Ancient Wordsong Forms | Episode 08

The Be-Loving Imaginer

PODCAST #8: ANCIENT WORDSONG FORMS

by

Martin Bidney

Today the Be-loving Imaginer finds new things to be-love: the virtually extinct rhythm patterns and stanza forms of ancient Greek lyrical poems, also used with enthusiasm by Roman poets. Some of these forms were briefly and beautifully resurrected in late 18thand early 19th century Germany by Klopstock, Hölderlin, Goethe, and Schiller. But even this partial revival was never picked up by Anglo poets, and that’s why I made it a major career project to become an archeologist of ancient meters, of neglected but extremely attractive rhythms in ancient verses, which are invigorating and – singable!

Three-syllable structure units are basic to ancient verse. Popular English verse rhythms in recent centuries are largely 2-syllable units: the best known example is the iamb (la-LA, weak STRONG) as in Shakespeare’s five-beat lines (iambic pentameter). But what about the threes? Today, they’ve been largely relegated to nursery rhymes and lyrics for children (p. 26). I’ll show you four of these 3-syllable structure units in my new ancient-revival poems.

Ancient writers combine the 2s and 3s in beautiful patterns. The 3s are crucial: that’s why my book is called Bliss in Triple Rhythm.Here are four of the three-syllable structure units.

The amphibrach (weak STRONG weak, x/x) lends energy to poem 2 (p. 79). The anapest (weak weak STRONG, xx/) gives a gallop to poem 51 (p. 135). The dactyl (STRONG weak weak, /xx) shines in the sunflower of poem 100 (196). And

the amphimacer (STRONG weak STRONG /x/), rarest of the four, shows up in a comedy sequence about dieting (Intro to 100 Artisanal Tonal Poems).

Now come the ancient treats, all combos of twos and threes. (1) The “third asclepiadic” is so musical in poem 109 (p. 211), I’ll even sing it for you! (2) The “fourth asclepiadic” it not only a song but a dance – see poem 149, p. 256. (3) The “fifth asclepiadic” adds drums to the song-and-dance. (4) “Hendecasyllabic,” the 11-syllable form, is good for relaxed thinking-and-feeling (poem 174, p. 292).

With the “alcaic” the dancing gets really lively! (poem 192, p. 315). “Sapphic,” in contrast, is a smoothly flowing song (poem 234, p. 369). Poem 257 on p. 396 will let me conclude with my own freshly-invented combo of threes and fours.