Vedic Metre in its Historical Development c14.140

c14.140

In the two extreme groups there is (except as just stated) very little difference between the openings in the four classes: but in the normal group there is a very marked difference between dimeter and trimeter verse, which is brought out by comparing the frequency of the ‘iambic’ form ◡ — ◡ — with that of the ‘syncopated’ form ◡ ◡ — —. For whilst in dimeter verse the iambic form is not twice as common as the syncopated form, in trimeter verse it is never less than six times as common; and if there is a long fifth syllable before the caesura, it is more than fifteen times as common.