Political verse (Greek: politikós stíkhos, πολιτικός στίχος), also known as Decapentasyllabic verse (from Greek: dekapentasyllabos, δεκαπεντασύλλαβος, lit. '15-syllable'), is a common metric form in Medieval and Modern Greek poetry. It is an iambic verse of fifteen syllables and has been the main meter of traditional popular and folk poetry since the Byzantine period. It is also called “ἡμαξευμένοι στίχοι” ("like-a-chariot-on-a-paved-road") verse, because the words run freely like a chariot on a good driving surface.