Monday, January 5, 2026

Dānce (Scansion)

Dānce

(Scansion)

—Wāvĭng hānds.
( ~ ¯ | ˘ ¯ )

Thĕ crōwd,
( ˘ ¯ )
    thĕ mōs(h)s pĭt,
( ˘ ¯˘ observe the swing of the branches bought on by the amphibrach)
    swāyĭng
( ¯ ˘ )
    tŏ thĕ sōund—thĕ clōsenĕss.
( ˘ ˘ ¯ | ˘ ¯ ˘ anapest, amphibrach create the mood)
—Mōve ăwāy!
( ~ ¯ | ˘ ¯ One may be tempted to go cretic ¯ ˘ ¯, but the pause I definitely required and so needs the clipped iamb.)

Dōwnĭsh (băck thēre),
( ¯ ˘ | ˘ ¯ )
—rhȳthm(?)
( ~ ¯ One of those things! A single syllable word that sounds like two, or at least an extra half. We are actually sounding the [m] as em. Albeit unorthodox, there is no reason we could not use ¯ ˘.)
Sĕdāte?
( ˘ ¯ )
Pĕr(')hāps (nŏt).
( ˘ ¯ ˘ could also be ‘haps not with ˘ ¯)

Cālmĭng?
( ¯ ˘ )

Ăll clōsenĕss īs?
( ˘ ¯ | ˘ ¯ )
Ĭs vōlătīle!
( ˘ ¯ | ˘ ¯ an alternate reading is ^ ¯ | ¯ ˘ ¯ with the cretic taking the three syllable—with feeling, starting the line with stress and clipped iamb.)

Cŏmpūlsŏrȳ
( ˘ ¯ | ˘ ¯ )
  părtīcĭpātĭon,
( ˘ ¯ | ˘ ¯ ˘ )
(amphibrach to control speed)
  ĕlse lēt ĭt gō!
( ˘ ¯ | ˘ ¯ )

Ĕnthūsĭāsms (nōt) fŏr ēver(ĕ)yŏne.

( ˘ ¯ | ˘ ¯ | ¯ ˘ | ¯ ˘ ˘ or ˘ ¯ | ˘ ¯ | ˘ ¯ | ˘ ¯ )
omitting not. Enthusiasms has a similar problem to rhythm.

Thĕ wēak sŭccūmb
( ˘ ¯ | ˘ ¯ )
    frŏm brē(ath)eze nŏ mōre—
( ˘ ¯ | ˘ ¯ )
breath or breeze

       ănd

          f
          ā
          l
          l
          .

( ˘ ¯ )