Re: quantitative meter, accent and verse form

Wm. Annis wrote:


> >From: Dan Jones <dan@...>
> >
> >Yes. In Aredos vowel quantity is phonemic, distinguishing such minimal
> >pairs as cúros "hunting dog" and curos "nail" or zéhos "plague" and zehos
> >"earth"
>
(snips......)
> >Here's an example of a line in secspedés uistiro:
> >
> >té caiemó ia huezemcue inuécos tuos ó iuvene est mí
>  -   . . -  .   . _  .  .  - .   .   -  .  .  -  -
>
>        I assume prevocalic 'i' and 'u' are semivowels?
My assumption too.  It also appears that like vowels elide, unlike do not.
So my take on this (in a sort of phonemic rendering; my acute accents are
for stress)

/ té: ka.je.mó: ja hwe.zém.kwe. i.nwé:kos. twos. ó: ju.ve.nést. mí /
Apologies to Dan if I've mangled the phonology...)
>
> >I adore you, young man, but yet I ask, is your desire truly for me?
>
>        Even the subject matter matches the Greek Anthology. :)

It could be Kash, too: (not sure what this meter would be called)

té malilísam, sinímbi, ánje nuwákmi-- kundrínika mé hamélo?
You I-adore, young-man-my, yet/still question-my-- in-fact-Q me you-want?

Putting the pronoun clitics _te, me_ in stressed position makes them
emphatic.
Dactyls are preferred; anapests are OK (triple meter is the goal); trochees
permitted at ends of lines, iambs are rare and wouldn't be good in more or
less formal poetry.

_melo_ is not the best choice for "desire", but....