A lyric metre named after the basic metrical unit from which it is composed.

The metre is made up of ten consequitive Ionic feet (^^--), divided into 3 lines, in groups of 4,4,2, in the following scheme:

^^--/^^--/^^--/^^--
^^--/^^--/^^--/^^--
^^--/^^--

Example (in Latin):

 ^ ^ - -       / ^      ^ - -/ ^ ^  - - / ^  ^  -  -
Miserarum (e)st nequ(e) amori dare ludum neque dulci
 ^ ^  - -/ ^ ^       -  -/^ ^ - -/ ^ ^-  -
mala vino laver(e), aut exanimari metuentis
 ^  ^ -  -/ ^ ^  -    -
patruae verbera linguae.

(Hor. Od. III, XII 1-3)

* - long or stressed syllable; ^ short or unstressed syllable.

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