ABSTRACT
The half-lines are separated by a caesura or pause, and typically contain two strong stresses each. In the a-verse both stressed words are normally alliterative; in the b-verse only the first. This is sometimes termed the head-stave (Ger. Hauptstabe), since this word provides the key alliteration to the line. It is also common for many sentences to begin with the b-verse and so give rise to enjambment. The following a-verse often contains ‘filler’ material, of a descriptive or amplificatory nature: e.g.
