The hexasyllable or hexasyllabic verse is a line of verse with six

syllables A syllable is a basic unit of organization within a sequence of speech sounds, such as within a word, typically defined by linguists as a ''nucleus'' (most often a vowel) with optional sounds before or after that nucleus (''margins'', which are ...

. The orphan hexasyllable is a metric specificity of certain French

epic poem In poetry, an epic is a lengthy narrative poem typically about the extraordinary deeds of extraordinary characters who, in dealings with gods or other superhuman forces, gave shape to the mortal universe for their descendants. With regard to ...

s. This kind of verse in the

Garin de Monglane Garin de Monglane is a fictional aristocrat who gives his name to the second cycle of Old French ''chanson de geste">chansons de geste'', ''La Geste de Garin de Monglane''. His cycle tells stories of fiefless lads of noble birth who went off s ...

's Song in a 14th-century

manuscript A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand or typewritten, as opposed to mechanically printed or reproduced in some indirect or automated way. More recently, the term has ...

turns out original in an epic production. Hexasyllable is sometimes used in French, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese poetry.

See also

References