Metre (poetry)

Verse theory or metrics (ancient Greek μετρική τέχνη metrikē technē, German 'metrische Kunst', 'Lehre von den (Vers-)Maßen', afterwards Latin ars metrica) deals with the properties of bound language, especially with regard to its division into - through repetition - perceived units such as verse and stanza. The means of this linguistic organization are, in addition to rhythmic structuring, the various forms of sound binding such as rhyme, assonance, and alliteration.

Metrics as a scientific discipline is divided into the following areas

• comparative metrics,
• systematic metrics,
• historical metrics and
• theoretical metrics.

Comparative metrics examines the different languages and their literatures with regard to the formative devices that are decisive in them. Central here is the concept of verse principle. A distinction is made:

• quantifying verse principle (measuring syllables), in which the syllable length is determining, predominant in ancient poetry
• syllable-counting verse principle (syllable-counting), in which the number of syllables is determining, predominant in the Romance languages
• accentuating verse principle (syllable weighing), in which the stress of the syllables (verse accent) is determining, predominant in the Germanic languages

Comparative metrics also examines the problems that arise when metrical terms are unreflectively exchanged between languages with quite different principles. This is of particular importance in German metrics, which was at times influenced by (syllable-counting) French poetry and, from the 18th century on, by the adoption of forms and terms from (quantizing) ancient poetry, leading to a confusion of metrical terms and concepts that is still lamented today.

Systematic metrics examines existing poetic works for commonalities and structuring elements, working with concepts such as.

• Verse element,
• Verse foot,
• Verse measure,
• stanzaic form and
• Poem form

and differentiates between their various forms and expressions by means of corresponding terms and the definition of their characteristics. The means of conceptualization is the definition of the scheme of a particular metrical form (for example, the rhyme scheme of a stanzaic form or that of the foot sequence of a verse measure, the cadence of a bar line, or the division of verses into colas by caesura and diheresis), using various forms of metrical notation adapted to the respective field.

Historical metrics examines the historical development of lyrical forms, usually related to a particular language or literature. In the historical metrics of German, this is, for example, the replacement of the Old Germanic bar-rhyming long line by Otfrid's rhyming verse in the middle of the 9th century. Equally subject is the study of historical theorizing, such as the works of the ancient Alexandrian grammarians or the effect of Martin Opitz's book Von der Deutschen Poeterey on German poetry. And finally, the relations, influences and adoptions between the different literatures are explored in their historical dimension, for example the influence of French poetry on Baroque poetry in Germany and France.

The theoretical metrics begins with the mentioned works of the Hellenistic grammarians and sets itself the goal, beyond the descriptive approach of the systematic metrics, to determine the essence of the lyrical forms in contrast to the accidentally historically developed. The problems arising from this approach already appeared in antiquity in the form of different schools with mutually contradictory theories, for example, among grammarians the one school that wanted to derive all metra from 8 to 10 basic measures (metra prototypa), in contrast to the representatives of the theory of derivation, which wanted to derive all metra from hexameter and iambic trimeter. In German, the influence of purely scientific metrics, pursued by philologists, on poetic practice was slight. Relatively more significant was the influence also of poets working theoretically, such as Opitz, Klopstock, and Lessing, and in modern times Friedrich Georg Jünger.

In addition to distinguishing the different directions of metrics according to their approach, it is also useful to divide them according to language, since for each individual language and literature, in addition to the respective historical developments, there are also, due to the natural prosody of the language, quite peculiar possibilities or problems for them that can be investigated. As important areas are to be mentioned here:

• Ancient metrics: Traditionally strongly dominated by Greek and Latin metrics. Rather marginal the study of late antique or early medieval forms of Middle Latin metrics on the one hand, here especially the metrics of ecclesiastical poetry, and for the corresponding late forms in Greek the Byzantine metrics on the other hand. Very marginally of interest the verse theory of other cultures of antiquity, especially ancient Egyptian, Mesopotamian and ancient Hebrew metrics.
• German metrics
• French metrics
• Italian metrics
• Spanish metrics
• English metrics

As significant scholars who dealt with verse theory are to be mentioned: