The metrical theory devised by Eduard Sievers and refined by A. J. Bliss forms the basis for most current scholarship on Old English meter. A weakness of the Sievers–Bliss theory is that it occupies a middle ground between two levels of analytic description, distinguished by Roman Jakobson in an influential article as ‘verse instance’ and ‘verse design’. Metrists in the Sievers–Bliss tradition employ a concept of metrical position (a key component of verse design), yet the focus of attention usually remains on the contours of stress of individual verses. Important exceptions are the studies of Thomas Cable and Nicolay Yakovlev. The theoretical innovations of Cable and Yakovlev, among others, enable a more concise presentation of verse design than anyone writing on the subject has yet offered. The present essay attempts to show what such a presentation might look like, while also giving due acknowledgment to the complexities of position-count in this meter. We presume no prior knowledge of the Sieversian system. Illustrations are drawn principally from Cædmon’s Hymn and the Seafarer.

由爱德华·西弗斯（Eduard Sievers）设计并由AJ布利斯（AJ Bliss）完善的度量理论，构成了当前有关旧英语计量表的最新奖学金的基础。Sievers-Bliss理论的一个弱点是，它占据了两个层次的分析描述之间的中间地带，Roman Jakobson在有影响力的文章中将其称为“逆向实例”和“逆向设计”。Sievers-Bliss传统中的调教师采用的是节制位置（韵律设计的关键组成部分）的概念，但是注意力的焦点通常仍然停留在各个韵律的轮廓上。重要的例外是Thomas Cable和Nicolay Yakovlev的研究。与其他人相比，Cable和Yakovlev的理论创新使诗歌设计的表达更为简洁。本文试图说明这种演示的外观，同时也对这种仪表中位置计数的复杂性给予了应有的认识。我们假设没有关于Sieversian系统的先验知识。插图主要来自凯德蒙的赞美诗和海员。