Scansion at a Glance

All Latin poetry was written in a specific meter, which had a pattern of long and short syllables across each line (Click here for a how-to guide on scansion). Latin poetry used combinations of the following five feet:

Spondee: - - (long long)
Trochee: - u (long short)
Iamb: u - (short long)
Dactyl: - u u (long short short)
Choriamb: - u u - (long short short long)

Meters used by Catullus include hendecasyllabic, dactylic hexameter, limping iambic, elegiac couplets, and Sapphic. In the examples below, the letter refers to the first letter of the name of the foot.

Hendecasyllabic (11 scanned syllables): A very regular meter, with 11 scanned syllables divided into five feet in every line. The middle three feet are always in the order of dactyl - trochee - trochee.

S or T or I / D / T / T/ S or T


Dactylic Hexameter: Six feet of mostly dactyls, with a maximum of 17 scanned syllables. The fifth foot is always a dactyl and the sixth foot is always a spondee or trochee. Used in epic poems.

D or S / D or S / D or S / D or S / D / S or T

More on dactylic hexameter here, with an explanation of why we call dactyls dactyls!


Limping Iambic: Six feet of mostly iambs, with the sixth foot changing to a trochee or spondee.

I or S / I / I or S / I / I / T or S


Elegiac Couplets: Alternating pairs of lines, with the first line as dactylic hexameter and the second line as dactylic pentameter. The second line is broken into two halves, each with 2.5 feet. After the first half of the line, there is a large break called a caesura (marked by // ), where the reciter would pause and draw a breath.

First line: D / D / D / D / D / S

Second line: D or S / D or S / - // D / D / - or u


Sapphic: Refers to the meter used by the Greek love poet Sappho. The structure of Sapphic poetry is based on the quatrain, with four lines in each stanza. The first three lines have 11 scanned syllables divided into five feet. The fourth line has five scanned syllables, and is known as an Adonic.

Lines 1 - 3: T / T or S / D / T / T or S

Line 4 (Adonic): D / T or S



You can find more information about Latin meter here and here.