The (Middle High German) or Kurenberg Verse (Norse) is a stanzaic form named for the metric and lyrical structure of the 13th century Germanic, Norse legend of the Burgundians sometimes known as Nibelung hoard. It tells the story of their royal geneology, adventures and antics. It is epic poetry
The NibelungenStrophe (Middle High German) or Kurenberg Verse (Norse) is a stanzaic form named for the metric and lyrical structure of the 13th century Germanic, Norse legend of the Burgundians sometimes known as Nibelung hoard. It tells the story of their royal geneology, adventures and antics. It is epic poetry. One of the kings was a dwarf and is so portrayed in Richard Wagner’s opera, “der Ring des Nibelungen”. The name Niblung has become associated with a dwarf or a legendary race of dwarves.
The defining features of the Nibelungen Strophe are:
- metric, accentual, long lines or Germanic lines, which are made up of 2 hemistiches, or short lines referred to as Anvers and Abvers.
| Anvers, is the first hemistich or short line which always has 4 strong beats or stressed syllables. Usually ends with a feminine or falling syllable. | Abvers, is the second hemistich or short line in all but the last line of the quatrain and usually carries 3 strong beats or stressed syllables ending in a rising or masculine end rhyme. |
- stanzaic, written in quatrains made up of 2 complete and closed couplets.
- rhymed, rhyme scheme of the Abvers or 2nd short line is aabb ccdd etc. Only occasionally does the 1st short line or Anvers carry rhyme at the caesura.
- composed with the last line of the poem written in 2 Anvers. In other words the poem almost always ends with a feminine or falling end syllable.
| xX xX xxX xXx , xxX xX xAxxX xX xX Xx , xX xxX xAxX xX xX Xx , xX xX xB xX xX xX Xx , Xx xX xxX Xb |
anvers , abversanvers , abversanvers , abvers anvers , anvers |
Pasted from http://www.poetrymagnumopus.com/index.php?showtopic=1911
My thanks to Judi Van Gorder for years of work on this fine PMO resource
German and Austrian Poetic Forms:
Bar Form, Dinggedicht, Goliardic Verse, Knittelvers, Minnesang, Nibelungen, Schuttelreim
Visual template
For those wanting to give this a try. I’ll pass having no knowledge of the subject to inclination to pen an epic.
