The iambic trimeter as a translation verse

Abstract

It seems probable that the iambic trimeter, or senarius, the main metrical instrument of dialogue in the Greek and Roman drama, had played a greater role in the development of the European verse through its Late Latin “rhythmical“ use than it is commonly believed. This assumption is, of course, something quod est demonstrandum, but here it is raised only in passing.. Our subject is the iambic trimeter as a translation verse, above all in Croatian, but on the background of its ancient prototype and in comparison with some other modern ones: the German and, as far as possible, Italian and French. The main point of our interest is the disposition of accents or rhythmical "relief" of the line with especial regard to the accentuation of heavies. Our trimeter, chiefly a translation verse, was widely examined by N. Majnarić in his analysis of the translations of Greek and Roman drama by K. Rac and his predecessors. In two philological-metrical papers it had been found that Rae's trimeter represents the Croatian rhythmical norm, but without linguistic-metrical comparison which makes an important part of the present analysis. Already the Greek quantitative iambic trimeter, a dipodic verse according to its metrical structure, admits three ways of scansion, in dependence on the disposition of ictuses: first, in "equal" rhythm with the ictus on both iambs of each measure, second, in "odd-alternate" rhythm with the ictus on the first iamb of each measure, and third, in "even-alternate" rhythm with the ictus on the second iamb of each measure. All the three methods of scansion are reperesented in schools all over the world. But it is remarkable that the modem accentual copies of the iambic trimeter show a triple rhythmical relief, depending on the relevant prosodic conditions of a given language. As to the Croatian trimeter, it generally manifests a two-timed structure and the odd- alternate relief, while the others examined here more or less agree with it or somewhat differ from it, unless other rhythmically nearer native forms, rhythmically more like it are used instead. The close of the trimeter, which in Croatian verse is more often dactylic than strictly iambic, is treated as a special question. The latter was introduced by B. Klaić as a constant in his more recent translations of several Greek plays, evidently after the German model. It is hardly probable that such a novelty, contrary to the prosodical tendencies of the language, will find followers.