Septenar

A septenary ( Latin septenarius "seven parts") is Verslehre one of seven Versfüßen existing meter . In metric formula notation , the septum is identified by the superscript number 7 after the abbreviation of the foot of the verse.

The term Heptapodie ( Greek  ἑπτάπους “seven feet”) is also largely synonymous , the term Septenar being used more in the area of ​​Latin poetry, the term Heptapody more in the area of ​​Greek poetry.

Examples of septa in Latin poetry are:

• Iambic Septenary (yes ⁷):

× —ˌ ​​× —ˌ × —ˌ◡ ◠  ‖ × —ˌ × —ˌ × —ˌ ◠

• Trochaic septary (tr ⁷) with caesura (‖) after the fourth foot:

—◡ˌ— × ˌ — ◡ˌ— ◠  ‖ —◡ˌ— × ˌ — ◡ˌ ◠

• Anapästischer septenary (on ⁷):

◡◡ —ˌ ◡◡ —ˌ ◡◡ —ˌ ◡◡ ◠  ‖  ◡◡ —ˌ ◡◡ —ˌ ◡◡ —ˌ ◠

In the case of monopodic feet, in which the foot corresponds to the metron , the septary and heptapody would in principle be the same as a heptameter , i.e. a meter consisting of seven meters. Examples of such heptameters are not documented in ancient poetry.

The dipodischen Versfüßen iambic , trochee and anapest in which one of two Metron Versfüßen exists, the septenary may as brachykatalektischer Tetrameter be interpreted.

Modern replica

In English, heptameter refers to the heptapody or the septa. An example of the iambic septa is found in Byron's poems :

Tis but as i vy- leaves a round the ru ined tur ret wreathe ,

All green and wild ly fresh with out , but worn and gray be neath .

O could I feel as I have felt , or be what I have been ,

Or weep as I could once have wept o'er man y a van ished scene , -

As springs in des erts found seem sweet , all brack ish though they be ,

So midst the with ered waste of life , those tears would flow to me !

German translation:

Only we res e feu sheet by looping the al th tower as wreath ,

It schim mert green , but in NEN lack of fri rule Lau bes gloss .

O feels ' I but what I once sentient te, Please consider what I once was ,

Can ' white nen quite as once whether Peek ' ger Zei th pale and rare -

And sweet as Wues th wass it seems , even if it is CH ter Lich ,

So shoot nen in the to th Le ben Trä NEN sweet for me !

In German poetry, the Septenar was copied by August Wilhelm Schlegel in Ion , by Goethe in Faust II and by August Graf Platen in his literary comedies.

It should be noted that in ancient metrics the complete feet of the verse count. In the replica of the Trochaic septum, for example in the following verse from Faust II

A famous tas te you to flows gen, free he flight is you ver says

—◡ˌ — ◡ˌ — ◡ˌ — ◡ ‖ —◡ˌ — ◡ˌ — ◡ˌ—

therefore the verse has eight and not seven exaltations.

literature

• Sandro Boldrini : Prosody and Metrics of the Romans. Teubner, Stuttgart & Leipzig 1999, ISBN 3-519-07443-5 .
• Dieter Burdorf , Christoph Fasbender , Burkhard Moennighoff (ed.): Metzler Lexicon Literature. Terms and definitions. 3rd edition Metzler, Stuttgart 2007, ISBN 978-3-476-01612-6 , pp. 336, 749.

Individual evidence

1. ^ Byron: Stanzas for Music. "There's not a joy the world can give like that it takes away" . In: Works of Lord Byron (ed. Ernest Hartley Coleridge), Poetry Vol. 3. London 1904, pp. 424f.
2. ↑ Goethe: Faust II . 3rd act, v. 9608.