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VERSIFICACIÓN ESPAÑOLA
1. División silábica:
1. A single consonant forms a syllable with the following vowel: ca-sa
2. Syllables are divided between two consonants: gen-te.
2.1 Consonants followed by r or l form a consonant group that can’t be divided: a-bril
2.2 Groups of two or more consonants are divided so that the final consonant goes with the following
vowel: ins-tan-te (except r or l : sor-pren-der)
3. Combinations of strong vowels (a,e,o) are divided to form separate syllables: pa-se-o (hiatus)
3.1 A weak vowel (i,u) combines with a strong vowel or with another weak vowel to form a
diphthong, which functions with a consonant or consonants as a single syllable if unaccented: ciu-
dad (triphthong: weak/strong/weak forms a single syllable; miau)
3.2 In combinations of a weak and strong vowel where the weak vowel is accented, the two vowels
are divided into separate syllables: mí-o
2. Licencias poéticas
1. Sinalefa: the final vowel of one word within a line normally combines with the initial vowel
of the following word to form a single syllable, punctuation is irrelevant
2. Sinéresis: 2 strong vowels may be combined into a single syllable, especially if it is the same
vowel repeated (neer-lan-dés, al-cohol, teo-rí-a)
3. Diéresis involves separating two vowels that would normally form a diphthong, which may be
indicated by the diacritical mark also known as diéresis (diaeresis in English): ruido has two
syllables, rüido counts as three (ru-i-do).
(a) If the last word in the line is stressed on the second-to-last syllable (terminación grave/llana), the
actual number of syllables counts:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
(b) If it is stressed on the last syllable (terminación aguda), you add one to the syllable count:
(c) If it is stressed on the third-to-last syllable (terminación esdrújula), you subtract one from the
syllable count:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
(d) In other words, all lines are treated as if they had a grave ending with a stress on the second-
to-last syllable.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
4. Rima
Matching of vowels and consonants from the last stressed vowel onwards (if the endings are
agudas, the final syllable is blank):
Assonantal rhyme usually applies to alternate lines (with no rhyme on the other lines).
If the endings of the rhyming lines are agudas, the last vowel matches and the last countable
syllable is blank:
A line with an esdrújula ending can rhyme assonantally with a grave word (disregarding the
second-to-last vowel of the esdrújula):
5. Tipos de verso
(a) A line of verse is referred to in Spanish as un verso. Lines may be of any length, but the most
commonly used forms have 6, 7, 8, 11 or 14 syllables.
Lines of up to 8 syllables are known as versos de arte menor; those of 9, 10 or 11 syllables are
known as versos de arte mayor. Lines of more than 11 syllables are versos compuestos, consisting
of two hemistiquios (hemistichs) divided by a real or notional pause known as a cesura (caesura).
(b) Heptasílabos (7-syllable lines) are often used in combination with 11-syllable ones. Silva is a
metre consisting of 7- and 11-syllable lines in any sequence with full rhyme; lira combines 7s and
11s in stanzas of 5 lines: 7A 11B 7A 7B 11B.
(c) Octosílabos (8-syllable lines) are used in various types of full-rhyme stanza and in the
traditional ballad form (romance), which has assonance on every second line.
(d) Endecasílabos (11-syllable lines) are the most common type of verso de arte mayor. The main
stresses in a hendecasyllable should conform to one of four patterns:
enfático 1 – 6 – 10
heroico 2 – 6 – 10
melódico 3 – 6 – 10
sáfico 4 – 6 – 10 or 4 – 8 – 10
(e) Alejandrinos (Alexandrines) are the most common type of verso compuesto, consisting of 14
syllables in two 7-syllable hemistichs. The syllable count — including the rules for aguda and
esdrújula endings — applies separately to each hemistich, and sinalefa is not applied across the
caesura: ‘soy clásico o romántico/ no sé, dejar quisiera’
1 2 3 4 5 6 . 7 // 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
soy clá si coo ro mán ti co // no sé de jar qui sie ra
(f) An estribillo is a repeated refrain of up to four lines, often rhyming with the last line of each
stanza. A verso de pie quebrado* is a short line included in a sequence of longer lines, either
randomly or according to a regular pattern.
*’¿Qué tienes tú, negra encina/ campesina/ con tus ramas sin color’
(g) Enjambement (or enjambed line)* occurs when a clause, phrase or sentence runs on from one
line to the next. When the conclusion of a clause, phrase, or sentence coincides with the line break
the line is called end-stopped.
6. Formas poéticas
(a) A sonnet (soneto) is a poem consisting of 14 lines of the same length, usually
hendecasyllables. Traditionally, the structure is defined as two cuartetos + 2 tercetos:
Also: The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms, ed. Chris Baldick (Oxford, 1990); The Penguin
Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory, 4th edition, ed. J.A. Cuddon, revised C. E.
Preston (Harmondsworth, 1998). John Lennard, The Poetry Handbook (Oxford, 1996)
XR 2015