Chapter D: The Number of Syllables in Spanish Verse

Spanish verse may consist of any number of syllables from two up to sixteen. All must have an accent on the next to the last syllable.

_Dissyllabic Verse_: A dissyllabic verse may be composed of a single word (either _aguda_, _llana_, or _esdrújula_).

Ex. _¡Duerme!_ p. 173, XXVII, l. 13.

There can be no supernumerary accents.

_Trisyllabic Verse_: A verse of three syllables can have no supernumerary accent, for the accent would be _obstruccionista_.

Ex. _Suspira._

_Tetrasyllable Verse_: A verse of four syllables must have an accent on the third syllable. There may or may not be a supernumerary accent on the first.

Ex. _De ese brío._

_Pentasyllabic Verse_: A verse of five syllables must have an accent on the fourth. It may or may not have a supernumerary accent on the first or second syllable.

Ex. _Rumor sonóro_, p. I 70, XV, l. 3.

_Adonic verse_ is a pentasyllable with necessary accents on the first and fourth syllables.

Ex. _Céfiro blando_. Villegas.

_Hexasyllabic Verse_: A verse of six syllables must have an accent on the fifth. There may or may not be supernumerary accents, but never on the fourth syllable.

5
Ex. _Y^entre^aquella sombra
2 5
Veíase^á^intérvalos
3 5
Dibujarse rígida
2 5
La forma del cuerpo_, p. 188, LXXIII, ll. 13-16.

_Heptasyllabic Verse_: A verse of seven syllables must have an accent on the sixth, and at least one other necessary accent, which may be on any syllable except the fifth.

2 6
Ex. _Su mano^entre mis manos,
2 6
Sus ojos en mis ojos_, p. 179, XL, ll. 1-2.

_Octosyllabic Verse_: A verse of eight syllables must have an accent on the seventh, and at least one other accent, which may fall on any syllable except the sixth.

1 4 7
Ex. _Hojas del árbol caídas
2 5 7
Juguetes al viento son._ Espronceda.

_Hendecasyllabic verse_: There are two classes of hendecasyllables.

_First Class_: Verses of eleven syllables which have the sixth syllable and the tenth syllable stressed are hendecasyllables of the first class.

Ex. _Los invisibles 'átomos del 'aire_, p. 168, X, l. 1.

Hendecasyllables of the first class may have supernumerary accents on other syllables, provided they do not fall upon the fifth or ninth.

Ex. _Los sus'pires son 'aire, y van al 'aire.
Las 'lágrimas son 'agua, y van al 'mar._ p. 178, XXXVIII, ll.
1-2.

_Second Class_: Hendecasyllables of the second class are eleven-syllable verses with the accent on the fourth, eighth, and tenth syllables. There may be accents on other syllables, provided that they be not _obstruccionistas_.

Ex. _Olas gi'gantes qu^e^os rom'péis bra'mando,_ p. 183, LII, l. 1.

If it is difficult to classify a hendecasyllable because it has accents on the fourth, sixth, eighth, and tenth syllables, one must decide on the prominence of the accents from pauses, or from emphasis. The hendecasyllable,

_La vida es 'corta, 'sí; muy 'largo el 'arte,_

would belong to the first class on account of the emphasis of _sí_, while the verse,

_La vida es 'corta, 'corta; 'largo el 'arte,_

would belong to the second class on account of the pause after the fourth and the emphasis on the eighth. The accent on the sixth is, then, not constituent, but supernumerary.

All meters thus far have

Obligatory (constituent) accents.

Facultative (supernumerary) accents.

A necessary termination in a combination of an unaccented plus an accented plus an unaccented syllable (-- / --). The dissyllable is the only exception.

The facultative accent is opposed to the regular recurrence in each line of dissyllabic and trisyllabic elements, which elements caused the rhythm of Latin verse.

Spanish rhythm is a rhythm of series, of strophes, not a rhythm of regularly recurring accents within a verse.

Verses of ten or twelve syllables, however, lend themselves more readily to rhythm from regularly recurring stress.

_Decasyllabic Verse_: A verse of ten syllables may be formed by the triple repetition of the trisyllable -- -- /. One extra unaccented syllable is admissible when the verse is _llano_; and two when the verse is _esdrújulo_.

Scheme:

-- -- / -- -- / -- -- , _agudo_.
-- -- / -- -- , -- -- , -- _llano_.
-- -- / -- -- / -- -- / -- -- _esdrújulo_.

_Dodecasyllable Verse_: A verse of twelve syllables, with the stress on the second, fifth, eighth, and eleventh syllables, makes a dodecasyllable of amphibrachs. This dodecasyllable has a short metrical pause after the sixth syllable, and a longer one after the twelfth.

Scheme:

-- / -- -- / -- || -- / -- -- / _agudo_.
-- / -- -- / -- || -- / -- -- / -- _llano_.
-- / -- -- / -- / -- -- / -- -- _esdrújulo_.

Verses of different length do not readily intermingle. There are some measures, however, which are used much together.

Verses of eleven syllables are used with those of seven or of five syllables.

Verses of eight syllables are used with those of four syllables.

Verses of ten syllables are used with those of twelve (p. 164, I); and also with those of six (p. 167, VII). These meters lend themselves to regularly recurring stress more readily than any others.