epode

American  

[ep-ohd] / ˈɛp oʊd /

noun

1. Classical Prosody. a kind of lyric poem, invented by Archilochus, in which a long verse is followed by a short one.

2. the part of a lyric ode following the strophe and antistrophe and composing with them a triadic unit.

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epode British  

/ ˈɛpəʊd /

noun

1. the part of a lyric ode that follows the strophe and the antistrophe

2. a type of lyric poem composed of couplets in which a long line is followed by a shorter one, invented by Archilochus

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Etymology

Origin of epode

1590–1600; < Latin epōdos < Greek epōidós an aftersong, singing after. See ep-, ode

Explanation

In poetry, an epode is the third and final section of an ode, after the strophe and antistrophe. Part of an epode's purpose is to summarize the poem's themes. An ancient Greek epode was originally a stand-alone form of lyric poetry in which short verses are followed by longer ones. Eventually, epodes were added to the end of the longer praise poems known as odes; while the strophe and antistrophe share the same meter, the epode's is usually different. Its use as a final stanza summing up the poem's major ideas is reflected in the word's Greek meaning, "after-song."

Example Sentences

These have first a strophe of undetermined length, then an antistrophe identical in structure with the strophe, and then an epode, different in structure from the strophe and antistrophe.

From The Principles of English Versification by Baum, Paull Franklin

Stars now they sparkle In the northern Heaven— The guard Arcturus, The guard-watch'd Bear. epode.

From Poetical Works of Matthew Arnold by Arnold, Matthew

As Milton says, “strophe, antistrophe and epode were a kind of stanza framed only for the music then used with the chorus that sang.”

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 2 "Anjar" to "Apollo" by Various

The epode soon took a firm place in choral poetry, which it lost when that branch of literature declined.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 6 "English Language" to "Epsom Salts" by Various

In Latin poetry the epode was cultivated, in conscious archaism, both as a part of the ode and as an independent branch of poetry.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 6 "English Language" to "Epsom Salts" by Various