Latin Poetic Meter

Salvete, Latin Quattour!

This blog will be a place where we can post questions, comments, translations, inspiration, etc. about the poetry we're reading this year.


I want to get started by giving you some background information on poetic meter. Understanding the meter of a poem can add to its meaning in significant and interesting ways. Once you understand how typical meter looks, it's easier for you to see how it can be manipulated to enhance the meaning of the literature.

Start by viewing this PowerPoint presentation (made by another Latin teacher) that introduces you to meter and how to scan lines:

teacher.ocps.net/jodi.katz/media/howtoscanpoetryinlatin.ppt

Next, read the 1 page summary of scanning meter on this page:
http://www.haverford.edu/classics/courses/2008S/latn202/handouts/ScanningGuide.pdf

Then, listen to Catullus 8 read aloud by a speaker who is emphasizing the meter:
http://rudy.negenborn.net/catullus/spoken/sc8.mp3

Next, look at the first part of this handout (stop before the section on Martial). Read how choliambic meter works. Then try to scan the lines given with the correct meter.
http://www.haverford.edu/classics/courses/2005F/lat001/handouts/scansion_practice_Catullus8.pdf

Finally (save this for last!) go to this page that has the full text of Catullus 8 with the long and short syllables marked and see if it matches with what you did for the lines given on the previous site.

http://rudy.negenborn.net/catullus/text2/sc8.htm

Feel free to come back to this page at any time to review the different meters and methods for scansion.
Don't you feel so much smarter now??