“Comrades, leave me here a little, while as yet ’tis early morn.”
(Tennyson.)
THE TROCHAIC TETRAMETER ACATALECTIC (or _Octonarius_).
2636. The TROCHAIC TETRAMETER ACATALECTIC is chiefly confined to the
lyrical portions of the early comedy. It consists of four complete
trochaic dipodies or eight trochaic feet. The tribrach, irrational
spondee, irrational anapaest and cyclic dactyl may stand in any foot
save the last. The last foot is regularly a trochee or a tribrach,
though (the last syllable being _syllaba anceps_, 2533) an apparent
spondee or anapaest, but not a dactyl, may arise. The principal break in
the line is regularly a diaeresis after the fourth foot (which in that
case must not be a dactyl). Occasionally, however, there is instead a
caesura in the fourth or fifth foot. The scheme is:--
-́ ⏑͐ | -̇ ⏑͐ | -́ ⏑͐ | -̇ ⏑͐ | -́ ⏑͐ | -̇ ⏑͐ | -́ ⏑͐ | -̇ ⏑͐
⏑́ ⏑ | ⏑̇ ⏑ | ⏑́ ⏑ | ⏑̇ ⏑ | ⏑́ ⏑ | ⏑̇ ⏑ | ⏑́ ⏑ | [⏑̇ ⏑]
-́ ⏖ | -̇ ⏖ | -́ ⏖ | -̇ ⏖ | -́ ⏖ | -̇ ⏖ | -́ ⏖ |
⏑́ ⏑ > | ⏑̇ ⏑ > | ⏑́ ⏑ > | ⏑̇ ⏑ > | ⏑́ ⏑ > | ⏑̇ ⏑ > | ⏑́ ⏑ > | [⏑̇ ⏑ >]