| The verse syntax has generally been considered much looser than that of the prose since, for example, word order in verse might be modified by the requirements of the meters and formulas. Momma (1997) argued for a much stricter prosodical syntax. However, even under Momma’s rules, there still seems to be much freedom, even apparent randomness, in the word order of the modal auxiliary (M) and non-finite verb (V).
Another approach to the composition of Old English poetry is the oral-formulaic theory proposed by scholars such as Magoun (1953). A recent study along these lines is Ogura (2006), who investigates the Meters of Boethius and concludes that they are so formulaic as to fit the mould of Anglos-Saxon poetry. Again, within this formulaic theory, both MV and VM orders can be found, apparently pretty randomly.
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between verse and prose syntax in Old English by examining the modal constructions in both the verse and prose versions of Boethius. The results suggest that verse syntax is tighter than has so far been acknowledged.
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