Caesura
A caesura is a deliberate pause inside a line of verse, usually marked by punctuation such as a comma, colon or full stop, that splits the line into two parts.
"To err is human; to forgive, divine." Pope's line splits in two at the semicolon. The first half sets up a claim about people, and the second answers with a claim about gods. The pause is what makes the balance audible.
What it does
- Splits a line into halves. In an antithesis like Pope's, the caesura sits between the two opposed ideas.
- Slows the poem. A mid-line stop is a breath. Several in a row give a grave or halting tone.
- Creates emphasis. The word before and the word after a caesura both get weight.
Old English verse such as Beowulf built every line around a strong central caesura, with alliteration on each side. Later English poets treated it as a flexible tool.
Reading and placing it
A caesura can be marked in print, with a comma or a dash, or unmarked, where the pause comes from the sense alone. Reading a poem aloud makes it audible. If you find yourself pausing where no punctuation sits, you have found an unmarked one.
Why it matters to a writer or editor
A line with no caesura can run on without a breath and tire the listener. A line with too many becomes choppy. When editing, check where the pauses fall and whether they land on words worth stressing. Compare the opposite move, enjambment, and see how the two shape a poem's meter in practice.
Read an example
Read an example: Alexander Pope pauses hard in the middle of the line, at the semicolon.
To err is human; to forgive, divine.
Alexander Pope, 1711
Many more poems with a strong pause in the line are waiting in the Bossfeed daily poem archive.
Frequently asked questions
How is a caesura pronounced?
Si-ZHOOR-uh, or si-ZYOOR-uh. The word is Latin for 'cutting'.
What is the difference between a caesura and enjambment?
A caesura is a pause inside a line. Enjambment is a line that runs on across the break without a pause. The two work against each other and often appear together.
Where does the caesura usually fall?
Anywhere. In older English verse it often sat near the middle of the line. Modern poets place it wherever the pause will do the most.