Greek tragedy

by Gilbert Norwood

– ⏑ – ⏑ ⏑ – ⏑ ⏑ ⏑ – – ⏑ – ⏑ – ⏑ ᷋
εις αρ | Ιφιγεν|ειαν | Ελενης | νοστος | ην πεπρ|ωμεν|οςꞈ (Iph. Aul., 882).

The anapæst is commoner (there is a proper-name instance in the line just quoted):—

– ⏑ ⏑ ⏑ – – ⏑ – – ⏑ ⏑ ⏑ – ⏑ – ⏑ –
ως νιν | ικετευσ|ω με | σωσαι | το γε δικ|αιον | ωδ εχ|ειꞈ (Orestes, 797).

– ⏑ – ⏑ ⏑ ⏑ ⏑ – – – ⏑ ⏑ ⏑ – – ⏑ ᷋
και συ | μητερ | αθεμιτ|ον σοι | μητρος | ονομαζ|ειν καρ|αꞈ (Phœn., 612).

There is no rule as to cæsura. The end of the fourth foot regularly coincides with the end of a word; such an arrangement is named diæresis.[869] In all extant tragedy only one certain exception to this rule is found:—

– ⏑ – – – ⏑ – – – ⏑ – – – ⏑ ᷋
ει δοκ|ει στειχ|ωμεν | ω γενν|αιον | ειρηκ|ως επ|οςꞈ (Philoctetes, 1402).

Since diæresis is practically always found in so many hundreds of lines, being preserved even in the loosest writing of Euripides, why should we regard the recognized trochaic verse as an unity? Why not write, e.g.:—

οὐ γὰρ ἂν ξυμβαῖμεν ἄλλως

ἢ ’πὶ τοῖς εἰρημένοις,

ὥστ’ ἐμὲ σκήπτρων κρατοῦντα