster. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
  3. ^ "Boadicea - Alfred Lord Tennyson". www.poemhunter.com. Retrieved 2017-02-07.
  4. ^ Green, Peter (2005). The Poems of Catullus: A Bilingual Edition. Berkeley, California: University of California Press. pp. xi. ISBN 0-520-24264-5. Someone bet me I couldn't do a version of 63... into English galliambics ... I took the bet... my version was accepted.


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