A
lyric metre named after the basic metrical unit from which it is composed.
The metre is made up of ten consequitive Ionic feet (^^--), divided into 3 lines, in groups of 4,4,2, in the following scheme:
^^--/^^--/^^--/^^--
^^--/^^--/^^--/^^--
^^--/^^--
Example (in Latin):
^ ^ - - / ^ ^ - -/ ^ ^ - - / ^ ^ - -
Miserarum (e)st nequ(e) amori dare ludum neque dulci
^ ^ - -/ ^ ^ - -/^ ^ - -/ ^ ^- -
mala vino laver(e), aut exanimari metuentis
^ ^ - -/ ^ ^ - -
patruae verbera linguae.
(Hor. Od. III, XII 1-3)
* - long or stressed syllable; ^ short or unstressed syllable.