Polish alexandrine
Polish alexandrine (in Polish "trzynastozgłoskowiec") is a commonly used type of metrical line in traditional Polish poetry and verse drama. It is similar to French alexandrine. Each line is composed of thirteen syllables and divided into two half-lines: 13(7+6). Main stresses are placed on 6 and 12 syllables. Rhyme are almost always feminine. The Polish alexandrine was introduced in the 15th century. It was borrowed form Latin poetry.[1] It was widely used by Jan Kochanowski,[2] the first great Polish poet.
- Moja wdzięczna Orszulo, bodaj ty mnie była
- Albo nie umierała lub się nie rodziła!
- (Jan Kochanowski, Tren 13 (Lament 13))
Polish national epic Pan Tadeusz by Adam Mickiewicz is written in this measure.[3] Polish alexandrine replaced hendecasyllable in sonnets.
The Polish alexandrine was used by many translators (among others by Franciszek Ksawery Dmochowski) as an equivalent of ancient Greek and Roman Hexameter.
- Achilla śpiewaj, Muzo, gniew obfity w szkody,
- Który ściągnął klęsk tyle na Greckie narody
- (Homer, Iliad, translated by Franciszek Ksawery Dmochowski)
As Polish words are longer than English ones, 13-syllable line is good for translating English iambic pentameter.
Notes
- ^ Wiktor Jarosław Darasz, Mały przewodnik po wierszu polskim, Kraków 2003, p. 81 (In Polish).
- ^ Summary [in] Lucylla Pszczołowska, Wiersz polski. Zarys historyczny, Wrocław 1997, p. 398.
- ^ "Adam Mickiewicz Facts, information, pictures | Encyclopedia.com articles about Adam Mickiewicz". encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2016-07-10.
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