Verse Lines

2024-03-20

TEI practice is to mark line breaks on the support (as opposed to verse lines) using the lb (line-begins) empty element to mark the point at which the line breaks (or begins - see Line breaks.) In addition to marking epigraphic lines, which is obligatory, an editor may choose to tag verse groups and lines using the lg (line-group) and l (line) elements.

Within the verse lines, however, the start of each line of text on the support still needs to be marked with an lb. In other words, lg and l are replacing the containing ab, but not the lbs.

<lg>
 <l>
  <lb n="1"/>Quaesii multum quot <lb n="2"/>memoriae tradere</l>
</lg>

Transformation using the EpiDoc Reference stylesheets:

  • London style:

    Quaesii multum quot
    memoriae tradere
  • verse parameter on:

    | Quaesii multum quot | memoriae tradere
(IRT: 918)
<lg>
 <lb n="1"/>
 <l>
  <unclear reason="damage">τ</unclear>ῆς μεγάλης ἀ<lb n="2" break="no"/>ρετῆς τοῦτον<lb n="3"/>μέγαν ἡγεμον<unclear reason="damage">ῆ</unclear>α
 </l>
 <lb n="4"/>
 <l>Ἑλλάδιον <lb n="5"/>
  <supplied reason="lost">Κ</supplied>ᾶρες στῆ<supplied reason="lost">σα</supplied>ν<lb n="6"/>
  <supplied reason="lost">ἀ</supplied>
  <unclear reason="undefined">μ</unclear>ειβ<unclear reason="damage">ό</unclear>μ<supplied reason="lost">ενο</supplied>
  <unclear reason="damage">ι</unclear>.
 </l>
</lg>

Transformation using the EpiDoc Reference stylesheets:

  • London style:

    τ̣ῆς μεγάλης ἀ-
    ρετῆς τοῦτον
    μέγαν ἡγεμονῆ̣α
    Ἑλλάδιον
    [Κ]ᾶρες στῆ[σα]ν
    [ἀ]μ̣ειβό̣μ[ενο]ι̣.
  • verse parameter on:

    τ̣ῆς μεγάλης ἀ|ρετῆς τοῦτον | μέγαν ἡγεμονῆ̣α |
    Ἑλλάδιον | [Κ]ᾶρες στῆ[σα]ν | [ἀ]μ̣ειβό̣μ[ενο]ι̣.
(InsAph: 1.131)

The verse line-group may contain attributes recording number of group (e.g. n with a value of "1", "2", "a", "b", etc.) and conventional metrical structure by means of either a standard term for the metrical unit (e.g. met with value "elegiac couplet"; or "iambic trimeters") or a representation for the metrical pattern (e.g. for the iambic trimeter met="±+|-+|±+|-+|±+|-±"). In verse systems where rhyme exists, an attribute rhyme may be added to specify the rhyme scheme applicable to a group of verse lines.

The rhythm of a verse line, both conventional and realised, may be represented in the met, and real attributes respectively, by a sequence of alternating plus signs (+) and minus signs (-). The plus sign constitutes a long (in quantitative meter) or stressed (in accentuating meter) syllable and the minus sign stands for a short (quantitative) or unstressed (accentuating) syllable.

The verse’s feet may be indicated with a vertical bar (|) inside the met and real attributes. There are two possibilities of encoding caesurae and diaeresis (the specific kind of caesura which occurs on a foot boundary): (1) they could be inserted in the real attribute with a slash (/) for caesura and a double vertical bar (||) for the dieresis; (2) alternatively (or additionally) pauses could be represented within the text using the TEI empty element <caesura> (see Metrical Elements).

<lg met="#dactylic.elegaic">
 <l met="#dactylic.hexameter"
  real="++|+/+|+/--|+/+|+--|+-">
  <lb/>Caelestis mul<lb break="no"/>sa propria<lb/> placabitur ara</l>
 <l met="#dactylic.pentameter"
  real="++|+--|+||+--|+--|-">
  <lb/>hac divis aliis <lb/> tura merumq(ue) <lb/> damus</l>
</lg>

Transformation using the EpiDoc Reference stylesheets:

  • Default (Panciera) style:

    Caelestis mul-
    sa propria
    placabitur ara
    hac divis aliis
    tura merumq(ue)
    damus
  • verse parameter on:

    | Caelestis mul|sa propria | placabitur ara
    | hac divis aliis | tura merumq(ue) | damus
(Source)

The verse line elements may contain attributes recording number of line (e.g. n with a value of "1", "2", etc.); conventional metrical structure by means of either a standard term for the metrical unit (e.g. met with value "hexameter"; met with value "pentameter") or a representation for the metrical pattern (e.g. for the hexameter met with value "+--|+--|+--|+--|+--|+±"); realization of metrical structure (e.g. real with value "-+|-+|-+|-+|++|-+", for iambic trimeter; real with value "+--|++|+--|+--|+--|+-" for hexameter; real with value "+--|++|+|+--|+--|+" for pentameter).

When using a met and a real, the notation used should be documented by a <metDecl> element within the encodingDesc of the associated header.

When a verse line is fragmentary and cannot be restored, the metrical values or pattern of the lacuna is marked using a seg element with an attribute met (see Lost Characters, Metre Known/Reconstructed), while the metrical values or pattern of the extant portion of the verse line may be marked using a seg element with an attribute real.

<lg n="a" met="elegiac couplet">
 <l n="1" met="hexameter"
  real="+--|+--|+--|++|+--|+-">
  <lb n="1"/>Δεύτερον εἰς λυκάβαντα
 <lb n="2"/>καὶ ἰκοστόν με περῶσαν</l>
 <l n="2" met="pentameter"
  real="+--|++|+|+--|+--|+">
  <lb n="3"/>λυγρὸς ἀφ᾿ ἱμερτῶν εἷλε
 <lb n="4"/>μόρος θαλάμων <space quantity="4" unit="character"/>
 </l>
</lg>
<lg n="b" met="elegiac couplet">
 <l n="3" met="hexameter"
  real="+--|++|+--|+--|++|+-">
  <lb n="5"/>ούδ᾿ ὅλον εἰς πλειῶνα γά<lb n="6" break="no"/>μοις ἐπιγηθήσασαν·<space quantity="3" unit="character"/>
 </l>
 <l n="4" met="pentameter"
  real="+--|++|+|+--|+--|-">
  <lb n="7"/>ἤματι δ᾿ὧι παστὸν καὶ <space quantity="2" unit="character"/>
  <lb n="8"/>σποδίην ἔλαχον, <space quantity="5" unit="character"/>
 </l>
</lg>
<lg n="c" met="elegiac couplet">
 <l n="5" met="hexameter"
  real="+--|+--|+--|+--|--|++">
  <lb n="9"/> Στλακκίη αἰνοδάκρυτος·
 <lb n="10"/>ἀμαυροτέρηι δ᾿ ὑπὸ λύπηι</l>
 <l n="6" met="pentameter"
  real="++|++|+|+--|+--|+">
  <lb n="11"/>θνήσκω τὴν μούνην σοι,
 <lb n="12"/>πόσι, παρθεμένη <g type="leaf">❧</g>
 </l>
</lg>

Transformation using the EpiDoc Reference stylesheets:

  • Default (Panciera) style:

    Δεύτερον εἰς λυκάβαντα
    καὶ ἰκοστόν με περῶσαν
    λυγρὸς ἀφ᾿ ἱμερτῶν εἷλε
    μόρος θαλάμων ( vac. 4)

    ούδ᾿ ὅλον εἰς πλειῶνα γά-
    μοις ἐπιγηθήσασαν·( vac. 3)
    ἤματι δ᾿ὧι παστὸν καὶ ( vac. 2)
    σποδίην ἔλαχον, ( vac. 5)

    Στλακκίη αἰνοδάκρυτος·
    ἀμαυροτέρηι δ᾿ ὑπὸ λύπηι
    θνήσκω τὴν μούνην σοι,
    πόσι, παρθεμένη ((leaf))
  • verse parameter on:

    | Δεύτερον εἰς λυκάβαντα | καὶ ἰκοστόν με περῶσαν
        | λυγρὸς ἀφ᾿ ἱμερτῶν εἷλε | μόρος θαλάμων ( vac. 4)

    | ούδ᾿ ὅλον εἰς πλειῶνα γά|μοις ἐπιγηθήσασαν·( vac. 3)
        | ἤματι δ᾿ὧι παστὸν καὶ ( vac. 2) | σποδίην ἔλαχον, ( vac. 5)

    | Στλακκίη αἰνοδάκρυτος· | ἀμαυροτέρηι δ᾿ ὑπὸ λύπηι
        | θνήσκω τὴν μούνην σοι, | πόσι, παρθεμένη ((leaf))
(GVCyr: gvcyr007)
<l n="1" met="hexameter">
 <seg real="++|++|+">
  <lb n="1" rend="right-to-left"/>
  <unclear>Κ</unclear>οίσōνος
   στάλα</seg>
 <seg met="--|+--|+--|+±">
  <gap reason="lost" extent="unknown"
   unit="character"/>
 </seg>
</l>

Transformation using the EpiDoc Reference stylesheets:

  • Default (Panciera) style:
    Κ̣οίσōνος στάλα [---]
  • verse parameter on:

    Κ̣οίσōνος στάλα [ ˘  ˘  |  ˉ  ˘  ˘  |  ˉ  ˘  ˘  |  ˉ  ± ]
(GVCyr: gvcyr001)

Panciera 1991 ; Sosin 2011; ; :

See also:

Other pages describing <lg>:

Other pages describing <l>:

Other pages describing <metDecl>:

Responsibility for this section

  1. Alice Bencivenni, author
  2. Gabriel Bodard, author
  3. Charlotte Tupman, author
  4. Gabriël de Klerk, author
  5. Francesco Tecca, author
  6. Chiara Cenati, author
  7. Marta Fogagnolo, author

EpiDoc version: 9.6

Date: 2024-03-20