Blank verse¶
blank_verse · form · validated
Verse in unrhymed iambic pentameter, holding the metre while dispensing with the rhyme that would otherwise mark the line ends. As in iambic_pentameter, the checker verifies strict stress: the substitutions real verse uses — an inverted first foot, a weak final syllable — are not accepted.
Provenance¶
- Source: Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, translation of the Aeneid (1554)
- Attribution:
primary— a named author, work and year this catalogue stands behind - Checkability:
self— decidable from the text and its parameters alone - Attested:
codified— formulated as a rule by a tradition rather than declared by an author
Details¶
- Kind: restrictive
- Languages: en
- Requires:
tokens,phonemes,stress,syllables.heuristic - Deterministic: yes
- In other languages: Blankvers (de), Vers blanc (fr)
Prompt hint¶
Write unrhymed lines of five iambic feet each.
Parameters¶
| Name | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
feminine_ending |
boolean | False |
Whether a line may close on one extra unstressed syllable (a feminine or klingende ending) as well as on the bare metre. |
unknown_rhyme |
string | undecidable |
What a line ending absent from the pronouncing dictionary means: leave the pair unscored (undecidable), let it satisfy the scheme (free), or fail it (strict). |
Examples¶
unrhymed-pentameter¶
en — this text satisfies the procedure.
the cat can see the moon above the tree
the dog will run across the field today
the fox will hide beneath the fallen stone
the moon will rise behind the hill at nine
Source: constructed example; the form of Surrey's Aeneid (1554)
rhymed¶
en — this text does not satisfy the procedure.
the cat can see the moon above the tree
the dog will run across the field today
a bird can fly around the house at three
the sun will set behind the hill in may
Source: constructed counterexample; blank verse admits no rhyme at all
unknown-word-mid-line¶
en — this text satisfies the procedure.
blorf cat can see the moon above the tree
the dog will run across the field today
the fox will hide beneath the fallen stone
the moon will rise behind the hill at nine
Source: constructed example; an invented word reaches the stress fallback
vier-reimlose-zeilen¶
de — this text satisfies the procedure.
der Wandrer zieht durch jenes weite Land
der Wind bewegt die Blätter in der Nacht
ein Vogel singt am Morgen auf dem Baum
die Lampe steht und gibt uns wenig Licht
Source: constructed example; unrhymed, which is what makes it blank
gereimtes-paar¶
de — this text does not satisfy the procedure.
der Wandrer zieht durch jenes weite Land
das Feuer brennt und wärmt die kalte Hand
Source: constructed counterexample; a rhyme is what blank verse must not have
goethe-iphigenie-I1-blankverse¶
de — this text does not satisfy the procedure.
Heraus in eure Schatten, rege Wipfel
Des alten, heil'gen, dichtbelaubten Haines,
Wie in der Göttin stilles Heiligthum
Tret' ich noch jetzt mit schauderndem Gefühl,
Als wenn ich sie zum erstenmal beträte,
Und es gewöhnt sich nicht mein Geist hierher.
So manche Jahr bewahrt mich hier verborgen
Ein hoher Wille, dem ich mich ergebe;
Doch immer bin ich, wie im ersten, fremd.
Denn ach! mich trennt das Meer von den Geliebten,
Und an dem Ufer steh' ich lange Tage,
Das Land der Griechen mit der Seele suchend;
Und gegen meine Seufzer bringt die Welle
Nur dumpfe Töne brausend mir herüber.
Parameters: feminine_ending=True
Source: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Iphigenie auf Tauris (final verse version, Göschen 1787), Act I, Scene 1, lines 1–14; text from Project Gutenberg (older orthography: Heiligthum, heil'gen). Rejected: wrong_stress on "schauderndem", which the dictionary gives as 100 (unstressed-stressed-unstressed) where the iambic metre wants 101. Measured on this HEAD: score 0.9947, 1 violation.