- Dactyl (poetry)
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Metrical feet Disyllables ˘ ˘ pyrrhus, dibrach ˘ ¯ iamb ¯ ˘ trochee, choree ¯ ¯ spondee Trisyllables ˘ ˘ ˘ tribrach ¯ ˘ ˘ dactyl ˘ ¯ ˘ amphibrach ˘ ˘ ¯ anapest, antidactylus ˘ ¯ ¯ bacchius ¯ ¯ ˘ antibacchius ¯ ˘ ¯ cretic, amphimacer ¯ ¯ ¯ molossus See main article for tetrasyllables. v · foot in meter in poetry. In quantitative verse, such as Greek or Latin, a dactyl is a long syllable followed by two short syllables, as determined by syllable weight. In accentual verse, such as English, it is a stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables—the opposite is the anapaest (two unstressed followed by a stressed syllable). The word "poetry" is itself a dactyl, as pointed out in the New York Times Crossword Puzzle (Will Shortz, ed.) for May 31, 2006. A useful mnemonic for remembering this long-short-short pattern is to consider the relative lengths of the three bones of a human finger: beginning at the knuckle, it is one long bone followed by two shorter ones (hence the name "dactyl").
An example of dactylic meter is the first line of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem Evangeline, which is in dactylic hexameter:
- This is the / forest prim- / eval. The / murmuring / pines and the / hem locks,
The first five feet of the line are dactyls; the sixth a spondee.
Stephen Fry quotes Robert Browning's The Lost Leader as an example of the use of dactylic metre to great effect, creating verse with "great rhythmic dash and drive":[1]
- Just for a handful of silver he left us
- Just for a riband to stick in his coat
The first three feet in both lines are dactyls.
Another example: the opening lines of Whitman's "Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking" (1859), his poem about the birth of his poetic voice:
- Out of the cradle, endlessly rocking [a dactyl, followed by a trochee ('cradle'); then another dactyl followed by a trochee ('rocking']
- Out of the mockingbird's throat, the musical shuttle [2 dactyls, then a trochee ('throat, the'); then another dactyl, followed by a trochee]
- . . .
The dactyl "out of the..." becomes a pulse that rides through the entire poem, often generating the beginning of each new line, even though the poem as a whole, as is typical for Whitman, is extremely varied and "free" in its use of metrical feet.
Dactyls are the metrical foot of Greek elegiac poetry, which followed a line of dactylic hexameter with dactylic pentameter.
References
- ^ Stephen Fry (2006), The ode less travelled: unlocking the poet within, Gotham, p. 84, ISBN 9781592402489, http://books.google.com/books?id=3XNSOV9VOhMC&pg=PA84&dq=%22just+for+a+handful+of+silver+he+left+us%22
Categories:- Metrical feet
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Dactyl — may refer to: Dactyl (mythology), a creature in Greek mythology Dactyl (poetry), a metrical foot consisting of one long syllable and two short Dactyl (moon), the small natural satellite orbiting the asteroid Ida Finger, in medical terminology,… … Wikipedia
Dactyl — /dak til/, n., pl. Dactyls, Dactyli / ti luy /. Class. Myth. any of a number of beings dwelling on Mount Ida and working as metalworkers and magicians. Also, Daktyl. [ < Gk Dáktyloi (Idaîoi) (Idaean) craftsmen or wizards (pl. of DÁKTYLOS; see… … Universalium
Poetry analysis — is the process of investigating a poem s form, content, and history in an informed way, with the aim of heightening one s own and others understanding and appreciation of the work.The words poem and poetry derive from the Greek poiēma (to make)… … Wikipedia
dactyl — ► NOUN Poetry ▪ a metrical foot consisting of one stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables. DERIVATIVES dactylic adjective. ORIGIN Greek daktulos finger (the three bones of the finger corresponding to the three syllables) … English terms dictionary
Poetry — This article is about the art form. For other uses, see Poetry (disambiguation). Literature Major forms Novel · Poem · Drama Short story · Novella … Wikipedia
Poetry — (Roget s Thesaurus) < N PARAG:Poetry >N GRP: N 1 Sgm: N 1 poetry poetry poetics poesy Muse Calliope tuneful Nine Parnassus Helicon Pierides Pierian spring GRP: N 2 Sgm: N 2 versification versifica … English dictionary for students
poetry — I (New American Roget s College Thesaurus) Expression in poems Nouns 1. poetry, ars poetica, poesy, poeticism, poetics, metrics; balladry, the gay science; Muse, Calliope, Erato; versification, rhyming, prosody, orthometry, scansion. See writing … English dictionary for students
dactyl — /dak til/, n. 1. Pros. a foot of three syllables, one long followed by two short in quantitative meter, or one stressed followed by two unstressed in accentual meter, as in gently and humanly. 2. a finger or toe. [1350 1400; ME < L dactylus < Gk… … Universalium
dactyl — UK [ˈdæktɪl] / US [ˈdækt(ə)l] noun [countable] Word forms dactyl : singular dactyl plural dactyls literature a section of a line of poetry that consists of one syllable (= part of a word) that you emphasize when speaking followed by two syllables … English dictionary
dactyl — dac|tyl [ˈdæktıl US tl] n [Date: 1300 1400; : Latin; Origin: dactylus, from Greek daktylos finger (because of the length of the three finger joints)] a repeated sound pattern in poetry, consisting of one long sound followed by two short sounds,… … Dictionary of contemporary English
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Dactyl (poetry)
- Dactyl (poetry)
-
Metrical feet Disyllables ˘ ˘ pyrrhus, dibrach ˘ ¯ iamb ¯ ˘ trochee, choree ¯ ¯ spondee Trisyllables ˘ ˘ ˘ tribrach ¯ ˘ ˘ dactyl ˘ ¯ ˘ amphibrach ˘ ˘ ¯ anapest, antidactylus ˘ ¯ ¯ bacchius ¯ ¯ ˘ antibacchius ¯ ˘ ¯ cretic, amphimacer ¯ ¯ ¯ molossus See main article for tetrasyllables.