Ruđer Bošković’s versification tehnique

Abstract

Bošković's main poetic work is the long epic poem dealing with the natural sciences De solis ac lunae defectibus (Concerning the solar and lunar eclipse) which was inspirationly composed in the manner of the Roman Classics Virgil and Lucretius. The poem is composed in dactylic hexameter. An analysis of the rhythmically relevant factors (the relation of dactyls to spondees, the use of caesures and diaeresis, the organization of the fourth foot, verse endings, etc.) has shown that Bošković, in composing his hexameter, chiefly relied on the practice of his chief literary paragons. Alongside predominantly Classic feature, his hexameter shows features that are more archaic and because of this we can designate his verse as hexametric in the Virgilian-Lucretian mode. With his skillful versification, irreproachable prosody and metric regularity, Bošković has secured for himself an outstanding position among the Latin poets in the history of this antique form among the Croats.