ALCAICS, in Ancient Poetry, a denomination given to several kinds of verse, from Alcaeus, their inventor. The first kind consists of five feet, viz. a spondee, or iambic; an iambic; a long syllable; a dactyle; another dactyle: such is the following verse of Horace:
Omnes | eodem cogimur, | omnium
Versatur ur | na | fertus | ocyne |
Sors exitura.
The second kind consists of two dactyles and two trochees: as,
Exilis | um impos | itura | cymba.
Besides these two, which are called dactylic Alcaics, there is another styled simply Alcaic; consisting of an epitrite; a choriambus; another choriambus; and a bacchius: the following is of this species,
Cur timet | fio | vum Tiberim tan | gere, cur | olivum?
Alcaic Ode, a kind of manly ode composed of several strophes, each consisting of four verses; the two first of which are always Alcaics of the first kind; the third verse is a diameter hypercatalectic, or consisting of four feet and a long syllable; and the fourth verse is an Alcaic of the second kind. The following strophe is
Alcaid is of this species, which Horace calls minaces Alcaei canenie.
Non possidentem multa vocaveris
Rehe beatum: rellius occupat
Nomen beati, qui deorum
Muneribus sapienter uti, &c.