What is an anapaest in literature? Anapaest example

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

In the past, during the Silver Age of Literature, size was an absolute necessity. Now among modern poets there is a tendency to neglect the size for the sake of the uniqueness of the image, many deliberately replace harmony in their works with dissonance of sounds to denounce the negative aspects of reality. However, there are also modern lovers of poetry with pure meter.

Let's stop at such a size as anapaest. An example of an anapaest can be found in such poets as Alexander Blok, Afanasy Fet, Alexander Tvardovsky, Alexander Pushkin, Ivan Bunin and others.

Etymology of the word "anapaest"

Let's try to find out what an anapaest is in literature. And the examples of famous poets will be educational material in this matter. The meaning of a word can be closely examined when an understanding of its origins comes. The very word "anapaest" comes from Greek and means "reverse". That is, in this case, the opposite of anapaest to dactyl is meant. A three-syllable dactyl is distinguished by an accent on 1 syllable, respectively, its rhythm hasfalling intonation. This intonation is perfectly heard in poetry, and even for people who are not involved in the analysis of poetic stanzas, distinguishing between dactyl and anapaest will not be a difficult task. Between the rhythm of the falling and growing syllables there is a middle - the third measure of the three-syllable "world" in poetry - amphibrachs, in which the stress falls, as many already understand, on the 2nd syllable.

Three-syllable poetic size anapaest. What's special?

Stress is used to strengthen the logical construction, to indicate the basic concepts of the poetic message. And also to keep the "melody" of what was said. Its significance in literature is immeasurable. Anapaest as a size has an unforgettable rhythm. A three-syllable poetic size can have up to 5 syllables in a stanza, as A. Fet wrote. The reader's voice grows from 1 syllable to the last in a progression. This gives what has been said a special importance, grandeur and seriousness to the texts. Anapaest is a three-syllable beautiful size, with a growing rhythm of the syllable. To see it and feel the syllable, we will definitely give an example of an anapaest.

How to determine the size?

To determine the size of the poem must be written on a draft, observing the stanzas. Then read aloud, identifying the stressed syllables with your voice. If the stress is repeated after 2 syllables, this is a two-syllable size, and when after 3, then it is three-syllable.

If it is not possible to understand the size exactly at first, try to understand: this is a two-syllable or three-syllable poetic size. Don't despair right away. It is worth saying that not all modern poets know absolutely all the poetic meters, which there are,of course, more than 5.

Examples in the verses of famous poets

The anapaest became fashionable among poets in the 20th century. It is very interesting to find out how the recognized geniuses of infinitely young, albeit old, historical eras used anapaest in their poems. To do this, we give an example of an anapaest in a poem by the master of his time - Alexander Blok.

I accept you, failure, And, luck, my hello to you. (A. Block)

The accents are arranged like this: --/--/---/--/-

Alexander Blok often used this size. His verse captures the soul and reads melodicly, although we recall that it is difficult to write with an anapaest. Here is another small example of an anapaest in a famous poem:

And flowers, and bumblebees, and grass, and ears of corn…

The poem was written by Ivan Bunin, and an anapaest is also used here.

Measures in A. S. Pushkin

Radiant poet - A. S. Pushkin - did not like anapaest too much. There are, of course, examples of Pushkin's poems, and we will cite them. But mostly he used iambic six-foot and experimented with trochaic. At that time, the anapaest was a novelty, and only when the poet, at a later age, was already trying to diversify the metrics and sonority of the verse, did he sometimes begin to use a three-syllable poetic meter.

We can find an anapaest in the poem "Gypsies". In this work, with the help of an anapaest, a monologue of the heroine Zemfira is written:

I hate you

I despise you;

I love another, I'm dyingloving.

Even later, he wrote in anapaest the work "Budrys and his sons", which is studied in schools.

Only in adulthood, the poet wrote freely in all classical meters, and all his works reflect his personal style. Moreover, it was already a stylistics polished by a long labor, where all poetic meters coexisted freely. That is why Pushkin became a genius of all time.

How to find your meter?

Everyone is a poet at heart, who has feelings. It is not necessary to look up to the greats when you write for yourself, just to express emotions. Literary works are not written under the ruler, as it is a living and many-sided organism. If a person has enough imagination and knows literary techniques, why not try to find your own style in poetry? You have already seen an example of an anapaest, and remembering that others differ only in stress, it is easy to analyze other sizes.

First, it will be useful to read a couple of collections of poets you like and try to analyze how they write in meter. This is only for the development of technology, no need to copy anyone. It is important to keep your individuality, like this young man:

You can experiment with different sizes, try to express your idea outside the box. But still, you need to know the basics of versification. When the rhythm is observed, then the poem will be pleasant to read. It does not "cut the ears" of others, but, on the contrary, cherishes a tender ear.