The Pause in the Line
Look for a word ending right after the first long syllable of the third foot.
How It Works
| Line | Pause |
|---|---|
| Arma virumque cano | Troiae qui primus ab oris | in the third foot, after cano |
| At regina gravi | iamdudum saucia cura | in the third foot, after gravi |
| Os umerosque deo | similis | namque ipsa decoram | in the third foot, after deo, and in the fourth, after similis |
Scholars give the two pauses long Greek names. For reading, it is enough to say the pause in the third foot and the pause in the fourth foot.
A word that ends where a foot ends makes no caesura at that spot. Scan the line first, then look for the word ends.
Examples (4)
- Arma virumque cano, Troiae qui primus ab oris.
I sing of arms and the man who first came from the shores of Troy.
The third foot is no-Tro, and cano ends after its first syllable.
- At regina gravi iamdudum saucia cura
But the queen, long since wounded by heavy care
The third foot is vi-iam, and gravi ends after its first syllable.
- Tantae molis erat Romanam condere gentem!
It was such a huge task to found the Roman people!
The third foot is rat-ro, and erat ends after its first syllable.
- Os umerosque deo similis; namque ipsa decoram
Like a god in face and shoulders; for she herself ... lovely
Aeneid 1.589. The word deo ends after the first syllable of the third foot, and similis ends after the first syllable of the fourth foot.
How It Connects
Learn This First
The caesura is a pause inside the hexameter.
Related Patterns
Practice The Pause in the Line in Bubblegum
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