I've been out rolling across the high plains sans computer, so I come to this late at Jody's invitation. Yes, it's the best presentation of and discussion of sapphics I've ever run across, a credit to the Sphere, and intimidating to this pig farmer. Having read through the entire thread, I'm struck again by the magnitude of peterjb's achievement in Courting The Nine. Not easy to go up against the likes of Campion, Swinburne and Steele and come out a winner. Of course I adore Bob's version of the Cat's version of Sappho, and I thought Paul's rhymed poem for the draft dodger was very fine as soon as I acquired Walking Backwards. Were I to attempt to recreate Sapphics in English, I think my guides would be two: strict syllabic counts of elevens and five; and every line would end XyyXy. I suspect I'd be pretty free in substituting in the first six syllables, and I suppose I'd try to make it rhyme, just to give the English ear a little more than a pattern of stress and unhearably long syllabic count to latch onto.
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