Usually, a caesura means total silence, but not for long. A caesura is a pause, or an interruption. In musical notation, a caesura is a break in the music, which can be a good time for a trumpet player to catch his breath. A caesura is also a break in the middle of a line of poetry.
What is a caesura? Here’s a quick and simple definition: A caesura is a pause that occurs within a line of poetry, usually marked by some form of punctuation such as a period, comma, ellipsis, or dash. A caesura doesn't have to be placed in the exact middle of a line of poetry.
In modern European poetry, a caesura is defined as a natural phrase end, especially when occurring in the middle of a line. A masculine caesura follows a stressed syllable while a feminine caesura follows an unstressed syllable.
The word caesura, borrowed from Late Latin, is ultimately from Latin caedere meaning "to cut." Nearly as old as the 450-year-old poetry senses is the general meaning of "a break or interruption."
One poetic device that has been featured in both classical and modern poetry is the caesura. What Is a Caesura? In Latin and Greek classical poetry, a caesura (pronounced “suh-zyur-uh”) is the space between two words contained within a metrical foot.
Medial caesurae (plural of caesura) can be found throughout contemporary poet Derek Walcott’s “The Bounty.” When the pause occurs toward the beginning or end of the line, it is termed, respectively, initial or terminal.
A caesura (pronounced sih-ZYOOR-uh, plural caesurae) is a pause or break within a line of poetry. Marked in scansion by the symbol ||, it can be created by punctuation, syntax, or the natural rhythm of speech. The word comes from the Latin caedere, meaning "to cut."