Laura Hernandez 21251089

Roger Puerto 21241140

Anacreontic Verse
Anacreontic verse is an Ancient Greek lyrical form, consisting of 20- to 30-line poems with
three to five syllables per line.
Developed by 6th century B.C. poet Anacreon, Anacreontic verse is one of many Ancient
Greek forms that emerged during the height of the dramatic, musical, artistic, and poetic
culture. The poems revolved around themes of love, infatuation, revelry, festivals, and
observations of everyday life.
In the 17th century, when the form had been much cultivated, John Phillips (1631-1706)
laid down the arbitrary rule that an anacreontic verse "consists of seven syllables, without
being tied to any certain law of quantity."
Anacreon
Anacreon was born in one of the 12 cities that formed the Ionian League, established to
forestall Persian invasion. After Teos was conquered by the Persians in 546 bce, he
immigrated to the newly founded city of Abdera, on the coast of Thrace. He spent his
working life largely at the courts of tyrants, who were important patrons of art
and literature in the 6th century. The first of Anacreons patrons was Polycrates of Samos.
After Polycrates was murdered by the Persians, Anacreon moved to Athens and wrote
under the patronage of Hipparchus. Even after Hipparchuss assassination in 514 bce, the
poet continued to enjoy popularity in Athens, as is shown by his presence in works of art of
the period. After Hipparchuss death Anacreon may have moved to Thessaly. He may have
died at Teos, where his tomb was said to have been found.

Youth and Age

By Anacreon
When I see the young men play,
Young methinks I am as they;
And my aged thoughts laid by,
To the dance with joy I fly:
Come, a flowery chaplet lend me;
Youth and mirthful thoughts attend me:
Age be gone, we'll dance among
Those that young are, and be young:
Bring some wine, boy, fill about;
You shall see the old man's stout;
Who can laugh and tipple too,
And be mad as well as you.

The Rose
By Anacreon
With the flowery crowned spring
Now the vernal rose we sing;
Sons of mirth, your sprightly lays
Mix with ours, to sound its praise:
Rose, the gods' and men's sweet flower;
Rose, the Graces' paramour:
This of Muses the delight,
This is Venus' favourite;
Sweet, when guarded by sharp thorns;
Sweet, when it soft hands adorns;
How at mirthful boards admir'd!
How at Bacchus' feasts desir'd!
Fair without it what is born?
Rosy-finger'd is the Morn;
Rosy-arm'd the nymphs we name;
Rosy-cheek'd Love's queen proclaim:
This relief 'gainst sickness lends;
This the very dead befriends;
This Time's malice doth prevent,
Old retains its youthful scent.
When Cythera from the main,
Pallas sprung from Jove's crack'd brain,
Then the rose receiv'd its birth
From the youthful teeming earth;
Every god was its protector,
Wat'ring it by turns with nectar,
Till from thorns it grew, and prov'd
Of Lyus the belov'd.
Chain verse is a descendant of Ancient Greek echo verse, chain verse uses the same
closing word or syllable from one line to open the next line.
Chain verse is one of the most obscure forms for which any written evidence is available;
only two examples are widely circulated. The medieval form likely was a spoken-word
vehicle used to communicate news and tidings in France; hence, the dearth of published
poems. Its catchiness and pleasing rhythm to the ear helps explain why it did not survive
the Middle Ages and early post-Renaissance as a written form.
Robert Yehling is an award-winning author, poet, editor, chapbook publisher, and journalist
from Southern California with six non-fiction and poetry works to his credit. These include
the Independent Publishers Book Award-winning Writes of Life: Using Personal
Experiences in Everything You Write (2007: Aisling Press), plus Coyotes In Broad Daylight
(2007: Aisling Press), and Shades of Green (2006: Kobaca Publishing). He also produced a

spoken-word CD,Natures Writes (2005: Word Journeys Publishing). He became interested

in poetry as a child, and has been writing and editing poetry since heading his high school
literary arts magazine in the late 1970s. Robert teaches creative writing and editing
workshops throughout the United States.
Mothering by Robert Yehling (1959)
Wisp of fog descends upon the meadow.
Doe guides new fawns through sweeping grasses,
sisters on shaky legs capturing scents,
scents their bodies recall with fright, delight,
light of morning sun not ten minutes old.
Bold, the new dawn touches tender bodies
descending into the thicket of tendrils,
Drill down, little fawn mouths,
mouths seeking shoots and dandelions,
lions of green kingdoms, meadows, just-born
morn, a new dawn. The doe walks on.