#hexameter

[classics-cassandra]

The best part of talking to other classicists is when one by one you all confess to being scansion nerds

#‘have you heard of hexameter.co?’ #levels of classics tomfoolery I can’t even imagine #classics memes #tagamemnon #ancient greek #Latin #hexameter #scansion gives me serotonin #scansion

[a-passing-storm]

I hate I hate I hate getting a line that seems really easy on hexameter that has a high challenge rating. 

#the self doubt is crippling #i am 100 points away from passing my latin teacher on hexameter and i Do Not want to get this wrong #oml #latin #hexameter #dante dicit #scansion

[nefermose]

Shapeshifter is a triolet in amphibrachic hexameter dedicated to my varied nature.

Here's the poem.

Shapeshifter

The protean wanderer journeys in places both distant and hidden; They grant him formidable forms through his feelings and numerous faces. He changes appearance and follows the current to which he is bidden. The protean wanderer journeys in places both distant and hidden; Accessing the wisdom of ages – great bounties he finds there so ridden. With passion and purpose his passage is full of great people and places. The protean wanderer journeys in places both distant and hidden; They grant him formidable forms through his feelings and numerous faces.

#poetry #poems #poem #verse #meter #rhyme #amphibrachic #hexameter #persona #personality #creativity #shapeshifter #spokenenglish

[mortejchjo]

Coffeeface

Wouldn't it be crazy sharing cups of coffee

Us both drinking shots of caffeinated love

Swallowing eachother's drinks with just our eyes

And we'd sip again cause one is not enough

#my poetry #poems and poetry #poem #poet #poetry #coffee #romance #marriage #trochaic #hexameter #abcb #rhyme #literature #artists on tumblr #Valentines #valentines day #relationship

[femmeconomics]

i think it’s important everyone knows about the little roman girl who died at only five years and seven months old, and her grave reads "dum vixi, lusi" or "while i lived, i played"

#her epitaph actually has a much longer poem which contains this line #and it’s not like. stylistically high quality poetry either #which indicates this was not a poem someone was hired to write for the grave (as was a relatively common practice) #but instead written out of love by one of her family members #it’s twenty three lines of mostly correct dactylic hexameter #and it makes me bawl when i read it #we translated it in a latin class i took a few years ago and then wrote our own latin poems about our friends

[catilinas]

Tate u are a locked tomb enjoyer and poetry understander do you know how the metre works in the Noniad im rereading Harrow and im DREADFUL at following metre unless it's assonance rhyming

HI YES the noniad my best friend the noniad! it is in dactylic enneameter! which as it is used in harrow means every line has nine feet, and each foot can be either a dactyl (— u u) or a spondee (— —), except for the last two in each line which are always — u u | — x (— is a stressed syllable, u is unstressed, and x can be either).

e.g.

I am the | Emperor's | Hand; do | not thou per|sist in this | combat; | matchless am | I with the | long blade—

— u u | — u u | — — | — u u | — u u | — — | — u u | — u u | — —

there is also Often (but not always. but definitely enough that i noticed it) a diaeresis (word ending coinciding with foot ending) after the sixth foot which is. very funny to me. because dactylic enneameter is Not A Thing That Anyone Really Writes In Ever, but dactylic hexameter is the metre of greek and latin epic poetry and tamsyn muir and classics We Know About This. so the sixth foot diaereses + a noticeable number of lines having spondees in the sixth foot means that those lines read like lines of dactylic hexameter with like. an extra bit tagged on at the end. to me. but maybe i have just read too much dactylic hexameter idk

#if this isn't enough explanation tell meeeeee i love metre and can talk about it forever #DO NOT however ask me to explain why i have been spelling metre w uk spelling and hexameter enneameter etc w us spelling. #i literally could not tell you why. #tltposting #beeps

[lionofchaeronea]

For even now, when someone of mortals living on earth Seeks favor, duly performing comely sacrifices, He calls on Hecate; and great honor follows him Quite easily—him, that is, whose prayers the goddess readily Receives; and she grants him wealth, since this power is hers. καὶ γὰρ νῦν, ὅτε πού τις ἐπιχθονίων ἀνθρώπων ἔρδων ἱερὰ καλὰ κατὰ νόμον ἱλάσκηται, κικλῄσκει Ἑκάτην. πολλή τέ οἱ ἕσπετο τιμὴ ῥεῖα μάλ᾽, ᾧ πρόφρων γε θεὰ ὑποδέξεται εὐχάς, καί τέ οἱ ὄλβον ὀπάζει, ἐπεὶ δύναμίς γε πάρεστιν.

-Hesiod, Theogony 416-420

#classics #tagamemnon #Greek #Greek language #Ancient Greek #Ancient Greek language #translation #Greek translation #Ancient Greek translation #poem #poetry #poetry in translation #Hesiod #Theogony #Greek religion #Ancient Greek religion #Hellenic polytheism #Hecate #Hekate #dactylic hexameter

[luciuscaelus]

Our Story (Fanfic)

Chapter 1 Promises

“Now, sing O Muses, of that brave boy Odysseïdes, Sparta has he visit'd, Pylos twice, with Athena the wise queen…”

“Stop it,” Telemachus giggled. “You’re acting like your father.”

“No, I’m not,” said Peisistratus. “You’re acting like your father.”

“No, I’m not,” said Telemachus. “Unlike him, I don’t have many deeds to brag about.”

“Doesn’t sailing for the first time count?” Peisistratus insisted. “And if you don’t like this song I can always make a new one for you.”

“No thanks, Peisis,” Telemachus said. “At least, leave it till my birthday.”

“That I can arrange,” Peisistratus replied, seriously.

And they locked their gazes for a long time, until Telemachus finally burst out laughing. Soon Peisistratus joined him, and their laughter quickly flooded the entire palace. It died down eventually, as the two young men slowly calmed down. Then Peisistratus started:

“I’m so glad you’re here, Tele. Had it been another usual day, I’d be hunting with my brothers in the fields. Not that I don’t like hunting, it’s just that I’ve so many things to talk about and my brothers always find them either boring or childish. You might be the only one I could chat with. Ah, I wish you could visit Pylos more often.”

“Yeah,” Telemachus nodded. “It feels like such a long time since we last met…has it been two years already?”

“One whole year plus nine months, to be exact.”

“Right, I’m not gonna doubt you. After all, you’re better with this than I am.”

“That’s about the time since your father returned home, yep.”

“Before he set out again, you mean.”

“He set out again? About when?”

Telemachus sighed. “About one year and eight months ago. Said it was something concerning a prophecy someone named Teiresias told him—”

“Teiresias? The Teiresias? But isn’t he already dead?”

“Yep. My father had visited the Underworld, literally.”

Peisistratus gasped. “What—Oh my, that was some nostos your father had. Anyway has he met any great hero there? Like Theseus? Or Heracles? Or even my brother Antilochus?”

“He saw your brother there alright,” said Telemachus. “And Heracles, who even talked to him…”

“That’s so sick!” Peisistratus exclaimed. “I wonder if we’ll be having an adventure like this in the future, say, just you and me, maybe plus someone else, I don’t know.”

“You know what? It would be great!” Telemachus blinked his eyes excitedly. Why have I never thought about it before? Hanging out with my friends? It’s such a great idea! And father is going to be proud of us…

proud…

He’s going to be proud, isn’t he?

Telemachus wasn’t so sure. He remembered basically everything in that day, when his father again departed from Ithaca, this time to somewhere unknown even to himself. He remembered that it was a sunny day, that the chanting of birds was glorious, that the sweet scent of olives was mesmerizing, that the airy dance of cloud was elegant. These he remembered well, but most vividly he could recall that very scene, that very conversation—

“Father, I want to come along,” he had said. “I want to be with you wherever you go, so we can at least share some thrills and fun together.”

“No, Tele,” his father had answered, shaking his head. “I’m sorry, but I can’t bring you on board, not this time.”

“Why?” He had been so confused. “But I’ve always wanted to explore the worlds outside Ithaca, to see the giant oak in Dodona, the reputable land of Calydon, the seven gates of the famous Cadmea…I want to have an adventure, father. Just like you did.”

He remembered that look well. That look his father had gave him, those eyes with such agony, such sadness. Is it panic, panicking at the thought of his son following him down the miserable path that was meant for his own to take? Is it fear, fearing for the life and sanity of his son? Or is it sorrow, sorrowful over the naïve and innocent spirit of his 20-year-old son? Or is it pain, painful about the fact that he doesn’t even qualify as being a father, who never had the chance to see his son through the childhood, and hadn’t gotten to know this brave young man his son has become, before his fate was calling him to sail out again?

For a long time both of them didn’t speak, and the look was growing wearier and wearier and…it seemed as if another decade had passed inside his father’s mind, another decade filled with tribulations and torments. Telemachus couldn’t help but feel his regret. Regret that he ever said those words, regret that he wasn’t with his father when he needed him. The hands. He could feel his father’s hands gripping his shoulders tightly. But finally his father had lower the head, and sighed heavily. In a low voice, Odysseus had begun. “Tele, you have to understand. This cruel world is not as entertaining as it may seem, or sound in those tales. It’s dangerous out there, filled with monsters, storms, ruthless gods, and…and things that can go beyond your very imagination. Things that are so terrible, so overwhelming…”

He hadn’t finished the sentence, instead he was choked with sobs, and Telemachus had felt so guilty, and so helpless. But he had tried his best to withhold his tears, and had started to comfort his father. “Then I’ll face them bravely, father, like you would do. Like a true son of Odysseus would do.” Telemachus had put up with a smile. “As a true Odysseïdes.”

“Oh Tele…” Odysseus had moaned with tears. “Oh…for ten years I haven’t seen your face, in one month I haven’t gotten to know you better, but look, what an undaunted man you have become, when I’m away!” Finally, he had cracked into a smile. “Yes, that’s my boy!” He had said with sincere happiness, though the pain was still present in his voice. But at least, Odysseus had smiled.

And Telemachus had exhaled with relief.

“Father,” he had continued. “I wouldn’t insist if you really don’t want me along, but I need to know where you’re going, what you’re going to do, and how long I should wait for your return. Could you please tell me, just for mom’s sake and mine?”

And Odysseus had nodded. “Don’t worry about your mother, Telemachus. Penelope knows about this, and you have every right to know it as well.” He had stopped, and looked towards the western sky. As Telemachus followed his gaze, Odysseus continued. “Do you remember the story I’ve told you, about that prophet Teiresias in the Underworld? I had asked him about my fate, and he had answered:

‘…When someone else runs into you and says you've got a shovel used for winnowing on your broad shoulders, then fix that fine oar in the ground there, and make rich sacrifice to lord Poseidon with a ram, a bull, and a boar that breeds with sows. Then leave. Go home, and there make sacred offerings to the immortal gods…’

“So you see, Telemachus, I don’t know where I’ll go to, but I know what I’ll find. It may be a long voyage, or it may be short. Who knows? But I’m going anyway, because I am Laërtiades, son of the honorable Laërtes—one of the legendary Argonauts.”

“I see,” Telemachus had said. “The blood of dauntlessness runs deep in our family.”

“Precisely.” Odysseus had laughed proudly. “You, my son, will also share this honor, in the future perhaps, when you take on a journey of your own, and build your fame with your own feats. But today, the journey is mine to undertake, and with the blessing of the prophet, I’m very certain that I will make it home again.”

“Okay.” With a serious face, Telemachus had nodded. “Then I’ll try not to surpass you.”

They were both grinning when an owl started to whoop from the forest.

“Wait, dad,” Telemachus had suddenly called. “If not this time, then when?”

Odysseus had given him a slight smile. “When I return, son, I shall take you to Dodona, where the oaks are august; then we’ll visit Calydon, where twenty two heroes had once gathered to slay that giant boar; then we shall go to Thebes, where twice had the Argives waged war against, one of them being the father of a king whom I have befriended; and then,” Odysseus had patted Telemachus’s right shoulder. “Then I will bring you to Pylos again. And know that I won’t be gone for long. This is a promise.”

“Swear it on the river of Styx?”

“I swear it, on the river of Styx.”

Gradually, Telemachus had returned the smile. “Thank you, dad.” He had said, voice cracked with the bittersweet taste in his throat. “Thank you so much.”

He remembered the hug, the kiss, and the departure of his father clearly. He remembered how often he had doubted that whether his father would ever make it back again. He remembered that worried look of his mother, who had often stood by the shores of Ithaca, waiting, waiting. But he also remembered, that Odysseus had made a promise.

And here they were, in Pylos again, weren’t they?

And it only took him eight months, didn’t it?

So, there’s nothing to worry about. After all, there’s nothing that can waver the resolve of Odysseus’s homecoming. And thus he shall always return. Always.

All because of his love, and his promise.

Telemachus nodded to this fact. Love, and promise. That’s what my father was proud of. And if I have found the courage to love, to make a promise, then will Odysseus be proud of me, even with the knowledge that I may travel afar, likely into an ocean of danger, and a sea of trouble?

Then will we get to have our adventure, and get back safely? Will we get to tell our tales, and make our own story?

So to Peisistratus he said these words, with all his heart:

“And I’m sure we will. Of this I give you my promise.”

#It has stayed in the drafts for days #it’s on discord now but since I did this on tumblr might as well post it #greek mythology #tagamemnon #odysseus #telemachus #pisistratus #fanfic #fanfiction #writing #epic the musical #I’ve thought about all the chapters and yes you’re gonna see many familiar places and people #Imma explain chap 1 here a little bit #Sing O Muses? Had to be done #And it’s in dactylic hexameter #One sad thing is that Ody cannot stick around until he made that sacrifice for Poseidon #Ody staying for one month is actually from his own idea (when he was still a Cretan who claimed to know himself) #And dw the course has been plotted using three maps #I’ll calculate the time later on cuz Imma try sth like the Captain’s Log recording #Oh and the winions are considered real here #so it’s also an epic fanfic lol #I’ll see how far I can go

[fluentisonus]

*spondees your hexameter*

#<- when it's ''dactylic'' hexameter but the line is entirely spondees #thoughts

[royaladvisor]

Ex Altiora

Ex Altiora the town looks down

From the Clifftop they crown

They gaze upon Ants and think themselves so tall

Unaware of what comes before the fall

Ex Altiora from towers high

Spot a creature which tears the sky

By horizon line, it which comes slow

Seems small though it could only grow

Ignorant Men make ready upon the cliff

Drank drunk on hubris and thought it a gift

See only their chance at confronting myth

In doubled sight they miss the shift

Ex Infra gaze at its grandeur, its breadth

And build their Instruments of War

The brave still their hearts, the cowards their breath

Prepare to consign its wretched death to lore

Branching limbs flatten hills to plains

Clouds hide its emotion its gaze

The Goliaths bigger than they thought

Takes more to kill than flinging rocks

Trembling skin hides latent fear

As promised death whispers in every ear

A great God towers far above

May mythic Monsters measly measure

Against which sane eyes cannot love

Leads maddened masses down to the rocks

Those crazed few who chose to stay

To pray to which they could not slay

Watch awed as it moves past, leaves undisturbed

The cliff, the rocks, the bodies of those that threw themselves off

And in its craterous path grew new flora

To whence it came, Ex Altiora

#the magnus archives #ep 46 #poetry #the magnus protocol #Didnt write this in the style of virgil because im not a roman poet #and dyktalic hexameter is confusing

[classics-cassandra]

Me after scanning a single line (incorrectly) on hexameter.co: right that’s enough Latin for one day

#classics memes #Latin #hexameter #hexameter.co #ancient greek

[a-passing-storm]

Huzzah I think I’ve passed my Latin teacher’s best score for Hexameter. 

#i passed him on the leaderboard like before break but he said it didn't count bc i hadn't passed his best score #but i believe i have now #tee hee #i'll have to ask tomorrow #scansion #hexameter #dactylic hexameter #dante dicit #latin

[mortejchjo]

Boat on a Waveless lot of Lake

Boat on a waveless lot of lake, me and my game killed treking waters still uncharted on my own.

Still when the white pond in the black sky was descending, I was watchful for a quack or a crow.

Finally, duck calls now at last! But for some reason, in a circle of tight tall trees they had flown.

-

Trees in a circle tightly packed-in were where ducks had arbored havens as they hid deep in those homes.

This is when I then had to follow; finding one single mesquite tree in the center, all alone.

These kinds of trees thrive in an arid situation, and is never among water unless thrown.

-

Those very same ducks in a long line then had flown into the tree's cleft as if it'd been a blackhole.

After the ducks, some long horned deer, antlers like branches, went and walked onto the water liked skipped stones.

Neither their eyes, nor did my own meet. His objective's to be in that hollowed tree, strolling slow.

-

Just when the deer entered the tree, horned branches turned arboreal, now taking shapes of wooden bones.

Just as the deer had disappeared into the tree, I lost my balance as my boat was being thrown.

Now as the deer lay resting calm, me and my boat flipped and were capsized and were dragged down by grooved woes.

#poems #poems and poetry #my poetry #poetry #spoktoberpoetry #spoktober #artists on tumblr #horror #literature #rhyme #trochaic #iambic #1 trochaic + 1 iambic #hexameter #tercet #dysphemism

[sparks-chaotic-cove]

I can speak in rhyme

if there ever be a time

where tabletop curses

become real-life verses

simply a bit of thought is needed

for the curse's warning to be heeded

ever shall I rhyme

until the very time

In which I can unravel these words

into unrhyming turns

without clips of rhythm

or words like prisms

to return to the normality of everyday life

not bound by a curse that simply caused strife

#Sparkwrites #look at me go #I like poetry #thinking about actually trying to write non free-form poetry! #like practice with patterns- certain numbers of syllables #iambic pentameter and dactylic hexameter and all that fun stuff #maybe just patterns of my own! #Poetry #poetry?

[specialagentartemis]

suddenly tempted to write like. revisionist Greek epic fanfic(?). In dactylic hexameter. Mostly so my opening invocation to the Muses can include the line “Clever Calliope guide me, and dutiful Clio forgive me” which lbr a preemptive apology to Clio the Muse of History should be standard procedure in Greek Myth Retellings

#‘Do not write in dactylic hexameter’ you may say #‘There was a whole recurring joke/subplot in Harrow the Ninth about how much dactylic hexameter sucks in English’ you may say #And this is true

[lionofchaeronea]

For easily he grants one strength, easily kneecaps the strong, Easily shrinks the seen-by-all and increases the unseen, Easily makes the crooked straight and withers the courageous-- Zeus the Thunderer-on-High, who dwells within the highest halls. ῥέα μὲν γὰρ βριάει, ῥέα δὲ βριάοντα χαλέπτει, ῥεῖα δ᾽ ἀρίζηλον μινύθει καὶ ἄδηλον ἀέξει, ῥεῖα δέ τ᾽ ἰθύνει σκολιὸν καὶ ἀγήνορα κάρφει Ζεὺς ὑψιβρεμέτης, ὃς ὑπέρτατα δώματα ναίει. -Hesiod, Works and Days 5-8

#classics #tagamemnon #Greek #Greek language #Ancient Greek #Ancient Greek language #translation #poem #poetry #poetry in translation #Greek poetry #Ancient Greek poetry #Hesiod #Works and Days #Ancient Greece #Archaic Greece #didactic poetry #dactylic hexameter #Greek religion #Ancient Greek religion #Hellenic polytheism #Zeus