Since in the dramatists this form, wherever it occurs, always corresponds to itself only, the rhythm appears to be dactylic-logaoedic; but in the Priapean verse it is choriambic,

as,

Ὦ μαλάχας μὲν ἐξορῶν ἀναπνέων θ ̓ ὑάκινθον.

In all the forms enumerated above, the difference lies in the basis. But both in the original and polyschematist forms the longs of the choriamb can be resolved, as Soph. Oed. Col. 186.

Ἐκεῖσ ̓ ἄγε με, Βρόμιε, Βρόμιε,

Σοφὰν δ ̓ ἄπεχε πραπίδα φρένα τε.

Also the resolution of the long of the concluding iamb in the original form is found in systems, as Iph. Taur. 1106. Ὦ πολλαὶ δακρύων λιβάδες,

Αὶ παρηίδας εἰς ἐμὰς

Ἔπεσον, ἀνίκα πύργων,

even when the spondee stands for the iamb, as Eur. Ion.

205 sqq.

Παντᾶ τοι βλέφαρον διώ

και σκέψαι κλόνον ἐν τείχεσι
Λαΐνοισι Γιγάντων.

For the contraction of the shorts in the choriamb, there are no examples of critical certainty. Seneca, however, admitted the Molossus in his tragedies, as Oed. IV. 4. 5, 6.

Vela, ne pressae gravi

Spiritu antennae tremant.

The above forms do not all occur with equal frequency. The more ancient tragedy (Aeschylus and in part Sophocles), has not the trisyllabic feet in the basis; the Aeolian lyric poets, on the contrary, the later tragedians, especially Euripides, and the comic poets, frequently allow themselves to employ the trisyllabic feet. But it must be remarked that form 12 and form 16 of the original form

usually correspond only to themselves, and then in most cases they are rather a dactylic rhythm. In the first polyschematist form, the second basis is generally retained with greater purity than the first; hence trisyllabic feet are more rare in it; the anapaest, it seems, must be wholly excluded, except perhaps in Priapeian and Eupolidean verse; where it apparently occurs, the first basis is to be taken as a tribrach or dactyl, as Eur. Orest. 814, 826. Iph. Aul. 1041.

Sometimes systems are composed of glyconics, commonly with a pherecratean, sometimes also a logaoedic rhythm for a conclusion; sometimes also they are mingled with other rhythms, especially with logaoedic dactyls; and sometimes combined with other rhythms into single verses.

In antistrophic poems, in Aeschylus, the original form only corresponds to the original form; but the iambic basis also corresponds to the trochaic, as Choeph. 611, 621.

Σύμμετρον τε διαὶ βίου.
Πνέονθ ̓ ὁ κυνόφρων ὕπνῳ.

In Sophocles, on the other hand, and still more in Euripides and the comic poets, not only the exact observance of correspondence between the bases, is not regarded, but the original form often corresponds to the polyschematist, and the reverse.

The combination of the__choriambic glyconic, and the Pherecratean, is called the Priapeian verse;

A similar verse is the Metrum Eupolideum, so called:

The glyconic has also the anacrusis sometimes before the basis:

Ὄμβρον λιποῦσαι χειμέριον.

Λαμπρῶν ἄστρων ὑπ' ἀέλλαισιν.

Sometimes also another basis is prefixed:

Ἐμπαίζουσα λείμακος ἡδοναῖς.
Αὔξοντας σὺν μαινομένα δόξα.

The choriamb with a longer logaoedic ending:

It also serves for the concluding rhythm of choriambic sys

tems.

(2) The Dipody or the Dimeter.-Dimeter choriambicus.

acatalectus.

catalecticus.

The acatalectic dimeter is the chief element in choriambic systems. It also occurs frequently elsewhere, as Eur. Med. 643.

Ὦ πατρὶς, ὦ δῶμά τ' ἐμόν,

or in combination with other rhythms, as Aesch. Pers. 647.

Ἦ φίλος ἀνὴρ, φίλος ὄχθος· φίλα γὰρ κέκευθεν ἤθη. It also receives the anacrusis or basis.

It is often provided with logaoedic terminations, as

Ἔτλα καὶ Δανάας οὐράνιον φῶς,

according to Terent. Maur. p. 2426, and Mar. Vict. p. 2576, used also frequently by Sappho.

The Epionicum a minore, so called, cited by Hephaestion,

This rhythm, with the basis, gives the Asclepiadean verse, so called, versus Asclepiadeus:

X-,

which was used both by the line and by distichs, by Ionian, Aeolian and Roman lyric poets.

Θανεῖται, παραπλήκτῳ χερὶ συγκατακτάς.

With a preceding trochaic dipody:

it gives the rhythm which Horace uses in distich combina

tion, Sapphicum majus.

With preceding iambic dipody Soph. Αj. 227.

Οἴμοι φοβοῦμαι τὸ προςέρπον. περίφαντος ανήρ.

With a following cretic:

Οὐδὲ λεόντων σθένος, οὐδὲ τροφαί.

The catalectic dimeter is more unusual, as Pind. Isthm. VI. Epod. 6.

Ἀλλὰ παλαιὰ γάρ.

With the basis, Aesch. Eum. 1035.

Εὐφαμεῖτε δὲ χωρῖτια.