ACROSTIC
ACROSTIC
Anacrosticis apoemor other form of writing in which the first
letter, syllable or word of each line,paragraphor other recurring
feature in the text spells out a word or a message.[1]The word
comes from the Frenchacrostichefrom post-classicalLatinacrostichis,
fromKoine Greek, fromAncient Greek "highest, topmost" and
"verse").[2]As a form ofconstrained writing, an acrostic can be
used as amnemonicdevice to aid memory retrieval. A famous acrostic
was made in Greek for the acclamationJESUS CHRIST, SON OF GOD,
SAVIOUR(Greek: , , ; IesousCHristos, THeouYios, Soterchandthbeing
each one letter in Greek). The initials spellICHTHYS(), Greek
forfish.
OverviewRelatively simple acrostics may merely spell out the
letters of the alphabet in order; such an acrostic may be called an
'alphabetical acrostic' orAbecedarius. These acrostics occur in the
first four of the five songs that make up theBook of Lamentations,
in the praise of the good wife inProverbs 31, 10-31, and
inPsalms9,10,25,34,37,111,112,119and145of theHebrew
Bible.[3]Notable among the acrostic Psalms are the long Psalm 119,
which typically is printed in subsections named after the letters
of theHebrew alphabet, each of which is featured in that section;
andPsalm 145, which is recited three times a day in theJewish
services. Acrostics prove that the texts in question were
originally composed in writing, rather than having existed in oral
tradition before being put into writing.
Acrostics are common in medieval literature, where they usually
serve to highlight the name of the poet or his patron, or to make a
prayer to a saint. They are most frequent in verse works but can
also appear in prose. The Middle High German poetRudolf von Emsfor
example opens all his great works with an acrostic of his name, and
his world chronicle marks the beginning of each age with an
acrostic of the key figure (Moses, David, etc.). In chronicles,
acrostics are common in German and English, though rare in other
languages.[4]Often the ease of detectability of an acrostic can
depend on the intention of its creator. In some cases an author may
desire an acrostic to have a better chance of being perceived by an
observant reader, such as the acrostic contained in
theHypnerotomachia Poliphili(where the key capital letters are
decorated with ornate embellishments). However, acrostics may also
be used as a form ofsteganography, where the author seeks to
conceal the message rather than proclaim it. This might be achieved
by making the key letters uniform in appearance with the
surrounding text, or by aligning the words in such a way that the
relationship between the key letters is less obvious. This is
referred to asnull ciphersin steganography, using the first letter
of each word to form a hidden message in an otherwise innocuous
text.[5]Using letters to hide a message, as in acrostic ciphers,
was popular during theRenaissance, and could employ various methods
of enciphering, such as selecting other letters than initials based
on a repeating pattern (equidistant letter sequences), or even
concealing the message by starting at the end of the text and
working backwards.[6]ExamplesThere is also an acrostic secreted in
the Dutch national anthemHet Wilhelmus[7](The William): the first
letters of its fifteen stanzas spell WILLEM VAN NASSOV. This was
one of the hereditary titles of William of Orange (William the
Silent), who introduces himself in the poem to the Dutch people.
This title also returned in the 2010speech from the throne, during
theDutch State Opening of Parliament. The first 15 lines formed
also WILLEM VAN NASSOV.
Vladimir Nabokov's short story "The Vane Sisters" is famous for
its acrostic final paragraph, which contains a message from beyond
the grave.
There is a classic example of acrostic poem in English written
byEdgar Allan Poe, entitled simply "An Acrostic":[8]Elizabeth it is
in vain you say"Love not"thou sayest it in so sweet a way:In vain
those words from thee or L.E.L.Zantippe's talents had enforced so
well:Ah! if that language from thy heart arise,Breath it less
gently forthand veil thine eyes.Endymion, recollect, when Luna
triedTo cure his lovewas cured of all besideHis follieprideand
passionfor he died.
It was while calling one day upon Mrs. Bremer thatLewis
Carrollscribbled off this double acrostic on the names of her two
daughters, Trina and Freda
Lewis Carrollwrote this unique double acrostic for Gertrude
Chataway. The verses embody her name in two waysby letters, and by
syllables
InLewis Carroll'sThrough the Looking-Glass, the final chapter "A
Boat, Beneath A Sunny Sky"[9]is an acrostic of the real Alice's
name:Alice Pleasance Liddell.
Aboat, beneath a sunny skyLingering onward dreamilyIn an evening
of July -
Children three that nestle near,Eager eye and willing
ear,Pleased a simple tale to hear -
Long has paled that sunny sky:Echoes fade and memories
die:Autumn frosts have slain July.
Still she haunts me, phantomwise,Alice moving under skiesNever
seen by waking eyes.
Children yet, the tale to hear,Eager eye and willing
ear,Lovingly shall nestle near.
In a Wonderland they lie,Dreaming as the days go by,Dreaming as
the summers die:
Ever drifting down the stream -Lingering in the golden gleam
-Life, what is it but a dream?
Contained inA Calendar Acrosticis an example that uses the first
three letters of each line, not just the first, for abbreviations
for the months of the year:
JANet was quite ill one day.FEBrile trouble came her
way.MARtyr-like, she lay in bed;APRoned nurses softly sped.MAYbe,
said the leech judicialJUNket would be beneficial.JULeps, too,
though freely tried,AUGured ill, for Janet died.SEPulchre was sadly
made.OCTaves pealed and prayers were said.NOVices with ma'y a
tearDECorated Janet's bier.
In January 2010,Jonathan I. Schwartz, the CEO ofSun
Microsystems, sent an email to Sun employees on the completion of
the acquisition of Sun byOracle Corporation. The initial letters of
the first seven paragraphs spelled "BeatIBM".[10]James May,
presenter on the BBC programTop Gear, was fired from the
publicationAutocarfor spelling out a message using the large
redinitialat the beginning of each review in the publication'sRoad
Test Yearbook Issuefor 1992. Properly punctuated, the message
reads: "So you think it's really good? Yeah, you should try making
the bloody thing up. It's a real pain in the arse."[11]In 2013 a
school headmaster resigned after announcing the retirement of a
teacher in a statement which began "We all now know every really
great teacher has to finish one day..." The initial letters of the
first six words caused offence.[12]In the video gameZorkthe first
letters of sentences in a prayer spelled "Odysseus" which was a
possible solution to acyclopsencounter in another room.[13]Multiple
acrosticsAcrostics can be more complex than just by making words
from initials. A double acrostic, for example, may have words at
the beginning and end of its lines, as this example, on the name
ofStroud, by Paul Hansford -
S et among hills in the midst of five valley S,
T his peaceful little market town we inhabi T R efuses
(vociferously!) to be a conforme R.
O nce home of the cloth it gave its name t O,
U phill and down again its streets lead yo U.
D espite its faults it leaves us all charme D.
The poemBehold, O God!, by William Browne,[14]can be considered
a complex kind of acrostic. In the manuscript, some letters are
capitalized and written extra-large, non-italic, and in red, and
the lines are shifted left or right and internally spaced out as
necessary to position the red letters within three crosses that
extend through all the lines of the poem. The letters within each
cross spell out a verse from theNew Testament:
left: Luke 23:42: "Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy
kingdom."
middle: Matthew 27:46: "O God, my God, why hast thou forsaken
me?"
right: Luke 23:39: "If thou art the Christ, save thyself and
us."
The "INRI" at the top of the middle cross stands forIsus
Nazarnus, Rx Idaerum, Latin for "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the
Jews" (John 19:3). The three quotes represent the three figures
crucified on Golgotha, as recorded in the gospels of Matthew and
Luke.
(The text of the manuscript shown differs significantly from the
text usually published, including in the reference.[14]Many of the
lines have somewhat different wording; and while the acrostics are
the same as far as they go, the published text is missing the last
four lines, truncating the acrostics to "Lord, remember me when
thou comest into thy kin", "O God, my God, why hast thou forsak",
and "If thou art the Christ, save thyself". The manuscript text is
printed below, first as normal poetry, then spaced and bolded to
bring out the acrostics. The word "Thou" in line 8 is not visible
in this photograph, but is in the published version and is included
in a cross-stitch sampler of the poem from 1793.[15])
Behold, O God! In rivers of my tearsI come to thee! bow down thy
blessed earsTo hear my Plaint; and let thine eyes which
keepContinual watch behold a Sinner weep:Let not, O God my God my
Sins, tho' great,And numberless, between thy Mercy's-SeatAnd my
poor Soul have place; since we are taught,[Thou]Lord, remember'st
thyne, if Thou art sought.I come not, Lord, with any other
meritThan what I by my Saviour Christ inherit:Be then his wounds my
balm his stripes my Bliss;His thorns my crown; my death be blest in
his.And thou, my blest Redeemer, Saviour, God,Quit my accounts,
withhold thy vengeful rod!O beg for me, my hopes on Thee are
set;And Christ forgive me, since thou'st paid my debtThe living
font, the Life, the Way, I know,And but to thee, O whither shall I
go?All other helps are vain: grant thine to me,For in thy cross my
saving health I see.O hearken then, that I with faith implore,Lest
Sin and Death sink me to rise no more.Lastly, O God, my course
direct and guide,In Death defend me, that I never slide;And at
Doomsday let me be rais'd again,To live with thee sweet Jesus say,
Amen.
Behold, O God! IN RI vers of my tears
I come to thee! bow down thy blessed ears
To hear my Plaint; and let thine eyes which keep
Continual watch behold a Sinner weep:
Let not, O GOD my GOD my Sins, tho' great,
And numberless, bet W een thy Mercy's-Seat
And my poor Soul H ave place; since we are taught,
[Thou] Lord, remember st th Y ne, If Thou art sought.
I co ME not, Lord, wit H any o THE r merit
Than WH at I by my S A viour CH rist inherit:
Be th EN his Wound S my Balm his St RI pes my Bliss;
His TH orns my crown; my dea T h be ble ST in his.
And th OU , my bles T Redeemer , SA viour, God,
Quit my ac CO unts, with H old thy VE ngeful rod!
O beg for ME , my h O pes on T hee are set;
And Chri ST forgi V e me, since t H ou'st paid my debt
The liv IN g font, the Li F e, the Wa Y , I know,
And but TO thee, O whither S hall I go?
All o TH er helps a R e vain: grant thin E to me,
For in th Y cross my S aving hea L th I see.
O hear K en then, th A t I with F aith implore,
Lest S IN and Death sin K me to rise + no more.
Lastly, O G od, my cours E direct A nd guide,
In D eath defe N d me, that I N ever slide;
And at Do OM sday let M e be rais' D again,
To live + with the E sweet Jes VS say, Amen.
