Galliambic verse
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 resolution) 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 | ×
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
- White, John Tahourdin. A Latin Grammar (original ed.). §230: 1852, Oxford University. p. 342. Retrieved March 31, 2020.CS1 maint: location (link)
- Merriam Webster, Merriam Webster. "Merriam Webster". Merriam Webster. Merriam Webster. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
- "Boadicea - Alfred Lord Tennyson". www.poemhunter.com. Retrieved 2017-02-07.
- 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.