acrostic

An acrostic (from the late Greek akróstichon, from ákros, "top", and stíchos, "verse") is a poem or other form of writing in an alphabetic script, in which the first letter, syllable or word of each line, paragraph or other recurring feature in the text spells out another message. A form of constrained writing, an acrostic can be used as a mnemonic device to aid memory retrieval. A famous acrostic was made in Greek for the acclamation JESUS CHRIST, GOD'S SON, SAVIOUR which in Greek is: Iesous KHristos, THeou Uios, Soter (kh and th being each one letter in Greek and u is also y). The initials spell IKHTHUS same as Ichthys, Greek for fish; hence the frequent use of the fish by early Christians and up to now as a symbol for Jesus Christ.^[1]

Overview

Acrostics may simply spell out the letters of the alphabet in order. These acrostics occur in the Lamentations of Jeremiah, and in Psalms 9,10, 25, 34, 37, 111, 112, 119 and 145 of the Hebrew Bible^[2]. Notable among the acrostic Psalms are the long Psalm 119, which typically is printed in subsections named after the letters of the Hebrew alphabet, each of which is featured in that section; and Psalm 145 (commonly referred to as "Ashrei"), which is recited three times a day in the Jewish services.

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 the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili (where the key capital letters are decorated with ornate embellishments), or as in the poem To Doctor Empiric (by Ben Jonson) which is a verse outlined after the word W-O-L-F giving emphasis to, and capitalizing the key letters so such acrostic is relatively easier to discern.^[3] However, acrostics may also be used as a form of steganography, 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 as null ciphers in steganography, using the first letter of each word to form a hidden message in an otherwise innocuous text.^[4] Using letters to hide a message, as in acrostic ciphers, was popular during the Renaissance, and could employ various different 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.^[5]

Examples

Here are two examples of a modern acrostic poem in English, in classical form, composed of epigrams in iambic pentameter, arranged in heroic couplets; the first acrostic with rhyme pattern a/a, b/b, c/c, d/d/d ends in triplet entitled Serana to WIKIPEDIA^[6][7] and the second acrostic with rhyme pattern a/a, b/b, c/c ends in heroic couplet entitled Serana to GOOGLE^[8] both written by David J Serana published in a website dedicated to formal acrostic poetry written in classical verses;

The Dutch national anthem Het Wilhelmus^[9](The William) is an acrostic: 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.

Here is a classic example of acrostic poem in English written by Edgar Allan Poe entitled simply An Acrostic^[10]:

Another example is from Lewis Carrol's "Through the Looking-Glass". The final chapter "A Boat, Beneath A Sunny Sky"^[11] is an acrostic of the real Alice's name: Alice Pleasance Liddell.

Here is another example where the initial letters spell out the months of the year, entitled A Calendar Acrostic:

Multiple acrostics

Acrostics 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 of Stroud, by Paul Hansford -

This example can be considered a more complex form of acrostic. This classical poetry is entitled Behold, O God!^[12] written by William Browne published in 1815 in his book "Orginal Poems By William Browne." The poem has highlighted letters inside its verses such that when they are grouped together, printed as red letters in the manuscript, the letters depict three crosses and the topmost middle cross reads "INRI," in latin means "Iesvs Nazarenvs Rex Ivdaeorvm" translated as "Jesus of Nazareth King of Jews." The crosses contain verses from the New Testament. The left cross contains Luke 23:42 "Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom." The middle cross contains Matthew 27:46 "O God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" The right cross contains Luke 23:39 "If thou art the Christ, save thyself and us."

Hebrew Acrostics

There are some acrostics whose authenticities are disputed. For instance, the first Hebrew letter of each consecutive Hebrew name from Adam to the father of Abraham appears to form an acrostic that when translated in English reads: I WILL FORGIVE MY ENEMIES, HAVING COMPASSION, FORGIVING THOSE MADE FROM DUST A SECOND TIME.^[13] However, it is debatable whether this acrostic is the result of random chance or by design.

The acrostic appears to be highly structured. For example, the Hebrew word for forgiveness also means, "to lift up". Thus it may also read (and note the play on words), "I will lift up those who have risen up against me, having compassion, lifting up those (laid low in) the dust a second time."

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Acrostics

• Mesostic
• Word square
• Acronym and initialism
• Gordon Macdonald, 1st Baron Macdonald of Gwaenysgor
• O Antiphons

References

External links

• A movie review that carries an acrostic message to the film's director
• An unflattering gravestone acrostic poem in a Montreal cemetery
• A lengthy acrostic from the genealogy of Adam to Abraham
• Acrostic of a humorous list of "The Seven Deadly Sins of Venture Capital"
• Acrostic epitaph of Gustavus Conyngham
• A website dedicated to writing formal acrostic poetry in classical verses
• A blog post written as an acrostic