Notes on Catullus' meter

Key:

/ = long
U = short
| = new foot
|| = caesura (a brief pause in the meter)
| | = diaeresis (a pause indicated by the end of a word)

Variations in the meter are given above and below each line.

Meter:

Hendecasyllabic

		    U		    
/ / / U U / U / U / /
/ U
U /




Choliambic

U	        U                 U	
/ /  |  U /  |  / /  |  U /  |  / /
 
  1      2       3	 4	 5




Sapphic

		       U
/ U / / / || U U / U / /  (3 lines)

	    	       U
    	       / U U / /  (1 line)




Elegaic Couplet (variation on dactylic hexameter)

Hexameter variation (6 feet)

  UU    UU    UU    UU    UU    U
/ / | / / | / / | / / | / / | / /

  1    2     3     4     5     6


Pentameter variation (5 feet)


  UU    UU        		      U
/ / | / / | / |     | / U U | / U U | /

  1    2    3      	4       5     6


Click here to go back to the Catullus homepage.