A pyrrhic (pronounced /ˈpɪrɪk/) is a type of rhythm pattern used in formal poetry. It is made up of two syllables that are not stressed and are short in length. This pattern is also called a dibrach. The word "pyrrhic" comes from the Greek word "pyrrichios," which is derived from "pyrrichē."

In classical Greek poetry

The pyrrhic rhythm is not used in the study of classical Greek poetry's rhythm. However, some short poems called epigrams use only short syllables, except at the ends of lines, where a syllable always sounds long. This creates a rhythm similar to a pyrrhic. An example is an epigram directed to the Cynic philosopher Diogenes, recorded in the Suda:

Διόγενες, ἄγε, λέγε, τίς ἔλαβέ σε μόρος ἐς Ἄϊδος; ἔλαβέ με κυνὸς ὀδάξ .

Diógenes, áge, lége, tís élabé se móros es Áïdos? élabé me kunòs odáx .

Poetic use in English

Tennyson used pyrrhics and spondees often, for example, in In Memoriam:

"When the blood creeps and the nerves prick."

The phrases "When the" and "and the" in the second line can be seen as pyrrhics, which may also be analyzed as ionic meter.

Pyrrhics alone are not used to create entire poems in English because they can make the rhythm sound too flat or repetitive. Edgar Allan Poe noted that many experts rejected pyrrhics in English poetry and agreed:

The pyrrhic is correctly ignored. Its use in ancient or modern poetry is not real. Insisting on a rhythm made of two short syllables shows a lack of reason and blind following of rules in English prosody.

War dance

This rhythmic pattern likely became the foundation for an ancient Greek war dance with the same name. Proclus believed it was the same as the hyporcheme (hyporchēma), but Athenaeus said they were different, possibly because music was sometimes played during the dance. Athenaeus, quoting Aristoxenus, described the pyrrhic as a Spartan dance for boys who carried spears to train for battle. He noted the dance was performed very quickly. In Plato's Laws, the dance is described as showing how soldiers move when attacking or defending. Some Greeks connected the pyrrhic to Dionysus, a god of festivals and wine. Many ancient carvings show people dancing the pyrrhic, though this image was not often used during the Roman era.