Template:Refimprove A choriamb is a metron (prosodic foot) found in both Ancient Greek and Latin poetry.
Classical Form[]
A choriamb consists of four syllables in the pattern long-short-short-long (— ‿ ‿ —), that is, equivalent to a trochee alternating with an iamb. Choriambs are one of the two basic metra[1] that do not occur in spoken verse, as distinguished from true lyric or sung verse.[2] The choriamb is sometimes regarded as the "nucleus" of Aeolic verse, because the pattern long-short-short-long pattern occurs, but to label this a "choriamb" is potentially misleading.[3]
Form in English[]
In the prosody of English and other modern European languages, "choriamb" is sometimes used to describe four-syllable sequence of the pattern stressed-unstressed-unstressed-stressed (again, a trochee followed by an iamb): for example, "over the hill", "under the bridge", and "what a mistake!".
In English, the choriamb is often used in iambic verse following caesura or break, as here in Keats' Ode to Autumn:
- SEAson of MISTS and MELLow FRUITfulNESS
[...]
- DROWS'D with the FUME of POPpies, WHILE thy HOOK
- SPARES the next SWATH and All its TWINed FLOWers:
[...}
- STEADy thy LADen HEAD aCROSS a BROOK;
Substituting a choriamb for two iambs is called choriambic substitution. Since it is equivalent to substituting a trochee for an iamb in the first foot, choriambic substitution is also known as trochaic inversion.
See also[]
- meter (poetry)
- Aeolic verse
- Glossary of poetry terms
References[]
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it:Coriambo