[Rhina P. Espaillat]

I'm suffering from my yearly case of MPI (Midwinter Prosodic Itchies), a condition that leads me to try hair-brained experiments after being indoors too long. Anyone willing to join me in some Glyconics?

NUMBER, PLEASE:

"Muse, explain: justify conclusively
why poets, forever gravitating
to foolish endeavors, experiment
with every possible dislocation
of language, syllables allocated
by number, blissfully misassembled?
For instance, Glyconics: arithmetic
by unhinged word-spinners! Elucidate,
please." Silence. Erato's disconnected.

[ChrisGeorge]

Irresistibly Drawn to Glyconics

Rhina, I have a deadline to meet, so--
I severely lack the time to juggle
to write a glyconic, but nonetheless
I'll take a moment or two to write this,
to take up your challenge, to try my best
to draft a glyconic, to type one out,
to bang on the old computer keyboard:
Please enjoy my laconic glyconic.

Christopher T. George

[This message has been edited by ChrisGeorge (edited January 13, 2005).]

[Carol Taylor]

What is a glyconic? The definitions I've found say one has three feet: a spondee, a choriamb, and a pyrric. But that's only 8 syllables, and Rhina's example and Chris's both have 10 syllables per line, and I can't identify a consistent meter in the lines.

Otherwise I'd crank one out on the spot.


Carol

[Kevin Andrew Murphy]

Carol,

I just looked it up and found some other definitions. This one:

GLYCONIC (from Glycon, a Greek lyric poet), a form of verse, best known in Catullus and Horace (usually in the catalectic variety a), with three feet--a spondee and two dactyls; or four--three trochees and a dactyl, or a dactyl and three chorees. Sir R. Jebb pointed out that the last form might be varied by placing the dactyl second or third, and according to its place this verse was called a First, Second or Third Glyconic.

Cf. J. W. White, in Classical Quarterly (Oct. 1909).

And then there's this highly useful page where a computer scientist graphs all the feet mathematically, including the glyconic variants.

[This message has been edited by Kevin Andrew Murphy (edited February 13, 2005).]

[Janet Kenny]

Rhina,
I wondered whether A. A. Milne's little poem:
James James
Morrison Morrison
Weatherby George Dupree
Took great
Care of his Mother,
Though he was only three.


Or is it:
Oh Dear, what can the matter be?
Dear, dear, what can the matter be?

Is within cooee (Australasian) of Glyconics?
Is/are Glyconics suitable for English poetry? I mean do the stresses sit naturally with English speech stress?
I haven't yet found a clear description of Glyconics except in Latin.
Janet



[This message has been edited by Janet Kenny (edited February 14, 2005).]

[Dan Halberstein]

Kevin,

Having just visited the Computer Scientist Looks at Metrical Feet page, I can conclusively say I need to get out more often (and so does he.)

Or, I can try a glyconic. Damn you all to hell.

Dan

[Dan Halberstein]

If I seem to write ironically,
(heretofore, hypoglyconically,)
It’s because in saying “what the hell,”
I’ve condemned myself to doggerel.

Trochee, trochee, trochee, dactyl , shit.
Useful as a pterodactyl tit.
I don’t know but I’ve been made to think
This is what transpires when poets drink.

Oy gevalt, oy vey, oy vey izmir,
Lord God, save me from Eratosphere.

[Michael Cantor]

Amphimacer, dactyl, dactyl -
throwing in some obscure fact'll
help me do well as I can -
but I can't compete with Dan.

Or write in glyconics. Or even understand them.

Dan, yours is terrific. A hoot and a half. Mazeltov!

[Dan Halberstein]

Michael, thanks, but what's got into me --
"Jack and Jill," repeat, as neededly,
then tack on a gallop at the end?
Bumper sticker: "Friends do not let friends
write Glyconics" - print that, it'll sell
to the dozens doomed to doggerel
by this genus of the family,
Glyconustia Tritrochusi


[This message has been edited by Dan Halberstein (edited February 22, 2005).]