From the Gonzo Dictionary of Literary Terms

By | 1 September 2013

bugarstice

is the name of a verse form sung
by Dalmatian shepherds to their sheep
as an instrument of forced conversion
or to calm them during the rigours
of drenching and cleansing. It is a formal
measure characterised by the obligatory
caesura after the seventh syllable
that echoes the halt at nightfall
of combats against Turk or Bulgarian
or the exhaustion of sated troubadours
after their “doux combats” with well-muscled
milkmaids. It is not to be confused
with the “bucolic diaeresis” that resulted
from excessive consumption of fermented
sour apples, the “Barnstaple tarantella”
of the famous passage from Chaucer.

This entry was posted in 57: MASQUE and tagged . Bookmark the permalink.

Related work: