Can you recognize the rhythmic types of Old English poetry?
This exercise presents twenty verses. For each, click on the
syllables that constitute primary stresses (you may ignore the
secondary stresses). Then identify the rhythmic type.
wuldres
Wealdend
(Beowulf 17)
ond
Halga
til
(Beowulf 61)
æfter
wælnīðe
(Beowulf 85)
þēodcyninga
(Beowulf 2)
woroldāre
forġeaf
(Beowulf 17)
þurh
geweald
Godes
(Genesis A 11)
rǣran
on
roderum
(Genesis A 20)
Ðæt
is
wrǣtlic
dēor
(The Panther 19)
farað
foldwegum
(The Panther 51)
ġif
þū
mec
ġebringest
(Solomon and Saturn 17)
wīdmǣrost
word
(Solomon and Saturn 54)
dohtor
Ēadwines
(Widsith 98)
Hyre
lof
lenġde
(Widsith 99)
hleoþor
swinsade
(Widsith 105)
stīðhycgende
(Elene 716)
aldordōme
(Elene 767)
tō
cynerīċe
(Death of Edgar 11)
ofer
hwæles
ēðel
(Death of Edgar 28)
gūðfremmendra
(Exodus 231)
frumsceafta
Frēa
(Exodus 274)
te01
Click on each lift (a syllable, not a word) in this verse; then click “submit.” For resolved stresses,
click on the first syllable only. For this exercise, you may ignore secondary stresses.
te01
Now which of the five types does the verse belong to?
- A (/ × / ×)
- B (× / × /)
- C (× / / ×)
- D (/ / \ × or / / × \)
- E (/ \ × /)
te02
Click on each lift (a syllable, not a word) in this verse; then click “submit.” For resolved stresses,
click on the first syllable only. For this exercise, you may ignore secondary stresses.
te02
Now which of the five types does the verse belong to?
- A (/ × / ×)
- B (× / × /)
- C (× / / ×)
- D (/ / \ × or / / × \)
- E (/ \ × /)
te03
Click on each lift (a syllable, not a word) in this verse; then click “submit.” For resolved stresses,
click on the first syllable only. For this exercise, you may ignore secondary stresses.
te03
Now which of the five types does the verse belong to?
- A (/ × / ×)
- B (× / × /)
- C (× / / ×)
- D (/ / \ × or / / × \)
- E (/ \ × /)
te04
Click on each lift (a syllable, not a word) in this verse; then click “submit.” For resolved stresses,
click on the first syllable only. For this exercise, you may ignore secondary stresses.
te04
Now which of the five types does the verse belong to?
- A (/ × / ×)
- B (× / × /)
- C (× / / ×)
- D (/ / \ × or / / × \)
- E (/ \ × /)
te05
Click on each lift (a syllable, not a word) in this verse; then click “submit.” For resolved stresses,
click on the first syllable only. For this exercise, you may ignore secondary stresses.
te05
Now which of the five types does the verse belong to?
- A (/ × / ×)
- B (× / × /)
- C (× / / ×)
- D (/ / \ × or / / × \)
- E (/ \ × /)
te06
Click on each lift (a syllable, not a word) in this verse; then click “submit.” For resolved stresses,
click on the first syllable only. For this exercise, you may ignore secondary stresses.
te06
Now which of the five types does the verse belong to?
- A (/ × / ×)
- B (× / × /)
- C (× / / ×)
- D (/ / \ × or / / × \)
- E (/ \ × /)
te07
Click on each lift (a syllable, not a word) in this verse; then click “submit.” For resolved stresses,
click on the first syllable only. For this exercise, you may ignore secondary stresses.
te07
Now which of the five types does the verse belong to?
- A (/ × / ×)
- B (× / × /)
- C (× / / ×)
- D (/ / \ × or / / × \)
- E (/ \ × /)
te08
Click on each lift (a syllable, not a word) in this verse; then click “submit.” For resolved stresses,
click on the first syllable only. For this exercise, you may ignore secondary stresses.
te08
Now which of the five types does the verse belong to?
- A (/ × / ×)
- B (× / × /)
- C (× / / ×)
- D (/ / \ × or / / × \)
- E (/ \ × /)
te09
Click on each lift (a syllable, not a word) in this verse; then click “submit.” For resolved stresses,
click on the first syllable only. For this exercise, you may ignore secondary stresses.
Note that farað, being a finite verb, is unaccented. The alliteration on f is incidental.
te09
Now which of the five types does the verse belong to?
- A (/ × / ×)
- B (× / × /)
- C (× / / ×)
- D (/ / \ × or / / × \)
- E (/ \ × /)
te10
Click on each lift (a syllable, not a word) in this verse; then click “submit.” For resolved stresses,
click on the first syllable only. For this exercise, you may ignore secondary stresses.
Note that in one subtype the first lift is so weak as to be essentially absent (see Introduction to Old English §13.2.2).
te10
Now which of the five types does the verse belong to?
- A (/ × / ×)
- B (× / × /)
- C (× / / ×)
- D (/ / \ × or / / × \)
- E (/ \ × /)
te11
Click on each lift (a syllable, not a word) in this verse; then click “submit.” For resolved stresses,
click on the first syllable only. For this exercise, you may ignore secondary stresses.
te11
Now which of the five types does the verse belong to?
- A (/ × / ×)
- B (× / × /)
- C (× / / ×)
- D (/ / \ × or / / × \)
- E (/ \ × /)
te12
Click on each lift (a syllable, not a word) in this verse; then click “submit.” For resolved stresses,
click on the first syllable only. For this exercise, you may ignore secondary stresses.
te12
Now which of the five types does the verse belong to?
- A (/ × / ×)
- B (× / × /)
- C (× / / ×)
- D (/ / \ × or / / × \)
- E (/ \ × /)
te13
Click on each lift (a syllable, not a word) in this verse; then click “submit.” For resolved stresses,
click on the first syllable only. For this exercise, you may ignore secondary stresses.
te13
Now which of the five types does the verse belong to?
- A (/ × / ×)
- B (× / × /)
- C (× / / ×)
- D (/ / \ × or / / × \)
- E (/ \ × /)
te14
Click on each lift (a syllable, not a word) in this verse; then click “submit.” For resolved stresses,
click on the first syllable only. For this exercise, you may ignore secondary stresses.
te14
Now which of the five types does the verse belong to?
- A (/ × / ×)
- B (× / × /)
- C (× / / ×)
- D (/ / \ × or / / × \)
- E (/ \ × /)
If the answer to this one surprises you, note that the two syllables of hleoþor, both short, make a single resolved stress.
te15
Click on each lift (a syllable, not a word) in this verse; then click “submit.” For resolved stresses,
click on the first syllable only. For this exercise, you may ignore secondary stresses.
te15
Now which of the five types does the verse belong to?
- A (/ × / ×)
- B (× / × /)
- C (× / / ×)
- D (/ / \ × or / / × \)
- E (/ \ × /)
te16
Click on each lift (a syllable, not a word) in this verse; then click “submit.” For resolved stresses,
click on the first syllable only. For this exercise, you may ignore secondary stresses.
te16
Now which of the five types does the verse belong to?
- A (/ × / ×)
- B (× / × /)
- C (× / / ×)
- D (/ / \ × or / / × \)
- E (/ \ × /)
te17
Click on each lift (a syllable, not a word) in this verse; then click “submit.” For resolved stresses,
click on the first syllable only. For this exercise, you may ignore secondary stresses.
te17
Now which of the five types does the verse belong to?
- A (/ × / ×)
- B (× / × /)
- C (× / / ×)
- D (/ / \ × or / / × \)
- E (/ \ × /)
If the answer to this one surprises you, note that the two syllables of the compound element cyne-, both short, make a single resolved stress.
te18
Click on each lift (a syllable, not a word) in this verse; then click “submit.” For resolved stresses,
click on the first syllable only. For this exercise, you may ignore secondary stresses.
te18
Now which of the five types does the verse belong to?
- A (/ × / ×)
- B (× / × /)
- C (× / / ×)
- D (/ / \ × or / / × \)
- E (/ \ × /)
te19
Click on each lift (a syllable, not a word) in this verse; then click “submit.” For resolved stresses,
click on the first syllable only. For this exercise, you may ignore secondary stresses.
te19
Now which of the five types does the verse belong to?
- A (/ × / ×)
- B (× / × /)
- C (× / / ×)
- D (/ / \ × or / / × \)
- E (/ \ × /)
te20
Click on each lift (a syllable, not a word) in this verse; then click “submit.” For resolved stresses,
click on the first syllable only. For this exercise, you may ignore secondary stresses.
te20
Now which of the five types does the verse belong to?
- A (/ × / ×)
- B (× / × /)
- C (× / / ×)
- D (/ / \ × or / / × \)
- E (/ \ × /)
This is the end of the exercise. If you earned fewer than 47 points, review Introduction to Old English §13.2.2 and then try again.