Hemistichion

Hemistichion ( Greek  ἡμιστίχιον "half verse"; also hemistichium ; plural hemistichia ) is half of a verse line divided by caesura in the (ancient) verse , for example the hemiepes as half a hexameter or the two half-verses of the Alexandrian . This corresponds in the Germanic poetry Anvers or Abvers of the long line , which are often referred to as half verse . A shortened closing line that is about half the length of the rest of a stanza is also called a half-verse.

In verse drama , hemistichias are created by dividing a verse among alternating speakers ( hemistichomythy ).

literature

• Dieter Burdorf, Christoph Fasbender , Burkhard Moennighoff (Hrsg.): Metzler Lexicon literature. Terms and definitions. 3. Edition. Metzler, Stuttgart 2007, ISBN 978-3-476-01612-6 , p. 329.
• Gero von Wilpert : Subject dictionary of literature. 8th edition. Kröner, Stuttgart 2013, ISBN 978-3-520-84601-3 , p. 336.