Homer’s Verse: Dactylic Hexameter Freshman Humanities
dum-diddy, dum-diddy, dum-diddy, dum-diddy, dum-diddy, dum-dum
Hexameter (heksam´eter) [Gr.,measure of six], in prosody, a line to be scanned in six feet. The most celebrated hexameter measure is dactylic, which was the meter for most Greek and Latin poetry. In dactylic hexameter each foot may have a long syllable followed by two shorts, except the last, which has only two syllables, the first being long; any of the first four feet may have two long syllables. The origin of the dactylic hexameter is not known, but it appears first, and in its purest form, in Homer’s epic poetry. It is fair to say that the dactylic hexameter defines epic. That is, it is impossible to conceive of an epic poem not composed in hexameters; and the hexameter rhythms, when heard, signal that the poem being recited is an epic of some sort. (It is true that in Homer's era, epics were more sung than recited, to the accompaniment of a lyre.)
Dactylos (Fingers) The word dactylos is Greek for "finger" (and for "toe" as well, which picks up on the notion of feet, below). The dactyl is therefore a snippet of rhythm that resembles, at least aurally, a finger. It has a rhythmic shape consisting of one long syllable (noted as ), which represents the long bone, or phalanx, of the finger, plus two short syllables ( ), which represent the two short phalanges. The figure below illustrates the concept better than any further remarks.
In rhythmic terms, the two short syllables are equivalent in tempo to the long syllable, just as in music two half notes equal one whole note (or two eighths equal one quarter, and so on). In recitation, the dactyl usually sounds like "dum-diddy," with "dum" equal to , and "diddy" to .
R. Mansilla and E. Bush, “Increase of Complexity from Classical Greek to Latin Poetry”, Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Science and the Humanities National Autonomous University of Mexico.
Over the sea, past Crete, on the Syrian shore to the southward,
Dwells in the well-tilled lowland a dark-haired Aethiop people,
Skilful with needle and loom, and the arts of the dyer and carver,
Skilful, but feeble of heart; for they know not the lords of Olympus,
Lovers of men; neither broad-browed Zeus, not Pallas Athene,
Teacher of wisdom to heroes, bestower of might in the battle;
Share not the cunning of Hermes, nor list to the songs of Apollo,
Fearing the stars of the sky, and the roll of the blue salt water.
R. Mansilla and E. Bush, “Increase of Complexity from Classical Greek to Latin Poetry”, Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Science and the Humanities National Autonomous University of Mexico.