D. THE NUMBER OF SYLLABLES IN SPANISH VERSE

Spanish verse may consist of any number of syllables from two up to sixteen. All must have an accent on the next to the last syllable.

  1. Dissyllabic Verse: A dissyllabic verse may be composed of a single word (either aguda, llana, or esdrújula).
  2. Ex. ¡Duerme! p. 173, XXVII, l. 13.
  3. There can be no supernumerary accents.
  4. Trisyllabic Verse: A verse of three syllables can have no supernumerary accent, for the accent would be obstruccionista.
  5. Ex. Suspira.
  6. Tetrasyllable Verse: A verse of four syllables must have an accent on the third syllable. There may or may not be a supernumerary accent on the first.
  7. Ex. De ese brío.
  8. Pentasyllabic Verse: A verse of five syllables must have an accent on the fourth. It may or may not have a supernumerary accent on the first or second syllable.
  10. Ex. Rumor sonóro, p. I 70, XV, l. 3.
    1. Obligatory (constituent) accents.
    2. Facultative (supernumerary) accents.
    3. A necessary termination in a combination of an unaccented plus an accented plus an unaccented syllable (— / —). The dissyllable is the only exception.
  11. Adonic verse is a pentasyllable with necessary accents on the first and fourth syllables.
  12. Ex. Céfiro blando. Villegas.
  13. Hexasyllabic Verse: A verse of six syllables must have an accent on the fifth. There may or may not be supernumerary accents, but never on the fourth syllable.
    1. Verses of eleven syllables are used with those of seven or of five syllables.
    2. Verses of eight syllables are used with those of four syllables.
    3. Verses of ten syllables are used with those of twelve (p. 164, I); and also with those of six (p. 167, VII). These meters lend themselves to regularly recurring stress more readily than any others.
  14. 5
    Ex. Y^entre^aquella sombra
    2 5
    Veíase^á^intérvalos
    3 5
    Dibujarse rígida
    2 5
    La forma del cuerpo    , p. 188, LXXIII, ll. 13–16.
  15. Heptasyllabic Verse: A verse of seven syllables must have an accent on the sixth, and at least one other necessary accent, which may be on any syllable except the fifth.
  16. 2 6
    Ex. Su mano^entre mis manos,
    2 6
    Sus ojos en mis ojos    , p. 179, XL, ll. 1–2.
  17. Octosyllabic Verse: A verse of eight syllables must have an accent on the seventh, and at least one other accent, which may fall on any syllable except the sixth.
  18. 1 4 7
    Ex. Hojas del árbol caídas
    2 5 7
    Juguetes al viento son.     Espronceda.
  19. Hendecasyllabic verse: There are two classes of hendecasyllables.
  20. First Class: Verses of eleven syllables which have the sixth syllable and the tenth syllable stressed are hendecasyllables of the first class.
  21. Ex. Los invisibles 'átomos del 'aire, p. 168, X, l. 1.
  23. Hendecasyllables of the first class may have supernumerary accents on other syllables, provided they do not fall upon the fifth or ninth.
  24. Ex. Los sus'pires son 'aire, y van al 'aire.
    Las 'lágrimas son 'agua, y van al 'mar.     p. 178, XXXVIII, ll. 1–2.
  25. Second Class: Hendecasyllables of the second class are eleven-syllable verses with the accent on the fourth, eighth, and tenth syllables. There may be accents on other syllables, provided that they be not obstruccionistas.
  26. Ex. Olas gi'gantes qu^e^os rom'péis bra'mando, p. 183, LII, l. 1.
  27. If it is difficult to classify a hendecasyllable because it has accents on the fourth, sixth, eighth, and tenth syllables, one must decide on the prominence of the accents from pauses, or from emphasis. The hendecasyllable,
  28. La vida es 'corta, 'sí; muy 'largo el 'arte,
  29. would belong to the first class on account of the emphasis of sí, while the verse,
  30. La vida es 'corta, 'corta; 'largo el 'arte,
  31. would belong to the second class on account of the pause after the fourth and the emphasis on the eighth. The accent on the sixth is, then, not constituent, but supernumerary.
  32. All meters thus far have
  33. The facultative accent is opposed to the regular recurrence in each line of dissyllabic and trisyllabic elements, which elements caused the rhythm of Latin verse.
  35. Spanish rhythm is a rhythm of series, of strophes, not a rhythm of regularly recurring accents within a verse.
  36. Verses of ten or twelve syllables, however, lend themselves more readily to rhythm from regularly recurring stress.
  37. Decasyllabic Verse: A verse of ten syllables may be formed by the triple repetition of the trisyllable — — /. One extra unaccented syllable is admissible when the verse is llano; and two when the verse is esdrújulo.
  38. Scheme:
  39. — — / — — / — — , agudo.
    — — / — — , — — , — llano.
    — — / — — / — — / — — esdrújulo.
  40. Dodecasyllable Verse: A verse of twelve syllables, with the stress on the second, fifth, eighth, and eleventh syllables, makes a dodecasyllable of amphibrachs. This dodecasyllable has a short metrical pause after the sixth syllable, and a longer one after the twelfth.
  41. Scheme:
  42. — / — — / — || — / — — / agudo.
    — / — — / — || — / — — / — llano.
    — / — — / — / — — / — — esdrújulo.
  43. Verses of different length do not readily intermingle. There are some measures, however, which are used much together.

Ex. ¡Duerme! p. 173, XXVII, l. 13.

Ex. Suspira.

Ex. De ese brío.

Ex. Rumor sonóro, p. I 70, XV, l. 3.

Ex. Céfiro blando. Villegas.

5
Ex. Y^entre^aquella sombra
2 5
Veíase^á^intérvalos
3 5
Dibujarse rígida
2 5
La forma del cuerpo, p. 188, LXXIII, ll. 13–16.

2 6
Ex. Su mano^entre mis manos,
2 6
Sus ojos en mis ojos, p. 179, XL, ll. 1–2.