The Elegaic Couplet
The Elegaic (or Heroic) Couplet is a combination of the dactylic hexameter and a pentameter (twice 2-1/2 feet).
 |
Mors Petronii |
Venam convivans aperire Petronius ovo,
Ad malum usque manens, ipse ligabat eam. |
| The Death of Petronius |
Petronius, at supper,
Would open up a vein;
He'd wait until dessert,
Then close it tight again. |
(Derived from the phrase ab ovo usque ad malum,
and Tacitus' Annals, Book 16 ch.17-20) |
| Inscriptio | Inscription |
Saepe sonum turbis solum multis faciebam;
Nunc multos soli saepe sonos teneo.
|
I often held one note for many;
Now I hold many notes for one. |
This riddle accompanied a gift to a friend, of an antique wooden organ pipe,
converted with great care into a cabinet for holding CDs)
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| Supplicium |
For the Oracle |
Aversis oculis humilis flexis genibusque,
Responsum Oraclo fatidicum petiit.
|
On bended knee, and with averted eye,
He humbly sought the Oracle's reply. |
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