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Tips for Poets ~
Norse
Alliterative Poetry Workshop
III. Fornyrdhislag
1. Fornyrdhislag Rules
Wikipedia article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alliterative_verse#Fornyr.C3.B0islag
Fornyrðislag can be translated as "way of ancient words", usually translated
as "Old Meter".
It can have any number of stanzas.
Each stanza has four lines.
All lines follow the same rule throughout the poem:
All lines consist of two 'half-lines' with a "break" in between that is often
audible.
Each half-line has two stresses, totalling four stresses per line.
In the first half-line, either the first beat or the second beat or both of
them
must alliterate with
the first beat in the second half-line.
The alliteration must not fall on the second beat of the second half-line in any
combination.
Or, the same rule phrased differently:
The first stress of the second half-line is the determining alliterative
sound.
In the first half-line, either one or both of the stresses
alliterate with the determining sound in the second half-line.
The second stress of the second half-line must *not* alliterate with any of the
other stresses.
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If you feel at home with the fornyrdhislag rules already,
you may skip this section in asterisks.
Line 1 (and line 3) consists of two imaginary "half-lines" with an imaginary
"break" in between.
The break is a short pause, a hiatus, where you can draw your breath, or where a
phrase finishes.
Read such a line aloud, and you often can hear the break.
Example:
- I heard it told
(short pause) that between two armies
I heard it told / that between two armies
Each half-line has two stresses, adding up to four stresses per line.
Example:
- I heard it told that between two armies
The first stress of the second half-line is the determining alliterative sound.
Example:
- I heard it told that between two armies
In the first half-line, either one or both of the stresses may alliterate.
Example:
- I heard it told that between two armies
- They buckled their belts, they brandished their weapons
The second stress of the second half-line must not alliterate.
Example for a wrong line:
- You´ve never held counsel with a closer kinsman.
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