Dactyl (poetry)

A dactyl (Gr. δάκτυλος dáktulos, “finger”) is an element of meter in poetry. In quantitative verse, such as Greek or Latin, a dactyl is a long syllable followed by two short syllables. In accentual verse, such as English, it is a stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables.

Related Topics:
Meter in poetry - Greek - Latin - English

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An example of dactylic meter is the first line of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem Evangeline, which is in dactylic hexameter:

Related Topics:
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow - Evangeline - Dactylic hexameter

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:This is the / forest prim- / eval. The / murmuring / pines and the / hemlocks,

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The first five feet of the line are dactyls, and the sixth is a trochee.

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A more modern example is the Beatles song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds":

Related Topics:
The Beatles - Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

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:Picture your self in a boat on a river with

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:tangerine tree-ees and marmalade skies.

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The song is in written in dactylic tetrameter, and has the rhythm of a waltz. The word "skies" takes up a full three beats.

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