Introductory
post:
Okay, now let's do a little jump down to Greece, with thanks to Lewis Turco and his Book of Forms.
Alcaics is a accentual-syllabic Greek quatrain (four-line) stanza form.
Lines 1 & 2 are eleven syllables each, made up of:
An acephalous iamb.
This means the word is 'headless' - merely a fancy way of saying that
it is the accented syllable that is left - the unaccented first
syllable has been dropped. This 'headless' one is followed by two trochees and two dactyls, in that order. (TA-ta TA-ta, TA-ta-ta TA-ta-ta)
Line 3 is nine syllables, made up of an acephalous iamb followed by four trochees. (TA-ta x 4)
Line 4 is 10 syllables: two dactyls followed by two trochees. (TA-ta-ta TA-ta-ta, TA-ta TA-ta)
There is no limit to the number of stanzas and no requirement to rhyme.
Diagrammed it would appear:
' | '~ | '~ | ' ~ ~ | ' ~ ~
x xx xx xxx xxx
' | '~ | '~ | ' ~ ~ | ' ~ ~
x xx xx xxx xxx
' | ' ~ | ' ~ | ' ~ | ' ~
x xx xx xx xx
' ~ ~ | ' ~ ~ | ' ~ | ' ~
xxx xxx xx xx
A small example, thinking on my cat this morning:
Tuna
O feline huntress stalking the tuna-can,
O rubbing dancer twining the opener,
I, bending downward, receive caress,
Purringly, eagerly, weakness confess.
