Dolnyk

The dolnyk is a transitional form between syllabo-tonic and tonic versification, in which the number of stresses in the line is fixed while the number of unstressed syllables between adjacent stresses varies (mostly from one to two). The dolnyk arises from the "loosening" of strict trisyllabic measures and lends the line flexibility while retaining a perceptible rhythmic support. This type of verse was actively developed by Modernist poets at the beginning of the twentieth century in search of a rhythm closer to living speech intonation than the classical foot. The dolnyk occupies an intermediate place: it is no longer syllabo-tonics, yet not wholly accentual verse either, and is thereby valuable for the subtle nuancing of rhythm.