645:(stating that words of the rhythm – – u x are avoided at the end or beginning of a line), have been discovered since Porson's time. These laws apply to different styles or periods of iambic-trimeter writing (neither of the first two bridges mentioned above apply in tragedy, for example). Details of these and other constraints on the trimeter are given in a 1981 article by A.M. Devine and L.D. Stephens.
545:, this line is irregular, since -τοις in νώτοις is long, occurs at the third anceps, and is followed by word break; it therefore breaks the law which Porson later formulated, and it is unlikely that Euripides wrote it as it stands. That the manuscript tradition is incorrect happens to be confirmed by a quotation of this line in a fragmentary papyrus of
657:
suggested an explanation for all these laws in that it is possible that the last long syllable in any Greek word had a slight stress; if so, then to put a stress on the first element of the last iambic metron, or the second element of the 4th or fifth dactylic foot in a hexameter, would create an
553:
to read ὁ χαλκέοισι οὐρανὸν νώτοις Ἄτλας (meaning the same as L's version), which does not break Porson's Law, and therefore may be the correct text. Other scholars have suggested other possibilities as to what
Euripides may originally have written.
464:
In tragedy, as West observes, there are very few breaches of Porson's Law. When the manuscript tradition, therefore, transmits a line that breaches Porson's Law, this is taken as a reason for suspecting that it may be corrupt.
665:, is that in certain contexts some long syllables in Greek had a longer duration than others, and this may have made them unsuitable for the anceps position of the third metron of a trimeter.
344:
states it slightly differently, to take account of a rare situation not accounted for by Porson, where the word-break is followed rather than preceded by a monosyllable (e.g. Euripides,
653:
Similar laws which have been discovered in the dactylic hexameter are that if a word ends the fifth or fourth foot it is almost never, or only rarely, a spondee (– –). The philologist
354:"When the anceps of the third metron is occupied by a long syllable, this syllable and the one following belong to the same word, unless one of them is a monosyllable."
232:
285:
The law states that if a non-monosyllabic word ends on the 9th element of an iambic trimeter, the 9th element must be a short syllable.
633:(stating that an iambic word, i.e. a word of shape u –, tends to be avoided in positions 9 and 10 in the iambic trimeter), (b)
225:
562:
In comedy, on the other hand, breaches of Porson's Law are very frequent, for example the following from
Aristophanes'
337:
trimeter ends in a word forming a cretic (– u –), this is regularly preceded by a short syllable or by a monosyllable."
474:, as transmitted in the mediaeval manuscript Laurentianus 32.2 (known as "L"), the main source for the play, reads:
218:
363:
Some examples of normal tragic trimeters which do not break Porson's Law are the following from
Sophocles'
641:(stating that a trochaic word, of shape – u, tends to be avoided in positions 8 and 9), and (d) the
61:
829:
76:
22:
346:
81:
763:
8:
186:
156:
111:
71:
41:
541:
As Porson observed in his note on line 347 in his first (1797) edition of
Euripides'
534:
637:(stating that a spondaic word, of shape – –, is avoided in the same position), (c)
269:
201:
181:
136:
654:
253:
191:
171:
166:
86:
66:
51:
46:
265:
141:
116:
806:
823:
322:
318:
above) is long and followed by a word break, then it must be a monosyllable.
278:
257:
161:
121:
36:
31:
549:. Philodemus' exact original text is uncertain, but it is reconstructed by
261:
131:
96:
56:
661:
An alternative hypothesis, supported by Devine and
Stephens in their book
126:
550:
546:
470:
341:
609:
582:
523:
439:
411:
383:
273:
206:
151:
658:
undesirable conflict of ictus and accent near the end of the line.
146:
106:
101:
91:
314:
Porson's Law states that, if the third anceps (i.e. the bolded
311:
elements, marked by the symbol x. These may be long or short.
307:
176:
598:
570:
537:, who with his back of bronze against heaven... (trans. Lee)
512:
427:
399:
371:
436:(9th element ends a word and is long, but is a monosyllable)
629:
Several other similar laws or tendencies, such as (a)
288:
422:"Did you give this man the boy he is asking about?"
620:"Even when he's asleep he dreams of horse-riding!"
821:
394:"I was a slave, not bought but reared at home"
380:(9th element is long, but does not end a word)
450:"I gave him – I wish I had died on that day!"
226:
321:A simpler summary of the Law is provided in
454:
293:A line of iambic trimeter runs as follows:
792:A.M. Devine, Laurence D. Stephens, (1994)
468:For example, the first line of Euripides'
260:. It does not apply to iambic trimeter in
233:
219:
762:A.M. Devine, Lawrence D. Stephens (1981)
648:
683:Supplementum ad Praefationem ad Hecubam
593:"May you die, o war, for many reasons!"
408:(9th element ends a word, but is short)
822:
796:(Oxford University Press), pp. 119-20.
711:: Oxford: Clarendon Press (1987), p.25
807:"Review of Devine and Stephens (1994)
624:
579:(9th element is long and ends a word)
722:Richard Porson: A Biographical Essay
252:, is a metrical law that applies to
13:
768:Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies
14:
841:
289:Different formulations of the law
305:In this scheme, there are three
16:Feature of Ancient Greek prosody
799:
737:Ion: Aris and Phillips (1997),
698:, Macmillan (1895), p.358 §1660
358:
786:
773:
764:"Bridges in the Iambographers"
756:
743:
727:
714:
701:
688:
675:
413:tòn paîd᾽ édōkas tôid᾽ hòn hoû
1:
459:
668:
557:
7:
794:The Prosody of Greek Speech
783:(2nd edition), pp. 120-123.
709:Introduction to Greek Metre
663:The Prosody of Greek Speech
441:édōk᾽: olésthai d᾽ ṓphelon
401:τὸν παῖδ᾽ ἔδωκας τῷδ᾽ ὃν οὗ
256:, the main spoken metre of
10:
846:
811:Bryn Mawr Classical Review
611:oneiropoleî gàr kaì katheú
599:
571:
513:
428:
400:
372:
600:ὀνειροπολεῖ γὰρ καὶ καθεύ
584:apóloio dêt᾽ ô póleme pol
572:ἀπόλοιο δῆτ᾽ ὦ πόλεμε πολ
429:ἔδωκ᾽: ὀλέσθαι δ᾽ ὤφελον
455:Breaches of Porson's Law
62:Latin rhythmic hexameter
779:W. Sidney Allen (1974)
525:Átlas, ho khalkéoisi nṓ
385:ê doûlos ouk ōnētós, al
373:ἦ δοῦλος οὐκ ὠνητός, ἀλ
264:. It was formulated by
77:Metres of Roman comedy
805:Fortson, B.W. (1995)
720:Clarke, M.L., (1937)
649:Possible explanations
643:law of tetrasyllables
639:Knox's Trochee Bridge
514:Ἄτλας, ὁ χαλκέοισι νώ
23:Greek and Latin metre
297:x – u – / x – u – /
82:Trochaic septenarius
635:Wilamowitz's Bridge
631:Knox's Iamb Bridge
625:Other similar laws
187:Resolution (meter)
157:Anaclasis (poetry)
112:Asclepiad (poetry)
72:Saturnian (poetry)
42:Dactylic hexameter
243:
242:
837:
814:
803:
797:
790:
784:
777:
771:
760:
754:
747:
741:
731:
725:
718:
712:
705:
699:
692:
686:
679:
617:
606:
605:
590:
578:
577:
531:
520:
519:
508:
504:
500:
496:
492:
488:
484:
480:
447:
435:
434:
419:
407:
406:
391:
379:
378:
365:Oedipus Tyrannus
270:critical edition
235:
228:
221:
202:Arsis and thesis
182:Biceps (prosody)
137:Galliambic verse
19:
18:
845:
844:
840:
839:
838:
836:
835:
834:
820:
819:
818:
817:
804:
800:
791:
787:
778:
774:
761:
757:
748:
744:
732:
728:
719:
715:
706:
702:
694:Goodwin, W. W.
693:
689:
680:
676:
671:
655:W. Sidney Allen
651:
627:
560:
506:
502:
498:
494:
490:
486:
482:
478:
462:
457:
361:
291:
254:iambic trimeter
250:Porson's Bridge
239:
192:Brevis brevians
172:Brevis in longo
167:Metron (poetry)
87:Hendecasyllable
67:Iambic trimeter
52:Alcmanian verse
47:Elegiac couplet
17:
12:
11:
5:
843:
833:
832:
816:
815:
798:
785:
772:
755:
749:Aristophanes,
742:
726:
713:
700:
687:
673:
672:
670:
667:
650:
647:
626:
623:
622:
621:
618:
607:
595:
594:
591:
580:
559:
556:
539:
538:
532:
521:
510:
461:
458:
456:
453:
452:
451:
448:
437:
424:
423:
420:
409:
396:
395:
392:
381:
360:
357:
356:
355:
339:
338:
303:
302:
290:
287:
266:Richard Porson
241:
240:
238:
237:
230:
223:
215:
212:
211:
210:
209:
204:
199:
194:
189:
184:
179:
174:
169:
164:
159:
154:
149:
144:
142:Sotadean metre
139:
134:
129:
124:
119:
117:Sapphic stanza
114:
109:
104:
99:
94:
89:
84:
79:
74:
69:
64:
59:
54:
49:
44:
39:
34:
26:
25:
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
842:
831:
830:Poetic rhythm
828:
827:
825:
812:
808:
802:
795:
789:
782:
776:
769:
765:
759:
752:
746:
740:
736:
730:
723:
717:
710:
704:
697:
696:Greek Grammar
691:
684:
678:
674:
666:
664:
659:
656:
646:
644:
640:
636:
632:
619:
616:
614:
608:
603:
597:
596:
592:
589:
587:
581:
575:
569:
568:
567:
565:
555:
552:
548:
544:
536:
533:
530:
528:
522:
517:
511:
477:
476:
475:
473:
472:
466:
449:
446:
444:
438:
432:
426:
425:
421:
418:
416:
410:
404:
398:
397:
393:
390:
389:koi trapheís.
388:
382:
376:
370:
369:
368:
366:
353:
352:
351:
349:
348:
343:
336:
332:
331:
330:
328:
327:Greek Grammar
324:
323:W. W. Goodwin
319:
317:
312:
310:
309:
300:
296:
295:
294:
286:
283:
281:
280:
275:
271:
267:
263:
259:
258:Greek tragedy
255:
251:
247:
236:
231:
229:
224:
222:
217:
216:
214:
213:
208:
205:
203:
200:
198:
195:
193:
190:
188:
185:
183:
180:
178:
175:
173:
170:
168:
165:
163:
162:Metrical foot
160:
158:
155:
153:
150:
148:
145:
143:
140:
138:
135:
133:
130:
128:
125:
123:
122:Alcaic stanza
120:
118:
115:
113:
110:
108:
105:
103:
100:
98:
95:
93:
90:
88:
85:
83:
80:
78:
75:
73:
70:
68:
65:
63:
60:
58:
55:
53:
50:
48:
45:
43:
40:
38:
37:Latin prosody
35:
33:
32:Greek prosody
30:
29:
28:
27:
24:
21:
20:
810:
801:
793:
788:
780:
775:
767:
758:
750:
745:
738:
734:
729:
721:
716:
708:
707:West, M. L.
703:
695:
690:
682:
677:
662:
660:
652:
642:
638:
634:
630:
628:
612:
610:
601:
585:
583:
573:
563:
561:
542:
540:
526:
524:
515:
469:
467:
463:
442:
440:
430:
414:
412:
402:
386:
384:
377:κοι τραφείς.
374:
364:
362:
359:Normal lines
345:
340:
334:
326:
320:
315:
313:
306:
304:
298:
292:
284:
277:
262:Greek comedy
249:
246:Porson's Law
245:
244:
197:Porson's Law
196:
132:Anacreontics
97:Aeolic verse
57:Archilochian
733:Lee, K. H.
681:Porson, R.
615:n hippikḗn.
417:s historeî?
127:Ionic metre
781:Vox Graeca
735:Euripides,
724:, page 70.
604:ν ἱππικήν.
551:Denys Page
547:Philodemus
460:In tragedy
445:d᾽ hēmérāi
405:ς ἱστορεῖ;
347:Heraclidae
342:M. L. West
333:"When the
282:in 1802.
669:Citations
588:n hoúneka
558:In comedy
529:s ouranòn
518:ς οὐρανὸν
493:– / u – u
274:Euripides
207:Catalexis
152:Lekythion
824:Category
685:, p. XXX
576:ν οὕνεκα
433:δ᾽ ἡμέρᾳ
147:Dochmiac
107:Glyconic
102:Choriamb
92:Choliamb
739:ad loc.
268:in his
751:Clouds
564:Clouds
543:Hecuba
507:
503:
499:
497:– / –
495:
491:
487:
483:
479:
350:529):
335:tragic
308:anceps
279:Hecuba
177:Anceps
535:Atlas
387:l᾽ oí
375:λ᾽ οἴ
301:– u –
248:, or
770:22.
527:toi
516:τοι
471:Ion
443:têi
325:'s
272:of
826::
809:.
766:.
753:6.
613:dō
602:δω
586:lô
574:λῶ
566::
489:u
481:u
431:τῇ
415:to
403:το
367::
329::
276:'
813:.
509:–
505:u
501:–
485:–
316:x
299:x
234:e
227:t
220:v
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