In ancient Greek poetry, the second part of a choral ode that responds to and mirrors the structure of the strophe; more generally, a reversal or opposite turning.
From Greek anti (against, opposite) + strophe (a turning, from strepein, to turn). Originally a performance feature of Greek drama, later applied metaphorically to rhetorical and poetic structures.
The strophe and antistrophe show how the oldest poetry was physically performed—the chorus literally danced in opposite directions while reciting parallel lines, making the poem's structure a dance!
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