A
lyric metre named after the
Greek poet
Asclepiades. It was not as common as the free use of the two
Asclepiad one line metres, but was still used by
Horace and other
Roman and
Hellenistic poets.
The metre is made up of two short Asclepiad verses followed by a Pherecratic verse, and concluded by a Glyconic verse in the following scheme:
---^^-//-^^-^-
---^^-//-^^-^-
---^^--
---^^-^-
(Each of the last syllables can be replaced by short ones)
Example (in Latin):
-- - ^ ^ - // - ^ ^ - ^ -
Dianam tenerae // dicite virgines,
- - - ^^ - // - ^ ^ - ^^
intonsum, pueri,// dicite Cynthium
- - - ^ ^ - -
Latonamque supermo
- - - ^ ^ - ^ -
dilectam penitus Iovi.
(Hor. Od. I, XXI 1-4)
* - long or stressed syllable; ^ short or unstressed syllable; // diaeresis.