Friday, February 03, 2006

Who Knew, Part 2 - A History of Rhyme
I just finished How the Irish Saved Civilization (intriguing book, by the way), and discovered that rhyme was really not used in Greek and Latin poetry. Augustine liked rhyming words, like bona dona ("good gifts"). But check this out:

Rhyme appeared only occasionally in classical Greek and Latin poetry; it was used more extensively later, in songs of the medieval Roman Catholic church. Rhyme was not established as a technique in English poetry until the 14th century.
Microsoft® Encarta® Encyclopedia 2003. © 1993-2002 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Cool, eh?

1 comment:

  1. I read that book last year, in anticipation of a trip to Ireland with my husband. I LOVED it. What a wonderful book.

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