The effect of the cadences in the verse meter
In the analysis of a poem, most of it is still relatively clear. One can hardly be wrong about the number of stanzas; The transition from analysis to interpretation becomes much more difficult when explanations are given must what effect the cadences, the rhyme scheme or the meter in connection with the content achieve.
What are cadences?
The last syllable of a verse - a line of poetry - is called cadence.
- This last syllable can either be stressed or unstressed. This results in two different types of cadences.
- To represent the meter, an accent is placed on the stressed syllables.
- If the last syllable is stressed, one speaks of a "male" cadence. Sometimes the term "blunt" cadence also appears. A well-known example is Goethe's Erlkönig: "Who rides so late through night and wind? / It is the father with his child; "- Here the two ends of the verse (wind and child) are emphasized.
- The counterpart to the male cadence is the "female" or "sounding" cadence. A good example that contains both cadences is Rilke's "Once I took", which begins as follows: "Once I get between my hands / my face. The mouth fell on it. / Ùnucificatest of the objects / ùnter ùberflìeßendèm Gewèin. "- The first and the third verse end feminine (hands and objects), the other two masculine (one and wine).
Erlkönig - determine the meter
The "Erlkönig" by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe is also characterized by its rhythmic ...
Your effect in the poem
How the last syllable is stressed is also related to the meter.
- The Erlkönig consistently consists of iambi (unstressed - accentuated), which, just like the anapäst (unstressed - unstressed - accentuated), generally has a lively, lively effect. In this case, however, it is difficult to argue that the cadence emphasizes the joy of life, since the feverish child dies; it is more likely to record the horse's gallop, perhaps also the speed with which the child is heading towards death.
- The opposite is true of the female cadence. The corresponding lines in the quoted Rilke poem consist of trochaes (stressed - unstressed), which, in contrast to the iambus and anapest, sound rather heavy and inhibited. The same applies to the dactylus (emphasized - unstressed - unstressed).
One can already see that the cadences cannot generally be assigned a certain effect in connection with the content. However, analysis can help you empathize with a poem.
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