Halporn, Ostwald & Rosenmeyer’s book on The Meters of Greek and Latin Poetry was first published by Methuen in 1963, with a revised edition appearing in 1980, under the aegis of the University of Oklahoma Press. Since 1994, it has been printed by Hackett Publishing.
This short volume is not a verse-composition textbook – it has no exercises, and provides no advice for would-be composers of Greek and Latin verse. Instead, it seeks to ‘present the student with a clear and simple outline of Greek and Latin meters in order to read the verse of the Greeks and Romans as poetry.’ The book is split into two distinct sections – the first dealing with Greek meters, and the second with those used by Latin poets.
The coverage is comprehensive, and begins with a brief account of sigla, the period, caesure, diaresis, and bridge, before going on to discussions of each individual meter. There is also a handy list of meters, marking out the basic rhythm of each alongside the name and page reference, immediately preceding the index.
For those without prior knowledge of the relevant terminology, careful attention to the content of the first four chapters of each half of the book is necessary in order to understand the chapters dealing with individual meters. A full glossary is also provided at the end of the book. The expository writing, particularly in the Greek half of the book, is highly technical in character, and tends to sacrifice readability in the interest of concision, but it is also consistently clear and accurate.
This book will suit anyone who wishes to gain a real technical mastery of the meters of Greek and Latin poetry, whether as a would-be poet, or from a critical standpoint. It thoroughly illustrates every point with ancient examples, and punctiliously points out the metrical quirks of a series of Greek and Roman poets – it is thus invaluable for those who wish to learn more of the history and development of Greek and Latin verse meters.
However, this volume pays relatively little attention to the emotional and dramatic effects possible through use of the metrical systems that it describes. Both on account of this, and on account of its dry prose style, this volume seems unlikely to enthuse readers who do not already have a real interest in Greek or Roman meter.