1 . New research into a little-known text written in ancient Greek shows that “stressed poetry”, the ancestor of all modern poetry and song, was already in use in the 2nd century CE, 300 years earlier than previously thought. It has been found sculpted on twenty precious stones and as a graffito (雕画) in Cartagena, Spain.
In its shortest version, the nameless four-line poem reads “They say what they like; let them say it; I dont care.” Other versions extend with “Go on, love me; it does you good.” The poem, unparalleled (绝无仅有的) so far in the classical world, consists of lines of 4 syllables (音节), with a strong accent on the first and a weaker on the third. This allows it to come into the rhythms of numerous pop and rock songs. So it became popular across the eastern Roman Empire and survives.
By comparing all of the known examples for the first time, Cambridges Professor Tim Whitmarsh noticed that the poem used a different form of rhythm to that usually found in ancient Greek poetry. As well as showing signs of the long and short syllables characteristic of traditional “quantitative” poem, this text employed stressed and unstressed syllables. The new study, published in The Cambridge Classical Journal, also suggests that this poem could represent a “missing link” between the lost world of ancient Mediterranean oral poetry and song, and the more modern forms that we know today. A lot of popular poetry in ancient Greek takes a similar form to traditional high poetics. This poem, on the other hand, points to a distinct and rich culture, primarily oral.
1. Where was the “stressed poetry” discovered?
| A．In Greece. | B．In Spain. |
| C．In Britain. | D．In Mediterranean. |
2. What does “it” in paragraph 2 refer to?
| A．A syllable. | B．A strong accent. |
| C．The four-line poem. | D．The content of the poem. |
3. What can be learned from the last paragraph?
| A．A missing link between poems was found finally. |
| B．A lot of popular poetry in ancient Greek was then popular in the world. |
| C．The stressed and unstressed syllables distinguished the poem from others. |
| D．The ancient Mediterranean oral poetry and song was older than the poem. |
4. Whats the best title for the text?
| A．Ancient Greek “pop culture” discovery rewrites the history of poetry and song |
| B．The unparalleled poem made ancient Greek culture more attractive |
| C．Ancient Greek poetry lay the foundation of modern culture |
| D．Four syllables are still popular in modern poetry and song |
