Poetry Dictionary

Alexandrine

An iambic line of twelve syllables, or six feet, usually with a caesura after the sixth syllable. It is the standard line in French poetry, comparable to the iambic pentameter line in English poetry. It probably received its name from an old French romance, Alexandre le Grand, written about 1180, in which the measure was first used.

Note: The last line of the Spenserian stanza is an Alexandrine.

Example:

A needless alexandrine ends the song
that like a wounded snake, drags its slow length along.

(See Hexameter, Poulter's Measure)

References

• Poetry Dictionary
• Words beginning with the letter A
• Types of Poetry