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epode

/ˈɛpoʊd/
IPA guide

Other forms: epodes

In poetry, an epode is the third and final section of an ode, after the strophe and antistrophe. Part of an epode's purpose is to summarize the poem's themes.

An ancient Greek epode was originally a stand-alone form of lyric poetry in which short verses are followed by longer ones. Eventually, epodes were added to the end of the longer praise poems known as odes; while the strophe and antistrophe share the same meter, the epode's is usually different. Its use as a final stanza summing up the poem's major ideas is reflected in the word's Greek meaning, "after-song."

Definitions of epode
  1. noun
    a lyric poem having a long line followed by a shorter line, written in couplets
  2. noun
    a third and final section of a Greek lyric poem different in meter and length from the strophe and antistrophe
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