Handout and materials: Spanish Versification

SPANISH VERSIFICATION

1. Traditional Spanish Poetry is based on:

a. A definite number of syllables to a given verse (or line): 5, 10, etc.

b. A rhythmical arrangement of syllables within the line (cadence, cadencia)

c. A definite rhyme scheme (for example, ABBA, ABBA, CDC, DCD--most common sonnet)

d. Assonance of even verses in the romance meter (i.e., “evento" will rhyme with "presto": “e-o," "e-o")

2. The three types of verses or lines (stresses) are:

a. Agudo –The accent falls on the last syllable and you count one the last syllable (the mute e):

EXAMPLE: . . . hablar. (three syllables in all)

b. Llano The accent falls on the next to last syllable and you count the syllables just as they are:

EXAMPLE: ... hablara. (three syllables)

c. Esdrújulo -- The accent falls on the third syllable from the end, so you count only one syllable after the accented one, and discount the other: EXAMPLE: . . . féretro. (two syllables only)

3. RHYME in Spanish may ei ther be consonance or assonance [consonancia or asonancia]:

a. Rima consonante consists of the pairing of verses whose endings from the accent on are identical in both vowels and consonants:

      EXAMPLES:    alguno ninguno

males iguales

morir salir

purísima malísima

b.. Rima asonante disregards the sound of the consonants and considers only the vowels, counting only the accented one and the one in the final syllable.

EXAMPLES: brilla, venida, intima, antigua, and benigna all rhyme in assonance, designated as: asonancia en i- a.

4.   To determine the number of syllables one must consider the accent and the four main poetic licenses called:

      a.   Sinalefa (the rule for Spanish verse) -- The uniting into a diphthong the vowel in the final position of the following word with a vowel in the initial syllable (silent h not being a hinderance).

EXAMPLE: . . . que en . . .

             . . . me he encargado . . .                                      [IT CONTRACTS THE VERSE (LINE)]

      b.   Sinéresis -- Does within a word what sinalefa does with two separate words: it merges into a diphthong two strong vowels which would ordinarily be considered parts of two separate syllables.

             EXAMPLE:      roedor               lealtad              [IT CONTRACTS THE VERSE (LINE)]

      c.   Dieresis -- The separation of two vowels that ordinarily would be a diphthong (a weak and a strong vowel).

             EXAMPLES:    Süave   (three syllables)

rüido (three syllables)

                          conflanza (four syllables)          [IT EXPANDS THE VERSE (LINE)]

      d.   Hiato is to the line what diéresis is to the word; that is sinalefa is prevented by hiato at the discretion of the poet.

EXAMPLES: . . . su / honra . . .

             . . . que me / habéis dado . . .     [IT EXPANDS THE VERSE (LINE)]

5.   Syllabic Nomenclature (that is, the name of a line according to the number of syllables it contains, su cómputo simbólico); in Spanish and in English.

      a. monosílabo          monosyllable (1)

      b. disílabo               dissyllable (2)

      c. trisílabo               trisyllable (3)

      d. tetrasílabo           quadrisyllable (4)

      e. pentasílabo          pentasyllable (5)

      f. hexasílabo            hexasyllable (6)

      g. heptasílabo          heptasyllable (7)

      h. octossílabo          octosyllable (8)

      1. eneasílabo           heneasyllable (9)

      j. decasílabo            decasyllable (10)

      k. endecasílabo       hendecasyllable (11)

      1. dodecasílabo       dodecasyllable (12)

m. The Spanish "Alejandrino" line is 14 syllables long. Few traditional poems have more syllables that this.

6. Popular Metrical forms in Spanish poetry; know very well those marked with an asterisk.

* a. Romance (ballad) – A standardization of the epic line to 16 syllables, later dividing it into 8-syllable lines with assonance rhyme on the even lines (los versos pares), no rhyme on the odd lines (yersos impares), and no set number of lines to the strophe.

* b. Alejandrino (Alexandrine line) – A 14-syllable line and consonantal rhyme.

* c. Redondilla – A quatrain of 8--syllable verses of which the first usually rhymes with the fourth and the second with the third (abba, cddc, etc. )

d. Quintilla – A strophe of five octosyllabic verses having only two rhymes. The arrangement of the verses may vary, provided three verses do not rhyme successively. The most frequent rhyme scheme is ababa (others: aabab, aabba, abaab, etc.).

e. Octava real – Composed of eight verses of eleven syllables each, the rhyme scheme of which is abababcc.

f. Silva -- A composition of an unlimited number of seven and eleven syllable verses, usually alternating and rhyming some of the verses, in consonance.

* g. Terceto (sometimes called Terceto encadenado) A metrical combination of three eleven-syllable verses that are intertwined through their consonantal rhyme : aba, bcb, cdc

* h. Décima or Espinela – A composition of ten octosyllabic verses divided into two groups and rhyming thus: abbaa ccddc

i. Estancia – A stanza of eleven verses of seven and eleven syllables rhyming, abbaacdd CeE (lines 9 and 11 are eleven syllables and the rest are seven syllables each).

j. Lira – A stanza made up of seven and eleven-syllable lines rhyming in consonance, thus: &BabB.

* k. Soneto – An artificial composition consisting of four parts: two quatrains and two tercets, making in all fourteen verses of eleven syllables, usually rhyming abba, abba, cdc, dcd. But the two tercets may be varied. The sonnet must co.ntain one major thought and must end in a brilliant idea (or twist) in order to be effective. Love is a popular theme for the sonnet. Later sonnets in Spanish did not always follow the eleven-line tradition.

l. Others: Cuarteto - 4 lines, 11 syllables; Sextilla - 6 lines, 8 syllables.

OTHER USEFUL TERMS AND DEFINITIONS

metaphor : (metáfora) a word which ordinalrily signifies one kind of thing, quality or action is applied to another without indication of a relation between them. Dead metaphor--one so commonly used that we are no longer aware of a distinction between the two subjects ("the leg of a table").

Simile: (simil) a comparison between two essentially different items using the terms "like" or "as" (como, parecla) .

alliteration: (aliteración) the repetition of consonants, especially at the beginning of words or of stressed syllables (the blazing brightness of her beauties beam.).

euphony: (euforía) a passage in which the speech sounds seem pleasant and musical to the ear. The anti thesis of euphony is cacophony, the use of seemingly harsh and unmusical sounds or discordancy • Excessive alliteration would be considered cacophony.

cadence: (cadencia) is the distribution and combination of the accents, pauses, and the melody that give the characteristic rhythm of the verse.

hemistich: (hemistiquio) is one half of a verse separated by the other half by a "caesura" (pause). The caesura may be varied in position to avoid monotony in a couplet. The two hemistichs may be both of the same length (iguales) or of unequal lengths (desiguales).

tropes: (tropos) "turns" in which words are used with a decided change or extension in their 11 teral meanings (simile, metaphor, images, symbols, personification).