Full text of "Elements and science of English versification"

See other formats

presented to the
LIBRARY

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA • SAN DIF.GO
by

FRIENDS OF IHE LIliHARY

MR. JOHN C . ROSE

Digitized by tine Internet Arciiive
in 2007 with funding from
• IVIicrosoft Corporation

littp://www.arcli ive.org/details/elementsscienceoOOjoneiala

ELEMENTS'AND SCIENCE OF
ENGLISH VERSIFICATION.

ELEMENTS AND SCIENCE

ENGLISH VERSIFICATION

WILLIAM C. jJONES

BUFFALO :
THE PETER PAUL BOOK COMPANY.

1897.

PRINTED AND BOUND BV

THK PKTER PAUL BOOK COMPANY,

BUFFALO, N. Y.

INSCRIBED TO

IReu. William (&. "dOJtllrams, I^L,. g.

wright professor of

(;reek language and literature,

ohio wesleyan university,

delaware, ohio.

PREFACE.

^ T IS the desire of the author to create a greater love for
"> ) poetry. I do not think it is possible to make great
7( poets any more than it is possible to create great

* musicians, sculptors, artists, or orators. All must be
born with the spark of genius inherent within the soul. I
believe, however, that even those possessed of great genius
may profit by the research of others, and frequently are
induced to follow their art by suggestions and rules pointed
out to them. To such who possess real genius from a
poetic standpoint this work may be of benefit. Another
class to be benefited are readers who love poetry and make
a study of it, and yet fail to receive the benefits or see the
beauties of true poetry simply because they fail to under-
stand the technique.

It is a pleasure to be able to scan critically that which we
read. If, however, we are unable to criticise for ourselves
the merits of a poem from every standpoint, we necessarily
lose much of the real pleasure of the reading. To be able
to tell the measure, the rhythm, and the number of feet a
verse contains is in every sense a satisfaction to the reader
of a poem ; yet, not one-third of those who read poetry
know anything whatever about measure, feet, or rhythm.
They realize there is a certain jingle to the stanza that
pleases them, and that is all they know about it. Few
readers ever stop to consider whether the poem is composed

vi PREFACE.

of couplets, triplets, or quatrains. The mode of construct-
ing- the five, six, seven, eight, nine, and ten line stanzas is a
matter that has given them no trouble and about which they
have never had a thought. The combinations of verses is
something that has escaped their attention entirely.

Vers de SociH^ — polite and polished by masters of the
art, can hardly be distinguished by some who feign a real
love of poetry from blank verse. Poetical licenses and
peculiarities are little known and less understood. The
same is true of figures of etymology, syntax, and rhetoric ;
and yet much of the pleasure of reading poetry is derived
from being able to^riticise it properly from every technical
standpoint. A beautiful metaphor or simile is instantly
detected by the highly educated reader and is a delight to
his soul.

Poetry is not only a question of matter, but one of
manner. Our best poets understand versification thor-
oughly and are ever painstaking. The true poet is careful
in every detail. A diamond in the rough may be of value,
but not until it is polished does it become a sparkling gem.
The day is not distant when versification will be taught with
the same care that is now given to rhetoric. Why not?
Do not all derive pleasure from reading the works of the
masters of poetry ?

Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence TurnbuU, of Baltimore, Maryland,
became benefactors to the world when they established a
lectureship of poetry at the Johns Hopkins University in
memory of their son, Percy Graeme TurnbuU, and with an
avowed intention of teaching poetry and thereby creating a
knowledge of and a love for it. May their noble gift and
benefaction become more generally known and others
follow their example.

PREFACE. vii

The aim of the true poet is always high. He should not
only rely upon those resources with which nature has
equipped him, but he, too, should study appropriate
models, until he becomes a sufficient master of the art to be
able in turn to leave models for others who may follow after.

W. C. J.
Robinson, Illinois.

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

PART FIRST.

POETRY AS AN ART, .

ACCKNT AND QUANTITY,

OF VERSE, .

Hemistich, .

Distich, .

Tristich,

Tetrastich, .

Forms of the Oiatrain,

OF METER, .

The Trochee,
The Iambus, .
The Dactyl,
The Anapest.

OF RHYTHM, .

OF SCANSION, .
Poetic Pauses,

OF RHYME,

Alliteration,

Assonantal,
Consonantal,
Masculine and Feminine,
Triple

PAGE
I

lO
lO
lO

II
II

1 8

23
24
24

33
36

40
42
44
45
45
46

TABLE OF COXTEN'TS.

Middle, .
Sectional,
Inverse, .
Task, or Odd,
Cento Verses,
Acrostic,

SELECTION OP^ WORDS,

Foreign Words and Expressions, .

THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA.

Rhythmic Combinations,
The Five Line Stanza,
The Six Line Stanza,
The Seven Line Stanza,
The Eight Line Stanza,
The Nine Line Stanza,
The Ten Line Stanza,
The Sonnet,
The Ballade,
The Chant Royal,
The Rondeau,
The Rondel,
The Roundel.
The Sestina,
The Triolet,
The Virelav,
The Pantoum,
Blank Verse,

MEASURES EXEMPLIFIED,

Trochaic,

Monometer,
Dimeter, .
Trimeter, .
Tetrameter.

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

Pentamettr,
Hexameter,
Heptameter,
Octometer,

Iambic, .

Monometer,
Dimeter. .
Trimeter, .
Tetrameter,
Pentameter,
Hexameter,
Heptameter,
Octometer,

Dactylic,

Dimeter, .
Tetrameter,
Hexameter,

Anapestic,

Monometer,
Dimeter, .
Trimeter, .
Tetrameter,
Hexameter,

IMITATION OF CLASSICAL MEASURES,
POETICAL LICENSES, ....

PAGE
142

144
146

147
148

>57

158
159

160
160
163
164

165

165
166
167
168
170

171

177

PAR T SECOND.

FIGURES OF SPEECH COMMON TO POETRY,

Figures of Etymology,
Aplieresis,
Apocope, .

187

187
188

TABLE at CONTENTS.

Epenthesis,
Paragoge, .
Prosthesis,.
Syncope, .
Synaeresis,
Tmesis,

Figures of Syntax,
Ellipsis,
Enallage, .
Hyperbaton,
Pleonasm,.
Syllepsis .

Figures of Rhetoric,
Allegory. .
Apostrophe,
Anaphora,
Antithesis,
Epanaiepsis,
Epigram, .
Epizeuxis,
Erotesis. .
Ecphonesis,
Euphemism,
Hearing, .
Hyperbole,
Irony,
Litotes,
Metonymy,
Echo,

Onomatopceia,
Paraleipsis,
Personification,
Refrain,
Simile,
Synecdoche,
Trope,
Vision,

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

PART- THIRD.

OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POFTRY,

The Empire ok Poetry,
Classification of Poetry,
Objective and Subjective Poet
The Lyric, .
Secular Songs, .
Sacred Songs,
Other Meters,
The Ode,

The Sacred Ode,

The Moral Ode,

The Amatory Ode,

The Heroic Ode,

The Ballad, .
The Elegy, .
The Epitaph,
The Pastoral,
The Didactic,

Philosophical,

Meditative,

The Epic,

The Mock Epic,
Metrical Romance,
Metrical History,

The Drama, .

The Tragedy, .

The Comedy, .

The Divisions of the Drama

The Farce,

The Travesty, .

The Melodrama

The Burletta, .

The Prologue, .

xiv TABLE OF COXTEiVVS.

PAGK

The Epilogue, 298

The Envoy, 298

The Subjective Drama 299

The Opera 299

The Satire . 299

The Dialectic, 303

German Dialect, 304

Irish Dialect 306

Western Dialect, 3' 8

Chinese Dialect 311

Southern Dialect, 311

Yankee Dialect 315

Scotch Dialect, 318

Child Dialect, 319

Nonsense, 320

The Versicle, 323

CONCLUSION 327

INDEX OF AUTHORS 329

INDEX OF SUBJECTS, 337

THE ART OF POETRY.

PART FIRST.

CHAPTER I.
POETRY AS AN ART.

POETRY is an art. Like music, painting and sculpture,
it is a aivine art. The poetic principle burns within
those who are gifted by nature with the true and the ideal.
It is a part of their existence, a part of their being. There
are those who love music, and spend their best days in its
study and composition. It is their joy and their sorrow.
The world drinks in that which their souls pour out.
Music, to the master mind, is his heart's gratification. He
lives and breathes in its atmosphere. To him it is a greater
solace than the pleasures of fashion, pomp or power.

He who is master of the art of painting enjoys satisfaction
in consummating that art. He gives his life daily to the
task of bringing it into perfection. His art is his love, and
throughout life he admires her charms.

The sculptor spends days and years in modeling and
chiseling the rough marble into the perfect image. He,
too, finds true enjoyment in giving his days in bringing his
art to the highest degree of excellence.

The true poet finds dehght in the rhythmical creation of
beauty. His word-pictures are paintings, his ideals are
modeled with the care of a sculptor. He sees beauty in the
tinting of the flowers, the waving of the grain, the cluster

2 THE ART OF POETRY.

of the trees, the babbling of the brooks, the ripple of the
rivers, the rifting of the clouds, the twinkling of the stars.
The birds sing for him, and the winds sigh unto him. The
calm, still ocean furnishes a picture of desolation, while its
deep surf and mighty waves thunder back its power and
destruction as they swell and surge the sands upon the
shore.

The moss upon the rock, the violet and the rose, the hum
of the bee, the heather and the hyacinth, all have for him
some charm.

He can picture the beauty of woman as well as he who
paints her upon the canvas. He can sing to her in song as
well as he who trills before the harp. He finds the gems
and true graces of womanhood. He idolizes the luster ol
her eye, the soft melody of her voice — the sigh, the laugh-
ter, the tear. He worships at the shrine of her faith, in the
strength of her purity, in the sweetness of her love.

All that is true and beautiful he sees with the eye of the
sculptor, feels with the touch of the painter, and hears with
the ear of the musician.

The mysteries of nature are unfolded unto him, and he
finds a pleasure in singing, in painting and in picturing her
charms and her grandeurs. It is only those who possess
the inherent power and a perfect art that can do this.
Nature presents to us strength in the rough stone. Art
brings to us beauty in the polished diamond.

True ease in writing comes from art, not chance.

This verse is fi^om Pope, a master of the art of versifica-
tion. Born an invalid and possessed of a frail constitution
throughout life, he devoted his time to his art. Educated
and refined, with a vigor of mind possessed by few, he found

POE TRY AS AN A R T. 3

time to eclipse Dryden, his chosen master and model. Mr.
Walsh, who was regarded by Dryden as the best critic in
all London, encouraged Pope to become the critical writer
he afterwards became. " For," said Mr. Walsh, " there is
one way of excelling. Although we have several great
poets, we have never had any one great poet that was
correct. ' ' How well Pope succeeded, Cowper tells us :

But he (his musical finesse was such),
So nice his ear, so delicate his touch,
Made poetry a mere mechanic art ;
And every warbler has his tune by heart

The act, art or practice of composing poetic verse is ver-
sification. The word ' ' verse, ' ' in our language, means a
line of poetry. A piece of poetry is often incorrectly
termed a verse.

This verse be thine.

Pope.

Virtue was taught in verse.

Prior.

A verse may be defined as a succession of articulate
sounds, consisting of words arranged in measured lines,
constituting an order of accented and unaccented syllables,
disposed of according to the rules of the species of poetry
which the author intends to compose. Verse is merely the
dress which poetry assumes. All verse is not poetry, nor
is all poetry verse, as one can see by an examination of
Ossian's poems, and "Leaves of Grass" by Walt Whit-
man. A large portion of the Holy Scriptures is poetical.
Many parts are railed songs, and the elevation of style
clearly indicates the poetical construction of others. We

^ THE ART OF POETRY.

give a quotation from the forty-fourth chapter ot Isaiah :

For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty,

And floods upon the dry ground ;
I will pour my Spirit upon thy seed,

And upon thine offspring my blessing profound.

Josephus affirms that the ' ' Songs of Moses ' ' were heroic
verse, while the songs of David were composed in trimeters
and pentameters.

Sing unto the Lord with the harp ; with the harp ;
And the voice of a psalm ;

With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise
Before the Lord, the King.

" Psalm xcvii."

Some souls in this world fancy they have no love for
poetry. They are mistaken. They love poetry, but they
do not understand it. Every one fancies the true and the
ideal. Who loves the natural world around and about us ?
Is it only the man of cultivation and leisure? All love
nature. Every beautiful landscape that is visible to our eye
is a poem. The everyday occurrences of life are poems.
Yet it is only when the master mind perceives and tells to
us their hitherto untold beauties, that we pause and listen.
It is related of Robert Burns that he knew " The Cotter's
Saturday Night ' ' was a success, when told that the scenes
he had so faithfully depicted "were common, very common;
such as might be witnessed in Scotland at all times in the
dwellings of the poor."

Who would now remember " Sheridan's Ride," were it
not for a Thomas Buchanan Read ? Who would now
remember John Howard Payne, were it not for "Home,

POE TRY AS AN AR T. 5

Sweet Home ' ' ? Ages still preserve, and will, our best
poems. This world of ours, with its rivers and lakes, its
country and cities, its prairies and mountains, its almost
every little nook and dell, is being painted with word
accents by someone who sees a special beauty in the little
things about him. The polite literature of poetry is keeping
almost as many records of heroic events, and the heroes ;
of inventions, and the inventors ; of art, and the artists ; of
social, domestic, religious and political life, and the actors
— ^as her sister prose. Life's histories of love, adventure,
romance, grief, joy, adversity, hope and pleasure — all are
woven together and told with unerring skill by the' master.

CHAPTER II.

ACCENT AND QUANTITY.

ENGLISH poetry depends upon accent, and accent upon
time. Let us illustrate : English poetry has four
principal or primary meters. These meters or measures
are known as iambic, trochaic, anapestic, and dactylic.
All English poetry is written in one of these measures.
Again, we have what is known as rhythm. The
rhythm of verse is its relation of quantities or time.
Take for example an iambic word, or a line of iambuses.
The word "before" is an iambus. Why? Because the
accent falls on the second syllable, the first being unac-
cented. Hence, should we select an iambic verse, the
accent would fall on the second syllable of each foot or
measure of the line.

'TwSs vain : the loud wSves lashed the shore,

Return 6r aid preventing : —
The waters wild went o'er hte child, —

And he wSs left Idmenttng.

Campbell— '"'Lordi Ullin's Daughter."

Here we have word accent applied to poetry ; every
other word or syllable in the verse or line being accented.
A long syllable is termed an accented syllable. Now the

ACCENT AND QUANTITY. y

quantity of a syllable is the relative portion of time occu-
pied in uttering it. In English poetry every syllable must
be reckoned long or short, and a long syllable is usually
equal to two short or unaccented syllables.

All words that have not a fixed accent, or in other words,
all monosyllables are reckoned in the first instance as being
unaccented or short. While this is true, monosyllables
when used in English poetry may be used as accented or
long, or, as unaccented or short even in the same line,
when it becomes necessary in order to make the meter
and rhythm. Take the first line of the stanza just quoted :

'TwSs vain : thS loud wavfis lashed thS shore.

Here we have a line of iambuses. Here we have a line
of four iambic feet. Here we have a line that ticks like a
clock :

Tick-took, tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock.

Here we have a line in iambic rhythm. The rhythm
here being determined by the accent, viz : The accent
falling upon the second syllable of the foot, and the number
of syllables in the foot or measure being two. There are
four feet in this line. Each foot has two syllables, one
accented and one not accented.

Now, let us take another word, and another line. Take
the word "lovely." Here the accent falls upon the first
syllable. In other words it would be termed long, while
the " ly " would be unaccented or short syllable. Now.
this word is termed a trochee. It is one of the primary
feet in English poetry ; a foot where the accent falls upon
the first syllable Here is a stanza familiar to all, a stanza

8 THE ART OF POETRY.

by one of the greatest and most charming of poets,

Lives 5f great mgn all remind tis

We cSn make otir lives sublime,
And, departing leave behind tis.

Footprints on th^ sands 6f time.

Longfellow — " A Psalm of Life."

Here we have another stanza of word accents. The ac-
cents ail fall on the first syllable or unemphatic word of
each foot or measure of the line or verse. The trochaic
and iambic measures are termed dissyllabic, for the reason
that two monosyllables, or two syllables or a word of two
syllables, compose a foot or measure.

Now, we have the same old clock ticking, but we will
elevate one side of it and put a chip under it. We now
have it ticking just the reverse of what it did before. It
ticks a little livelier. It now ticks —

Tock-tKck, tock-tKck, tock-ttek, tock-tfck.

Its measure is trochaic, because composed of trochees.
Its rhythm is trochaic, because it thus signifies or denotes
the kind and character of the feet employed, and arranged
into measures. If the line then is composed of four tro-
chaic feet, viz : a trochaic tetrameter, the rhythm must
necessarily be trochaic.

What has been said of iambic meter, and trochaic meter,
is equally true of anapestic and dactylic meter. These are
termed trisyllablic feet. These measures or feet may be
also distinguished from the dissyllabic measures. The ana-
pestic foot having one accent-ed and two unaccented syl-
lables, the first two being unaccented the last being accented,
hence, it necessarily follows, the time meter and rhythm

ACCENT AND QUANTITY. g

must be different. The clock would now tick, —

Tick, tick-tock, tick, tick-tock, tick, tick-tock.

On the other hand, dactylic measure being composed of
dactyls, words of three syllables, having the accent upon
the first syllable, the last two being unaccented, the clock
being elevated slightly again, would tick a little faster, thus

Took, tick-tick, tock, tick-tick, tock, tick-tick.

The quantity of a syllable, whether long or short, in
other words, accented or unaccented, does not depend upon
the long or short sound of the vowel, or diphthong, but
upon the intensity with which the syllable is uttered,
whereby a greater or less portion of time is employed in
uttering it.

Rhythmus in the widest sense is a division of time into
short portions by regular succession of emotions, impulses,
and sounds producing agreeable effect. We speak of
the rhythmus of the dance, the rhythmus of music, the
rhythmus of the poem. The language of the true-born
poet is rhythmical, and its rhythmic nature distinguishes it
from ordinary speech. To the lover of true poetry and art
there is a peculiar charm and grateful satisfaction attaches to
and delights the ear when reading a beautiful poem of a
peculiar or particular rhythm. The rhythmic accent marks
off given periods of time, and the natural or trained ear is
thus enabled to say, as each measure passes in review before
it, whether the time value of that particular measure is
correct.

CHAPTER III.
OF VERSE.

AVERSE being a metrical line of a length and rhythm
determined by rules which usage has sanctioned, it
will be therefore necessary to ascertain the divisions of verse.
First, we have the Half Verse or Hemistich, it being a
half poetic line or verse not complete :

Anapestic Tetrameter.

Heaven's fire is dround thfee, t5 blast and t6 burn ;
Return t5 thy dwelling \ * * *

Cam/>be/l—" hochieVs Warning."

Second, we have the Couplet or Distich, two verses or a
pair of rhymes :

Dactylic Dimeter.

Alas ! frtr the rarity
Of Christian charity.

Hood — "The Bridge of Sighs."

Trochaic "^etra.meter.

For the heart wh5se woes are legiftn
'Tis a peacefill, soothing regiftn.

Poe — " Dreamland."

OF VERSE. II

Iambic Pentameter.

Wh6 hath n6t paused while BeautJ^'s pensivg eye
AskSd from his heart th6 homSge of a sigh ?

Campbell — " Pleasures of Hope."

Third, the Triplet or Tristich, three verses rhyming to-
gether :

Iambic Pentameter.

A sentinel ang^l sitting high in glory

HeSrd this shrill wail ring oiit fr6m PurgStory :

Have mercy, mighty angfil, hear my story !

Hay — "A Woman's Love."

And what's S life? — a weary pilgrimage,
Wh5se glory in ong day d6th fill th6 stage
With childho6d, manho6d, and decrepit age.

Quarles-^''\^\\2X is Life."

Fourth, the Stanza or Tetrastich, a regular division of a
poem, consisting of two or more lines or verses. They are
formulated according to usage, and the taste of the writer,
and may be of every conceivable variety. Stanzas of the
same poem should be uniform, and constitute a regular divis-
ion of a poem. Stanzas are often incorrectly termed verses.

A verse is one line of a poem ; a stanza, two or more.
Stanzas are frequently known by the name of those using
them most ; as, the stanza of Spenser, the stanza of BurnSj
the stanza of Chaucer.

The Couplet is the simplest form of the stanza ; as,

Where did y6u come fr6m, baby dear ?
Ottt of the everywhere into the here.

George Macdonald—"Th& Baby."

1 2 THE AR T OF POE TR V.

Alas ! f5r love, \f thou Srt all,
And naught bfiyond, 0 Earth !

//etnans — "The Graves of a Household.'

Any two lines of poetry that make complete sense when
taken together, whether they rhyme or do not rhyme may
be termed a couplet ; and this form of stanza is frequently
employed in poems of considerable length ; as, Whittier's
" Barbara Frietchie ; " Tennyson's " Locksley Hall ; "
Edwin Arnold's " Secret of Death. "

The couplet is also employed in combination to form
other stanzas.

The next form of stanza is the Triplet, which is three
lines rhyming together.

The following example is a trochaic tetrameter :

Bear thrOugh s6rr6w, wrong, find ruth,
In thj;^ heart th6 dew 6f youth,
On thy lips thS smile 6f truth.

And thiit smile, like sunshine, dart
Int5 many & sunless heart,
For a smile 6f God th6u art.

Longfellow — " Maidenhood.

Like the couplet, the triplet is used in combination to
form other stanzas.

The next form is a four-line stanza called a Quatrain. The
quatrain is also used in combination to form other stanzas.
Quatrains are a very common form of stanzas, and we shall
give examples of many of them. Let us take the following
iambic :

OF VERSE. 13

His was the troubled life,

The conflict and th6 pain,
The grief, the bitterness 5f strife,

The honOr wTthOut stain.

Longfellow — " Charles Sumner."

The first, second and fourth Unes are iambic trimeter,
composed of three iambuses. An iambus consists of a
foot of two syllables, the first syllable is unaccented, the
second accented. The third line is iambic tetrameter, com-
posed of four iambic feet. In this stanza, the first and third
lines rhyme, the second and fourth.

From S. T. Coleridge we have the following :

She listened with a flitting blush.

With downcast eyes and modest grace ;

Frtr well she knew, I could n6t choose
Biit gaze Qpon her face.

" Genevieve."

In this stanza, the second and fourth lines rhyme. The
first three lines are iambic tetrameter, the fourth, iambic
trimeter.

My days are in the yell6w leaf,
The flowers and friiits 6f love are gone ;

The worm, the canker, and the grief.
Are mine alone.

Lord Byron — (Composed on his 36th birthday.)

The first three lines are iambic tetrameter, the fourth,
iambic dimeter.

7 HE ART OF POETRY.

IV.

A keepsake, maybe,
The gift 5f another, perhaps a brother,
Or lovSr, wh5 knows ? him her heart chose,

Or was hgr heart-free ?
N. G. Shepherd— ''On\y the Clothes She Wore."

This stanza is iambic, the first and fourth lines rhyming.
The first and fourth fines dimeter, the second and third,
tetrameter. The second and third have fine rhymes.

Cle6n hath a milliftn acrSs, ne'er a one have I ;
Cle5n dwelleth in a palace, in a cottage I ;
Cie6n hath a dozgn forttines, not a penny I ;
Yet the poorer of the twain is Cle6n, and n6t I.

Charles Mackay — "Cleon and I."

This stanza is thirteen syllabled, heptameter, trochaic
measure.

VI.

Like Dian's kiss, Qnasked, tlnsought,
L6ve gives itself, btit is n6t bought ;

N6r voice, n6r sound betrays

Its deep, impassioned gaze.

Longfellow — " Endymion."

The first two lines are iambic tetrameter, the third ^ind
fourth, trimeters.

Revile him not, — the Tempter hath

A snare fttr all ;
And pitying tears, n5t scorn and wrath,

Befit his fall !

Whittier — " Ichabod."

OF VERSE.

The first and third Hnes are iambic trimeters, the second
and fourth dimeters. The lines rhyme alternately.

T6 show a heart grifif-rent ;
T6 starve thy sin,

N6t bin,—
And that's t5 keep thy Lent.

Herrick — ' ' True Lent. ' '

This is a quatrain of iambics.

What more ? w^ took ottr last adieu,
And up, th6 snowy Splug^n drew,

Bflt ere wS reached th6 highest summit
I pluck'd a daisy, 1 gave it yoii.

Tennyson — "The Daisy.

This is a tetrameter stanza of iambuses.

And the night shall bg filled with music,
And the cares, that infest thfe day.

Shall fold their tents, like th6 Arabs,
And as silently steal away.

Longfellow — "The Day is Done.

This is an anapest.

0 heard yg y6n pibr6ch s6und sad in the gale.
Where a band cOmeth slowly with weeping and wail ?
'T is the chief 6f Gienara laments f5r his dear ;
And her sire, and the people, are called t6 her bier.

Campbell — "Gienara.

1 6 THE AR T OF FOE TR Y.

This is an excellent anapestic tetrameter quatrain.

Then shook the hills with thundgr riv^n,
Then rushed the steeds t6 battle driven,
And louder than the bolts fif heaven,
Far flashed the red artillery.

Caw/^^//— "Hohenhnden. "

This stanza is composed of a triplet and an odd line. It
is a tetrameter. The last syllables of the first three lines are
redundant.

Inhuman man ! CQrse on thy barbaroQs art,
And blasted be thy murder-aiming eye !
May never pity soothe thee with a sigh,

N6r ever pleasQre glad thy cruel heart !

Burns — " On Seeing a Wounded Hare."

The stanza is an iambic pentameter.

XIV.

As I look up into yotir eyes, and wait

F6r some response tO my f6nd gaze and toiich.

It seems t5 me there is n5 sadder fate
Than to be doomed t5 loving overmuch

Ella Wheeler Wilcox — "The Common Lot."

This is a ten-syllabled iambic pentameter, the first and
third, and the second and fourth lines rhyming.

Whither, midst falling dew.
While glow the heavens with the last steps 5f day.
Far, through their rosy depths, d5st thou pQrsue

Thy solitary way.

Bryant — " To a Waterfowl. '

OF VERSE.

This stanza is iambic. The first and fourth lines are
trimeter, the second and third, hexameter.

We have given many forms of the quatrain. We have
also given the measure of the stanzas selected. We have
endeavored to present different forms with a view to show
at a glance the numerous ways the quatrain may be formed.
It is a fine form of the stanza, and is more in use than any
other style of poetry. Employed with the couplet, and the
triplet, as well as the single line of verse, the quartrain is
capable of producing many other torms of beautiful stanzas.

CHAPTER IV.

OF METER.

WHILE we may learn to distinguish measures by sound,
if we happen to have a good ear for music, or time,
still, until one acquaints himself with the art of versification
and understands the rules or laws governing the formation
of stanzas, he cannot tell or give the reasons why any
particular stanza is written in any particular meter. Meter
is derived from the Greek word meiron, and denotes a
measure. Measure or meter is a succession of groups of
accented and unaccented syllables in which poetry is written.
In the classic languages, the measure depended upon the
way the long and short syllables were made to succeed one
another. Our modern verse depends, as we have seen, not
upon the distinction of long and short syllables, but upon
that of accented and unaccented syllables.

The accents should occur at regular intervals ; and the
groups of syllables thus formed, each constitute a measure.

In the classic verse these groups of long and short sylla-
bles composing the measure, were called feet, each foot
having a distinctive name. Meter in poetry, being similar
to measures or musical bars in music, received the name of
feet because the measure was regulated by the foot of the
director of the Greek choirs.

Keeping time, time, time.
18 Pof?— "The Bells."

OF METER.

The same names are applied to the modern that were
applied to the classic measures, from which they are all
taken. An accented syllable in modern verse being held
equivalent to a long syllable in classic verse. It is designated
by a ( — ) macron ; an unaccented syllable is equal to a
short syllable, and designated by a ( >^> ) breve.

'T is distance lends gncliantmgnt to the view,
And robes the mountain in its azQre hue.

Campbell — " Pleasures of Hope."

The first word is unaccented and is marked with a breve,
the second accented, and marked with a macron, denoting
the character of the measure, which is iambic pentameter.

Each measure contains one accented syllable, and either
one or two unaccented syllables.

In poetry monosyllables receive accent. Most monosyl-
lables in our language are variable in quantity,. and can be
used as long or short, as strong or weak sounds suit the
sense or rhythm.

Every emphatic word, and every accented syllable, in
verse forms a long or accented syllable. Monosyllabic unem-
phatical words constitute short or unaccented syllables.
Words of greater length usually Jiave- fixed accents. Ac-
cented syllables are always long. Syllables immediately
before or after an accented syllable are usually short. To
determine the kind of verse, it is always safe to look, first, to
the words that have a fixed accent ; second, to words that
are emphatic that are unaccented.

The number of feet in a stanza must always be reckoned
by the number of accented syllables constituting each line or
verse.

A syllable is a whole word or each part of a word that is

20 THE ART OF POETRY.

Uttered by one impulse of the mouth. A word usually has
as many syllables as it has principal parts. A word of but
one principal part is termed a monosyllable ; as, God.
Such words are pronounced with but one impulse of the
voice.

A word of two syllables is termed a dissyllable ; as,
Godly. Such words require two articulations. Words of
three syllables or principal parts are trisyllables, as God-li-
ness, Un-god-ly, and require as many articulations as they
have syllables.

Accent in poetry is defined as the uttering or pronouncing
of a word, noting the particular stress or force of the voice
upon certain words and syllables of words.

The acute accent is marked thus — or thus /

All words of more than one syllable are accented, as.

H6-ly, H6-li-ness, tTn-ho-l):.

Compound words may have two accents ; as,

ev-6r-chang-ing, e-v6n-mind-ed.

Accent is the peculiar stress we lay upon some word or
syllable of a word, as,

FOr-give, Beau-ti-ftil,

Holding, Re-ward-Ing,

Res-O- nance, Wind-ing-sheet,

C5n-fu-sion, Bo-nS-fT-de,

Fin-Sn-cier, RS-gdrd,

R6gue-haQnt-6d, Hap-py,

Re-ward, Ab-sen-tee,

Scarce-Iy, C5n-sign-ee,

These words have all fixed accents.

OF METER. 21

We believe that accent is the sole principle that regulates
our English rhythm. It is therefore necessary to observe
certain principles that govern accent. In words of two
or more syllables, there is one syllable which receives a
stronger verbal accent than the others. That is called the
primary accent. When the word contains three or more
syllables, there is a secondary accent.

Poets have in all ages, where the primary accent fell
upon the first syllable, in words of three syllables, taken the
liberty of giving a secondary accent to the third syllable,
where the rhythm required it. Words of four syllables
have a secondary accent, unless the primary accent falls on
one of the middle syllables, it is then governed by the
same as the trisyllable. Words of five syllables, if accented
on the first, seldom have less than three accented syllables
and never have less than two.

When a pause separates two syllables, each syllable may
receive the accent. In that case the pause fills the place of
a syllable.

When a verse, or a section of a verse, begins with an
accent, that accent should be a strong, not a weak one.

There is no word, however, so unimportant, that it may
not be accented if the rhythm requires it. The article may,
and does, receive accent. The rule, however, is that quali-
fying words, as adjectives, adverbs, and others of the same
class, receive a fainter accent than the words qualified.

In WillCarleton's "The Burning of Chicago," we have a
fine illustration. Notice the fine effect of the compound
words and how nicely the accent falls. The measure is
anapestic. The first four lines of the stanza are ana-
pestic trimeter. The remaining ten lines are anapestic
hexameter. We give the third stanza as follows :

22 THE ART OF POETRY.

'T wfls night in the sIn-bQrdened city,
The turbdlent, vice-lSden city,
The sin-c6mpassed, rogue-hSunted city,
Though Queen Of the North itnd the West.
And low \n their caves Of pOllutiOn great beasts Of htimanlt^

growled ;
And over his money-strewn table the gambler bent fiercely, and

scowled ;
And men with nO seeming Of manhoOd, with countenance flaming

and fGll,
Drank deep frOm the fire-iaden fountains that spring frOm the

rivers Of hell ;
And men with nO seeming Of manhoOd, who dreaded the coming

Of day,
PrOwled, cat-like, fOr blood-ptlrchased plfmder frOm men whO

were better than they;
And men with nO seeming Of manhoOd, whOse dearest-craved glor>'

was shame,
WhOsejoys werelhe sorrOws Of others, whOse harvests were acrCs

Of flame,
SIQnk whispering and low, in their corners, with bowie and pistol

tight-pressed.
In rogue-haunted, sin-c&rsed Chicago, thOugh Queen Of the North

and the West.

The stanza is mixed by the introduction of an iambus in
the first foot of eacli verse.

The words selected and accented in the preceeding
chapter were selected for a two-fold purpose ; first, to show
their fixed accents ; second, to illustrate meter, or measure.

Every primary measure in English poetry contains one
syllable accented, and either one or two, that are unac-
cented. Accent may be on either the first, second or third
syllable of the group, hence there are four complete and
distinct primary meters in our modern poetic forms. In
chapter two they were mentioned as iambic, trochaic, ana-

OF METER.

pestic and dactylic measures. Let us further illustrate and
denne them.

THE TROCHEE.

Two are composed of dissyllables ; as an example, the
word ho-ly. Here we have the accent falling upon the first
syllable, the second being unaccented. This word in poetry
is called a trochee, and the verse composed in it would be
termed trochaic. It is a classic foot and simply means a
foot of two syllables, the first accented, the second un-
accented.

THE IAMBUS.

Let us next take the word re-ward. Here we find the
accent is placed upon the second syllable, instead of the
first. In poetry this word is termed an iambus, a classic
foot, signifying a foot of two syllables, the first unaccented,
the second accented. Verse written in this measure is
termed iambic.

The songs and satires of the ancient classics were written
in this measure. We have, then, two dissyllabic meters,
the trochaic and the iambic. The -greater part of our
entire verse is written in one or the other of these measures.

The iambic measure is suited for grave and dignified
subjects. The poetry written in this measure cannot well
be enumerated. Three-fourths of our modern verse, we
feel safe in saying, is written in iambic meter. The trochaic
is an elegant foot. It has a foster movement than the
iambic. It moves lightly and with a brisk trip. It is not
encumbered by an extra syllable, as its sister foot, the
dactyl. The trochee and iambus are interchangeable.

THE ART OF POETRY.

THE DACTYL.

Of trisyllabic feet we have two that are primary. The
first is the dactyl, the second the anapest. Both are classic
feet. Let us take the word beau-ti-fiil. Here the accent falls
upon the first syllable, the second and third being unaccented.
This is the dactyl. This meter or foot is called the dactylic,
and signifies a meter having the first foot accented, and the
other feet unaccented.

THE ANAPEST.

Let us next take the word f in-an-cier. Here we have a
word with the accent falling upon the final syllable. This
is termed in verse an anapest. Verse written in this meas-
ure is termed anapestic. It signifies in poetry a measure
having the first two syllables unaccented, the last accented.

The trisyllabic measures are often substituted one for
another and like the dissyllabic they are interchangeable.
They are also interchangeable with the spondee.

These four primary measures are those most in use. The
trisyllabic measures are more difficult to use than the dissyl-
labic, although the dactyl is termed the flowing measure of
poetry. It is capable of many results, and much beautiful
verse is written in the dactylic.

We have then four separate and distinct measures, which
are termed primary, as follows:

The Trochaic, — — '

The Iambic, ^^ —

The Dactylic, — -^ ^^

The Anapestic, -^ — —

The substitution of these feet denominated primary, where
one foot is substituted for another frequently, gives rise to
what is known and termed mixed measure.

OF ME TER.

We shall now illustrate the four measures by a specimen
of verse written in each kind. The following is a trochaic.
The stanza is the eight and seven syllabled trochaic verse; a
twelve line stanza, the second, fourth, sixth and eighth lines
rhyming.

When the humid shad5ws hovSr

Ov6r all thS starry spheres,
And thS melancholy darkness

Gently weeps in rainy tears,
What a bliss t6 press thg pTll6w

Of S cottSge-chambSr bed.
And t6 listen to th6 pattfir

Of the soft rSin overhead !

Coates Kmney — "Rain on the Roof."

Our next stanza is an iambic six line stanza.

Ygs ! bear thgm to their rest ;

The rosy babe, tired with the glare 5f day.

The prattler, fallen asleep e'en in his play ;

Clasp them t6 thy s6ft breast,

6 night !

Bless them in dreams with a deep, hQshed delight.

G. W. Bethune—'' Hymn to Night."

This stanza contains six lines, the first and fourth are
iambic trimeters ; the second, third, and sixth iambic lines
of ten syllables, or pentameters, and the fifth a fine speci-
men of the iambic monometer, a verse of two syllables.

The next stanza is composed of dactyls, and known as
dactylic measure :

Come t6 me, dearest, I'm lonely without thee.
Day-time Snd night-time, I'm thinking about thee ;
Night-time and day-time, in dreams I behold thee ;
tlnwelc6me the waking which ceases t6 fold thee.

26 THE ART OF POETR Y.

Come t6 me, darling, my sorr6\vs tO lighten.
Come in thy beauty t6 bless iind t6 brighten ;
Come in thy womSnhobd, meekly 5nd lowly,
Come in thy lovingngss queenly Snd holy.

Joseph Brennan — " Come to Me, Dearest."

This is a stanza of eight lines, dactylic tetrameter, with
the exception of the fourth verse, which is a pure Kne or
verse of amphibrachic tetrameter, a secondary foot substi-
tuted for the dactylic, with a truly pleasing effect.

Our next stanza is anapestic.

'T ts the voice 6f the sluggard ; I heard him c6mplain,
Yoti have wak'd mS to6 soon, 1 m&st slumber again.
As the door 6n Its hinges, s6 he 6n his bed,
TQms his sides, and his shoulders, and his heavy head.

Dr. Isaac Watts — " The Sluggard. "

A four line stanza of anapestic tetrameter.

In addition to the measures which we have termed pri-
mary, the ancients had other measures denominated secon-
dary measures. They are frequently introduced into verse
to relieve monotony, as well as allowing the writer freer
scope. They are also unconsciously introduced by writers
fervent with the passion of the subject or theme, and give
grace and style. They are three in number.

The Spondee, a foot of two accented syllables ; as, praise
God, vain world, poor man. A verse in this foot or meter
is termed spondaic.

An Amphibrach is a poetic foot consisting of three syl-
lables, the first and last syllables unaccented, the middle
accented ; as, cSnsidSr, transported.

A Cretic, or Amphimacer, a poetic foot, the first syllable
accented, the second unaccented, and the third, accented ;
as, win-d6w-sash, wind-ing-sheet, life-6s-tate.

OF ME TER. 27

The dissyllabic feet then, are three in number, as follows :

The Trochee — —
The Iambus --^ —
The Spondee

The trisyllabic are four in number, as follows :

The Anapest ^ -^ — The Amphibrach -^ — ^

The Dactyl — ^ ^ The Cretic — ^ —

Coleridge, in "A Lesson for a Boy," exemplified these
seven feet :

Trochee trips fr6m long t6 short ;

Fr6m long t6 long in solemn sort

Slow Spondee stalks ; strong foot ! ySt ill-ablS

Ev€r t6 come tip with Dactyl trisyllable.

Iambics march fr6m short t5 long : —

With a leap find a bound th6 swift AnapSsts throng ;

OnS syllable long, with 6ne short at each side,

Amphibrachys hastes with a stately stride ;

First and last being long, middle short, Amphimacer

Strikes his thiindering hoofs, like a proud high-bred racer.

Where a verse or line consists wholly of one kind of feet,
it is termed pure. If a verse consists of nothing but iam-
buses, it would be a pure iambic verse ; if no foot but the
trochee, a trochaic ; if no foot but the anapest, anapestic ; if
dactyls compose the entire line, the line is termed dactylic
rhythm.

The proper study of mankind is man.

Pope.

This verse, as will be seen by scansion, is iambic penta-
meter ; viz, a. ten syllabled line of iambuses.

28 THE ART OF POETRY.

Blessings on the6, little man,
Barefo6t boy, wTth cheek 5f tan !

Whittier — " The Barefoot Boy."

This poem is seven syllabled trochaic rhythm.

In "Why should the Spirit of Mortal be Proud," by
William Knox we have a poem written in pure anapestic
rhythm save the first foot, which is an iambus.

The hand 6f thS king, that th6 sceptrfi hath borne ;
The brow of thS priest, that the mitre hath worn ;
The eye 5f th6 sage, and IhS heart 5f tlifi brave, —
ArS hidden and lost in the depths 6f the grfive.

These two lines from the same poem are pure anapestic
tetrameter :

T6 the life we are clinging, they, als6, w5uld cling ;
BQt it speeds f5r Qs all, like a bird 6n the wing.

The anapestic measure is a very capable one, smooth
flowing and strong. It is alike suitable for the more serious
thoughts of life, as well as, some that are exceedingly mirth-
ful. Brete Harte has adopted this meter in very many of
the quaint, mirth-provoking poems which he has written.

For an illustration of the dactylic, we have taken a
stanza from Tennyson's " Charge of the Light Brigade : "

" Forward, the Light Brigade ! "
Was there a man dismayed ?
Not th5ugh the soldier knew

Some one had bk'indered :
Theirs n5t t6 make reply,
Theirs n6t t5 reas5n why.
Theirs btit t6 do and die :
Int6 the valley fif Death,

Rode the SIX hiindred.

OF METER.

This is a fine specimen of dactylic dimeter, mixed with
trochees and anapests.

The more pure these several measures are preserved, the
more complete and perfect the chime of the verse, which
should in every instance be as pure and smooth flowing as
it is in the power of the writer to make it. Where, how-
ever, verse becomes monotonous, it is well to substitute some
other foot. Verse is truly beautiful where the.se substitutions
arc made, as —

Know ye thS land wh6re th6 cypr&s and myrtlS

ArS emblems 6f deeds that Sre done Tn their clime —
Where the rage 6f the vulttire, the love 6f the turtle,
N5w melt int6 softness, n5w madden t6 crime ?
Know ye the land 5f th6 cedSr find vine,
Where the flowers ever blossSm, the beams ever shine,
And the light wings 6f zephyr, 6ppressed with perfume,
WSx faint 6'er the gardens 6f GQl in her bloom ?
Where the citrSn Snd olive Sre fairest 6f fruit,
And the voice 6f the nightingale never is miite?
Where the virgins Sre soft Ss the roses they twine,
And all, save the spirit 6f man, is divine ?
'T is the land 6f the East — 'tis the clime 6f the sun —
can he smile 6n sQch deeds as his children have done ?
Oh, wild as the accents 6f lovers' farewell.
Are the hearts that they bear, and the tales that they tell.

iyron — " Bride of Abydos."

Few prettier lines have ever been written in trisyllabic
verse than these lines. Note how smoothly flowing the
rhythm ; how the measures mix and commingle together.
It will be seen that the first line is dactylic ; second, anapestic,
first foot being iambic ; third, anapestic. The stanza is
anapestic rhythm, that being the prevailing primary foot.

CHAPTER V.
OF RHYTHM.

POETRY being the polite literature of the world, much
of its beauty necessarily depends upon how it is
written. No matter how beautiful the thought, it must still
depend upon how that thought is arranged. To be able to
tell at a glance the measure and rhythm of poetry is worth
the effort of all classes, especially all readers who enjoy and
love that literature that springs from the cathedral of the
human heart. Musical notes properly arranged by the
hand of a master, give joy to the listener. There is music
that lulls to rest. There is music that curdles the blood.
There is music that is awe inspiring. There is music that
breathes of love. There is rhythm in music. There is
rhythm in poetry, the kindred art. How much poetry
depends upon rhythm let James Montgomery, a master
spirit tell us : " How much the power of poetry depends
upon the nice inflections of rhythm alone, may be proved
by taking the finest passages of Milton or Shakespeare, and
merely putting them into prose with the least possible varia-
tion of the words themselves. The attempt would be like
gathering up dewdrops which appear jewels and pearls on
the grass, but run into water in the hands ; the essence and
the elements remain, but the grace, the sparkle and the
form are gone. ' ' 30

OF RHYTHM.

Poetry originates in the enjoyment of equality and
fitness. Rhythm, meter, rhyme, stanza, alliteration, and
other analogous effects are employed in the moods of
verse. Many fail to make any distinction between meter and
rhythm. Meter is the arrangement of poetic feet, or of
accented and unaccented syllables into verse. Rhythm
signifies the character of the feet thus arranged, as,

Oh ! It was pitiffil !
Near SjA'hOle city full,
Home sh6 had none.

Hood — " The Bridge of Sighs."

This is termed dactylic rhythm, a dactylic dimeter, it
being a line or measure consisting of two dactyls ; thus, a
line composed of iambuses, anapests, trochees, and dactyls,
being primary feet, would be termed iambic rhythm, ana-
pestic rhythm, trochaic rhythm, dactylic rhythm.

Every reader of poetry has observed that it seldom
happens that verse proceeds uniformly with a succession of
absolutely equal feet ; namely, with a regular succession of
trochees, iambuses, spondees, dactyls, amphibrachys, cretics
or anapests only. The most musical lines are often inter-
rupted in the succession and are varied by the introduction
of other feet. Trochees are substituted for iambuses ;
anapests, amphibrachys, dactyls; spondees and cretics are
substituted one for an other. These feet may be termed
equivalents, for the feet are of the same length, in 'other
words, where they are of the same number of accented and
unaccented syllables.

We find trochees at the beginning of a verse we term
iambic, where the iambus is the prevailing foot, denoting
that the rhythm is in its character iambic. We also
frequently find anapests in a line that is iambic rhythm;

THE ART OF POETRY.

trochees are interrupted by the dactyl ; dactyls are inter-
rupted or interspersed with the amphibrachys or some other
trisyllabic foot. It is allowable thus to vary the verse, if
the time and melody of the line be preserved. The time
and the melody of the verse are often rendered more
harmonious by the substitution of the trisyllabic foot for the
dissyllabic, or the dissyllabic foot for the trisyllabic ; or, in
other words, the substitution of one foot for another, where
there is still preserved harmony in the sound, or where the
substituted foot is equal to, or amounts to an equivalent.
Pure dactylic stanzas are rare. Anapestic stanzas are seldom
pure ; and even the trochaic and iambic rhythms, although
purer than other rhythms are interspersed with spondees,
anapests, dactyls, or some other foot.

The classics were pleased to term the substitution of the
trisyllabic for the dissyllabic foot, an irrational foot.

In the iambic measure we more frequently find a spondee
or an anapest substituted for the iambus ; in a trochaic foot
we more frequently find the dactyl as a substitute ; in the
dactylic foot, the trochee, the spondee, the amphibrach and
the cretic. In these substitutions equality should be main-
tained.

CHAPTER VI.
OF SCANSION.

SCANNING or scansion of verse, is critically to examine
and resolve it into poetic feet. Should there be a
syllable wanting to complete the measure of a line, the foot
is imperfect, and the line is said to be catalectic.

Where there is a syllable over at the end of the line it is
said to be hypermeter, or redundant. When, however,
the line is found to be neither deficient nor redundant, it is.
said to be acatalectic. We have seen that meter is a system
employed in the formation of verses. Meter depends not
only on the character of the feet employed, but likewise on
the number of feet employed in the formation of the line or
verse. We have, therefore, several varieties of meter or
measure, determined by the number of poetic feet the line
contains, as :

A monometer, or a line composed of one foot.

'Tis time !
A d. meter, a line of two feet.

The twilight falls.

A trimeter, a line of three feet.
Th6 evening shades Sppear

2^ THE ART OF POETRY.

A tetrameter, a line of four feet.
N6 little stars shine oiit t6-nTght.

A pentameter, a line of five feet.

H6w glad 15 feel thSt joyofls night is here.

A hexameter, a line of six feet.

C5me haste ! And 'mid thS darkness flee ,1way, Sway !

A heptameter, a line of seven feet.

Erg soon Sgain th6 light 6f still Another tell-tille day.

An octometer, a line of eight feet.

t hear thS sound 6f hoof Sfar ! To arms ! T6 arms !
'Tis war ! 'Tis war !

Lines in this measure, written in trochees or in iambuses
are usually too lengthy for the ordinary page, hence, are
frequently written in tetrameter.

It is more important in writing poetry to preserve the
same number of accents in lines of like measure than the
same number of syllables. An exception to this rule is in
our ballad measure, where feet of three syllables are some-
times intermingled with the ordinary feet of two syllables.
The redundant syllable in that case should be unaccented
and devoid of stress, and capable of being pronounced
rapidly. The time of the trisyllabic foot and the time of the
dissyllabic foot should be equal. Each syllable should be
pronounced distinctly, but with greater rapidity. Our best
writers prefer the use of words in their natural state, to
words used as follows: flowers to flow'rs, silvery to silv'ry,
glistening to glist'ning, murmuring to murm'ring, th' for
the, i' for in, a' for an. We have here a stanza from
VVhittier.

OF SCANS I OX. 35

And I, Obedient to thy will,

Have come j1 simple wreath t6 lay,
Stiperflilotts, on ft grave th.1t still
Is sweet with all th6 flowers Of May.

"Sumner."
From Longfellow :

Thou hast taught m6, Silent Riv^r !

Many a less6n, deep Snd long ;
Thou hast been a generous giv^r ;
I can give theS but a song.

"To the River Charles."
From Willis :

Bright flag at yondfer tapering mast !
Fling out y5ur field 5f azurg blue ;
Let star and stripe b6 westward cast,
And point as freedom's eaglS flew !
Strain home ! 6h, lithe and quivering spars !
Point home, my country's flag 6f stars !

" Lines on Leaving Europe."
From Tennyson :

Begins the clash and clang that tells
The joy to ever)' wandering breeze ;
The blind wall rocks, and on the trees

The dead leaf trembles to the bells.

" In Memoriam."

In the first stanza, the words 6bedient, superfluous and
flowers are used by the writer making lines of nine
syllables, instead of syncopating the words ; in the
second stanza, many a, and generoiis, not gen'rous ; in the
third, tapering and quivering are used and not syncopated ;
in the fourth stanza, every and wandering are used in their
full form instead of being contracted to the forms ev'ry and
wand' ring as is often the case in some poems. Elision and

36 THE ART OF POETRY.

syncope, as a rule is no longer in use where it can be
avoided, nevertheless, it is true, in some cases it is a help to
the writer, and lends a charm to the rhythm.

Time is essentially the basis of all true rhythm, and
true rhythm is in fact frequently destroyed to the cultivated
ear by the syncopation of words that properly belong in the
line, and that only need to be spoken in quicker time,
which the ear is ahvays ready to recognize. Not only is the
ear offended, but the eye, that other organ that enables us
to perceive the beauty of written verse.

POETIC PAUSES.

In addition to the regular pauses that occur in the verse
or line of poetry, there are other pauses, know^n as the.
cesural, and the final pause. The Cesural pause is a natu-
ral suspension of the voice, which occurs in the verse, and
is readily perceived when the verse is properly read. It i?
found in long lines, and usually occurs about the middle of
the line. The art of the poet is shown in making these
pauses occur where the thought requires them. Iambic
pentameters usually have the cesural pause come after the
fourth or fifth syllables. In Alexandrine, or iambic hexa-
meter, the cesural pause usually occurs after the third foot.
Two or more cesurals may sometimes occur in the same
line. The cesura is indicated by two parallel lines ; thus, ||.

The final pause occurs at the end of every poetic line,
and should always be observed in reading, even when not
required by the grammatical construction.

We have selected the following lines from Pope, to illus-
trate the position of the cesura. Pope's ear was exceed-
ingly accurate in matters of euphony, and the cesural pause

OF SCANSION.

usually occurs after the fourth or fifth syllable in his verse
or line. Observe their position in the following lines : •

Btit most by numbers || judge a port's song.

And smooth 6r rough, |j witli them, is right or wrong ;

ThSse equal syllables i| alone require,

Th6' 6ft the ear || th6 opSn vowSls tire ;

While expletives || their feeble aid d6 join ;

And ten 16ng words || 6ft creep in one dQU line :

While they ring round || the same Unvaried chimes,

With sure returns || 5f still recurring rhymes ;

Where 'er y6u find || 'the cooling western breeze,'

In the next line || it ' whispers through the trees : '

If crystal streams || 'with pleasing murmtirs creep,'

The reader's threat'ned || — not in vain — with ' sleep.'

Then at the last || and only couplet, fraught

With some unmeaning thing || they call a thought,

A needless Alexandrine || ends the song,

That, like a wounded snake, || drags its sl5w length along.

Leave such t6 tune || their own dtill rhymes, t6 know

What's roundly smooth, || 6r languishingly slow;

And praise the easy vigSr j| of a line

Where Denham's strength || and Waller's sweetness join.

Triie ease in writing || comes fr5m art, nOt chance.

As those m6ve easiest || who have learned t6 dance.

'T is not enough || n6 harshness gives offense,

The sound mtist seem an ech5 || to the sense.

" Essay on Criticism."

Let us take next an iambic hexameter by William
Wordsworth.

The dew was falling fast, || the stars began t5 blink ;

I heard a voice ; it said, || " Drink, pretty creature, drink ! "

And, looking o'er the hedge, || before me 1 espied

A snow-white mountain lamb, || with a maiden at its side.

38 THE ART Oh POETRY.

It will be observed the pause occurs after the third foot.
It is difficult to lay down absolute rules for the use of the
cesura in English poetry. In a decasyllabic line, it may
occur after any foot, and it is by shifting its place, that
verse is rendered less monotonous. In shorter poems, es-
pecially of the amatory or lyric nature, it generally falls
midway in the line or verse. The cesura should not divide
a word ; neither should it separate an adjective and its
noun ; nor an adverb and verb, when in either case, the
latter immediately follows the former. The cesura is also
counted a foot in poetry.

A single emphatic syllable is used frequently in variegated
forms of verse, and when thus taken by itself it is termed a
cesura. To illustrate, let us take a stanza in iambic rhythm
— iambic trimeter :

Break, break, break.
On thy cold gray stones, 0 sea !
And I would that my tongue cotlld fitter
The thoughts that arise in me.

Tennyson — "Break, Break, Break."

We select the following stanza. It is trochaic rhythm,
one of the best of a fastidious poet's productions. Noth-
ing in its line has ever excelled it. We give the second
stanza :

Hear the mellOw wedding bells.
Golden bells !
What a world 6f happiness their harmOny fSretells !
Through the balmy air 6f night,
How they ring 5ut their delight !
From the molten golden notes.

And all in tune.
What a liquid ditty floats

OF SCANSION. 39

To the turtle-dove that listens, while she gloats
On the moon !
Oh, from out the sounding cells,
What it gush 6f euphOny voluminously wells !
How It swells I
How Kt dwells
On the Futiire ! how tt tells
Of the rapttire that impels
To the swinging and the ringtng

Ofthe bells, bells, bells.
Of the bells, bells, bells, bells,
Bells, bells, bells,—
To the rhyming and the chiming of the bells.

Poe—'"Y\\ft Bells."

CHAPTER VII.
OF RHYME.

S6me rhyme & neighbor's name t6 lash ;
S6me rhyme [vSin thought ! ] f5r needfti' cash ,
S5me rhyme t5 court the country clash,

And make S pun ;
Fftr me, an aim 1 nev^r ffish —

1 rhyme f6r fun.

Burns — "To James Smith."

RHYME in poetry is of ancient origin. It was brought
in by the Gothic conquerors during the middle ages.
Some Latin poetry rhymed as early as 500 A. D. It can
hardly be considered the invention of any race or age. It is
universal, like music, painting, and the sister arts. Since its
first use it has steadily gained favor, until it is now the popular
form of poetic expression. Alliteration was the common form
of the Anglo-Saxon poetry ; it had no other ornament. Al-
though no longer a regular constituent of English verse, allit-
eration is of frequent occurrence in modern poetry. In its
most usual sense, rhyme is a correspondence of sound in the
last syllables of two or more lines, succeeding each other
immediately, or at no great distance. It is used to mark the
ends of lines, or verses, of poetry. Rhyme depends upon the
sound, and not upon the spelling. To make a perfect rhyme
it is necessary that the syllables be both accented. It is

OF RHYME.

also necessary that the vowel sounds be the same ; that the
sounds following the vowel sounds be the same ; that the
sounds preceding the vowel sounds be different. Good and
stood, talk and walk, code and ode, dodge and lodge, plod
and odd, toil and boil, all are perfect rhymes. We give a
stanza from the famous national hymn of France ■

Y6 sons 6f France, Swake t6 glory !

Hark ! Hark ! What myriads bid yoO rise !
YoQr children, wives, Snd grandsires hoary,

BShold their tears Snd hear their cries.

Rouget de Lisle — "The Marseilles Hymn."

Here the first and third lines have a redundant syllable.
Here the first and third lines have the common sound of
"ory," in the first line being preceded by the consonants
"gl," in the third by the consonant "h. " The second
and fourth lines have the common sound " ise," the second
line being preceded by the consonant "r," and the fourth
by the consonants " cr. " Rhyme is not always the corre-
spondence of sounds in the terminating or final syllables of
two lines or verses. The lines may end with words that are
spelled differently, and that may be entirely different in their
meaning, yet, they may have an_exact correspondence of
sound ; as peak, pique, and peek ; also raze, raise, and rays.
These words would not form rhymes, there being a sameness
of the initial consonants. Should the initial consonants be
changed, we shall have words that make perfect rhymes, as
the following :

For the striict&re that we raise,

Time is with materials filled ;
Ourt6-days and yesterdays

Are the blocks with which wS build.

Lotigfellow — " The Builders. "

THE ART OF POETR V.

The common sound "aise," "ays" here have the initial
consonants " r " and " d " different, and hence form a
perfect rhyme. It is an absolute rule that no syllable should
rhyme with itself Rhyme always speaks to the ear and not
to the eye. Perfect rhymes are pleasing to the ear and not
a mere ornament. All people who have adopted an
accented rhythm have adopted rhyme. Rhyme marks and
helps us find the accent, and strengthens and supports
rhythm.

We have in poetry various kinds of rhymes. They may
be denominated, alliteration, assonantal, consonantal, mas-
culine, feminine, triple, middle, sectional, inverse and task of
odd rhymes.

ALLITERATION.

As we have already seen, alliteration was an old form of
Anglo-Saxon verse, which was simply rhyme at the begin-
ning of the word instead of at its ending. It was the dis-
tinctive characteristic of all the Gothic meters. Poems
continued to be written in English, the verse of which was
merely alliterative, down to the time of the sixteenth century.
The taste, however, that introduced rhyme rejected alliter-
ation to a very great extent, and its use began to decline.
Chaucer was the first English poet particularly to discard it
for rhyme, and hence, might be termed the father of
English rhyme. While the recurrence of the same sound
gave pleasure and satisfaction to the sense, slight, it is
true, still one that was perceptible enough ; yet, there can
be but little doubt, that the affectation displayed in crowding
every line with alliteration, by which inappropriate words
were often introduced, not unfrequently obscuring the
sense and offending the taste, led to its disuse. Alliteration

OF RHYME. 43

is, however, still much used in modern verse. There is a
tendency in our nature to form recurring sounds ; hence
alliteration is frequently produced without any set design ;
and it is frequently so sparingly and unobtrusively intro-
duced, that many readers of poetry are gratified by the
graceful use of alliteration, though not aware to what source
their gratification is owing.

We give the following from a poem of Thomas W.
Parsons :

September strews th6 woodlSnd o'er

With many S brillijint c6l6r ;
The world is brighter than before,

Why should otir hearts b6 duller?
Sorrow and the scarlet leaf,

sad thoughts and siinny weather.
Ah me ! This glory and this grief

Agree n6t well tftgether.

"A Song for September."

This is an iambic tetrameter, the second, fourth, sixth
and eighth lines redundant.

We give the following, an iambic tetrameter :

warm broke the breeze Sgainst the brow,

Dry sang the tackle, sang the sail :
The Lady's-head tipon the prow

Catight the shrill salt, And sheered the gale.
The broad seas swelled t6 meet the keel,

And swept behind : s6 quick the run,
we felt the good ship shake Snd reel,

we seemed t6 sail into the Sun !

Tennyson — " The Voyage."

We select this stanza from the Quaker poet. The first
and fourth lines, iambic tetrameter, the third and fourth,
iambic dimeter, with a redundant syllable.

44 THE ART OF POETRY.

She sat beneath the broad-armed elms

That skirt the mowing-meadSw,
And watched the gentle west-wind weave

The grass with shine and shad5w.

Whittier — "Among the Hills."

6laf, the King, 5ne siimmer morn,
Blew a blast on his bugle-horn.

Longfellow — "The Saga of King Olaf."

Songfftl, soulflil, s6rr6wfQl Ireland !

Lanier — "Ireland."

ASSONANTAL.

Assonantal rhyme is the correspondence of the vowels at
the end of two lines. Such rhymes are not very frequent in
our modern English verse. Rhyme by what is termed
similar sound, or allowable rhymes are considered intolerable
at the present time. In assonance, while the vowels of the
last accented syllable and in all subsequent syllables are the
same, the consonants must all be different. Formerly it
was allowable to rhyme heels with fields, town with round,
ask with blast, but such usage is no longer indulged in by
finished writers.

There may be found an occasional perfect assonantal
rhyme, as :

1 in these flowery meads wotild be.
These crystal streams shoQld solace me ;
T5 whose harmonious bubbling noise
I, with my iingie, wofild rejoice,
Sit here, and see the turtle-dove
C6urt his chaste mate XsS acts f)f love.

Izaak Walton — "The Angler's Wish."

The first two lines of this poem of true nature furnish us
a fine specimen of the perfect assonantal rhyme in the words

OF RHYME.

"be" and "me." The final vowel "e" being the same,
and the consonants " b " and " m " being different.

CONSONANTAL.

The last two lines of the above poem furnish us with a
specimen of another kind of rhyme, by far the most common
in English poetry. It is the consonantal rhyme, and is the
correspondence of the vowel and the final consonant or
consonants in the rhyming syllables. It will be seen that
the consonants "d" and "1" in the rhyming words "dove"
and "love" are different, while there is a perfect corre-
spondence in the vowels and consonants ' ' ove. ' ' The
following stanza furnishes us with a fine example of
the consonantal :

F15w gently, swefit Aft6n, among thy grefin braes,
Fl6w gently, swe^t riv6r, thfi theme 6f my lays ;
M)^ Mary 's asleep by thy murmQring stream,
F16w gently, swefet AftOn, disturb n6t h6r dream.

Burns— ''MXan Water."

MASCULINE AND FEMININE.

Masculine rhymes are single rhymes, like "braes" and
' * lays ; " " stream ' ' and ' ' dream ' ' in the last stanza.
They constitute one accented syllable. They are to be
distinguished from those rhymes that have an accented
syllable followed by an unaccented one, the last two sylla-
bles of the line rhyming with the last two of its mate.
Longfellow's " Hiawatha" is a good specimen of what is
described :

At the feet 6f LaughKng Watgr

HiSwatha laid his burden.

Threw th6 red de^r from hfe shoulders ;

46 THE AK T OF POE TR I .

And the maiden looked tip at hini,
Looked tip from h6r mat Of rushes,
Said with gentlS look Snd accgnt,
" You are welc6me HiSwatha 1 "

The above selection from Longfellow is trochaic rhythm,
tetrameter measure, with the feminine or double ending.
The principal rhyming syllables are usually long. Double
rhyme adds one short syllable. Triple rhyme, of which
we shall next speak, two. Such syllables in iambic and
anapestic verses are redundant ; in lines of any other kind
they are usually included in the measure.

TRIPLE.
Triple rhymes have three corresponding syllables ; as,

care, mad t6 see a man sae happy,
E'Sn drowned himself amang the nappy !
As bees fleS hame wl' lades 6' treasure,
The minutes winged thgir way wi' pleasfire ;
Kings may bS blest, btit Tarn was glo-ri-otis,
O'gr a' the cares 6' life vTc-to-ri-otis.

.ff/^rw^ — " Tam O'Shanter."

This is an iambic tetrameter. All the lines are redundant,
the fifth and sixth furnishing a fine example of triple rhyme.

MIDDLE.

Middle rhymes are a correspondence of sounds at the
middle and the close of a verse. It occurs at the natural
pause or suspension of the voice in the line, and serves to
mark the two sections of the verse.

We give an example, an iambic tetrameter, the second
and third lines redundant :

OF RHYME. 47

ThS splend6r falls 6n castlS walls
And snowy summits old in story:
The long lifght shakes Across th6 lakes,
And the wild catarSct leaps in glory.

Tennyson — ' ' The Princess. ' '

It was said that Burns was the poet of the many, while
Coleridge was the poet of the few. Coleridge was one of the
most tasteful of writers and. used the middle rhyme with
pleasing effect in one of his finest poems — a f)oem wTitten to
help pay the expenses of a trip he and Wordsworth were
taking together. He realized twenty-five dollars from its
sale, Wordsworth suggested largely for it, and wrote some
of its stanzas. We select three stanzas :

And through the drifts th6 snowy clifts

Did send if dismal sheen :
N6r shapes 6f men n6r beasts wS ken —

The ice wis all between.

The ice wis here, the ice wfls there.

The ice was all around :
It cracked Snd growled, Snd roared and howled,

Like noises in a swound !

At length did cross an Albarross:

Through the fog it came ;
As if it had been a Christian soul,

we hailed it in G5d's name.
Coleridge — " The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner."

Middle Rhyme in the hands of the skillful poet adds a
charm and lends music to the rhythm. In the hands of
those not skilled it is likely to be overdrawn.

48 THE ART OF POETRY.

SECTIONAL.

Sectional rhyme is akin to middle rhyme. It occurs in
the line and exists between syllables of the same section ; as,

Lightly And brightly breaks ftway
The morning from hSr mantle gray.

Byron — " Siege of Corinth."

They rushed and pushed, Snd bluide 6utgushed.

Burns — "Sheriff Muir."

But then to see hOw ye're nSgleckit,
H6w huffed an' cuffed, Jin' disrepeckit !

Burns — ' ' Twa Dogs. "

S5 might, n5t right, did thrust inS to the crown.

Shakespeare — " Measure for Measure."

All this derisi6n
Shall seem a dream and fruitless vision.

Shakespeare — "Midsummer Night's Dream."

Then ye may tell, hbw pell and mell,
By red claymores, and muskets' knell,
Wi' dying yell, the tories fell.

Burns — " Sheriff Muir."

Who careth nOr spareth till spent he hath all,
6f bobbing, n6t robbing, be fearfOl he shall.

Thoinas Tusser.

N5t fearing n6r caring i"5r hell n5r f5r heaven.

Thotnas Tusser.

ROcks, caves, lakes, fens, bOgs, dens and shades 5f death.

Milton — " Paradise Lost."

OF RHYME.

S5 manj^ Ss love m6, find use m6 aright,
With treasQre and pleastire 1 richly requite.

Thomas Tusser.

INVERSE.

Inverse rhyme occurs between the last accented syllable
before the cesura and the first accented syllable after the
cesural pause. We have fine examples in the following :

As Tammie glow'rSd, amazed and curiotis,
The mirth and fun grSw fast and furioQs ;
The piper loud and loudir blew ;
The dancers quick and quicker flew.

Burns — "Tam O'Shanter. "

S6me, lucky, find a flowery spot,
F5r which they never toiled 6r swat ;
They drink the sweet and eat the fat.

Burns — "To James Smith."

Where with intenti5n I have erred,

N5 other plea 1 have,
BQt, Thou art good ; and goodness still

Delighteth to fSrgive.

Burns — "A Prayer."

0 Henderson, the man — the brother !
And art th5u gone, and gone fSrever ?

Burns — " Elegy on M. Henderson."

Let Prudence bless Enjoyment's cup,
Then raptQred sip, and sip it iip.

Burns — Written in Friar's Carse Hermitage.

50 THE ART OF POETRY.

YoQr beauty's S flower, in the morning ihSt blows,
And withers the faster the faster it grows.

Burns — " Hey for a Lass."

Oh happy love ! where love like this is found !

Burns — " Cotter's Saturday Night."

Come ease Or c6me travail, cOme pleasQre Or pain,
My wSrst word is: " VV'eicOme Snd welcOme again ! "

Bums—'' Contented Wi' Little."

TASK, OR ODD.

Under this head are some peculiar combinations of poetry
which we shall give, known as task poetry, word-matching
and curious lines of word accents. Task poetry is illus-
trated by a stanza of George Herbert's. The task is drop-
ping the first letter of the last two words of the second and
third lines of the triplet :

Inclose me still, ffer fear 1 start.
Be to me rather sharp 3nd tart.
Than let me want thy hand and art.

SOch sharpness shows the sweetest friend,
SQch cuttings rather heal than rend.
And such beginnings touch their end.

The following curious distich is formed of three lines of
the fragments of words, so that the middle ones read with
either of the other two :

curs f — w — d — dis — and p —

A — ed iend — rought — eath — ease — ain.

bless — fr — b — br- and ag —

OF RHYME. 51

A cursed fiend wr5ught death, disease &nd pain ;
A blessfid friend br5ught breath ftnd ease Sgain.

Dr. Holmes has given us an example in an " Ode for a
Social Meeting ; With Slight Alterations by a Teetotaler. ' '

C6me ! fill a frSsh bumpgr, — f5r why should wg go

l6gwo6d
While thS noctar still reddSns 5ur ciips Ss thgy flow ?

d^coctiftn
P6ur out thgi4eTTJuic6s, still bright with th6 sun,

dye-sttiff
Till o'er thS brimmed crystal thS rubigo shall run

half-ripgned apples
ThS purplQ glSbod cluot6rc their life-d6ws have bled ;

taste sugar 6f lead

H6w sweet is thS broath 6f thg fragrance thgy ohod !

rank p6is6ns wines ! ! !

F6r summer's laot roo6o lie hid in thS winoo

stablfe-b6ys smoking l5ng-nines
That w6re garngred by maiddnc wh5 laughod throtigh thQ vino&

scowl howl scoff sneer

Th6n a omile, and a gloccy and a toast, and a choor;

strychnine Snd whiskey, and ratsbane and beer
F6r all thd goSd wine, ttnd w6'%'o oomo 6f it horo !

In cellar, in pantry, in attic, in hall,

D6wn, down with th6 tyrant that masters iis all !
L5ng livo the gfiy oorvant that laughs f5r Qo all !

Word matching is still another kind of odd rhyme.

Tlign up with yofir ciip till yoQ stagger in speech,

And match mS this catch, though yoCi swaggSr and screech.

Scott.

THE ART OF POE TR Y.

Another odd rhyme in iambic rhythm written anony-
mously, is entitled :

Song of the Decanter.

Thgre was in old decanter,

and its mouth wis gaping wide ;

the rosy wine had ebbed

flway and left its

crystal side ;

and the

' wind

wSnt

humming,

humming ; tip

and down

the sides

it flew, and

through thS

reed-like, h6116w

neck thg

wildest notes

it blew. I placed

it in the windSw, where

thS blast was blowing free, and

fancied that its pale m6uth sang th^

queerest strains t6 me. " Th^y tell m^

— puny conquerors ! — th6 Plague has slain

his ten, and War his hundrM-thousands 6f th6

very best 6f men ; btiti " — 'twas thus the bottle

spoke — " btit I have conquered more than all yottr

famotis conquerors, s6 feared and famed 6f yore.

Then come, yS yoiiths and maidSns, come drink

fr6m out my cup, the beverage that dulls the

brain and biirns the spirit up ; that puts t6

shame thS conquerors that slay their scores

below ; f5r this has deltiged millions with

the lava tide 6f woe. Th6ugh, in the

path 6f battle, darkest waves 6f blood

may roll ; yet while I killed the

body, I have damned the very

soul. The cholera, the sword,

stich ruin never wrought, as

I, in mirth 6r malice, on the inn5-

cent have brought. And still I breathe

tipon them, and they shrink before my

breath ; and year by year my thousands

tread the fearftil road t6 death.

OF RHYME.

In the couplet below every word of the line is answered
by another of the same measure and rhyme :

"She drove h6r flock 5'er mountains,
By grove, 6r rock, 6r fountains."

Another example is :

" Now, 0 now, I needs m&st part,

Parting though 1 absent mourn ;
Absence can n6 joy impart,

Joy 5nce fled can ne'er return."

The Alphabetic is still another odd rhyme :

" On going forth last night a friend t6 see,
I met a man by trade a s-n-6-b.
Reeling along h& held his tipsy way.
' Ho ! Ho ! • qu6th I, ' h6 's d-f-u-n-k.'
Then thus t5 him : ' WSre it n6t bettgr far
Yoti were a little i-6-5-e-r ?
. 'Tw^re happiSr for yoQr family, I guess,
Than playing off sQch rum r-i-g-s.
B&ides, all drunkards, when p61icem6n see '6ifi,
Are taken up at once h^ t-h-e-m.' "

A truth is frequently impressed by means of another form
of odd rhyme — the Paradox. A first-class example is here
given :

Though w6 boast 5f modern progress as aloft w6 proudlj^ soar.
Above tintiit5red cannibals wh5se habits we dSplore,
Yet in 5ur daily papers any^ day y5u chance t5 look
Yoti may find this advertisement : " Wanted — A girl t6 cook. "
Ida Goldsmith Morris — "A Paradox." In "Magazine of Poetry."

g4 THE AR T OF POE TR Y.

Odd rhymes are frequently employed to aid memory.
Few persons understand the use of " Shall" and " Will."
The following stanza memorized will be of use to every one :

" In the first pers6n simply Shall f5retells ;
In Will a threat 5r else a promise dwells ;
Shan in the sec6nd or the third d5th threat
Will simply then fSretells the futOre feat."

This quatrain is also useful to enable one to remember the
formation of Latin verbs :

*' Fr6m 0 are formed am and em ;
Fr6m I, ram, rim, r6, se, and sem.
tr, us, and rus are formed frOm um ;
All other parts fr5m Re d6 come."

Another quaint stanza enables us to remember the days
of the month :

" Thirt)^ days hath September,
April, June and November ;
All the rest have thirty-one,
save Febrtlary alone.
Which has btit twenty -eight in fine
Till leap year gives it twenty-nine "

CENTO VERSES.

Still another curious form of poetry is denominated
"Cento Verses or Patch Work."

MY LOVE.

\ only knew she came and went Powell.

Like troutlets in a pool ; Hood.

She was a phantom of delight, Wordsworth.

And I was like a fool. Eastmav.

OF RHYME.

"One kiss, dear maid," 1 said Snd sighed, Coleridge.

Out of th5se lips tinshorn ; Longfellow.

Sh6 shook her ringlets round hSr head, Stoddard.

And laughed in merry scorn. Tennyson.

Ring out, wild bells, t6 the wild sky, Tennyson.

Yoti heard th6m, O my heart ; Alice Carey.

'Tis twelve St night by the castle clock, Coleridge.

"Beloved, we mtist part." Alice Carey.

"C6me back, c6me back ! " he cried in grief, Campbell.

" My eyes Sre dim with tears, — Bayard Taylor.

H6w shall I live throGgh all these days? Osgood,

All throiigh S hundred years? " T. S. Perry.

'TwSs in the prime 5f siimmer time
She blessed me with her hand ;

we strayed together, deeply blessed,
Into the dreaming land.

Hood.

Hoyt.
Edwards.
Cornwall.

The laughing bridSl roses blow, Patmore.

T6 dress her dark-brSwn hair ; Bayard Taylor.

My heart is breaking with my woe, Tennyson.

M6st beaijtiful ! M6st rare ! Read.

I clasped it on her sweet, c6ld hand. Browning.

The precioQs golden link ! S^nith.

\ calmed her fears, and she wSs calm, Coleridge.

" Drink, pretty creattire, drink." Wordsworth.

And so I won my Genevieve,
And walked in Paradise :

The fairest thing that ever grew
Atween mS and the skies.

Coleridge.

Hervey.

Wordsworth.

Osgood.

Anonymous.

^6 THE ART OF POETRY.

ACROSTIC.

The acrostic is a form of odd rhyme. Below we give one,
written by the Lady Frances Manners, daughter of the Earl
of Rutland, and wife of Henry, Lord Bergavenny. She
was the author of ' ' Precious Pearls of Perfect Godliness' '
and "The Monument of Matrons," written in 1582, at the
end of which is this acrostic of her own name :

Pr6m sinftilness preserve mg, Lord,

Rgnew my spirit In my hart ;

And let my tongue therewith Sccord,

Uttering all goodness for his part.

N6 thought I6t there Srise in me

C6ntrairie to thy precepts ten ;

^ver let me m6st mindftil be

Still for t6 praise thy name. Amen.

As of my soul, s5 of my bodig,

B6 thou my guidSr, O my God !

Unto theS only do I crle,

Rgmove fr5m me thy furiotis rod.

GrSunt that my head mfly still dfivise

All things thSt pleasing be t6 thee.

Unto mine ears, Snd to mine eies,

]$ver let there S watch sSt bee.

N6ne ill that they mSy hear ftnd see ; —

N6 wicked deede I6t my hSnd do,

Yn thy go6d paths I6t my feSt go.

POUNDS, SHILLINGS AND PENCE.

£ s. d.
This world's a scene as dark as Styx,
Where hope is scarce w5rth 2 6

Our joys are borne s6 fleeting hence
That they are dear at 18

And yet t5 stay h6re most are willing.
Although thgy may n6t have i

Willis Gaylord — "Lines Written in an Album."

OF RHYME.

Ah me !

Am I thS swain,

That, late fr6m s6rr5w free,

Did all thS cares 6n earth disdain ?

And still tintoQched, Ss at s6me safSr games

Played with th6 bQrning coals 6f love Snd beauty's flames ?

Was't I cofild drive Snd sound ^ach passiOn's secret depth at will,

And from th6se huge 6'erwhelmings rise by help 6f r^as5n still ?

And am 1 now, 0 heavSns ! f5r trying this in vain,

S6 sunk that I shall nevfir rise again ?

Th^n let despair set sorrSw's string

F6r strains that doleftil be,

And I wfll sing

Ah me !

Wither — "Rhombic Measures."

CHAPTER VIII.

Nev6r thS verse approve 6r hold Ss good,

Till many S day Snd many & blot hSs wrought

Thg polished work, find chastened everj^ thought

By tenfbld labSr to pgrfectiftn brought.

Horace.

SELECTION OF WORDS.

The beauty of the poem consists in the perfection of its
rhythm, and the aptness of the words selected which
constitutes the rhyme.

Perfect rhythm and rhyme make a perfect poem where
reason and sound sense are at the bottom of the theme.
The resources of our language are such that we are entitled
to receive from the poet the most rigid work of perfection.
Imperfect or what are termed allowable rhymes should no
longer be tolerated.

Rhyme is merely the dress with which our thoughts are
clothed in rhythmic verse. Rhyme without reason and
good sense is insufferable. Formerly many rhymes were
allowable that at the present time would not be endured.

Thtis PegSsus, ft nearer way t6 take,

MSy boldly deviate from th6 comm5n track.

Pope.

Here "take" and "track " are made to rhyme by one
of the most fastidious of all poets. Pegasus is here permitted
to deviate from the common track.

SELECTION OF WORDS. 59

The same author we quote from again :

S6me haunt Parnassus but t6 please thfiir ear,
N6t mend thSir minds ; Ss some t6 church repair,
N6t for the doctrine, but th6 music there.

' ' Ear. " " repair, " " there, ' ' are here used as allowable
rhymes.

We quote still another couplet from Pope, in this con-
nection :

The vulgar thus by imitation err,
As 6ft the learned by being singQlar.

" Err " and " singular " are imperfect rhymes. Speak-
ing of what are termed allowable rhymes, let us quote from
Pope once more :

The winged courser, like S genero&s horse,
Shows most trtie metal when yoQ check his course.

" Horse" and " course " are not perfect rhymes.

His faithfQl wife fbrever doomed t6 mourn,
FOr him, alas ! wh5 never shall return.

Falconer.

" Mourn " and " return " are imperfect rhymes.

S6 draw him home t6 those that mourn

In vain ; a favotirabie speed,

Ruffle thy mirr5wed mast, and lead
ThroOgh prosperoOs floods his holy urn.

Tennyson.

" Mourn " and " return " and "mourn" and "urn"
were, however, at one time perfect rhymes, but the style of

6o THE AR T OF FOE TR Y.

pronunciation is now obsolete. The fact that pronuncia-
tion of words is constantly changing accounts also for many
supposed imperfect rhymes.

FOREIGN WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS.

We believe it was Bryant who said he never looked for a
foreign word to use in writing a poem but that he found one
better in our own language. How true the assertion. Our
own language is filled with choice words, and one has little
difficulty in finding good English to express ideas and
thoughts. The employment of foreign words and express-
ions, however, is unobjectionable, where the person using
them is master of the language used, and where the selec-
tion is apt.

In fact, frequently there is a mirth and charm lent to a
poem by the use of some word or expression taken from
some other language than the mother tongue. A fine
example can be found in one of John G. Saxe's poems,
entitled :

THE PUZZLED CENSUS TAKER.

" G6t any boys ? " the Marshal said

T5 a lady frOm over the Rhine ;
And the lady shook her flaxen head,

And civilly answered. '^Ne'in I " *

" G6t any girls ? " the Marshal said

T6 the lady fr6m over the Rhine ;
And again the lady shook her head.

And civilly answered, "Nein/ "

* ' N'ein," German for 'no."

SELECTION OF WORDS. 6 1

" Btit some Sre dead ? " th6 Marshal said

T5 the lady fr6m ov^r th6 Rhine ;
And again th6 lady shook h^r head,

And civilly answered, "Neinf^'

" Hiisband, 5f course? " th6 Marshal said

T6 the lady fr6m ovgr thg Rhine ;
And again sh6 shook h6r flaxen head,

And civilly answered, "Nem/"

" The devil yoQ have ! " thg Marshal said

T5 the lady fr6m 6v6r the Rhine ;
And again she shook h6r flaxfin head.

And civtlly answered, "Neln/"

" N5w what d6 yoti mean by shaking yoQr head

And always answering, ^Ne'in ' f "
'Ich kann nicht Englisch ! " civilly said
The lady fr6m ovSr the Rhine.

Charles Durbin is the author of an excellent poem,
' ' Nongtongpaw, ' ' the first two stanzas of which we give
below :

John Biill f6r pastime took a prance,

S6me time ago t5 peep at France ;

T6 talk 6f sciences and arts.

And knowledge gained in foreign parts.

M6nsieiir, 6bsequioiis, heard him speak,

And answered John in heathen Greek ;

T6 all he asked, 'b6ut all he saw,

'T was " MonsieQr, je voGs n'entends pas."

John to the Palais Royal come,

Its splendor alm6st struck him dumb.

" t say, whf)se house is that there here 1 "

" H6use ! Je voiis n'entends pas, M6nsiefir."*

* " I do not understand vou. Mister."

62 THE ART OF POE TR Y.

" What ! Nongt6ngpaw Sgain ! " cries John ;
" This fell6w is s5me mighty Don,
N6 doubt he's plenty for thS maw,
I'll breakfast with this N6ngt6ngpaw."

Mr. Field has written an excellent poem about the German
Zug:

The Germans say that " schnell " mgans fast, and "schnellest"

fastest yet, —
In all my life n5 grimmSr bit 5f hum6r have I met !
Why, thirteen'miles an hour's the greatest speed they ever go.
While on the engine pist6n rods d6 moss and lichens grow,
And yet the average Teut6n will presumptttously maintain
That one c&ii't know what swiftness is till he's tried the SQhnellest

train !

Eugene Field — "The Schnellest Zug."

The use of a foreign word, however, merely for the sake
of rhyme, is entirely out of place and not to be indulged.

The beauty of rhyme is perfectness .; therefore, use such
rhymes only as are perfect to the ear when correctly pro-
nounced,— to the eye when seen.

CHAPTER IX.
THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA.

THE manner or mode of constructing the stanza should be
closely observed by the writer of poetry. Form is essen-
tial to beauty, and form in all its details is looked after by the
master, (i) Verse which rhymes in alternate lines is always
indented. (2) Verse in couplets is never indented, but the
lines are all even. (3) Where the stanza is constructed with
four lines rhyming alternately and a couplet, the alternate
lines are indented and the couplet is usually even or flush
with the first and third lines of the stanza. (4) Where the
stanza is constructed with first a couplet, then a half-line or
bob-wheel, followed by another couplet, and that couplet
followed by another half line rhyming with the first half
line, the couplets are both even lines while the half lines are
indented. No matter whether the stanza is constructed of
four, six, eight, or any number of lines these rules hold
good. Symmetry always renders the stanza more perfect,
and a little observation will soon enable one to imitate a
perfect stanza. (5) When a stanza consists of a triplet and
a line or half line not rhyming, the latter is always indented.
(6) Where the stanza is constructed of a line that is followed
by a shorter, or half line, followed by a line rhyming with
the first line, followed by the .same line used similarly as a
second and fourth line, followed by a triplet and an eighth
line, similar to the second and fourth line, these similar lines

64 THE ART OF POETRY.

should be indented. More might be easily added, but
enough has been said to suggest the principle or art upon
which verse is constructed, and usually printed. As a further
illustration of what is intended, we give below an outline or
skeleton of the stanzas above mentioned, written in the sign
of the various measures :

G5d grant that when 6ur heads are gray,
When twilight blurs thS page,

ThS music of 6ur dawning day
May charm 6ur lonely age.
Burton W. Lockhart — "The Retrospect."

- ^— ' — Though 1 move with leadfin feet,
' — Light itself is not si3 fleet ;

- ^ — And before yoQ know m6 gone

- — ^- — Eternity and I are one.

William Dean How ells — " Time."

^ — -^ — TrQe love n5t heedeth bolt n6r bar,

-- — ^ — BOt sad 't is ever so ;

-^ — — ^ — TrQe love and fate d6 constant war,

-^ — —^ — And ne'er t5geth6r go ;

-^ — -^ — What little moments lovers smile

- — ^ — T6 the 16ng days between the while.
Isaac R. Baxley — " The Ballad of Sir Raymond."

- — The mossy marbles rest
-■—^ — On the lips that he has prest

- In their bloom ;

' — And the names he loved t5 hear

- ^-^ — — Have been carved f5r many a year

On the tomb.
Oliver Wendell Holmes — " The Last Leaf."

THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA. 65

— ^'^ ' — ^ — Never a heart tOrns false 6r cold ;

— —'--- — —' — — ' — Nevfir a face gr6ws gray 6r old ;

— ^ —^ — -^ — — — Nev6r ft love wS may n6t hold,
— ^-' — ^^-^ — — ^ — ^^ In the beauHftil land 6f fancy.

Libbie C. Baer — " In the Land of Fancy."

— -^ — >-' — — ' Draw the lines S llttlS tighter,

— —^ — Spirit mine !

— — — — — -- — -- Make th6 life S little brighter,

— — - — Spirit mine !

— —^ ' — ^^ — ^ For the truth's sake be a fighter,

— -^ — ^^ — ^ — — Show the world life may be whiter,

— —^ — -— — -^ Purer, stronger, dearer, lighter,

— — — More divine !

John O. O?//— "Upward."

RHYTHMIC COMBINATIONS.

Trochees and Dactyls. Iambi and Anapests.

I. — — — 17. _^^^_

4. — — — — — ' 20.^ — — — — — — ^^

5.— — — — 21. ^-^_

12. — — ^_^-_ 28. — ' . ^ — ^ ^

14. . ^ — ^ ■ 30. ~- .^ — ^^

15. _^__^^ '— 31. ^_^^— ^^_^_

16. ^^ — ^^_^^ 32. ^ — -^^ .^ — ^^

THE ART OF POETRY.
Ajnapksts and Iambi.

These groups of rhythmic feet, or word accents, are
capable of many combinations. We have forty-eight
groups. To combine them is not difficult. By combining
them we shall be enabled to write trochaic, dactylic, iambic,
and anapestic rhythms.

To illustrate :

21 : 38.

" How dear to my heart are the scenes of my childhood."

Examine the rhythmic combinations :

We find we have a combination of 21 : 38, being
anapestic tetrameter.
21 : 37.

" Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam."

We have as a combination 21
meter.

I : 18.

" I am dying, Egypt, dying."

37, an anapestic tetra-

THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA.

This combines group i with 18 and gives a trochaic
tetrameter.

I : 18 •

" When the humid shadows hover."

It will be seen the first line of the beautiful poem,
"Rain on the Roof," is the same combination, i : 18 —
trochaic tetrameter.

James Whitcomb Riley has very recently written a dialect
poem entitled, "The Green Grass av Owld Ireland," from
which we select the fourth stanza. The first, third and fifth
lines being combinations of groups 18 : 11 — the lines
being iambic tetrameter ; while group 1 9, being an iambic
trimeter, forms lines two, four and six, the seventh line being
a mixed iambic and anapestic tetrameter formed of 18 : 22,

G6d bless ySz, free Ameriky !

1 I5ve y£z, dock and shore !
I kem t6 yez in poverty

That 's worstin' me n6 more.
Btit most I'm lovin' Erin yet,

Wid all h6r graves, d' y6 see,
By reas5n av thS gre^n grass Sv 6wld Ireland.

The following lines are by Elsa D' Esterre Keeling, The
first, second and third lines combine groups 17 : 19 —
iambic tetrameter ; and the fourth line, group 17, and is
iambic dimeter. We select the fourth stanza :

LSst, Winter comes ; f6r Eld hSs brought its snow,
And says, "Sit qui6t, sheltered from the storm."

And i sit in my easy chair, find O,
The hearth h6w warm !

8:6

"Come t5 me, dearest, I'm lonely without thee."

68 THE ART OF POETRY.

A combination of group 8 : 6 — dactylic tetrameter.

We might add example after example, but enough has
been given to illustrate these rhythmic combinations.

The vertical bar is used to separate poetic feet. It is
placed between each accented foot. If the measure is dis-
syllabic the vertical bar distinguishes it, thus :

Once up I on a I midnight | dreary, | while I [ pondered | weak
and I weary.

Poe. — "The Raven."

The trisyllabic measure is marked as follows :

Till from its | nourishing | stem it is | riven.

Frances S. Osgood. — "Labor."

The vertical bar is sometimes used by authors of versifi"-
cation to represent or denote accent, as follows :

The macron — and the breve ^^ are far preferable, as well
as the acute accent, marked thus : '

Once up I on a 1 midnight | drea»-y, | while I | pondered | weak
and I weary.

THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA.

The scansion of verse becomes a pleasure when we
understand rhythmic combinations and the use of accentua-
tion marks.

THE FIVE LINE STANZA.

A pleasing form of our poetry is the stanza of five lines.
It is composed of the single line, the couplet, the triplet,
and quatrain. The combinations thus made are many and
elegant. We can devise no better method of studying the
art of composing this stanza, than that of giving examples
from our best authors. Then, by a close analysis of each
example given, we can tell the meter, rhythm and form. A
study of each example will soon familiarize the student with
this form of the stanza. From a poem by Sir Philip
Sidney, we take the following, an iambic pentameter :

Mj? true-l6ve hath my heart, and I have his.
By just Exchange 6ne to the other given :

I hold his dear, and mine h6 cann5t miss.
There never was a better bargain driven :

My trQe-l6ve hath my heart, and I have his.

" My True-Love Hath My Heart."

Another fine example of the effect of a repetition of the
subject of the poem, the same constituting the fifth line of
the stanza, is found in the following iambic pentameter
lines, entitled.

Linger n6t long ! Home te n6t home without theS ;

Its dearest tokens only make me mourn ;
6h ! Let its mem6ry, like a chain about thee,
GentlJ^ cOmpel and hasten thy return.
Linger n5t long.

Anonymous — "Linger Not Long."

THE ART OF POETRY.

John G. Saxe is the author of tlie following. It is
trochaic tetrameter, except the fourth line, which is a
trochaic dimeter. We give the first stanza :

Kiss m6 softly Snd speak t6 m6 low, —
Malice has ev^r S vigilant ear ;
What if Malice wgre lurking near ?
Kiss mg, dear !
Kiss m6 softly Snd speak t6 m6 low.

"Kiss Me Softly."

The little poem by Sir John Suckling furnishes a fine
example of a stanza in trochaic rhythm :

Why s6 pale and wan, fbnd lovSr.'

Prythee, why s6 pale ?
Will, wh6n looking well can't move hSr,

Looking ill prevail ?

Prythee, why s6 pale ?

" Why So Pale and Wan, Fond Lover."

One of the finest poems, written by Percy Bysshe Shelley,
is entitled, "To a Skylark." It is a trochaic rhythm, the
first four lines are trochaic trimeter, the fifth trochaic hexa-
meter. We give the first stanza :

Hail to thee, blithe spirit !

Bird th6u nevfir wert,
That fr5m heaven 6r near it,

Pourfest thy f&U heart
In prGfiise strains of Onpremfeditated art.

" To a Skylark."

Charlotte Smith is the author of a bright poem. It is
iambic tetrameter, the first and third and fourth lines rhym-

THE COIVSTKUCTION OF THE STANZA.

ing, and the second and fifth, the third and fourth being a
couplet. We give the third stanza :

C5me, summer visitant, Attach

T6 my re^d-roof yoQr nest 6f clay ;
And let my ear yoQr music catch,
L6w twittering underneath th6 thatch,
At the grSy dawn 6f day.

" The Swallow."

We give an example from a poem of nature by Mary
BoUes Branch. It is iambic tetrameter. The first, fourth
and fifth lines rhyme, and the second and third. The
second and third, and fourth and fifth lines are couplets.
We select the third stanza, describing the rock in the brook.
How delicate and true the description :

The rock Ks rough Snd broken on ifts edge

With jutting corners, but thgre come Slway

The merry ripplgs with their tiny spray,

T6 press It ere they flow 6n by the sedge,

They never fail the old r6ck's broken edge.

"My Little Brook."

Tennyson furnishes an excellent iambic pentameter stanza
in blank verse. We give the first stanza of the poem.

Tears, idle tears, I know n6t what they mean,
Tears from the depths 5f some divine despair
Rise in the heart, Snd gather to the eyes,
In looking on the happy AutQmn-fields,
And thinking of the days thSt are n6 more.

"Tears, Idle Tears."

Thomas Moore, the author of so many touching and

THE ART OF POETRY.

pathetic lines, has written few better than ' ' The Lake of the
Dismal Swamp." It is iambic rhythm. We give the first
stanza :

They made h6r 3 grave, to6 cold Snd damp

F6r a heart s6 warm find true;
And she's gone t6 thg Lake 6f the DismSl Swamp
Where, all night long, by a fire-fly lamp,

She paddies her v/hite cSnoe !

"The Lake of the Dismal Swamp. "

Another form of this stanza is given in the following, in
iambic measure :

Enters t6day

Another bod>' Tn church yard sod.

Another soul 6n the life in God.
His Christ was buried — and lives alway :
Trtist Him, and go yotir way.

Dinah Maria Mulock — " Buried Today."

We give the third stanza of a touching poem in iambic
rhythm :

And O. since that baby slept,

S6 hushed, h6w the mother has kept,

\\'ith a tearf&l pleasQre,

That httle dear treasQre,
And o'er them thought and wept !

William Cox Bennett — "Baby's Shoes."

Whittier describes a visit to Hampton Beach. The
rhythm is iambic. We give the twelfth stanza :

What heed I of the dusty land

And noisy town ?
I see the mighty deep expand
Fr6m its white line 6f glimmering sand
T6 where the blue6f heaven fin bliier waves shtits down !

"Hampton Beach."

THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA.

A poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, contains this excel-
lent stanza in iambic rhythm. It is the second one of the
poem :

F6r shame, my friend ! renounce this idl6 strain !
What wouldst th6u have S good greSt man Obtain ?
wealth, title, dignity, S goIdSn chain,
Or heap 6f c6rs6s which his sword hSth slain ?
Goodness find greatn&s are n6t means, bfit ends.

" The Good Great Man."

Edmund Clarence Stedman, one of our best writers,
furnishes a dashing poem. It is in trochaic rhythm. We
give a stanza :

Hark ! thg jingle

Of the sleigh-bells' song !
Earth find air in snowy sheen c6mmingie ;

Swiftly, throng
N6rsel3nd fancies, as w6 sail along.

"The Sleigh-Ride."

Who is there that has not read of the fabled youth —

" A youth, wh6 bore, 'mid snow find Ice,
A banner with thS strange device —
Excelsior ! ' '

a youth that pressed on, harkening not the voices that
gave him warning, until overtaken by death. The poem is
by Longfellow. It is an iambic tetrameter, except the last
line of the stanza, which is iambic dimeter. We have
selected the fifth stanza :

"Oh stay, " the maidSn said, "find rest

Thy weary head tipon this breast ! "
A tear sto6d in his bright blQe eye
Bfit still he answered, with a sigh,
Excelsior.

" Excelsior."

THE ART OF POETRY.

Edmund Waller is the author of a pretty poem in iambic
rhythm. The third stanza is given.

Small is th£ worth
Of beauty from the light retired ;

Bid her c6me forth,
Suffer herself t6 be desired,
And not bltish so t6 be admired.

— "Go Lovely Rose."

Henry Kirke White added to the poem, this stanza :

Yet, though thoQ fade,
Fr5m thy dSad leaves let fragrance rise ;

And teach th6 maid,
That goodness Time's rOde hand defies.
That virtQe lives when beauty dies.

Longfellow ever teems in good thoughts. This one in
iambic rhythm is worth remembering. We give the eighth
stanza of the poem :

And he wh5 has n5t learned t6 know
H6w false its sparkling bubbles show,
H6w bitter are the drops 6f woe.
With which its brim may overflow,
He has n6t learned tQ live.

— "The Goblet of Life. "

Another charming poem by Longfellow, is entitled
"Christmas Bells." It is iambic rhythm. We give the
seventh stanza :

Then pealed the bells m6re loud and deep :
" G6d is n6t dead; n5r doth he sleep !

The Wrong shall fail.

The Right prevail.
With peace 6n earth, g6od-w!ll t5 men ! "

" Christmas Bells."

THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA.

"A Woman's Question," is the title of a poem written by
Adelaide Anne Proctor in iambic rhythm, furnishing us an
example of the middle or line rhyme in the fifth line, as well
as another form. We give the first stanza :

Before 1 trust ra^ fate t6 thee,
Or place my hand in thine.
Before I let thy futQre give
C616r and form t6 mine,
Before I peril all ft5r thee, questiSn thy soul t6-night f6r me.

— "A Woman's Question."

THE SIX LINE STANZA.

Endless are the varieties of our English stanza. The art
of the poet is susceptible of a high degree of cultivation.
Our best authors have from time to time found new and
beautiful combinations. The six line stanza is one capable
of producing the very best of results. We have selected many
forms of the six line stanzas with a view of illustrating their
combinations and formations. Our first selection is in
anapestic rhythm, — anapestic tetrameter. We give the
first stanza :

There's a HttlS I6w hut by the river's side,

Within the sound 6f its rippling tide ;

Its walls are grey with the mosses 6f years,

And its roof all crumbled and old appears :

BQt fairer t6 me than castle's pride

Is the little I6w hut by the river's side !

P. B. Shillaber—''Vi^ Childhood Home."

A stanza by Tennyson, in anapestic rhythm is given.
The first, second, third, fourth and sixth lines trimeter, the
fifth, tetrameter.

THE ART OF POETRY.

C6me intfi th6 garden, Maud,

F5r the black bat, night, hSs flown !
C6me intS th6 garden, Maud,

I am here at thfe gate, alone ;
And the woodbine spicks are waft6d abroad,

And the musk 6f thg ros^s blown.

— "Come Into the Garden, Maud."

Another form of this stanza, in iambic tetrameter, the hnes
rhyming alternately, is given. The first stanza is selected :

She walks in beauty, like th6 night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies,

And all that's best 6f dark and bright
MSet in hSr aspSct and hSr eyes,

Thtis mell5wed to that tendSr light
Which heaven t5 gaudy day denies.

Byron — " She Walks in Beauty."

Here is another six line stanza rhyming in alternate lines.
It is a poem of exquisite finish and delicacy of touch, tender
and pathetic, by Edgar Allen Poe, entitled "Annabel Lee."
The poem was composed by Poe in memory of his child-
wife, who was his cousin and to whom he was devotedly
attached ; whom he loved ' ' with a love that the winged
seraphs of heaven coveted her and me." It is anapestic

rhythm

It was many and many a year agd.

In a kingd6m by the sea,
That a maiden lived wh6m you may know

By the name 5f Annabel Lee ;
And tilts maiden she lived with n5 other thought

Than t6 love, and be loved by me.

— "Annabel Lee.

THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA.

Sorrow and adversity are depicted in these lines by one
of England's best writers. It is iambic rhythm and a fine
form of the stanza, — dimeter and tetrameter lines :

Spring It is cheer^,

Winter IS dreary,
Gr6en leaves hSng, but thg brown mtist fly;

Whgn he's f5rsak6n,

Withered and shaken,
What can Sn old mSn do btit die ?

/^<3orf— "What Can an Old Man do but Die?"

Another form of this stanza, in iambic rhythm, is com-
posed of a quatrain, rhyming in alternate lines, and a
couplet : ,

I love, find have s6me caiise t6 love, thS earth, —
She is my Maker's creatGre, therefSre good ;

ShS is my mother, for shS gave mg birth ;
She is my tender nurse, shS gives mfe food ;

BQt what's a creatflre. Lord, cftmpared with thee?

Or what's my mothfir or my nurse t6 me?

Francis Quarles — " Delight in God."

Robert Herrick is the author of the following in iambic
rhythm :

Fair pledges of a fruitful tree.

Why do yg fall s6 fast ?

YoQr date is not s6 past

BQt you may stay yfet here awhile

T6 blush and gently smile,

And go at last.

"To Blossoms."

A fine trochaic stanza is to be found in "Twelfth Night,"

^8 THE ART OF POETRY.

Act II, scene 3. The third and sixth lines rhyme, the
other Hnes rhyming in couplets :

What Js love ? 'Tis not hSreaftfir ;
Present mirth hSth present laughter ;

What's t6 come is still Qnsure :
In dSlay thgre lies n6 plenty, —
Then c5me kiss m6, Sweet-Snd-twenty, •

Youth's a stuff will not Sndure.

Shakespeare — " O Mistress Mine."

An ardent love stanza composed by John Moultrie, is to
be found in the following in iambic rhythm, rhyming in
couplets :

" F6rget thfee ?" — If t6 dream by night, and muse 5n thee by day.

If all the worship, deep Snd wild, a port's heart can pay,

If praySrs in absence breathed f6r thee t6 Heaven's prOtectinij

power,
If winged thoughts that flit t6 thee — a thousand in an hour,
If bus}/ Fancy blending thee with all my fiUQre lot, —
If this th6u call'st " f6rgetting, " thou indeed shait be f5rgot !

" Forget Thee?"

Ralph Hoyt is the author of a poem depicting old age.
It is touching and pathetic and portrays true to life some ol
the sad events of this existence. The poem is written in
trochaic rhythm. The first, second, third, fourth and
sixth lines being trochaic pentameter, and the fifth trochaic
dimeter. We have selected the seventh stanza :

"Anggl," said hS sadly, " I am old ;

Earthly hope n6 16ng6r hath a morrSw ;
Yet, why i sit here thoti shalt b6 told."

Then his eye betrayed a pearl 6f s6rr6w,
Down it rolled !

"AngSl," said hg sadlji', " I am old."

"Old."

THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA. 79

Another form of the six line stanza is the quatrain rhym-
ing in ahernate lines, with the couplet. The following is
iambic rhythm and the first stanza of the poem :

Friend aftfir friend departs ;

Wh6 hath n6t lost a friend ?
There is n6 uni6n here 6f hearts

That finds n6t here an end !
were this frail world 6ur final rest,
Living Or dying none were blest.

James Montgomery — " Parted Friends."

A dainty poem, exquisite in its form, is by Sarah Roberts.
It is trochaic rhythm. We give the first stanza :

Here 1 c6me creeping, creeping ever^^where ;

By the dOsty roadside.

On the sunny hillside,

Close by the noisy brook.

In every shady nook,
I c6me creeping, creeping everywhere.

"The Voice of the Grass."

Burns is not the first who used the form of the stanza fol-
lowing. He, however, used it frequently in his writings
and it is known as the stanza of Burns. It is iambic rhythm:

Still thou art blessed, compared wi' me !
The present only toucheth thee :
Biit, och ! I backward cast my e'e

On prospects drear ;
An' forward, though 1 canna' see,

I guess an' fear.

"To a Mouse."

8o THE ART OF POETRY.

"The Little Beach Bird" is the theme of a poem by
Richard Henry Dana. It is also in iambic rhythm. We
give the first stanza :

ThoQ little bird, thoQ dwellgr by the sea,
Why^ takSst thoij its melancholy voice ?
Why with that boding cry
O'er the waves d6st thoQ fly?
6, rather, bird, with me
Throiigh the fair land rejoice !

" The Little Beach Bird."

An interesting stanza may be formed in alternate lines, the
first, second and fourth trimeter, the third tetrameter, and
the fifth and sixth a tetrameter couplet, as follows :

Ten me I hate the bowl,—

Hate is a feeble word ;
I loathe, abhor, — my very soul

By strong disgust is stirred
When'er 1 see, 5r hear, 5r tell
Of the dark beverage 5f hell !

Anonymous — "Go Feel What I Have Felt."

In trochaic rhythm we give —

So, good night !
Slumber on till morning light ;
Slumber till another morrSw
Brings its stores 5f joy and sorrOw ;
Fearless, in the Father's sight !
Slumber on. Go6d night !

Kdrner — " Good Night."

William CuUen Bryant is the author of this patriotic
stanza, in iambic rhythm :

THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA. 8 1

0 MOTHfiR of a mighty race,
Y6t lovely in thy youthf&l grace !
The elder dames, thy haughty peers,
Admire and hate thy blooming years ;

With words 6f shame
And taunts 6f scorn thSy join thy name.

"America."

Charles Kingsley is the author of a poem in iambic
rhythm, from which we give the second stanza :

The creeping tide Cctnie up along the sand,
And o'er and o'er the sand,
And round and round the sand,

As far as eye cotild see ;
The blinding mist came down and hid the land:
And never home came she.

" The Sands of Dee.'

In trochaic rhythm Longfellow has written a poem
entitled ' ' Sea Weed. " It is a neat form of the six-line
stanza. The first, third, fourth and sixth lines are tetra-
meter, the second and fifth dimeter. We give the fifth
stanza

So when storms 6f wild emotibn

Strike the ocean
Of the poet's soul, ere long,
From each cave and rocky fastness

In its vastness
Floats s6me fragment of a song.

"Sea Weed."

Maria Gowan BrooKs is the author of these exquisite lines

82 THE ART OF POETRY.

in trochaic rhythm. The quatrain is tetrameter, the couplet
dimeter. We give the second stanza :

Thou, t6 whom I love t6 hearken ;
Come, 6re night Sround mfi aark^n ;
Though thy softness but deceive m6,
Say thSu'rt true, and I'll believe theS;

Veil, if ill thy soul's intent,

Let mS think it inn6cent !

" Day, in Melting Purple Dying."

THE SEVEN LINE STANZA.

Of all those arts in which the wise excel.
Nature's chief masterpiece is writing well ;
N6 writing lifts exalted man sO high
As sacred and sOul-movKng poesy.

Buckingham.

This stanza may not be so generally used as the ones of
four, five and six lines, still many beautiful and exquisitely
finished poem; are to its credit. It is also capable of many
nicely formed combinations. The various forms that may
be selected from our best poems, examined and analyzed,
will^oon make us familiar with the stanza of seven lines.
The first selection is a sweet, spicy, little love poem by
Charles Sibley, entitled " The Plaidie." How true to na-
ture are these little word accents in iambic rhythm. An
analysis of the first line of the stanza shows a line composed
of three iambic feet, with a redundant syllable ; the second
line is composed of a trochee, and two iambuses ; the third
line is composed of an anapest and two iambuses, with a re-
dundant syllable ; the fourth line is composed of an anapest
and two iambuses ; the fifth line is composed of one iambus

THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA.

and a redundant syllable ; the sixth Ime is like the third ; the
seventh is composed of three iambuses. The fifth line is a
monometer, the others trimeter :

THE PLAIDIE.

tTpon ane stormy Sunday,
Coming Sdoon thg lane,

Wfire a score 6f bonnie lassies —
And the sweetest I maintain
was Caddie,

That 1 took tinneath my plaidie,
T6 shield hgr from thS rain.

She said that thg daisies blushed
F6r the kiss that I had ta'en ;

1 wadna hae thought the lassie
wad sae 5f a kiss cftmplain :
" N6w, laddie!

I winna stay under yoQr plaidie,
If I gang hame in the rain !"

Bat on an after Sunday,

When cloud there was n6t ane,
This selfsame wins5me lassie

(We chance t5 meet in the lane)
said, "Laddie,
Why dinna ye wear yoQr plaidie ?

Wha kens btit it may rain ? "

"How Many Times," a poem in iambic rhythm, by
Charles Lovell Beddoes, gives expression of great love.
We have selected the second stanza :

84 T^E ART OF POETRY.

H6w many times d6 I love, again ?
T611 me h6vv many beads there are
In a silver chain
Of the evening rain,
tJnraveied from the tumbling main.

And threading the eye 6f a yell6w star :
Sft many times d6 I love, again.

" How Many Times."

Elizabeth Barrett Browning has written a delicately fin-
ished and pathetic poem entitled," My Heart and I." We
give the seventh and last stanza. It is iambic rhythm :

Yet, who c6mplains ? My heart and I ?

In this abundant earth n6 doubt

ts little room f5r things \v6rn out ;
Disdain them, break them, throw them by ;

And if before the days grew rough,

we once were loved, then — well enough
I think we've fared, m>' heart and I.

" My Heart and I."

From an old manuscript in the time of Henry VHI,
written anonymously, the following stanza in iambic rhythm
is taken :

Ah, my sweet sweeting ;

My little pretty sweeting.
My sweeting will I love wherever I go ;
She is s6 proper and pure,
TrQe, steadfast, stable and demure,
There is n5ne siich, yoQ may be sure.

As my sweet sweeting.

" My Sweet Sweeting.

THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA. 85

Tennyson's "Song of the Milkmaid," from "Queen
Mary, " is a fine specimen of the seven hne stanza. It is
trochaic measure :

Shame ttpon yott, Robin,

Shame tlpon yoti now !
Kiss mS would yott ? with m^ hands

Milking thS cow ?

Daisies grow Sgain,

King cttps blow Sgain,
And yoti came Snd kissed m^ milking thS cow.

Jean Ingelow is the author of " Songs of Seven," which
contains a love song in anapestic rhythm :

I leaned 6ut 6f wind5w, I smelt th6 white clover,
Dark, dark wSs thg garden, 1 saw n6t thS gate ;
" N6w, if thSre bS footsteps, hS comes, my 6wn lovSr, —
Htish, nightingale, hiish ! 0 swe^t nightingale, wait
Till I listen and hear
If a step drawSth near,
F6r my love h6 is late !

" Seven Times Three, Love."

A poem greatly admired is by Rev. Charles Kingsley.
It is an anapestic rhythm. The stanza which we have
selected is an anapestic tetrameter, and analyzed is as
follows: The first line is composed of two anapestic and
two iambic feet ; the second line is like the first ; the third
is composed of four iambic feet ; the fourth is composed of
one iambic and three anapestic feet ; the fifth is composed
of one anapestic and three iambic feet ; the sixth is like the
third ; and the seventh line is like the fifth, the anapestic

36 THE ART OF POETR Y.

foot prevailing denotes the rhythm of the tJtanza. The
third stanza is as follows :

Three corpses IS}- out 6n the shining sands
In the morning gleam Ss the tide went down,

And the women 5re weeping and wringing their hands
F6r tliose wh5 will never c6me back t6 the town,

F6r men mtist work, Snd women mtist weep ;
And the sooner Us over, the sooner t6 sleep ;

And go6d-bye t6 the bar Snd its moaning.

"The Three Fishers.'

"My Love is Dead," is a poem by Thomas Chatterton,
in trochaic measure composed of nine stanzas, from which
we have selected the second. The measure is mixed, the
trochaic foot prevailing. The stanza is tetrameter, except
the fifth and sixth lines, they being dimeter. The first and
third, the second and fourth lines rhyme. The fifth and
sixth being a rhyming couplet :

Black his hair as the summer night,

White his neck as the winter snow,
Ruddy his face as the morning light ;
Cold he lies in the grave below.
My love is dead
Gone t6 his death-bed,
All under the will6w tree.

"My Love is Dead."

Henry N, Cobb is the author of the following lines in
iambic rhythm. The first four lines being pentameter, the
fifth and sixth dimeter, and the seventh a monometer. We
give the first stanza of the poem :

THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA.

Th6 way Ks dark, my Fathfer ! Cloud 5n cloud
Is gathering thickly o'er my head, ind loud
The thunders roar above m£. See, 1 stand
LKke one bgwild^red ! Father, take my hand,
And through thS gloom
LSad safely home
Thy child !

" Father, Take my Hand"

In a fine descriptive poem Francis Bret Harte thus nar-
rates the cause of the fear of the inhabitants of a seaport
town, in iambic rhythm. We give the second stanza :

G6od cause f6r fear ! In thg thick mKdday

Th6 hulk that lay by thg rotting pier,
Filled with children in happy play,

Parted the moorings find drifted clear, —
Drifted clSar bgyond thg reach 6r call, —
Thirteen children thgy were in all, —
All adrift in the lower bay !

^ .—"A Greyport Legend."

A ride made famous in iambic tetrameter is that of Sheri-
dan's from Winchestertown. We give the first stanza :

tip from the South at break 5f day
Bringing t6 Winchester fresh dismay.
The affrighted air with a shiidder bore,
Like a herald in haste, t6 the chieftain's door,
The terrible griimbie, and riimble, and roar,
Telling the battle was on Once more.
And Sheridan twenty miles away.

Thomas Buchanan Read — "Sheridan's Ride."

Another little poem depicting rural sport, is by Thomas
Tod Stoddart, in trochaic rhythm. It is very cleverly

88 THE ART OF POETRY.

written and the stanza worth reading to a lover of the
sport. We give the first stanza :

Sing, swefit thrushgs, forth and sing !

Meet thS morn tipon th6 lea ;
Are thg emerafds of th2 spring

On the angler's trysting-tree ?

Tell, sweSt thrushes, tell t6 me !

Are there biids 6n 6ur will5w-tree ?

Buds and birds 5n 5ur trysting-tree ?

' ' The Angler's Trysting-Tree. ' '

What a fine sentiment is contained in this stanza, the
last one of a poem by Mrs. Craik. It is iambic rhythm :

0 soul, fttrget the weight that drags theg down,

Deathfillly, deathfttUy:
Kn6w thyself. As thKs glory wraps thee round.
Let it melt off the chains that long have bound
Thy strength. Stand free before thy God and cry —

" My Father, here am I :
Gtve to me as th6u wilt — first cross, then crown."

"The Aurora on the Clyde."

And by the same author we find a fine iambic stanza
taken from a poem entitled " Sitting on the Shore " :

6 life, 0 silent shore.
Where we sit patient : O great sea beyond
T6 which we turn with solemn hope and fond,

BGt s6rr6wful n5 more :

A little while, and then we too shall soar
Like white-winged sea-birds int6 the Infinite Deep ;
Till then, Th5u, Father — wilt otir spirits keep.

" Sitting on the Shore."

THE COA'S /RUCTION OF THE STANZA. 8g

Let us give still another from the same author. It is
from a poem in anapestic rhythm entitled, "Sleep on Till
Day" :

Y6t life's bOt 3 visi6n to6 lovely? t6 stay :

M6rn passes, no6n hastens, and pleastires d^cay ;

And evening approaches Snd closes th6 day :

Th6n laid with praisSs

tJndSr the daisies :
Smiling we'll creep to 5ur pillOw of clay,
And sleep 5n till Day, my I6ve, sleep 6n till Day.

For one desirous of selecting a wife, the following stanza
may be of some practical help. The poem is an iambic
tetrameter. Here is the third stanza :

If I cotild find a lassie — mild,
WomSn in wit, in heart a child :

Blithe^' ust t6 sweeten s6rr6w ;
sedate enoiigh t6 temper mirth —
Meek-hearted, rich in household worth —
N6t quite the ugliest girl 6n earth, —
I'd marry her t6m6rr6w.

Cra/yJ— " The Six Sisters."

A ' ' Dream in the Woods, ' ' written by Thomas Hood, in
iambic rhythm, is a poem of excellent merit — contemplative
in character. We give the sixty-seventh stanza :

Btit haughty peer and mighty king
One doom shall overwhelm !

The oaken cell

Shall lodge him well
Wh6se sceptre ruled a realm —
While he wh6 never knew a home
Shan tind it in the elm !
*JL "The Elm Tree."

THE ART OF POETRY.

Henry Carey is the author of "God Save the King,"
written in dactylic rhythm. We give a stanza :

God save 6ur graciotis king,
Long live 6ur noblS king,

God save the king !
Send hTm vtctoriotis
Happy and gloriotls,
Long t6 r^ign ov^r tSs,

God save the king !

A patriotic poem by Francis Bret Harte furnishes this
excellent stanza in trochaic rhythm. The second one of the
poem is selected :

' ' Let me of m^' heart take counsel :

War Is not 6f life the sum ;
Who shall stay and reap the harvest
When the auttimn days shall come ? "
But the drum
Ech6ed, "Come!
Death shall reap the braver harvest," said the
, solemn sounding drum.

" The Reveille."

Lord Tennyson is the author of a soul-stirring poem in
dactylic rhythm. The second stanza is given :

Be n6t deaf t6 the sound that warns !

Be n6t galled by a despOfs plea !
Are figs Of thistles, Or grapes Of thorns ?

How shoQld a despot set men free ?

Form ! form, Riflemen, form !

Ready, be ready tO meet the storm !

Riflemen, riflemen, riflemen, form !

"The War."

THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA.

Phoebe Carey has written many tender and charming
poems. The art of the poet was one she thoroughly under-
stood. This stanza, the last one of the poem, is in trochaic
rhythm :

Ah wKse mother ! if yoii proved

LovSr nevfir crossed hfir way,

I wotild think thS self-sSme way.
EvSr since thS world his moved,

Babes se6m w6m6n in S day ;

And, alas ! and well a day !
Men have wooed and maidens loved !

Phcebe Cary — "Gracie."

Matthew Arnold has written a fine poem, which he entitles
"A Question." It is trochaic rhythm. We give the first
and second stanzas :

Joy c6mes and goes, hope 6bbs and flows

Like the wave ;
Change d6th tinknit thS tranquil strength 6f men.

Love iSnds life a littlg grace,
A few sad smiles and then
Both are laid in one c51d place, —
In the grave.

Dreams dawn and fly, friends smile and die

Like spring flowers;
Our vaunted life is one l6ng fungral.

Men dig graves with bittSr tears
For their dead h5pes ; and all.
Mazed with doubts and sick with fears,
Count the hours.

"A Question."

THE ARJ- OF POETRY.

What is known as the Rhyme-Royal, a stanza invented
by Chaucer, is still another form of the seven line stanza.
The first four lines being an ordinary quatrain, with alternate
lines rhyming, the fifth line repeating the rhyme of the
fourth, and the last two rhymes forming a rhyming couplet.
We give a stanza illustrating :

And thou, swefet Music, dancing's only life,
The ear's s6le happiness, th£ air's best speech,

Loadstone 6f fellowship, charming-rod 6f strife,
The soft mind's paradise, the sick man's leech,
With thine Own tongue thOu trees and stones can'st teach,

That, when the air dOth dance her finest meastire.

Then art thOu born, the gods' and men's sweet pleasfire.

Sir John Dames — "The Dancing of the Air."

THE EIGHT LINE STANZA.

This stanza is used extensively in writing poetry. No
form, unless it should be the quatrain, is in such general
use. It is capable of great variety. The stanza may be
composed of four couplets, or a six line stanza and a couplet,
or a seven line stanza with an odd rhyming line.

As our object is not only the familiarizing ourselves with
the various forms of the stanza, but also to learn perfectly
the art of scansion, become perfectly acquainted with the
rhythm and meter of verse, we shall endeavor to select
from the best authors the various forms of the eight line
stanza, assuring the reader that he cannot be too familiar
with the formation of the stanzas, if he has a desire to
become perfectly acquainted with the art of versification.

The selections given, while but a single stanza of some
excellent poem, will certainly be a help to the reader who
will undoubtedly follow up the poem and give to it a thor-

THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA.

ough reading. First, we have selected the fourth stanza of
Thomas Hood's " The Song of the Shirt." It is iambic
rhythm. The stanza is as follows :

Oh ! men with sisters dear !

Oh ! men with mothers Snd wives !
It Is n6t llngn yoQ're wearing out,

BGt hiiman creattires' lives !
Stitch— stitch— stitch !

In poverty, hunger and dirt,
Sewing at once, with a double thread,

A SHROUD as well as a shirt !

What can be more beautiful than the poem of Edward
Coate Pinkney entitled, " A Health?" It is also in iambic
rhythm. The poem is composed of five stanzas. We have
selected the last, as follows :

I fill this cup t6 one made up

Of loveliness alone,
A woman, of hgr gentle sex

The seeming paragon.
HSr health ! and would 6n earth thSre stood

S6me more 6f such a frame.
That life might be all p66try,

And weariness a name.

Philip Pendleton Cooke gives us a fine example of an
eight line stanza in a little poem entitled, " Florence Vane. "
It is iambic rhythm. We select the third stanza :

Thou wast lovelier than th6 ros^s

In their prime ;
Thy voice Excelled thg cl6s6s

Of sweetest rhyme ;
Thy heart was a rivSr

Without a main.
WoQld 1 had loved the6 nev6r,

Florence Vane.

THE ART OF POETRY.

Samuel Daniel has written a neat little poem entitled,
' ' Love is a Sickness. ' ' We give the last stanza :

L6ve is a torment of th6 mind,

A tempest everlasting ;
And Jove hath made it of 3 kind,
N6t well, n6r fQll, n6r fasting.
Why so?
M6re we Snjoy it, more it dies ;
If not enjoyed, it sighing cries
Heigh-ho.

James Shirley is the author of a fine poem in iambic
rhythm entitled, " Death the Leveler." The last stanza is
selected :

The garlSnds wither on yo&r brow,

Then boast n6 more yoQr mighty deeds ;
ijpon death's purple altar now
See where the vict5r-victim bleeds ;
Your heads mtist come
T6 the c51d tomb ;
Only the acti6ns of the just
Smell sweet, and bl6ss6m in their dust.

Alexander Rogers gives us a beautiful stanza, in a love
poem entitled, "Behave Yourself Before Folk." We
select the fifth stanza, which is iambic rhythm :

Ye tell me that my lips are sweet :
Sic tales, 1 doubt are a' deceit ; —
At ony rate, it's hardly meet

T6 prie their sweets before fOlk.

Behave yotirsel' before fOlk, —

Behave yoQrsel' before f6lk, —
Gin that's the case, there's time and place,

But surely no before f6lk !

THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA. 95

John G. Saxe, the author of so many excellent poems,
who delighted the reading public throughout his life, tells
us he is growing old in these finished lines entitled, "I'm
Growing Old." We give the fourth stanza. It is iambic
tetrameter :

I feel it In my changing taste ;

1 see it In my changing hair ;
1 see it In my growing waist ;

1 see it In my growing heir ;
A thousand signs prSclaim the truth,

As plain as truth wSs ev^ told,
That, evgn In my vaunted youth,

I'm growing old ! "

An anonymous poem entitled, ' ' The Grave of Bona-
parte " is a beautiful eight line stanza in anapestic rhythm.
We have selected the first stanza :

On a lone-barrSn Isle, wh^re the wlld-roaring bI116ws

Assail the stern rock, and the loud-tempests rave,
The her5 lies still, while the dew-dr6pping wIllOws,

Like fond-weeping mourners lean over the grave.
The lightnings may flash, and the loud-thQnders rattle ;

He heeds n6t, he hears n6t, he's free fr5m all pain ; —
He sleeps his last sleep — he has fought his last battle !

N6 sound can awake him t6 glory again !

' ' A Doubting Heart, ' ' by Adelaide Anne Proctor, is a
pathetic poem in iambic rhythm, expressive of sorrow and
adversity. We give the third stanza :

The sun has hid its rays

These many days ;
Will dreary hours never leave the earth ?
(y doubting heart !
The stormj^ clouds 5n high
Veil the same sunny sky
That soon, f6r spring is nigh,
Shall wake the siimmer Int6 golden mirth.

ge THE AR T OF POE TR Y.

We present below a stanza of eight lines, the second,
fourth, sixth and eighth lines rhyming. It is taken from
one of the finest poems in the English language, ' ' Man was
Made to Mourn," by Robert Burns. It is iambic rhythm.
We give the eleventh stanza :

0 Death ! the poor mSn's dearest friend,

The kindest and th6 best !
Welc6me th6 hour my agSd limbs

Are laid with thee St rest !
The great, the wealthy, fear thy blow,

FrOm pomp Snd pleasure torn ;
BQtO, a blest relief t5 those

That weary-laden mourn !

The "Cavalry Song" by Edmund Clarence Stedman-
taken from "Alice of Monmouth," is a poem showy and
animated, a very neat form of the eight line stanza. It is
also iambic rhythm. We give the second stanza :

Dish on beneath the smoktng dome ;

Thro&gh level lightnings gall5p nearer !
One look t5 Heaven ! N5 thoughts 5f home ;

The guIdSns that we bear Sre dearer.
CHARGE!
Cling ! Clang ! forward all !
Heaven help those wh6se horses fall ;

cat left and right !

Caroline E. Norton is known the world over by ' ' Bingen
on the Rhine." The poem is highly descriptive, tender
and sympathetic, touching a keynote that reverberates and
swells as the reader cons each line. It is in iambic measure
— an iambic heptameter ;

THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA.

HTs trembling voice gr6w faint Snd hoarse — his gasp wSs childish

weak, —
His eyes pQt on a dying look, — he sighed find ceased t6 speak ;
His comrade bent t6 lift him, biit th6 spark 6f life had fled !
The soldier of the Legion, in a foreign land — is dead !
And the soft mo5n rose tip slowly, and calmly she lo6ked down
(^n the red sand of the battlefield with bloody corses strewn ;
Yes, calmly on that dreadf til scene her piile light seemed t6 shine,
As it shone 6n distant Bingen — fair Bingen on the Rhine !

John G. Saxe is the author of " American Aristocracy,"
from which we have selected the first stanza. It is iambic
rhythm :

Of all the notable things 6n earth,
The queerest one is pride 6f birth

Among 6ur " fierce democracy? ! "
A bridge across a hundred years.
Without a prop t5 save it fr5m sneers,
N6t even a couple 6f rotten peers, —
A thing 6f laughter, fleers and jeers,

Is American aristocracy !

How true to nature is this poem by Joanna BaiIHe, entitled
" The Heath-Cock." It is iambic rhythm. We select the
first stanza :

Go6d morr6w to th)^ sable beak
And glossy pliimage dark and sleek.
Thy crims5n moon and aztire eye,
C6ck of the heath, s5 wildly shy ;
1 see thee slyly cowering throijgh
That wiry web 6f silvery dew,
That twinkles in the morning air,
Like casements of my lady fair.

gS THE AR T OF POE TR Y.

The Italian Heroic meter in which Tasso and Ariosto
wrote, known as the " Ottava Rima," is a stanza of eight
iambic pentameter lines. The stanza consists of six lines
rhyming alternately, and the seventh and eighth a rhyming
couplet. Lord Byron wrote ' ' Don Juan ' ' in this stanza,
a selection from the first canto, is here given :

'Tis sweet t6 hear thg watch-d5g's honest bark

BSy deep-m6uthed welc6me as w6 draw nfiar home ;

'Tis sweet 16 know thgre is Sn eye wtll mark
Our coming, and lo6k brighter when wS come ;

'TTs sweet tft be Swak^ned by th^ lark.
Or lulled by falling waters ; sweet thg lium

Of bees, thfi voice iSi girls, thS song 5f birds,

The lisp 6f children, and thSir earliest words.

THE NINE LINE STANZA.

The nine line stanza gives fine effect to English poetry,
and hence may be termed a favorite among writers. It is
capable of many combinations. One form, however, of the
nine line stanza is fixed, and it is this form that is so justly
praised and highly noted. It is the Spenserian, so named
from Edmund Spenser, the author of " The Fairy Queen,"
who composed that beautiful poem in that stanza. While
Spenser is generally accredited as being the inventor of the
form of the stanza that now bears his name, and is so widely
used, he borrowed it from Italian poetry.

Many of the highest types of poetical composition, we
find in this stanza — Byron's " Childe Harold," Burns'
" Cotter's Saturday Night," Beattie's "Minstrel," Thom-
son's "Castle of Indolence." The Spenserian stanza con-
sists of nine lines, the first eight being iambic pentameter,
the ninth an iambic hexameter. The stanza is composed of

THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA.

two quatrains rhyming in alternate lines. The last line of the
first quatrain rhymes with the first line of the second quat-
rain ; the ninth line rhyming with the eighth.

Ah ! who can tell h6w hard It is t5 climb

The steep where Fame's pr6ud templg shines afar !

Ah ! who cSn tell h6w many a soul sQblime

Has felt the inflaence of malignant star,

And waged with Fortilne an Sternal war ;

Checked by thS scoff 6f Pride, by Envy's frown,

And Poverty's Qnc6nqu6rabl6 bar;

In life's 16w vale remote has pined alone,

Thgn dropped into th6 grave, tinpitied and Qnknown !

Bea^lte— "The Minstrel.

We have also selected a stanza from a beautiful poem,
" Philip, My King," an illustration of childhood. It is by
Dinah Maria Mulock Craik. It is iambic rhythm. We
select the first stanza :

Lo6k at m6 with thy large br6wn eyes,

Philip, my king !
R6und whom th6 enshad6wing purplS lies
Of babyho5d's royal dignities.
Lay on my neck thy tiny hand

With Love's invincible sceptfir ladgn ;
I am thine Esther, to command
Till thou shalt find a queen-handmaid6n,
Philip, my king !

Another fine nine line stanza is from the pen of Sir
Charles Sedley, entitled, " Phillis is My Only Joy." It is
trochaic rhythm. We give the first stanza •

joo THE ART OF POETRY.

Phlllis is my only joy,

Faithless as the wind 6r seas ;
Sometimes coming, sometimes coy.
Yet she never fails t5 please.
If with a frown
1 am cast down,
Phillis, smiling
And beguiling,
Makes me happier than before.

Robert Burns touched the hearts of all Scotland, as well
as the reading world, when he gave to the public, ' ' The
Cotter's Saturday Night." It is a poem that portrays
vividly the life of the Scottish peasant, and is so true and
accurate as to bring home to all, the scenes it so faithfully
depicts. The rhythm is iambic. We select the third
stanza:

At length his lonely cot appears in view,
* Beneath the shelter of an aged tree ;

The expectant wee things toddlin', stacher throQgh

T6 meet their dad, wi' llichierin" noise an' glee.
His wee bit ingle blinking bonnily,

His clean hearthstftne, his thriftie wifie's smile,
The lisping infant prattling on his knee,

D6es fi' his weary carking cares beguile.
And makes him quite fSrget his labSr and his toil.

William Cullen Bryant is the author of this stanza,
selected from one of his poems entided, "June." The
measure is iambic. We give the third stanza :

There through the long, 16ng summer hours

The golden light shoQld lie.
And thick yOung herbs and groups 6f flowers

Stand in their beauty by.

THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA. joi

The oriole shotlld build Snd tell
HTs love-tale close bfiside my cell ;

The Idle butterfly
Shoiild rest him there, and there be heard
The housewife bee and humming-bird.

Another beautiful poem is selected from the same author.
Who hasn't read William Cullen Bryant's " Robert of
Lincoln," and admired the charming rhythm? The meas-
ure is mixed, the trochaic prevailing. We select the fifth
stanza :

Six white eggs 6n a bed 6f hay,

Flecked with piirple, a pretty sight !
There as the mother sits all diiy,

Robert is singing with all his might ;
B6b-6'-link, b6b-6'-link.
Spink, spank, spink ;
Nice go6d wife, that never g5es out.
Keeping h5use while I frolic about.
.Chee, chee, chee.

From Byron's " Childe Harold," Canto III, we select
the following stanza from his description of "Waterloo."
No grander poem of its kind was ever written. It is
written in Spenserian stanza, which is always iambic rhythm.
The first eight lines are iambic pentameter, the ninth line
being an hexameter •

Ah ! then and there was hiirrying to and fro.

And gathering tears, and tremblings of distress.

And cheeks all pale which but an hour ago

Blushed at the praise 6f iheir 5wn loveliness ;

And there were sudden partings, siich as press

The life fr6m out yoting hearts, and choking sighs

Which ne'er might be repeated ; who woiild guess

If evermore shotild meet thSse miitual eyes

Since up5n night s6 sweet siich awfQl morn cotlld rise !

I02 THE ART OF POETRY

How beautiful are the "Lines'' by Thomas Campbell,
" On leaving a Scene in Bavaria." We select the seventh
stanza. It is iambic rhythm :

Y6s ! i have loved thy wild Sbode,

tlnknown, tinploughed, Qntroddfen shore ;
Where scarce the woodman finds a road,

And scarce th6 f ishfir plies an oar ;

F5r man's neglect 1 love thee more ;
That art nOr avarice Intriide

T6 tame thy torrent's thOnder-shock,

Or prune thy vintage of the rock
Magnificently rude.

A fine variation of the Spenserian stanza is found in the
following from Percy Bysshe Shelley's lines entitled, " The
Sun is Warm, the Sky is Clear." It is iambic rhythm.
We select the third stanza :

Alas ! 1 have n5r hope n6r health,

NQr peace within, n5r calm around,

N6r that C5ntent surpassing wealth

The sage in meditation found.

And walked witli inward glory crowned,—

N6r fame, n6r power, n6r love, x\hr leistire,

Others I see wh6m these stirround ;

Smiling they live, and call life pleasure ;

T6 me that cup has been dealt in another measflre.

THE TEN LINE STANZA.

This form of the stanza is widely used. It may be em-
ployed in many combinations. Five couplets make a beau-
tiful ten line stanza. Three triplets and a single line may
be used. The quatrain doubled and the couplet combined
form the stanza. It can be formed of two five line stanzas ;

THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA.

103

of a six line and a quatrain ; of a seven line and a triplet.
We select a stanza from Shakespeare, entitled, " Blow,
Blow, Thou Winter Wind," from "As You Like It," act
ii, scene 7. It is iambic rhythm. We select the first
stanza :

B16w, blow, th6u winter wind,

Th6u art nftt so tinkind
As man's ingratitude ;

Thy tooth is not s6 keen,

Because thOu art n6t seen,
Although thy breath bS rude.
Heigh-ho ! sing heigh-ho ! tinto the green holly ;
M5st friendship is feigning, mftst loving mere folly;
Then heigh-ho, the holly !
This life is m6st jolly !

Our next selection is a poem from John Keats. It is one
of the best of that celebrated writer's productions. It is
entitled, ' ' Ode to a Nightingale. ' ' We select the seventh
stanza :

Th5u wast n6t born f5r death, immortal Bird !

N6 hungry generati6ns tread thee down ;
The voice I hear this passing night wSs heard

In ancient days by emperor Snd clown ;
perhaps the self-sSme song that found a path

ThroQgh the sad heart 6f Ruth, when sick f5r home.
She stood in tears amid the alien corn ; _

The same that oft-times hath
Charmed magic casements opening on the foam

Of periloQs seas, in faery lands f6rl6rn.

Charles Mackay has written an excellent poem which has
been olt quoted, entitled, "Tell Me, Ye Winged Winds."
It is iambic measure. We select the first stanza :

I04 THE ART OF POETRY.

T611 me, y^ winged winds,

That round my pathway roar,
D6 ye n6t know s6me spot

Where mortals weep n5 more ?
S6me lone and pleasant dell,

S6me valley in the west,
Where free fr6m toil and pain,

The weary soul may rest ?
The loud wind dwindled to a whisper low,
And sighed fbr pity as it answered, " No."

. Milton's "May Morning" is another charming ten line
stanza. It is also iambic rhythm, as follows :

N5w the bright morning star, day's iiarbinger,
COmes dancing from the east, and leads with her
The flowery May, wh6 from her green lap throws
The yellftw cowslip and the pale primrose.
Hail, bounteous May ! that doth inspire
Mirth and youth and warm desire ;
Woods and groves are of thy dressing,
Hill and dale d6th boast thy blessing,
ThOs we saliite thee with 6ur early song,
And welc6me thee, and wish thee long.

"The Owl," a poem by Bryan W. Proctor, furnishes
another excellent ten line stanza, in a mixed anapestic and
iambic rhythm, the iambic prevailing. We select the first
stanza :

In the hollOw tree, in the old gray tower.

The spectral owl d5th dwell ;
DQll, hated, despised, in the siinshine hour,

BOt at dusk he's abroad and well !
N6t a bird 5f the forest e'er mates with him ;

All mock him outright by day ;
BQt at night, when the woods gr6w still and dim.

The boldest will shrink away !
(3, when the night falls, and roosts the fowl,
Then, then, is the reign 6f the horned owl !

THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA.

105

A rare old poem is "The Ivy Green," and its author is
no less a personage than Charles Dickens. It is mixed
anapestic and iambic rhythm, the iambic foot prevailing :

0, a dainty plant is the ivy green,

That creep€th 6'er riiins old !
Of right ch6ice food fire hTs meals, I ween,

In his cell s6 lone and cold.
The walls mtist bS crQmblSd, thS stones decayed,

T6 pleastire his dainty whim ;
And the mouldering diist that years have made,

Is a merry meal f5r him.

Creeping where n6 life is seen,

A rare 61d plant is the ivy green.

No less loved by everyone is Mrs. S. J. Hale. All school
boys have read "It Snows," written by her. The poem is
but a glimpse of the actual reality of the delight of the youth
at a sight of snow and the rare pleasure of the winter sports.
It is anapestic rhythm. We give the first stanza :

"It snows ! " cries the Scho61-b6y, " Htirrah ! " and his shout

Is ringing throGgh parlor and hall,
While swift as the wing 5f a swallSw, he's Out,

And his playmates have answered his call ;
It makes the heart leap btit t6 witness their joy ;

PrOud wealth has n5 pleasQre, I trow.
Like the rapttire that throbs in the pulse 6f the boy,

As he gathers his treasures 6f snow;
Then lay n6t the trappings 6f gold 6n thine heirs,

While health, and the riches ef nattire, are theirs.

Harrison Weir is the author of ' ' Christmas in the
Woods." It is a six line stanza and a quatrain combined.
It is anapestic rhythm. We select the first stanza :

lo6 THE ART OF POETRY.

Fr6m under th6 boughs In the snow-clad wood

Th6 merle Snd the mavis are peeping,
Alike secure fr5m the wind find the flood,
Yet a silent Christmas keeping.

Still happy are they.

And their looks are gay,
And they frisk it fr5m bough t6 bough ;

Since berries bright red

Hang over their head,
A right goodly feast, 1 trow.

" Pack Clouds Away," a poem by Thomas Hey wood, in
iambic rhythm, is a neat, pretty, dainty poem of love. We
select the second stanza:

Wake fr5m thy nest, robin-redbreast !

Sing, birds, In every furr5vv ;
And from each bill let miisic shrill

Give my fair love go6d-m6rr6w !
Blackbird and thrush, in every biish.

Stare, linnet, and c6ck-sparr6w,
YoQ pretty elves, among yourselves,

Sing my fair love go6d-m6rr5w.
T5 give my love go6d-m6rr6w.
Sing, birds, in every fijrr5w.

Another fine ten line poem is by Thomas Gray. It is
entitled, " Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eaton College."
Ft is iambic rhythm. We give the last stanza :

T6 each his siifferings : all are men,

condemned alike t5 groan ;
The tender for another's pain,

The tlnfeeling for his own.
Yet, ah ! why should they know their fate.
Since s6rr5w never comes to5 Ijite,

And happiness to6 swiftl>' flies?
Thought wotild destroy thfeir piiradise.
N5 more ; where ignOrance is bliss,

'Tls follv to be wise.

THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA.

THE SONNET.

107

One of the finest forms of the stanza in our English poetry
is the Sonnet. Borrowed by the Italians from the early
Provencial poets, it was assiduously cultivated by them, and
brought to a high state of perfection. Many beautiful
sonnets are found in the writings of Petrarch, Ariosto, Guido,
and Dante. The Sonnet is a poetical piece containing four-
teen iambic pentameter lines. It is generally lyrical in its
nature. In fact it is the primordial form of modern English
lyric poetry. It deals with one idea of a grave nature,
presented under various aspects. The sonnet was intro-
duced into English poetry in the early part of the sixteenth
century by the Earl of Surrey and Sir Thomas Wyatt.
The Italian sonnet then introduced is termed the correct and
strict form. After the introduction of the sonnet into the
English from the Italians, another form of the fourteen line
stanza was used by English poets, in which the succession
of rhymes was different in order from that authorized by the
Italian form. To distinguish the two forms, the Italian was
termed the regular, while all the others were called irregular,
and are governed by separate and distinct rules or laws to
be used in the formation of the different kinds of sonnets.

The sonnet in its structure is more elaborate than any
form of the stanza. The Italian is always a positive and
fixed form in some respects. It consists of two divisions.
A major and a minor portion. The major portion consists
of eight lines, called the octave ; the minor portion consists
of six lines, called the sestette. The octave is composed of
two quatrains. The quatrains are similar in form and con-
struction. The first and fourth lines of each quatrain rhyme
with each other, and the second and third lines rhyme.
The octave, however, has but two rhymes, for the first and

I08 THE ART OF POETRY.

fourth lines of the first quatrain rhyme with the first and
fourth lines of the second quatrain ; the same is true of the
second and third lines of both quatrains. The octave is
joined to the sestette by a close grammatical structure.
The octave is a fixed form.

In the construction of the sestette of the Italian form of
the sonnet, the first and fourth, the second and fifth, the
third and sixth lines rhyme ; or, the first, third and fifth
rhyme with the second, fourth and sixth of the sestette. All
other forms of the sonnet are not termed pure. Our best
poets have used the sonnet to pour forth their most
sublime thoughts expressive of love, friendship, praise,
adoration, grief and sorrow. It seems peculiarly adopted
as a form to express the most intense feeUngs of the human
mind, and to enable the writer to give vent to the finer
feelings and thoughts.

A beautiful sonnet by Richard Watson Gilder expresses
in admirable language the sonnet :

WHAT IS A SONNET?

MAJOR PORTION — FIRST QUATRAIN.

What is a sonnet? 'Tis a pearly shell
That murmQrs of the far-6ff mumiuring sea ;
A preciotls jewel carved m6st curioQsly ;

It is a little pictOre painted well

MAJOR PORTION — SECOND QUATRAIN.

What IS a sonnet? 'Tis the tear that fell
Fr6m a great poet's hidden ectasy ;
A two-edged sword, a star, a song — ah nie !

sometimes a heav5?-tollTng funeral bell.

THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA.

MINOR PORTION.

109

This was thfi flame thSt shook with Dantfi's breath,
The solemn orgSn whgreon Milt6n played,

And the clfiar glass whgre Shakespeare's shad5w falls ;
A sea thts is — beware, wh5 venttireth !
F6r like 3 fiord thS narr6w floor is laid
Defip as mid-oceSn to she6r mountain walls.

John Milton thus describes his own bhndness in a sonnet
of the regular model :

ON HIS BLINDNESS.
To Cyriack Skinner.

OCTAVE.

When I c6nsid6r how my light is spent

fire half my days, in this dSrk world Snd wide.
And that 6ne talSnt, which is death t5 hide,

L6dged with mS useless, though my soul m6re bent

T6 serve therewith my Makgr, and present
My true account, 16st He, returning, chide ;
"D6th God exact dSy-labSr, light denied?"

I fondly ask. Btit Patience, to prevent

SESTETTE.

That murmQr soon replies, " G6d doth n6t need
Either mftn's work, 5r his 6wn gifts ; wh6 best
Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best. His state
Is kingly ; thousands at his bidding speed.
And post 6'er land find oceSn without rest ;
They alstt serve wh5 only stand Snd wait ! "

I I o THE A R T OF POE TR } ".

Longfellow has written many exquisitely charming sonnets.
None better than, " A Summer Day by the Sea : "'

The sun is set ; Snd in hts lat&t beams

Y6n little cloud 6f ash^n gray and gold,

Slowly tlpon the amber air Gnrolled,
The falling mantle of the Prophet seems.
Fr6m the dim headlands many a lighth6use gleams,

The street-lamps of the ocean ; and behold,

O'erhead the banners of the night tinfold ;
The day hath passed into the land 5f dreams.
0 summer day, beside the joyoOs sea !

(y summer day, s6 wonderfiil and white,
S6 full 6f gladness and s6 full 6f pain !
FOrever and fbrever shalt th6u be

T6 some the gravest5ne of a dead delight,
T6 some the landmark of a new d6main

The following by Ella Wheeler Wilcox is a good example
of the sonnet :

Methinks ofttimes my heart is like sOme beC-,
That goes fSrth through the summer day and sings.
And gathers honey from all growing things

In garden plot, 6r on the clover leaf

When the 15ng afternoon gr6ws late, Snd she
WoQld seek her hive, she cannot lift her wings,
S6 heavily the too sweet burden clings,

Fr6m which she would n6t, and yet would, fly free.

S6 with my full f5nd heart ; f5r when it tries
T6 lift itself t6 peace-cr6wned heights above
The c6mm6n way where countless feet have trod,

L6 ! then, this burden of dear human ties,
This growing weight 5f precioQs earthly love.
Binds down the spirit that wotlld soar t6 God.

THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA. m

The regular model is varied in the sestette. Below we
give forms of these variations. ' ' Echo and Silence, " is an
excellent sonnet :

In eddying course, whfin leaves b^gan t6 fly,

And AutQmn in her lap th6 store t6 strew,

As 'mid wild scenes I chanced th6 Muse t6 woo,
Throtigh glens tintrod, Snd woods that frowned fin high,
Tw6 sleeping nymphs with wondering mute 1 spy !

And, 16, she's gone — in robe 6f dark-gregn hue,

'TwSs Ech6 from hSr sistSr Silence flew,
F6r quick thS hunter's horn r6sound6d to thS sky !
In shade affrighted SilSnce melts away.

N6t so her sister. Hark ! f6r onward still.
With far-heard step, she takes her listeiiing way.

Bounding fr6m rock t6 rock, and hill t6 hill.
Ah, mark the merry maid in mockftll play

WUh thousand mimic tones the laughing forest fill !

Samuel Ef^erton Brydges.

Another elegant sonnet is:

ON THE GRASSHOPPER AND CRICKET.

The poetry 6f earth is never dead :

When all the birds are faint with the h5t sun.
And hide in cooling trees, a voice will run

Fr6m hedge t6 hedge about the new-m6vvn mead,

That is the grassh6pper's — he takes the lead
In summer luxury, — he has never done
With his delights ; f5r, when tired out with fun.

He rests at ease beneath s5me pleasant weed.

The poetry 6f earth is ceasing never :
On a I6ne winter evening when the frost

Has wrought a silence, from the stove there shrills

The cricket's song, in warmth increasing ever.
And seems, t5 one in drowsiness half lost.
The grasshopper's among s5me grassy hills.

John Keats.

1 1 2 THE ART OF POE TR V.

William Shakespeare deigned lo trangress the laws of the
Italian model and mold one of his own. Can it not be said
what was fit for Shakespeare's use is all sufficient for any
person ? These sonnets, one hundred fifty-four in number,
are wonderful in composition and merit. They are devoted
to friendship and love. Their form consists of three
quatrains and a couplet. Many of the best poets have
written sonnets on the Shakesperian model :

THE APPROACH OF AGE.

When I d6 count th6 clock that tellsjhg time,

And see th6 brave day sunk in hideotis night ;
Whgn I behold the vi51et pSst prime,

And sable curls all silvered o'er with white ;
When lofty trees I see barren 6f leaves.

Which erst fr5m heat did can5py the herd,
And summer's green all girded up in sheaves,

B6rne on the bier with white and bristly beard ;
Then of thy beauty do 1 questiSn make.

That thou among the wastes 6f time niQst go,
Since sweets and beauties do themselves fSrsake,

And die as fast as they see others grow ;
And nothing 'gainst Time's scylhe can make defence,
save breed, t5 brave him when he takes thee hence.

William Shakespeare.

Mr. Frederick Locker- Lampson, an English poet, has
written a sonnet fashioned after the Shakesperian model.
It is entitled, " Love, Time and Death : "

Ah me, dread friends Qf mine — L6ve, Time and Death !

Sweet Love, wh6 came t6 me 6n sheeny wing,
And gave her to my arms — her lips, her breath,

And all her golden ringlets clustering ;
And Time, wh6 gfithers in the flying years.

He gave me all — bQt where is all he gave ?
He took my Love and left me barren tears ;

Weary and lone, I foll5w to the grave.

THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA. 113

There Death will end thts visi6n half divine,
wan Death, wh6 waits in shad6w evermore,

And silent ere h6 gave thS sudden sign ;
Oh, gently lead mS throQgh thy narr6w door,

Th6u gentle Death, thCu triistiest friend 5f mine.
Ah me, fbr Love wtll Death my Love restore ?

A fine sonnet after the same model is by Thomas Hood :

FALSE POETS AND TRUE.

Lo5k how the lark s6ars QpwSrd and is gone.

Turning a spirit as he nears the sky !
His voice is heard, btit body there is none

T6 fix the vague excursiSns of the eye.
S6 poets' songs are with tis, though they die

Obscured and hid by death's 6blivioQs shroud,
And earth inherits the rich mel5dy.

Like raining music from the morning cloud.
Yet, few there be wh5 pipe s5 sweet and loud,

Their voices reach tis throiigh the lapse 6f space ;
The noisy day is deafened by a crowd

Of undistinguished birds, a twittering race ;
BQt only lark and nightingale fSrlorn
Fill up the silences 6f night and morn.

A granddaughter of the famous orator, Richard Brinsley
Sheridan, herself famous as a poetess of extraordinary merit,
pays this compliment to her loved treasures, in a sonnet :

TO MV BOOKS.

Silent c6mpani6ns of the lonelj' hour.

Friends who can never alter or f5rsake.
Wh6 for inconstant roving have n6 power.

And all neglect, perforce, mfist calmly take, —
Let me return t6 yoii ; this turmSil ending

Which worldly cares have in my spirit wrought.
And, o'er yoQr old familiar pages bending.

Refresh mj? mind with many a tranquil thought.

TTH happj^ meeting there, frOm time t6 time,

Fancies, the audibig ech5 of my own,
'T will be like hearing in a foreign clime

My native language spoke in friendly tone,
And with a sort 6f welcome I shall dwell
On these, my unripe musings, told s6 well.

Caroline Elizabeth Norton.

William Lisle Bowles furnishes a fine sonnet on the river
Rhine. Mr. Bowles had great ability as a sonneteer :

THE RIVER RHINE.

'Twas morn, and beauteoQs on thfe mountain's brow
[HQng with the beamy clusters of the vine]
Streamed the blQe light, when on the sparkling Rhine

we bounded, and the white waves round the prow

In murmGrs parted. Varying as we go,
L6, the wo6ds open, and the rocks retire,
Some convent's ancient walls Or glistening spire

'Mid the bright landscape's track Qnfolding slow.

Here dark, with furrOwed aspect, like despair,
Frowns the bleak cliff; there on the woodland's side
The shadowy sunshine pours its streaming tide ;

While Hope, enchanted with the scene s6 fair,
WoOid wish t5 linger many a summer's day,
N6r heed h6w fast the prospect winds away.

Matthew Arnold's sonnet of ' Quiet Work" is a lesson
in itself It is not strictly a sonnet of the regular type, the
difference, however, is very slight. The second and third
lines of the first and second quatrains do not rhyme together,
making more than two rhymes in the octave. Arnold's
sonnets, twenty-three in number, are all first-class, but none
of them strictly pure :

Tin-: CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA.
QUIET WORK.

One less6n, Nat&re, let m6 learn 6f thee,
One less6n which \\\ every wind is blown,
One less5n of tw6 diities kept St one

Throtigh the 15ud world prSclaim their enmtty,

Of toil tinsev^red from tranquility ;
Of lab5r that in lasting friiit Outgrows
Far noisier schemes, accomplished in rfipose,

To5 great f5r hastS, to6 high f6r rivalry.

Y6s, while 6n earth a thousand disc6rds ring,
Man's senseless upr6ar mingling with his toil,
Still do thy qui6t ministers m6ve on.

Their glorioQs tasks in silSnce perfecting ;
Still working, blaming still 5ur vain ttirmoil,
Labftrers that shall n6t fail, wh6n man is gone.

One of the finest sonnets in our language is entitled :

NIGHT.

Mysterious Night ! whSn our first parSnt knew
The6 from rfiport divine, and heard thy name.
Did he n5t tremble for this lovely frame, —

This glorioQs can5py 6f light and bliie ?

Yet 'neath a curtain of transliJcent dew,

Bathed in the rays of the great setting flame,
Hespertis, with the host 6f heaven came,

And 15 ! creation widened in man's view.

Wh6 could have thought siich darkness lay c6ncealed
Within thy beams, 0 Sun ! 6r who could find,

Whilst fly and leaf and insect stood revealed,
That to stich countless orbs th6u mad'st Qs blind !

Why do we then sh&n death with anxious strife !

If light can thus deceive, wheref6re n5t life ?

Joseph Blanco White.

1 16 THE AR T OF POE TR Y.

THE BALLADE.

The French ballade is radically different from the English
ballad. Of late years it has come into general use, and it
is now fairly well known to lovers of the poetic art. The
ballade was attempted in England as early as the sonnet,
more than three-hundred years ago, but it did not succeed.
The ballade consists of three stanzas and a half stanza, clept
an envoy, addressed to some prince or power, tide or
theme. The arrangement of the first stanza is repeated in
the others ; and the burden or refrain concludes all three
stanzas, as well as the envoy. Eight line stanzas using
three rhymes are generally used ; but ten line stanzas using
four rhymes are of frequent occurrence, and permissible.
There is also a variety of the ballade known as the double
ballade. It is simply a ballade of six stanzas of either eight
or ten lines, repeating the arrangement ' of the first stanza,
and the ballade may conclude with or without an envoy, as
the writer may desire.

Then we have still another form of the ballade. It is a
ballade with a double refrain. The stanzas are always of
but eight lines ; and the fourth and eighth lines of the first
stanza are repeated in the fourth and eighth lines of the
other stanzas, while the envoy consists of two couplets, the
first refrain occurring in the second line, and the second
refrain occurring in the fourth line of the envoy.

BALLADE OF BLUE CHINA.

There's 3 joy without canker 6r cark,
There's a pleasQre eternally new,

'TTs to glote On the glaze and the mark
Of china that's ancient and blue ;

THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA. 117

Onchipped all the centtiries through
It has passed, since th6 chime 6f it rang,

And thfey fashiSned Jt, figtire and hue.
In the reign 6f th^ EmpSrSr Hwang.

These drag5ns (their tails, yoQ rSmark,

Int6 bunches 6f gillyflowers grew) —
When Noah came out 6f the ark,

Did these lie in wait f6r his crew ?
They snorted, they snapped, Snd they slew,

They were mighty 5f fin and 6f fang,
And their portraits Celestials drew

In the reign 6f the Emper5r Hwang.

Here's a pot with a cot in a park.

In a park where the peach-bl6ss5ms blew.
Where the lovers eloped in the dark,

Lived, died, and were changed int6 two
Bright birds that eternally flew

ThroQgh the boughs 6f the May, as they sang ;
'Tis a tale was undoubtedly true

In the reign 6f the EmperOr Hwang.

ENVOY.

C6me, snarl at my ecstasies, do,

Kind critic, yoQr "tongue has a tang "
Btit — a sage never heeded a shrew

In the reign 5f the EmperOr Hwang.

Andrew Lang.

THE BALLADE OF PROSE AND RHYME.

(ballade a double refrain).

When the ways are heavy with mire and rut,
In N6vember fogs, in December snows.

When the North Wind howls and the doors are shut
There is place Snd enough fbr the pains 6f prose ;

1 1 8 THE ART OF FOE TR Y.

BOt whenever 3 scent fr5m th6 whitethorn blows,
And the jasmine-stars St th6 casement climb,

And a Rosalind-face St the lattice shows,
Th6n hey 1— f6r th6 ripple 6f laughing rhyme !

Wh6n the brain g^ts dry Ss Sn empty nut,

Whfin the reas5n stands 6n its squarfist toes,
When the mind (like a beard) hSs S "formal cut," —

There is place and enough fSr the pains 6f prose ;
BQt whenever the May-blo6d stirs and glows,

And the young year draws t5 the " golden prime,"
And Sir RomeO sticks in his ear a rose, —

Then hey ! — fbr the ripple 6f laughing rhyme !

In a theme where the thoughts have a pedant striit,

In a changing quarrel 5f "Ayes " and " Noes,"
In a starched pr6cessi5n 6f "If" and " But," —

There is place and enough f5r the pains 6f prose ;
BOt whenever a soft glance softer grows

And the light hSurs dance t6 the trysting-time,
And the secret is told that " no 6ne knows," —

Then hey ! fbr the ripple 6f laughing rhyme !

ENVOY.

In the w6rk-a-day world, — fQr its needs and woes,
There is place and enough f5r the pains 5f prose;

BOt whenever the May-bells clash and chime,
Then hey ! for the ripple 6f laughing rhyme !

Austin Dobson.

THE CHANT ROYAL.

Another variation of the ballade is known as the Chant
Royal. It is a ballade of five stanzas of eleven lines, with
an envoy of five lines. It is not, however, a practical form
of verse and is difficult of construction. We give below a
very excellent Chant Royal by Mr. Austin Dobson :

THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA.
THE DANCE OF DEATH.

(chant ROVAL, after HOLBEIN).

^^ Contra vhn Mortis
Non est Medicamen in hortisJ"
HS is th^ despSts' Desp6t. All mtist bide,

Latfir 6r so5n, thS message of his might ;
PrincSs Snd potentates thgir heads mttst hide,

Touched by thS awf&l sigil of his right ;
B-side the KaisSr he St eve dSth wait
And pours S poti6n in his ciip 5f state ;
The stately Queen his bidding miist 6bey,
N6 keen-eyed Cardinal shall him Sffray ;

And to the Dame that wantSneth he saith —
" Let be, Sweetheart, t5 junket and t5 play."

There is n6 king m6re terrible than Death.

The liisty Lord, rejoicing in his pride,

He draweth down ; before the armed Knight
With jingling bridal-rein he still d5th ride ;

He crosseth the strong Captain in the fight ;
He beckSns the grave Elder from debate ;
He hails the Abb5t by his shaven pate,
N6r for the Abbess' wailing will delay ;
N6 brawling Mendicant shall say him nay ;

£'en to the pyx the Priest he follSweth,
N6r can the Leech his chilling finger stay.

There is n6 king m6re terrible than Death.

All things mQst bow t5 him. And woe betide

The Wine-bibber — the Roysterer by night ;
Him the feast-master many bouts defied,

Him 'twixt the pledging and the ciip shall smite
W6e to the Lender at QsurioGs rate.
The hard Rich Man, the hireling AdvScate ;
W6e to the Jiidge that selleth right f6r pay ;
W6e to the thief that like a beast 6f prey

With creeping tread the traveler harryeth : —
These, in their sin, the sudden sword shall slay.

There is n6 king m6re terrible than Death.

119

THE ART OF POETR Y.

H6 halh n5 pity, — nor will be denied,

When the I6w hearth is garnished find bright,
Grimly he flingeth the dim portal wide,

And steals the Infant In the Mother's sight ;
H6 hath n6 pity for the scorned 5f fate : —
He spares n6t Lazarus lying at the gate,
NSy, nor the Blind that stQmbleth as he may ;
Nay, the tired Ploughman, — at the sinking ray,

In the last furrSvv, — feels an icy breath,
And knows a hand hath turned the team astray

There is n6 king mSre terrible than Deatli.

He hath n6 pity. For the new-made Bride,

Blithe with the promise of her life's delight,
That wanders gladly by her Husband's side.

He with the clatter of his drum dOth fright ;
He scares the Virgin at the Convent grate ;
The maid half-won, the Lover passi6nate ;
He hath n6 grace f6r weakness and decay :
The tender Wife, the Widftw bent and gray,

The feeble Sire wh5se footstep faltereth, —
All these he leadeth by the lonely way —

There is n5 king m5re terrible than Death.

Yotith for wh6se ear and monishing, 6f late

1 sang 6f Prodigals and lost estate.

Have thou thy joy 6f living and be gay ;

BQt know n5t less that there niQst come a day, —

Aye, and perchance S'en now it hasteneth, —
When thine 6wn heart shall speak t6 thee and say, —

There is n6 king m5re terrible than Death.

THE RONDEAU.

The rondeau is a form of verse introduced from the
French by the EngHsh. Its form dates back to the four-
teenth century. The rondeau is composed of thirteen

THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA. 12 t

verses or lines, of which eight have one rhyme and five
another. These lines are divided in three unequal strophes ;
the four first words of the first line serve as the refrain, and
occur after the eighth and thirteenth lines. It is a delicate
form of poetry and capable of the highest degree of excel-
lence and finish. Many delight to use it for that reason,
and have succeeded in producing poems of rare beauty.
The practice of new meters and the study of new forms aids
the poet and enables him to rise higher in his art. Form
and precision are necessary to a high degree of excellence.
The rondeau in its true type, has a fixed exotic form,
susceptible of a highly English polish. Lope de Vega
and Hurtado de Mendoza wrote sonnets on sonnet making;
Voiture imitated them as regards the rondeau. Here is a
paraphrase of Voiture :

YoQ bid m6 try, BlQe Eyes, to write

A rondeati. What ! — f5rthwlth ? — t6night ?
Reflect. S6me skill \ have, 'tis true ; —
BQt thirteen lines ! — Snd rhymed 6n two !

" Rfifrain," Ss well. Ah, hapless plight !

Still, thSre Sre five lines, — ranged Sright.

Thgse Gallic bonds, 1 feared, wofild fright
Mn? easy Muse. Thgy did, till you —
Yoii bid me trv !

That makes them eight. The port's in sight ;

'Tis all because yoflr eyes Sre bright !
N5wjust S pair t6 end in "00," —
When maids c6mmand, wh.1t can't we do !

Behold! — the rondeati, tastefQl, light,
Yofi bid me try !

I 22 THE AK T OF FOE TF V.

TO A JUNE ROSE.

0 royal Rose ! th6 RomSn dressed
HTs feast with thee ; thy petals pressed
AQgustan brows ; thine 6d6r fine,
Mixed with the three-times mingled wine,
Lent the I5ng Thracian draught its zest.
What marvgl then, if host and guest,
By Song, by Joy, by Thee caressed,
Half-trembled on the half-divine,
6 royal Rose !

And yet — and yet — I love theS best
In our 61d gardens of the West,
Whether about my thatch th6u twine,
C)r Hers, that brown-eyed maid 6f mine,
Wh6 lulls thee on her lawny breast,
C) royal Rose !

Ausfiti Dobson.

FOR MY DEAR LOVE.

(an opal.)

F5r my dear love I long t5 bring
S5me rare and dainty offering.

I'll steal a rainbow from the sky

T6 paint my joy when she is nigh ;
The fairness of her form t6 sing,
I'll mount me on a poet's wing ;
Throtlgh winter frost, each flower 6f spring

Shall speak and tell her how I sigh
F6r my dear love.

Nay, nay, this is bQt loitering ;
See, here, a tiny, rounded thing,
Where all sweet shades impris5ned lie,
Her blush, the flowers, the rainbSw sky ;
N6w, I will set this in a ring,
F6r my dear love.
Margaret B. Logan — "The Magazine of Poetry."

THE CONSTRUCTION^ OF THE STANZA. 123

THE RONDEL.

The rondel is a poem, in two rhymes, containing fourteen
lines. The refrain of the rondel is but a repetition of the
first and second lines as the seventh and eighth, and again
as the thirteenth and fourteenth. It is the original form of
the rondeau.

THE WANDERER.

L6ve comes back to his vacSnt dwelling, —
Th6 old, 5ld Love that w6 knew 6f yore !
W6 see him stand by thg opSn door.

With his great eyes sad, and his b6s6m swelling.

H6 makes as though in 6ur arms repelling,

HS fain woGld lie as hg lay before ; —
LOve comes back to his vacant dwelling. —

Thg old, 61d Love that wg knew 6f yore !

Ah, who shall help tis fr6m ov6r-telling

That sweet f6rg6ttgn, fdrbiddfin lore !

fi'en as w6 doubt in 6ur heart 6nce more,
With a rush 6f tears t6 6ur eyelids welling,
L6ve comes back to his vacant dwelling.

Austin Dobson.

These many years since we b6gan t6 be.
What have th6 gods d6ne with Qs ? what with me ?
What with my love? They have shown me fates and fears,
Harsh springs, and fountains bitterer than the sea.
Grief a fixed star, and joy a vane that veers.
These many years.

With her, my love, with her have they d6ne well ?
Bfit who shall answer for her? who shall tell
Sweet things 6r sad, siich things as no man hears ?
May no tears fall ; if no tears ever fell,
Fr6m eyes m6re dear t6 me than starriest spheres
These many years

1 24 THE ART OF POETR Y

Bat if tSars evfir touched, f6r any grief,
Th6se eyelids folded like a whlte-r5se leaf,
DeSp double shells wh6re through the eye-fl5wer peers,
Let them weSp once m5re only, sweet Snd brief.
Brief tears Snd bright, fbr one wh6 gave her tears
These many years.

A. C. Swinburne.

THE ROUNDEL.

Another variation of the rondeau is the Roundel. It is
formed of three stanzas of three Hues each, containing- only
two rhymes. A refrain composed of the first four or five
words or syllables of the first line constituting the refrain or
burden, which is at the end of both the first and third
stanzas :

THE ROUNDEL.

A Roundel IS wrought Ss S ring 6r i. star-bright sphere,

With craft 6f delight Snd with cunning 6f sound Qnsought,
ThSt the heart 6f the hearer may smile if t6 pleasOre his ear
A roundel is wrought.

Its jewel 6f music is carven 5f all 5r 6f aught —

L6ve, laughter 5r mourning — remembrance 6f raptfire 6r fear —
That fancy may f ashi5n t6 hang in the ear 5f thought.

As a bird's quick song rQns round, and the hearts in Qs hear —

Pause answers t6 pause, and again the same strain caught
S6 moves the device whence, round as a pearl 6r tear,
A roundel is wrought.

A. C. Swinburne.

THE VILLANELLE.

The villanelle is still another form of French poetry
introduced and adopted by our English writers. It is a

THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA. 125

poem of but two rhymes written in tercets. The first and
third Hnes of the first stanza alternating as the third hne in
each successive stanza, and at the close forming a couplet.

VILLANELLE.

(to M. JOSEPH BOULMIER, AUTHOR OF " LES VILLANELLES." )

Vilianelle, why Srt th6u mute ?

Hath thS singer ceased t6 sing ?
Hath the Master lost his lute ?

Many a pipe find scrannel flute

On thS breeze thfiir disc6rds fling ;
VillSnell6, why Srt tMu mute ?

Sound 6f tumult and dispute,

Noise 6f war thS echSes bring ;
Hath the Master lost his lute ?

Once he sang 6f bud find shoot

In the seas6n of the Spring ;

Villanelle, why Srt th6u mute?

Fading leaf and falling fruit

Say, " The year is on the wing,
Hath the Master lost his lute ? "

Ere the axe lie at the root,

Ere the winter come Ss king,
Villanelle, why art th6u mute ?
Hath the Master lost his lute?

Andrew Lang.

FOR A COPY OF THEOCRITUS.

(villanelle.)

0 Singer 6f the field and fold,

Theocritus ! Pan's pipe was thine —
Thine was the happier Age 5f Gold.

126 'tm"^ 'i^T OF POETRY.

F6r thee thS scent 6f new-turned nioultl.

Th6 bee-hives and thS murmuring pine,
6 Slnggr of the field Snd fold !

Th6u sang'st th^ simple feasts 5f old, —

The beechen bowl made glad with wine —
Thine was the happier Age 6f Gold.

Th6u bad'st the rustic loves be told. —

Th6u bad'st the tunefQl reeds c6mbine,
6 Singer of the field find fold !

And round thee, ever-laughing, rolled
The blithe Snd blue Sicilian brine —
Thine was the happier Age 5f Gold.

Alas f6r (is ! Our songs Sre cold ;

Our Northern suns to6 sadly shine : —
0 Singer of the field Snd fold,
Thine was the happier Age 6f Gold !

Austin Dobson.

THE SESTINA.

The sestina or sestine is another French form of verse,
quaint and difficult. It, like many others, is from Provence,
France, hence termed Provencial. It had its origin in the
thirteenth century, and was invented by Arnauld Daniel,
a troubadour. As its name indicates it is a stanza com-
posed of six lines, each line or verse ending in the same six
words arranged in a prescribed order, but not rhyming.
The sestina concludes with an envoy of three lines, which
must contain all six of the final words ; three of these words
must be in the body of the verses and three at the end of the
verses or lines. Mr. Swinburne varies this form by making
the six final rhyme by threes. We give his poem at length :

THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA. 127

1 saw my soul St rest tipon S day

As a bird sleeping in thfi nest 5f night,
Among s6ft leaves that give th6 starlight way

T6 touch its wings but not its eyes with light ;
S6 that it knew Ss one in visiSns may,

And knew n6t as mSn waking, of dfilight".

This was the measiire of ra^ soul's dSlight ;

It has n6 power 6f joy t6 fly by day,
N6r part in the iSrge lordship of th6 light ;

BQt in a secret, moon-b^holdgn way
Had all its will 6f dreams and pleasant night.

And all the love and life that sleepers may.

BOt such life's triQmph as men waking may
It might n6t have t6 feed its faint delight

Between the stars by night and sun by day,
Shtlt up with green leaves and a little light :

Because its way was as a lost star's way,
A world's n5t wholly known 6f day 6r night.

All loves, and dreams, and sounds, and gleams 6f night
Made it all music that stich minstrels may.

And all they had they gave it of delight ;
But in the full face of the fire 5f day

What place shall be f6r any starry light,

What part 6f heaven in all th6 wide sfln's way ?

Yet the s6ul woke n6t, sleeping by the way,
Watched as a nursling of the large-eyed night.

And sought n6 strength n5r knowledge of the day,
N5r closer touch conclusive of delight,

N6r mightier joy, n5r truer than dreamers may,
N6r more 6f song than they, n6r more 6f light.

128 THE ART OF POETRY.

F6r who sleeps once, and sees the secret hght
Whereby sleep shows the soul a fairer way

Between the rise and rest 6f day and night,
Shall care nO more t6 fare as all men may,

BOt be his place 6f pain 6r of delight,
There shall he dwell, beholding night as day.

S6ng, have thy day, and take thy fill 5f light
Before the night be fallen across thy way ;
Sing while he may, man hath nO long delight.

Algernon Charles Swinburne.

SESTINA.

Fra tutiiil prima Arnaldo Daniello gt an maestro d'amor.

— Petrarch.

In fair Provence, the land Of liite and rose,
Amaut, great master of the lore 6r love,
First wrought sestines to win his lady's heart,
F6r she was deaf when simpler staves he sang,
And for her sake he broke the bonds Of rhyme,
And In this subtler measQre hid his woe.

"Harsh be my lines," cried Arnaut, " harsh the woe,
My lady, that enthomed and cruel rose,
Inflicts On him that made her live in rhyme ! "
BQt through the meter spake the voice Of Love,
And like a wild-woOd nightingale he sang
Who thought in crabbed lays to ease his heart.

It is nOt told if her Qntoward heart

Was melted by the poet's lyric woe.

Or if in vain sO amOrously he sang ;

Perchance throQgh cloud Of dark conceits he rose

TO nobler heights Of philosophic love,

And crowned his later years with sterner rhyme.

THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA. 129

This thing alone wg know ; the triple rhyme
6f him wh6 bared his vast find passi6nate heart
T6 all the crossing flames 6f hate Snd love,
wears in the midst 5f all its storm 5f woe —
As some 16ud morn 6f March mSy bear S rose —
The impress of S song that ArnSut sang.

"Smith of his mother-tongue," the Frenchman sang
Of Launcelftt and 6f Galahad, the rhyme
That beat s6 blood-like at its core 6f rose,
It stirred the sweet Francesca's gentle heart
T6 take that kiss that brought her so mQch woe,
And sealed in fire her mart^dom 6f love.

And Dante, full 6f her immortal love.

Stayed his dear song, and softly, sweetly sang

As though his voice br6ke with that weight 5f woe;

And to this day we think 6f Arnaut's rhyme

Whenever pity at the laboring heart

On fair Francesca's memory drops the rose.

Ah ! Sovereign Love, fSrgive this weaker rhyme !
The men 5f old wh5 sang were great at heart,
Yet have we too kn5wn woe, and worn thy rose."

E. W. Gosse.

THE TRIOLET.

Another form borrowed from the French is the triolet.
It is a short poem of eight lines. Its peculiarity consists in
the first lines being repeated as the fourth and again as the
seventh lines ; while the second line is repeated as the
eighth.

Rose kissed me t5day.

Will she kiss me t5m6rr5w ?
Let it be as it may,

Rose kissed me t6day.

I30 THE ART OF POETRY.

But the pleasQre gives way

To a savoQr 6f sorr6w ;
Rose kissed me t6day. —

Will she kiss mS tSmorrOw ?

Austin Dobson.

Alas, the strong, thg wise, th6 brave,

That boast themselves th6 sons 6f men !
Once they g6 down into th6 grave-
Alas, the strong, thg wise, the brave,
Thgy perish and hSve none t6 save,

Thgy are s6wn, and fire n6t raised again ;
Alas, the strong, the wise, the brave,
That boast themselves the sons 6f men !

Andrew Lang.

VIRELAY.

The virelay is an ancient French song or short poem. Ow-
ing to the peculiarities of its formation it is termed the Veer-
ing Lay. The French form contained only two rhymes, one
ot which is made to lead at the beginning and the other at
the end of the poem The English virelay is composed oi
more than two rhymes, and the rhymes change place or
alternate. Here is a specimen of an ancient little poem of
this type.

Th6u cruel fair, I go,
T5 seek 5ut any fate bQt thee ;

Since there is none can wound me so,
N6r that has half thy cruelty,

Th6u cruel fair, I go.

F6rever, then, farewell !
'Tis a I6ng leave I take ; btit oh !

T6 tarry with thee here is hell.
And twent}^ thousand hells t6 go —

F6rever, then, farewell.

Cotton.

THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA.

131

Here is another specimen of one of our early virelays. It
is a stanza of an old song of the fifteenth century :

Robin sSt on thS good grefin hill,

Keeping a flock 6f fie, ^
Merry Makyn said him till,^

Robin, riie 6n me,
I have I6ved thee, in speech find still, '

These ySars two 6r three,
Wj secret sorr5w tinless th6u delH

Doubtless in sooth I de. ^

Robert Henry son.

* Sheep. ^ Unto or to. ^ Silence. * Assuage. '" Die.

THE PANTOUM.

French poets anxious for something new adopted a
Malayan form, the Pantoum. It is not of much practical
use, but serves to illustrate the quaint and peculiar in verse.
It is best adapted to the light, airy and frivolous things of
life, and used in describing comic or ludicrous affairs. Mr.
Austin Dobson has exercised his ingenuity and literary skill
writing a pantoum entitled 'In Town." It will be per-
ceived the pantoum consists of a series of quatrains ; the
second and fourth lines of the first stanza reappear as the
first and third lines of the second stanza, and the second and
third lines of the second stanza reappear as the first and
fourth lines of the third stanza, and so on until the end of
the poem. The first and third lines of the first stanza are
again used as the third and fourth lines of the last stanza.
Mr. Dobson's pantoum is in dactylic rhythm and is here
given :

132

THE AR T OF FOE TR V.

IN TOWN

The blue fly sung in the pane. — Tennyson.

Toiling in Town n6w is " horrid,"
(There is that woman again ! ) —

June in the zenith is torrid,
Thought gets dry in th6 brain.

There is that woman again :

"Strawberries ! fourpence a pottle ! "
Thought gets dry in the brain ;

Ink gets dry in the bottle.

"Strawberries ! fourpence a pottle ! "

C) for the green 6f a lane ! —
Ink gets dry in the bottle ;

"Buzz " g6es a fly in the pane !

C) for the green 6f a lane,
Where 6ne might lie and be laz^' !

" Buzz " g5es a fly in the pane ;
Blueb6ttles drive me crazy !

Where 5ne might lie and be lazy.
Careless 6f town and all in it ! —

Blueb6ttles drive me crazy ;
I shall g6 mad in a mintite !

Careless 6f town and all in it,

With some 6ne t6 sootiie and t5 still yoQ
I shall g5 mad in a mintite ;

Bluebottle, then 1 shall kill you !

With some 6ne t6 soothe and t6 still yoQ ; —
As only One's feminine kin d5, —

Bluebottle, then I shall kill yotl :
There n6w ! I've broken the windOw !

THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA. 133

As only One's feminine kin d5, — •

S5me mQslin-clad Mabel 6r May ! —
There n6w, I've broken the wind6w !

BlQebftttlg's off and Sway !

some muslin-ciad Mabgl Or May,

TO dash One with eau d6 Cologne ; —
Bluebottle's off and away ;

And why shoQld I stay here alone !

TO dash One with eau de Cologne,

All over One's eminent forehead ; —
And why shoftld 1 stay here alone !

Toiling in Town nOw is " horrid."

BLANK VERSE.

Blank verse is without rhyme. It is, however, a favorite
form of poetic art with many writers of verse. All poetry
was in blank verse until rhyming was introduced by
Chaucer. For a long while its devotees condemned rhyme.
Rhyming was termed frivol6us"ah(I its practice and use dis-
countenanced by some of the best writers of early English
poetry. It gradually gained favor, however, until today,
instead of our best and sweetest thoughts finding expression
in blank verse, as was formerly the case, we find them
expressed in rhyme. To blank verse, however, the world
of literature is greatly indebted. It was in blank verse
Milton wrote " Paradise Lost " and Bryant " Thanatopsis."
The first may be termed the first and greatest of English
poems in blank verse. For while it was used in Greek and
Latin poetry, it was in little use in English poetry, until the
appearance of Milton's " Paradise Lost." It immediately
came into general favor in writing epic poetry. Before this
its chief use in English was its use in dramatic composition.

134

THE ART OF POETRY.

The second, " Thanatopsis," is justly termed one of the
best and grandest of conceptions of an elegiac character.
Blank verse is ten-syllabled, that is, composed of five poetic
feet. It is also termed Heroic verse, and is iambic penta-
meter. Blank verse usually ends with an important word.

THANATOPSIS.

T6 him wh5 in thS love 6f NatQre holds
C5mmuni5n with her visible forms she speaks
A varioQs language ; for his gayer hours
She has a voice 6f gladness, and S smile
And el6quence 6f beauty, and she glides
int6 his dflrk musings with S mild
And gentle sympathy that steals Sway
Their sharpness ere he is Sware.

William. Cullen Bryant.

Life is th6 transmigratiSn of <t soul
Throtigh variotls bodies, various states 6f being :
New manners, passiSns", new pursuits in each ;
In nothing, save in consciousness, the same.
Infancy, adSlescence, manho5d, age,
Are alwSy moving onward, alwSy losing
Themselves in one another, lost at length
Like iindiilati5ns on the strand 6f death.

James Montgotnery .

ADDRESS TO LIGHT.

Hail, holy Light, offspring 5f Heaven, first-born,

Or of the eternal, co-eternal beam,

May I express thee tinblamed? since God is light,

And never but in unapproached light

Dwelt from eternity, dwelt then in thee,

Bright efflQence 5f bright essence increate.

Johu 3 niton.

THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA.

135

M6n are btit children of S larger growth ;
Our appetites Ss apt t5" change Ss theirs,
And full as craving, too, find full Ss vain ;
And yet the soul shtit up in her dSrk room,
Viewing s5 clear abroad, at home seSs nothing ;
BQt like a mole in earth, busy and blind,
W6rks all her folly up, and casts it outward
T5 the w6rld's view.

John Dryden.

A COUNTRY LIFE.

H6w blest the man wh6 in thSse peacefOl plains,
Pl6ughs his paternal field ; far from the noise.
The care, and bustle of a busy world !
All in the sacred, sweet sequestered vale
Of solitiide, the secret primr6se-path
Of rur|l life, he dwells ; and with him dwell
peace and C6ntent, twins of the sylvan shade.
And all the graces of the golden age.

Michael Bruce.

CHAPTER X.

MEASURES EXEMPLIFIED.

Trochaic.

Tasteftil, gracefGl, pleasing measOre
And t6 write thefi is a pleastlre.

THERE is real music about a well written poem com-
posed in this measure. The stress or accent is laid
on the odd syllables, and the even ones are unaccented or
short.

Trochees are often mixed with iambuses, but that can
make no difference in the scansion, as the number of feet
in a verse or line must be reckoned by the number of
accented syllables. Trochaic verse admits of the cutting off
of the final syllable ; of the use of single rhymed endings, or
in ofher words, single rhymed trochaic omit the final or un-
accented syllable. While a foot may end in one accented
syllable, a foot in no instance can be permitted to commence
with simply one syllable. This is true in trochaic, iambic,
or any other kind of measure. Frequently we find a line
ending in one syllable in dimeter, trimeter, or tetrameter
verse. Hence we have lines of three, five and seven sylla-
bles. Trochaic retrenched of the last unaccented syllable is,
however, trochaic still.

Iambuses are admitted frequently in trochaic verse as we
have already noticed. It is not usual, however, to intro-

136

MEASURES EXEMPLIFIED.

137

duce a trochaic line with an iambic foot, although it is per-
missible. Double rhymes are always less frequent than
single ones; hence lines oftener terminate in trochaic meas-
ures catalectic than in full trochaic. But the accented sylla-
ble is always counted a foot. The inconvenience that
naturally results from writing a line of full trochees is at
once apparent. There must always be a double ending to
the rhymes. This cannot always happen. It is also use-
less. There is no good reason why trochaic of any length
should not be allowed to terminate in a single rhyme.

One or more unaccented syllables are termed hyper-
metrical.

When trochaic ends in a single accented syllable, consti-
tuting a foot, such accented syllable is not to be termed an
' ' additional ' ' syllable. The verse is simply catalectic.

No additional, unaccented syllable is ever allowed before
the first foot. By permitting this you destroy all distinction
between iambic and trochaic. It is well to observe also, in
this connection, that iambic measure is never shorn of the
unaccented syllable in the first foot. Iambic measure never
commences with a single accented syllable. It must always
commence with a regular foot, and so, too, must trochaic.

Measure, Monometer.

Rhythm, Trochaic.

Formula, Ab.

Sign, —

Example (i).

Helter,

Singing,

Hurrj^,

Skelter,

Swinging,

Skurry,

Skaters go.

They g6 by.

See them glide.

Changing,

Whisking,

Rattling,

Ranging,

Frisking,

Battling,

In a row.

As they fly

Skater's pride.
"The Skaters."

13^

THE AR T OF POE TR V.

Measure, Dimeter.
Rhythm, Trochaic.
Formula, Ab X 2.
Sign, — v^ X 2.

Example (i).

None d6 hear

Use t5 swear :

Oaths do fray

Fish ?lway ;

We sit still,

Watch ofir quill :

FishSrs must nr)t wrangle.

Chalkhill— "The Angler. ' '

One peculiarity of the above poem, many of its lines
might be termed safely anapestic meter. The trochaic
foot, however, prevails and the poem is trochaic.

A fine specimen of trochaic dimeter is furnished in the
following, with single rhyme :

Example (2).

In a maze

Lost, I gaze:

Can 5ur eyes

Reach thy size ?

May my lays

Swell with praise

Worthy thee !

Worthy me !

Muse, inspire

All thy fire !

Bards 5f old

Of him told,

When th^y said

Atl.ls' head

Propped the skies.

See ! <1nd hSlieve yofir eyes !

John

See him stride
Valleys wide;
Ov6r woods,
Ovgr floods.
When he treads,
Mountilin heads,
Groan .Ind shake :
Armies quake,
Lest his spurn
Overturn
Man and steed.
Troops, tSke heed ;
Left <1nd right
Speed yoOr flight.
Lest ftn host,
Beneath his foot be lost.
Gay — "A Lilliputian Ode."

MEASURES EXEMPLIFIED. 139

This poem is also attributed to Alexander Pope and it is
published in his works.

Measure, Trimeter.
Rhythm, Trochaic.
Formula, Ab X 3.
Sign, — w X 3.

Example (i).

Go n5t, happ)? day,

From the shining fields,
Go n6t, happy day,

Till the maiden yields.
Rosy is the West,

Rosy is the South,
Ros^s are h$r cheeks,

And S rose h^r mouth.
When the happy Yes

Faltgrs from hSr lips,
Pass <tnd blush thC news

O'er the blowing ships,
Ov^r blowing seas,

Ov^r seas St rest.
Pass the happy news.

Blush it thro' the West,
Till the red mSn dance

By his r6d ced<1r-tree.
And the red m.ln's babe

Leap, beyond th6 sea.
Blush fr5m West t6 East,

Blush fr5m East t6 West,
Till the West is East,

Blush it thro' th6 West.
Rosy is the West,

Rosy is the South,
Roses are her cheeks.

And a rose her mouth.

Alfred Tennyson — "Maud."

140

THE AN T OF FOE TR V.

Example (2).
LYRICS AND EPICS.

I woOld be the Lyric,

Ev6r on the lip,
Rather than the Kptc

MemOry lets slip !
I woQld be the diamfind

At my lady's ear,
Rather than the June-r6se

Worn bftt once a year !
Thomas Bailey Aldrich — " Lyrics and Epics."

Example (3).

Swinging on a birch-tree

To a sleepy tiine.
Hummed by all the breezes

in the month of June !
Little leaves S-flutter,

Sound like dancing drops
Of a brook 6n pebbles ;

Song that never stops.
Lucy Larcotn — "Swinging On a Birch Tree."

Measure, Tetrameter.
Rhythm, Trochaic.
Formula, Ab X 4.
Sign, — w X 4.

Example (i).

' ' Your Mission " is an excellent poem in trochaic tetra-
meter. We select the last stanza

MEASURES EXEMPLIEIED.

141

" Do n6t, then, sUind idly waiting

FOr s6me greater work t6 do ;
FortQne is ft lazy goddess,

She will never come t6 you.
Go Snd toil in any vineyard, —

Do n5t fear t6 do and dare,
if yoii want S field 6f lab6r,

You cSn find W. anywhere."

Ellett M. H. Gates.

Example (2).

Sound, sweet song, fr6m some f^r land,
Sighing softly close St hand,

Now 6f joy, and now 6f woe !

Stars are wont t6 glimmSr so.
Soongr thus will good tinfold ;
Children young and children old

Gladly hear thy numbers flow.

Goethe — "Sound, Sweet Song."

Another poem that will never die illustrates this measure.
In addition to its perfect versification there is something of
heaven's own music, something supernal, in the poem. Its
lines are so elevating and pure, with a sweet tenderness of
expression unsurpassed :

' ' Every tinkle on the shingles
Has an ech6 in the heart."

Example (3).

The fifth of six stanzas is here given :

And another comes, t5 thrill me

With her eyes' delicioOs blue ;
And I mind nOt — musing on her,

That her heart wSs all Qntrue ;

1 4 2 THE ART OF POE TK Y.

1 remember but tO love h^r

With a passi6n kin t6pain,
And my heart's quick pulses vibrate

To the patter of the rain.

Coates Kinney — " Rain on the Roof."

Measure, Pentameter.
Rhythm, Trochaic.
Formula, Ab X 5.
Sign, — s^ X 5.

Example (i).

Tall the plumage of the rush-flfiwer tosses ;

Sharp and soft \r\. many a curve Snd line,
Gleam Snd glow the sea-c616red marsh-mosses,

Salt and splendid from the circling brine ;
Streak 6n streak 6f glimmering sea shine crosses

All the land sea-satflrSte as with wine.

A. C, Swinburne — " By the North Sea."

Example (2).

" Mother, dear, what is the water saying ?

Mother, dear, why does the wild sea roar? "
Cry the children on the white sand plilyTng, —

On the white sand, half S mile fr6m shore,
" Little ones, I fear S storm is growing.

Come Sway ! Oh, let Qs hasten home ! "
Calls the mother ; and the wind ts blowing ;

Flashtng up a million eyes 6f foam.

Anonymous — "The High Tide."

The following poem is by one of our best authors, and
the poem from which selection is taken one of his best lyrics.
The measures are inixed and present an example of :

MEASURES EXEMPLIFIED.

143

1st, Dimeter ; 2nd, Trimeter ; 3rd, Pentameter ; 4th,
Dimeter ; 5th, Pentameter.

Example (3).

Jingle ! Jingle !

How the fields g6 by !
Earth and air in snowy sheen c5mmingle,

Far and nigh ;

Is the ground beneath tis, or the sky ?

Edmund Clarence Siedmati — "The Sleigh Ride."

Measure, Hexameter.
Rhythm, Trochaic.
Formula, Ab X 6.
Sign, — ^ X 6.

Example (i).

Never yet hSs poet sQng S perfect song,
But his life wSs rooted like a tree's, among

Earth's great feeding forces — even as crags and mould.
Rhythms that stir the forest by firm fibres hold,

Lucy Larcom — "The Trees."

From the works of the same author we take another
example — the first and third stanzas :

Example {2).

"~ Happy fields 6f summer, all yoQr airy grasses

Whispering and bowing when the West wind passes,
Happy lark and nestling, hid beneath the mowing,
Root sweet music in yoti, to the white cl6uds growing.

Happy little children, skies are bright above yoii,
Trees bend down t6 kiss yoti, breeze and bl6ss6m love yoQ;
And we bless yoti, playing in the field-paths mazy,
Swinging with the harebell, dancing with the daisy !

Lucy Larcom — " Happy Fields of Summer."

J ^^ THE AR T OF POE TR Y.

Example (3).

Now the hare is snared Snd dead beside the snow-ySrd,
And the lark beside the dreary winter sea,
And my baby in his cradle in the church-yard
Waitfith there Until the bells bring me.

Charles Kingsley — "The Merry Lark."

Each couplet of the trochaic hexameter is sometimes
divided into alternate lines of six and five syllables, forming
the trochaic lis of our hymns.

Measure, Heptameter.
Rhythm, Trochaic.
Formula, Ab X 7.
Sign, — w X 7.

Iambic heptameter is what is termed ballad meter, being
lines of tetrameter and trimeter alternately. There can be
no good reason shown why trochaics can not also be used
in the same manner. One thing, however, must necessarily
be observed, where it is thus divided, every other line becomes
iambic While the first and third lines will be trochaic and
catalectic, the second and fourth will be iambic and hyper-
meter.

Trochaics of seven feet are exceedingly rare. We find
{&\\ examples. It is not certainly on account of the extreme
length, for trochaics octometer of late years are plentiful and
can no longer be termed " prosodial anomalies," as they
were formerly termed.

This is the 7s and 6s of our hymns :

" Stop, poor sinner, stop and think,"

Before yoO further go ;
Will yoQ sport dpon the brink

Of everlasting woe? "

MEASURES EXEMPLIFIED. 145

It will be observed the second and fourth lines are iambic.
If, however, the lines were not alternated they would be
trochaic.

Example (i).

Cle6n sees n6 charms in nattire, in a daisy I ;
Cle5n hears n6 anthem ringing in th6 sea Snd sky ;
Nattire sings t6 me fOrevSr, earn&t listener 1 ;
State f6r state, with all attendants, who wotild change ? N6t I.

Charles Mackay — "Cleon and I."

Example (2).

Holy, holy, holy ! Though th6 darkness hide The^,
Though the eye 6f sinfQl man Thy gl6r5^ may n6t see.
Only Thou, 0 God, art holy ; there is none beside TheS,
Perfect Thou In power, in love and purity !

Reginald Heber — "Trinity Hymn."

Example (3).

Hasten sinner to repent thefi, turn 16 God and live.
Seek f6r mercy, beg f5r pard5n, God alone can give ;

Leave th6 sinfiil throng f6rev6r, sinner, why delay ?
Seek fSrgivenSss, seek his blessing, haste thefi, haste away! —

Trust Him, sinnfir, he will bless the6, only mercy crave
Trust thy loving, loving Saviotir, He alone can save.

Come t6 Jestis, to thy Saviotir, plead before to5 late,
Come in sorr5w, come rSpentant, do n6t longer wait.

Christ has left a true rfeligidn, that wS may n5t err,
Come and share it, choose it, sinnfir, will yoti not prefer

A rSligiSn that can save yoti in that world above ?
Where is bliss and endlSss pleastire — God alone is love.
" Hasten Sinner to Repent Thee."

1 46 THE A R T OF POE TR Y.

Measure, Octometer.
Rhythm, Trochaic.
Formula, Ab X 8.
Sign, — ^ X 8.

Example (i).

She wSs walking in the spring-time, in the morning-tide 5f life,

Little reckoning of the journey, of its perils and its strife ;

For the flowers were peeping coyly, and the sQnshine glistened

bright,
And the dewdr6ps lingered, quivering, like fairy bells 6f light.
Not a cloud wfts in the heavens, not a surge wis on the deep,
For the rimpled sea lAy breathing in Sn unimpassiSned sleep.
And the fresh green leaves were nodding, to the whispers of the

breeze —
"Oh ! the world mQst be a paradise with promises like these !
There's n6 canker in the bl6ss6ms, and nO blight tipon the trees."

Hunter — " The Curtain."

Example (2).

In the spring a fuller crimsOn comes flpon the robin's breast ;
In the spring the want6n lapwing gets himself another crest ;
In the spring a livelier iris changfis on the burnished dove ;
in the spring a young man's fancy lightly tiirns tO thoughts 6f love.
Alfred Tennyson — " Locksley Hall."

Example (3).

Ah, distinctly I remember, it was in the bleak December,

And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost ftponthe floor.
Eagerly 1 wished the morrow ; vainly I had sought tO b6rr5w
From my books siSrcease 5f sorrOw, — sorrOw for the lost
Lenore,—
For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore. —
Nameless here fOrever more.

Edgar A. Poe — "The Raven

MEASURES EXEMPLIFIED. 147

IAMBIC.

As before observed the iambic measure is used more than
all others combined. Accent in iambic verse is placed on
the even syllables, and the odd ones are unaccented.

This measure must always be commenced with a regular
foot of two syllables, although the first may be a trochee,
and often is. However, the first foot cannot be commenced
with a single syllable. By an attempt to commence the
first foot of the verse with a single accented syllable, you
will simply change the measure to trochaic. A single sylla-
ble not accented, frequently is added to the end of the verse.
It is, however, not to be reckoned ■ as anything but super-
numerary unless we should term the ending an amphibrach.

Dactyls and anapests, where they serve to explain the
meter of a line of poetry should be used, as it is far better
to do so than to have recourse to extra metrical syllables.

It is sometimes difficult to tell theprevailing foot. However,
only the accents are to be counted, and where a proper scan-
sion is made the introduction of other feet causes no trouble.
A dactyl may be often employed instead of a trochee, an
anapest for an iambus. This usually occurs where one un-
accented vowel precedes another in what we usually regard
as separate syllables, and both are clearly heard, although
uttered in such quick succession that both syllables occupy
only half the time in utterance a long syllable would require,
as :

Foil many tl gem 6f purfist ray serene.

"Gray's Elegy."

The murmuring wind, th6 quivering leaf,
Shan softly tell us thou art near !

Oliver Wendell Holmes — " Hymn of Trust."

X48

THE ART OF POETRY.

The words '* murmuring " and "quivering" are pro-
nounced naturally with more rapidity. So too "many a "
in the first example.

Lines may contain ten syllables and yet be only iambic
tetrameter. The last two syllables being hypermetrical, as:

There was in ancient sage Philosopher
Wh6 had read Alexander Ross 6ver.

Butler's "Hudibras."

Extra metrical syllables can, however, occur, and are per-
missible only at the end of a line, or verse. Such syllables
are always unaccented.

Measure, Monometer.
Rhythm, Iambic.
Formula, bA.
Sign, w — .

Poems in this measure are very rare. The measure is
often used, however, to construct a single line, in combi-
nation with other lines in forming a stanza.

ThtisI
Pass by
A.nd die.

EXA.MPLE (i).

As one
Tjnknown
And gone !

I'm made
A shade,
And laid

I' th' grave ; Where tell

There have I dwell.

My cave : Farewell.

Robert Herrick — " Upon His Departure Hence."

MEASURES EXEMPLIFIED.

149

Example (2)

At morn,

r hear
Thy note,

S5 cheer.
Sweet Thrush.

The while

1 dream,
In song

Yoti teem,
Blithe Thrush.

G6d made
The earth

T6 joy
In mirth

Dear Thrush.

And thy

GSy trill
Is hilt

His will,
6 Thrush !

Mayl

Be heard.
Like thee,

F5nd bird,
Bright Thrush :

T6 sing

G6d's praise.
Sweet as

Thy lays,
Br6wn Thrush.

"The Thrush.'

Example (3).

And he
Wh6m we
See dejected,
Next day
we may
See erected.

Herrick — ' 'Anacreontic.

Example (4).

Hark ! hist !
Around
A list !
The bounds
Of space
All trace,
Efface
Of sound.

Victor Hugo — "The Djinns.

I50

THE ART OF POETRY.

Measure, Dimeter.
Rhythm, Iambic.
Formula, bA X 2,
Sign, ^-^ — X 2.

Example (i).

Once through th^ forfist

Alone 1 went ;
T6 seek fbr nothing

My thoughts w6re bent.

I saw in the shad6w
A flower stand there ;

As stars it gHstSned,
As eyes 'twas fair.

1 sought t6 pluck It, —

It gently said :
" Shan 1 be gathered

Only t6 fade?"

With all Its roots
I dug it with care,

And took it home
T5 my garden fair.

In silent corner
So6n It was set ;

There grows it ever —
There blooms it yet.

Goelhe — " Found.

Example (2)

Though care and strife

Elsewhere be rife,
tipon my word I do n6t heed 'em ;

In bed I lie

With books hard by,
And with increasing zest I read 'em.

Euzene Field— ''De Amicitiis."

MEASURES EXEMPLIFIED.

151

Measure, Trimeter.
Rhythm, Iambic.
Formula, bA X 3.
Sign, w — X 3.

Example (r).

Oh you the virgins nine,
ThSt do 6ur souls indine
T6 nobis discipline.
N6d to this vow 6f mine !
C6me then, Snd now inspire
My vi51 and my lyre
With your SternSl fire,
And make mS one Entire
CfimposSr in yoQr choir.
Then I'll yotir altars strew
With r6s6s sweet Snd new,
And ev6r live S true
Acknowledger 6f you.
Robert Herrick — "A Hymn to the Muses."

Example (2).

Lost ! lost ! lost !

A gem 6f countless price
CQt from the living rock,

And graved in Paradise,
set round with three times eight

Large diamSnds, clear and bright.
And each with sixty smaller ones,

All changeftil as the light.

Mrs. Lydia H. Sigonrtiey — " A Lost Day."

152

THE ART OF POETRY.
Example (3).

C6me, all yS jolly shepherds

That whistle through the glen,
I'll tell yoti of a secret

That courtiers dinna ken :
What is the greatest bliss

That the tongue Of man can name ?
'Tis t6 woo a bonnie lassie

When the kye cOmes hame !

James Hogg — " When the Kye Comes Hame."

Measure, Tetrameter.
Rhythm, Iambic.
Formula, bA X 4.
Sign, v-' — X 4.

Example (i).

F6r while thOu lingerest in delight, —

An idle poet, with thy rhyme.
The summer hours will take their flight

And leave thee in a barren clime.

Thomas Bailey Aldrich — "Song Time."

Example (2).

I once knew all the birds that came

And nested in 6ur orchard trees ;
F6r every flower 1 had a name —

My friends were wood-ch ticks, toads, and bees ;
I knew where thrived In yonder glen —

What plants wotlld soothe a stone-brOised toe-
Oh ! I was very learned then ;

BOt that was very long ago !

Eugene Field — "Long Ago."

MEASURES EXEMPL IFIED. j c 3

Example (3).

Have you n6t heard the po^ts tell

H6w came the dainty BabJ' Bell

Into this world 6f ours ?
The gates 6f heaven wSre left ajar :
With folded hands and dreamy eyes,
Wandering out 6f Paradise,
She saw this planet, like a star,

HQng in the glistening depths 5f even-
Its bridges, riinning to and fro.
O'er which the white-winged Angels go.

Bearing the holy dead t6 heaven.
She touched a bridge 6f flowers — th6se feet
S6 light they did nOt bend the bells
Of the celestial asphftdels,
They fell like dew tipon the flowers ;
Then all the air grew strangel>r sweet !
And thus came dainty Baby Bell

int6 this world 6f ours.

Thomas Bailey Aldrich — " Baby Bell."

Example (4).

" Man wants btit little here below,

N6r wants that little long."
'Tis not with me exactly so,

Bfit 'tis sft in the song.
My wants are many, and if told,

WoGld muster many a score :
And were each wish a mint 6f gold,

I still shotild long fbr more.

John Quincy Adams, "The Wants of Man."

Example (5).

Mj^ days among the dead are passed ;

Around me I behold.
Where'er these casOai eyes are cast.

The mighty minds 6f old :

154

THE ART OF FOE TR Y.

My nevSr-failKng friends Sre they
With whom 1 converse night Snd day.

With them 1 take delight in weal.

And seek relief in woe ;
And while I iinderstand and feel

H6w much t6 them I owe,
My cheeks hSve often been bSdewed
With tears 6f though tftil gratitude.

Robert Southey — " The Library."

Example (6).

The Fays thSt to my christening came

(F6r come they did, my niirses taught me,)
They did n6t bring me wealth 6r fame,

'Tis very little that they brought me.
BQt one, the Grossest of the crew,

The iigly old 6ne, uninvited,
said, "1 shall be avenged 5nj/<3M,

My child ; yoO shall gr6w up sh6rt-sighted ! "
With magic juices did she lave

Mine eyes, and wrought her wicked pleasQre.
well, of all gifts the Fairies gave,

Htrs is the present that I treasQre !

The bore wh6m others fear and flee,

I do n6t fear, I do n6t flee him ;
I pass him calm as calm can be;

1 do n5t cut — 1 do n6t see him !
And with my feeble eyes and dim,

Where j/o^ seS patchji' fields and fences,
F6r me the mists fif Turner swim —

Mj^ " azQre distance " soon commences !
Nay, as I blink about the streets

Of this befogged and miry city.
Why, alm6st evet^ girl 6ne meets

Seems pretematOrally pretty !

MEASURES EXEMPLIFIED. i^^

" Try spectScles," 6ne's friends intone ;

" YoQ'll see the world cSrrectly through thfim."
Btit I have visions of my own,

And not f6r worlds woQld I Qndo thgm.

Andrew Lang — " The Fairy's Gift."

Example (7).

As, by sOnie tyrant's stern c6mmand,
A wretch f5rsakes his native land,
In foreign climes c6ndemned t6 roam
An endless exile from his home :
Pensive he treads the destined way,
And dreads t6 g5, n5r dares t6 stay :
Till on s6me neighboring mountain's brow
He stops, and turns his eyes below ;
There, melting at the well-kn6wn view,
Drops a last tear, and bids adieu ;
S6, I thQs doomed fr5m thee t5 part,
Gay queen 6f fancy and 6f art,
Reluctant move, with doubtffll mind,
Oft stop, and often look behind.
Sir Willimn Blackstone — "A Lawyer's Farewell to His Muse."

Measure, Pentameter.
Rhythm, Iambic.
Formula, bA X 5.
Sign, w — X 5

Example (i).

Fair insect ! that, with thread-like legs spread out.
And blood-extracting bill, and filmy wing,

D5st murmQr, as thoti slowly sail'st about.
In pitiless ears ftill many a plaintive thing ;

And tell'st h5w little our large veins shoQld bleed,
VVoQld we bQt yield them freely' in thy need.

Bryant — " To a Mosquito."

I ^6 THE AR T OF POE TR V.

Example (2),

Eternal Hope ! when yonder spheres sQblime
Pealed their first notes t6 sound the march 6f Time,
Thy joyoiis youth began — but not t5 fade.
When all the sister planets have decayed.
When wrapt in fire the realms 6f ether glow
And heaven's iSst thunder shakes the world below,
Th5u, undismayed, shSlt o'er the ruins smile,
And light thy torch at Nature's funeral pile.

Thomas Campbell — "Pleasures of Hope.

Example (3).

In allmy wanderings round this world 6f care,
In all my griefs — and God has given my share —
I still had hopes m^ latest hours t6 crown,
Amidst these humble bowers t6 lay me down ;
T6 husband out life's taper at the close.
And, keep the flame fr6m wasting by repose :
I still had hopes, f5r pride attends Qs still,
Amidst the swains t6 show my book-learned skill,
Aroiind my fire an evening groiip t6 draw.
And tell 6f all I felt, and all I saw ;
And, as a hare, wh6m hounds and horns pQrsue,
Pants to his place fr5m whence at first she flew.
I still had hopes, my long vexatiOns past.
Here to return — and die at home at last.

Oliver Goldsmith — " Deserted Village.

Example (4).

What is't t6 us, if taxes rise 5r fall ?
Thanks to 5ur fortQne, we pay none at all.
Let muckw5rms, who in dirty acres deal.
Lament th6se hardships which we cann6t feel.
His Grace, wh5 smarts, may bell6w if he please,
Bnt must I bellOw too, whO sit at ease ^

MEASURES EXEMPLIFIED.

157

By custom safe, th6 port's numbers flow
Fre6 as thS light find air s6me years Sgo.
N6 statesman e'er will find it worth his pains
T6 tax 5ur lab6rs and gxcise 6ur brains.
Burthens like these, vile earthly buildings bear ;
N6 tribtite laid 6n castl& in th6 air !

Charles Churchill — ' ' The Poverty of Poets. ' '

Measure, Hexameter.
Rhythm, Iambic.
Formula, bA X 6.
Sign, --^ — X 6.

Example (i).

Bfiside this massive gateway

Built up in years gftne by,
tJpon wh6se top thS clouds

In eternal shad6w lie.
While streams thS evening sunshine

On the quiet wood and lea,
~ 1 stand and calmly wait

Till the hinges turn f6r me.
William Cullen Bryant — " Waiting by the Gate."

Example (2).

Adore n6 God besides me, to pr5v6ke mine eyes ;
N5r worship me in shapes and forms that men devise ;
With reverence use my name, n6r turn my words t5 jest ;
Observe my Sabbath well, n5r dare prOfane m5^ rest ;
H6n5r and due 5bedience to thy parents give ;
N5r spill the guiltless blood, n6r let the guilty live ;
Preserve thy body chaste, and flee the unlawftil bed ;
N5r steal thy neighbor's gold, his garment, or his bread ;
F6rbear t6 blast his name with falsehood or deceit ;
N5r let thy wishes loose tipon his large estate.
Dr. Isaac W^atts — " The Ten Commandments Versified."

1^8 THE ART OF POETR V.

Example (3;.

What ails thefi, young One? what ? Wh^^ pull s6 at thy cord ?
ts it ncit well with thee ? w6ll both f6r bed ftnd board ?
Th J^ plot 5f grass is soft, and green ;1s grass ctin be ;
R6st, little young One, rest ; what is't that ailSth thee ?

Wordsworth — " The Pet Lamb."

The iambic hexameter is seldom employed by our poets,
except in combination with other measures. It is used to
form the last line of the Spenserian stanza.

Measure, Heptameter.
Rhythm, Iambic.
Formula, bA X 7.
Sign, w — X 7.

This is our regular ballad meter. For greater conven-
ience, owing to its length, it is generally written in alternate
lines of four and three feet.

It is a favorite measure, and perhaps more examples may
be found in it than almost any other kind.

Dr. Holmes, always a felicitous writer, has few better
poems than the one from which we quote the first stanza.
It is in ballad meter :

Example (i).

0 for 6ne hour 5f youthfill joy !

Give back my twentieth spring !
I'd rather laugh a bright-haired boy

Than reign a gray-b6ard king !

" The Old Man Dreams "

MEASURES EXEMPLIFIED. .-n

Example (2).

The South-wind breathes, ftnd 16 ! yoil throng

This rugged land 6f ours:
I rhink the pale blQe clouds 5f May

Dr6p down, Snd turn t6 flowers.
Thoinas Bailey Aldrich — " The Bluebells of New England."

Example (3).

As one wh6 cons St evSntng o'er ftn albfim all alone,
And muses on the facSs of the friends that he hSs known,

S6 t turn the leaves 6f fancy till, tn shadftwy design,
I find the smiltng features of Sn old sweetheart 6f mine.

James Whitcomb Riley — " An Old Sweetheart."

Example (4).

The matron at her mirrOr, with her hand tipon her brow,

Sits gazing on her lovely face — ily, lovely even now ;
Why doth she lean dpon her hand with such a look 5f care ?
Wh5^ steals that tear across her cheeks ? — She sees her first gray
hair.

Thomas H. Bayly — " The First Gray Hair."

Measure, Iambic.
Rhythm, Octometer.
Formula, bA X 8.
Sign, w — X 8.

Owing to the length of the lines we usually find this
measure written in stanzas of four lines, rhyming alternately :

Example (i).

tt was the time when lilTes blow.

And clouds are highest up In air,
L6rd Ronald brought a lily-whUe doe

T6 give his cousin. Lady Clare.

Alfred Tennyson—'' Lady Clare."

l6o THE ART OF POETRY.

Example (2).

The light 6f smiles shilU fill Again

ThS lids that overflow with tears ;
And weary hours 6f woe Tind pain

Are promises of happier years.

Bryavt — "Blessed Are They That Mourn."

DACTYLIC.

Verse in dactylic rhythms is not so common as in other
rhythms. It is, however, capable of great resuhs. It is a
stately rhythm, and one in which some of our best battle
hymns are written. Love, pathos, grief and all the tender
emotions are expressed in this rhythm with durable effect.
Patriotism finds true expression in dactylic accents. Tetra-
meter verse is the favorite measure of writers of this rhythm.
Dactylic with single rhymes end with a caesura or single
foot ; while double rhymes end with a trochee ; full dactylic
usually form triple rhymes. Dactylic poetry is seldom jiure
and regular.

Measure, Dimeter.
Rhythm, Dactylic.
Formula, Abb X 2.
Sign, — - -^^ ^-^ X 2.

Example (i).

Little white Lily

Sat by a Stone,
DroopTng Snd wilting

Till thg sun shone.
Little white Lily

Sunshine has fed ;
Little white Lily

Is lifting her head.
George Mac /?ofi a /(f^" The White Lily."

MEASURES EXEMPLIFIED. ^g^

Example (2).

Make n6 deep scrutln^^

Int6 her mutiny.
Rash and Qndutiftil :

Past all dishonSr,
Death has left on hSr

Only the beautiftil.

Thomas Hood — ' ' Bridge of Sighs. ' '

Example (3).

" Room f5r him int6 the

Ranks 6f htimantty ;
Give him a place in yotir

KingdSm hi vanity !
Welc5me the stranger with

Kindly affectiSn ;
HopefQlly, triistfQlly,

Not with dejectibn."

— — "My Boy."

Example (4).

Rising and leaping,
Sinking and creeping,
Swelling and sweeping,
Showering and springing,
Flying and flinging.
Writhing and ringing,
Eddying and whisking,
Spouting and frisking,
TiJrning and twisting,
Around and around —
With endless rebound !
Robert Sotdhey — "The Cataract of Lodore."

J 52 THE ART OF POETRY.

Example (5).

Half a league, half a league,
Haifa league onward,
All in the vallgy 6f Death

Rode the six hundred.
" Forward, thS Light Brigade !
Charge f6r the guns, ' ' he said :
Int5 the valley 6f Death

Rode the six hundred.
Tennyson — " The Charge of the Light Brigade."

Example (6).

Bird 6f the wilderness,

Blithes5me and cumberless,
Sweet be thy matin, 6'er moorland and lea !

Emblem 6f happiness.

Blest is thy dwelling place —
O, t6 abide in the desert with thee !

Wild is thy lay and loud

Far in the downy cloud.
Love gives it energy, love gave it birth.

Where, On thy dewy wing,

Where art th6u journeying ?
Thy lay is in heaven, thy love is On earth.

O'er {fell and fountain sheen

O'er mo6r and mountain green,
O'er the red streamer that heralds the day.

Over the cloudlet dim.

Over the rainb5w's rim,
Musical cherQb, s5ar, singing away !

Then, when the gloaming comes,

Low in the heather blooms
Sweet will thy welcOme and bed 6f 16ve be !

Emblem 6f happiness,

Blest is th^^ dwelling place —
O, t6 abide in th6 desert with thee !

James Hogg — "The Sky Lark."

The above is dimeter, trimeter and tetrameter.

MEASURES EXEMPLIFIED.

163

Measure, Tetrameter.
Rhythm, Dactylic.
Formula, Abb X 4.
Sign, — ^w -^ X 4.

Example (i).

Cover th6m ov6r with beautJfQl flowers ;
Deck them with garlSnds, th5se brothers 6f ours ;
Lying s6 silSnt, by night Snd by day,
Sleeping tbS years Of their manhoOd Sway :
Years they had marked f6r the joys 6f the brave ;
Years they mQst waste in the sloth 6f the grave.
All the bright laurels they fought t6 mSke bloom
Fell t6 the earth when they went t6 the tomb.
Give them the meed they hive won in the past ;
Give them the hon5rs their merits forecast ;
Give them the chaplets they won in the strife ;
Give them the laurels Ihey lost with their life.
Cover them over — yes, cover them over —
Parent, Snd husband, and brother, and lover :
Crown in yotir heart these dead her6es 6f ours.
And cover them over with beautifQl flowers.

Will Carleion — "Cover Them Over."

Example (2).

Weary way-wanderer, languid and sick at heart.
Traveling painfQlly over the riigged r5ad, —
Wild-visaged wanderer ! God help thee, wretched 6ne !

Robert Soulhey —" The Soldier's Wife."

Example (3).

Hail t6 the Chief wh6 in tritimph advances !

H6n6red and blessed be the evergreen pine !
Long may the tree, in his banner that glanc6s

Flourish, the shelter and grace 6f Our line !

Sir Walter Scott—'' Boat Song."

164

THE ART OF POETRY.

Example (4).

Come t6 m6, dear, 6re I die 5f my sorrSw,
Rise 6n my gloom like th6 sun 6f t5-m6rr6w.
Strong, swift and fond Ss th6 words that 1 speak, 16ve
With S song 6n yotir lip Snd i smile 5n your cheek, I6ve.
Come, f5r my heart in yotir absence is weary —
Haste, f5r my spirit is sickgned and dreary —
Come t6 the arms which alone should caress thee.
Come t6 the heart which is throbbing t6 press the6 !

Joseph Brennan — " Come to Me, Dearest.'

Measure, Hexameter.
Rhythm, Dactylic.
Formula, Abb X 6.
Sign, — v_^ v-/ X 6.

Example ( i)-

BeautifQl was the night. Behind the black wall 6f the forest.
Tipping its summit with silver, arose the moon. On the river
Fell here and there throtigh the branches a tremOlotis gleam 5f the

moonlight.
Like the sweet thoughts 6f love 6n a darkened and deviotis spirit.
Nearer and round about her, the manifold flowers of the garden
Poured 6ut their souls in od6rs, that were their prayers and

c6nfessi6ns
Unt5 the night, as it went its way, like a silent Carthusian.
Fuller 6f fragrance than they, and as heavy with shadSws and

night dews,
Hung the heart 5f the maiden. The calm and the magical moon-
light
Seemed t6 inundate her soul with indefinable longings,
As, throtlgh the garden gate, and beneath the shade f)f the oak

trees
Passed she along the path t5 the edge 6f the measflreless praries.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow — " Evangeline on the Prairie."

MEASURES EXEMPLIFIED.
ANAPESTIC.

•65

Anapestic measure is growing in favor year by year, and
the tumbling meter of King James is one of the beautiful
rhythms of modern verse. It is interchangeable with the
iambus, as well as other measures, especially the dactylic
and amphibrach. An iambus is frequently the first foot of
anapestic measure. Anapestic tetrameter is very smooth
flowing, a rhythm some of our poets use with admirable
effect, producing verse of both melody and vigor. It is
well adapted to cheerful and humorous verse.

Measure, Monometer.
Rhythm, Anapestic.
Formula, bbA.
Sign, ^ w — .

Anapestic monometer is rarely met with except where it
is used as a refrain or in combination with other measures of
verse. It is so near akin to trochaic catalectic dimeter, that
it is often extremely difficult to distinguish it from that meas-
ure. Anapestic verse is very often mixed, and its measure
can only be determined by a careful scansion, and, by the
prevailing primary measure or foot.

Example (i).

In the sleigh
Hie ft way !
Here we go
On the snow.

tn ft trance,
H6w we dance
Steeds a way
Oh h6w gay '

Mflslc-swells
Of the bells
In the night
G][ve delight.

In ft daze
H6w we gaze
In ft maze
At the sleighs !

J 56 THE ART OF POETRY.

N6w we ride, 'Tis <1 treat,

N6w wS glide, On the sleet —

Swift g6 by With yoQr Sweet

H6w we fly ! T6 g5 sleighing !

"The Sleigh Ride."

Example (2).

Then we go

T6 and fro,

With 6ur knacks

At 5ur backs,

T6 sflch streams

As the Thames

If we have the leisdre.

Chalkhill—''T\\^ Angler."

"The Angler" is a trochaic poem, although these lines
are readily scanned as anapestic monometer.

Measure, Dimeter.
Rhythm, Anapestic.
Formula, bbA X 2.
Sign, ^-^ ^-^ — X 2.

EXAMPLK (i).

He is gone ! He is gone !

Like the leaf fr6m the tree,
Or the down that is blown

By the wind 6'er the lea.
He is fled, the light-hearted !

Yet a tear mQst have started
T6 his eyes, when he parted

Fr6m I6ve stricken me.
Motherwell— "^ He is Gone^^He is Gone."

MEASURES EXEMPLIFIED. 167

The stanza below from the "Heathen Chinee" is an.i-
pestic dimeter, trimeter and tetrameter : ^

Example (2).

Which I wish t5 remark —

And m>^ language is plain —
Tlult fbr ways that Are dark

And f5r tricks that are vain,
Th6 heathfin Chinee is peculiar :

Which thS same I wotild rise t6 Explain.
Bret Harte — " Plain Language from Truthful James."

Example (3).

The blessed 61d fire-place ! how bright Tt appears,

As back t6 m^ b6yho6d I gaze,
O'er th6 des5late waste 5f the vanishing years.

From the gloom of these lone latter-days ;
Its lips are as ruddy, its heart is as warm

T5 my fancy t5night Ss 6f yore,
When we cuddled around it and smiled at the storm.

As It showed tts white teeth at the door.

James Newton Matthews — "The Old Fireplace."

This stanza is anapestic trimeter and tetrameter.

Measure, Trimeter.
Rhythm, Anapestic.
Formula, bbA X 3.
Sign, w w — X 3.

Example (i).

I Sm monarch 5f all I sQrvey,

My right there is none t5 dispute ;
Fr6m the centre all round to the sea,

I am lord of the fowl and the brute.

1 53 THE ART OF POE TR Y.

O SolitQde ! where Sre the charms

Th.1t sag^s have seen in thy face ?
Better dwell in th6 midst of alarms

Than reign in this horrible place.

U^iNiain Cowper — "Alexander Selkirk."

Example (2).

Oh, Love is a wonderfBl wizard !

He can see by^ hTs own keen light,
H6 laughs at the wrath 6f the tempest,

He has never a fear 5f the night.
Tw5 lives that are wedded leagues hold nOt apart, —

L6ve can hear, e'en throQgh thunder, the beat Of a hearL
Liicy Larcoin — "On the Misery Islands."

This stanza is trimeter and tetrameter :

Measure, Tetrameter.
Rhythm, Anapestic.
Formula, bbA X 4.
Sign, WW—-: 4.

Example (i).

Mr. 'Liakim Smith wAs 3 liard-fKsted farmer

Of moderate wealth,

And immoderate health,
Wh6 fifty-6dd years in a stub and twist amiOr
Of callous and tun, had fought like a man
HTs 6wn dogged progress throOgh trials and cares,
And log-heaps, and briish-heaps, and wild cats and bears.
And agties and fevers, and thistles and briars,
Po6r kinsman, rich foeman, false saints, and trtie liars ;
Wh5 oft, like "the man in <5ur town," 6verwise,
Throflgh the brambles 6f err5r had scratched 6ut his eyes,
And when the tinwelcOma result he had seen,

Had altered his n6ti6n,

Reversing the motion

MEASURES EXEMPLIFIED.

i6g

And scratched them b6th in Again, perfect .Ind clean ;
Wh5 hild weathered s6me storms, fts it sailOr might say,
And tacked t6 the left iind the right 5f his way,
Till he found himself anchored, past tempests ftnd breakers,
Cpon a go6d farm 6f S hundred-6dd acres.

IVt/l Carleton — "The Three Lovers.'

Example (2).

When the candles bQrn low, And the company's gone,
In the silence 5f night Ss I sit here Slone —
I sit here alone, btit we yet are a pair —
My Fanny I see in my cane-b5tt5med chair.
Williatn Makepeace Thackeray — "The Cane- Bottomed Chair."

Example (3).

My heart's in the Highlands, mj: heart is n6t here ;
My heart's in the Highlands a-chasing the deer ;
Chasing the wild deer, and foUSwing the roe,
My heart's in the Highlands wherever I go.
Farewell t6 the Highlands, farewell t6 the North,
The birth-place 5f val5r, the country 6f worth ;
Wherever I wander, wherever I rove,
The hills 6f the Highlands fSrever I love.

Robert Bunts — " My Heart's in the Highlantis

Example (4).

0 yoiing L6chinvar is c6me out 5f the west;
ThroQgh all the w,ifJe border, his steed was the best ;
And save his go6d broadswSrd he weap6ns had none,
He rode all tinarmed, and he rode all alone.
S5 faithftil in love and s6 dauntless in war,
There never was knight like the young L6chinvar.

Sir Walter Scott — " Lochinvar."

I 70 THE ART OF POETRY.

Example (5).

The goiid ship ArbellS is leading th6 fleet,

Away t6 thS westward throQgh rain-st6rm Snd sleet ;

The white cliffs 6f England have dropped otit 6f sight :

As birds fr6m thS warmth 6f th^ir nests taking flight

Into wider h6riz6ns each fliittering sail

Follows fast where the MayflOwer fled 6n the gale

With her res6lQte Pilgrims, 5n winters before ;

And the fire 6f their faith lights the sea and the shore.

Lucy Larconi — "The Lady Arbella."

Measure, Hexameter.
Rhythm, Anapestic.
Formula, bb A X 6.
Sign, ^ w — V 6.

Example (i).

My sister '11 be down in a minQte, and says yoQ're tO wait, if you

please.
And says 1 might stay till she came, if I'd promise her never t6

tease
N6r speak till yofl spoke t5 me first, bflt that's nonsense, fOr how

woQid yoft know
What she told me t5 say if I didn't? DOn't yoQ xk^' and triily

think so?

Bret Harte — " Entertaining her Big Sister's Beau."

CHAPTER XI.

IMITATION OF CLASSICAL MEASURES.

ANY of our modern poets have experimented in the
classical meters. Cowper, Southey, Kingsley,
Swinburne, Longfellow and Tennyson, have all imitated
classic measures. The results in most instances are not
practical, and have furnished us only with curiosities in
literature. There are said to be some twenty-nine Greek
and Latin meters. As all Latin and Greek verse depended
upon quantity, and English verse depends upon accent, we
do not believe classical measures can be successfully
adopted in English.

In addition to Latin Pentameters and Hexameters, some
English poets have imitated Greek Sapphics and Alcaics.
Alkaios was a lyric poet born in Mitylene, the capital of
Lesbos, who flourished B. C. 606 years. He was supposed
to have been the inventor of the Alcaic Ode, an ode written
in the Alcaic meter composed of several strophes, each
consisting of four lines. An Alcaic strophe consisted of
two Alcaic hendekasyllables, one Alcaic enneasyllable, and
one Alcaic decasyllabic. The following imitation by the
l)oet laureate of England is given :

0 mighty mouthed inventOr 5f harmfinles,
0 skilled t6 sing 5f Time 6r Eternity,
G6d-gift6d organ-voice 6f England,
Milt6n, a name t6 resound f6r ag^s.

Tennyson — ' ' Milton. ' '

1-2 THE ART OF POETRY.

The Sapphic meter is a kind ol verse said to have been
invented by Sappho, a Greek poetess, nearly contempo-
raneous with Alkaios, born at Mitylene, in the Island of
Lesbos, B. C. 600. The Sapphic verse consisted of eleven
syllables in five feet, of which the first, fourth and fifth are
trochees, the second a spondee, and the third a dactyl.
This verse, or line, is thrice repeated and followed by an
Adonic. The following lines imitate the Sapphic :

Cold w^s ihS night-wind, drifting fast thfe snow fell,
Wide w6re th6 downs, &nd shelterless ftnd naked,
When S po6r WanderSr struggled on her journey,
Wear\' ftnd way-s6re.

Soidhey — "The Widow.'

Here is still another imitation of this measure :

All the night sleep came not tipon my eyelids,
Shed n6t dew, nor shoOk nor Onclosed a feather.
Vet with lips shut cl5se and with eyes 6f ir5n
Stood and beheld me.

Swmburne — ' ' Sapphics. "

Dr. Watts gives a vivid picture of the last day, in
Sapphics :

Tears the str5ng pillars of the vault 6f heaven,
Breaks tip 5ld marble, the repose 6f princes ;
See the graves open, and the bones arising.
Flames 311 around them !

Watts — " The Day of Judgment."

Hexameter verse was the heroic verse of the classics.
It consists of six feet properly dactyls, the last of which is
shortened by one syllable and so became a trochee, or, as

IMITATION OF CLASSICAL MEASURES.

173

the final syllable is long by position, a spondee. This
form was not always observed strictly, and the first four
feet were indifferently dactyls or spondees, the former
being used to produce the idea of rapid, the latter of slow,
laborious movement. The fifth foot should always be a
dactyl, sometimes, though rarely, it is replaced by a spon-
dee, in which case the fourth foot must be a dactyl.

Ov6r the sea, pSst Crete, 6n thS SyrKSn shore t6 thg southward.
Dwells In th6 well-ttlled lowland a dark-haired ^thiSp people,
SkillfQl with needle and loom, and the arts 6f thfi dyer and carver,
Skillftil, biit feeble 6f heart ; fbr they know n5t th6 lords 6f

OlympQs.
Lovers 6f men ; neither br6ad-br6wed Zeiis, n5r Pallas Athene,
Teacher 5f wisd5m t5 her6es, bestower 6f might in the battle ;
Share n6t the cunning 5f Hermes, n6r list t6 the songs 6f Apoll6.

Kingsley — "Andromeda. ' '

These lame hexameters thg strong- winged music 6f Homer !
No — bQt a most bQrlesque barbarotis experiment.
When was a harsher sound ever heard, ye Muses 6f England ?
When did a fr6g coarser croak tipon otir Helicon ?
Hexameters n6 worse than daring Germany gave tis,
BarSaroiis experiment, barbaroQs hexameters.

Tennyson — " Hexameters and Pentameters."

Art thoti s6 near unt6 me, and yet I cann6t behold thee ?

Art thoti s6 near unt6 me, and yet thy voice d6es n6t reach me ?

Ah ! h6w often thy feet have trod this path t6 the prairie !

Ah ! h6w often thine eyes have looked 6n the woodlands around

me!
Ah ! h6w often beneath this oak, returning fr6m !ab5r.
Thou hast lain d6wn t6 rest and to dream 6f me in thy slumbers !
When shall these eyes behold, these arms be folded about thee ?
Loud and sudden and near the note 6f a whip-p6or-will sounded

174

THE ART OF POETRY.

Like § flute In the woods ; and Snon, throQgh the neighboring
thickets,

Farther and farther Sway Tt floated and dropped int6 silence.

" Patience ! " whispered the oaks fr6m OracQlar caverns 5f dark-
ness ;

And, fr6m the moonlit meadOw, a sigh responded." T6m6rr6w ! "
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow — "Evangeline."

A Hendecasyllable is a verse of eleven syllables. It does
not occur in Horace. In Catullus it sometimes has a
trochee or an iambus in the first place.

Example (i)

O yoQ chortis 6f ind6lent reviewers,

irresponsible, ind6lent reviewers,

Look, I come tO the test, a tiny poem

All c5mp6sed in a meter of CatuUtis,

All in quantit)^, caref&l of my motion.

Like the skater 6n ice that hardly bears him,

Lest 1 fall Qnawares before the people.

Waking laughter in indolent reviewers.

Should I flounder awhile without a tiimble

Thro' this metrificatiOn of CatiiUtls,

They shoGld speak t5 me not without a welcbme,

All that chortis 5f ind51ent reviewers.

Hard, hard, hard is it, only not t5 tiimble,

So fantastical is the dainty meter.

Wherefbre slight me n6t wholly, nor believe me

Too presumptQoiis, indftlent reviewers.

0 blatant Magazines, regard me rather —

Since 1 blush t6 belaud myself a moment —

As some rare little rose, a piece 5f inmost

Horticulttlral art, 6r half c5quette-like

Maiden, not t6 be greeted unbenignly.

— Tennyson — " Hendecasyllabics."

IMITATION OF CLASSICAL MEASURES. 175

Example (2.

In thS month 6f tli<5 long decline 5f rosSs,
I, beholding the sunimfer deail hfefore niC,
Set my face t5 lh6 sea, And journeyed sil6nt,
Gazing eagerly where, above th6 sea-mSrk,
Flame as fierce as thS fervid eyes 5f li5ns
Half-divided th6 eyelids of the sunsSt ;
Till 1 heard, as it were, a noise 6f watgrs
Moving tremQlotis under feet 5f anggls
MultitudinoQs, out 5f all the heavfins ;
Knew the flQttering wind, the fluttered foliage,
Shaken fitfQlly, fiill 6f sound and shad6w ;
And saw, trodden Qpon by noiseless angels.
Long mysterioQs reaches fed with moonlight.
Sweet sad straits in a soft stlbsiding channel,
Blown about by the lips 5f winds I knew n6t,
Winds n5t born in the north n5r any quarter.
Winds n5t warm with the south n5r any sunshine ;
Heard between them a voice 6f extiltati6n,
" L6, the summer is dead, the sun is faded.
Even like as a leaf the year is withered.
All the fruits 6f the day fr5m all her branches
Gathered, neither is any left t6 gather.

Swinburne — " Hendecasyllabics."

What the ingenuity of man may yet invent is hard to
tell. We may say therefore, look to the Greek and Latin
measures still for models, some ingenious mortal may be
richly rewarded.

It is claimed Edgar Allan Poe caught the inspiration of
the rhythm of his " The Raven," from Latin lines :

Once Opon a midnight dreary
Lec-t6r cast-e cath-6-lic-e
While I pondered weak and weary.
At-que ob-ses ath-let-ic-e.

1/6

THE ART OF POETRY.

This same great master of English rhythm in his
" Rationale of Verse, " also stated, "That if he were per-
mitted to use the Spondee, the Trochee, the Iambus, the
Anapest and the Dactyl, together with the Caesura, he
would engage to scan correctly any true rhythm human
ingenuity could invent." His statement after years of time,
who can gainsay ?

CHAPTER XIL

POETICAL LICENSES.

Many are the peculiarities and licenses granted to the
writers of poetry, not accorded to the writers of prose.
These peculiarities add a charm and a freshness to our poetry
and are employed freely by the best writers, and this free-
dom is often necessary to meet the requirements of accent
and rhythm, and to it we owe much of the beauty of poetry.
Tliere is nothing which adds more grace to our language
than these peculiarities of speech, and every student of
poetry should become thoroughly familiar with them.
While they are recognized violations of the regular rules of
speech, they are not so extensive but that they will admit of
classitication. These peculiarities are usually the conceptions
of our master minds, who vary from the regular construction
anei become, so to si^eak, inventors of new usages, which
afterwards become by common acceptance recognized licenses
in our language.

( I ) Poetry differs from prose in the fact that every verse
or line always commences with a capital letter, as :

Shall he alone, whC)m rational w6 call,

BS blessed with nothing, if n5t blessed with all?

Pope — " Essay on Man."

178

THE ART OF POETRY.

(2) For the sake of brevity or meter the article is not
infrequently omitted, as :

What dreadfQl pleasQre ! There t6 stand sQblime,
Like ship-wrecked mariner 6n desert coast !

Beattie — ' ' The Minstrel. ' '

(3) Interjections are oftener employed in poetry than in
prose, as :

0 gray 6bliviotis Riv6r !
0 sunset-kindled River !
D6 you remember ever

The eyes Snd skies sO blue
6n a summer day that shone here,
When we were all alone here,
And the blue eyes were to5 wise

T6 speak the love they knew ?

John Nay — "The River."

(4) The noun " self" is introduced after another noun of
the possessive case, as :

Thoughtless 6f beauty, she was beauty's self.

ThofHson — " The Seasons.

(5) The use of a kind of compound adjective ending in
" like," as :

The proud dictator of the state-like wood —
I mean the sovereign of all plants, the oak —
DroCps, dies, and falls without the cleaver's stroke.

Herrick — '"All Things Decay and Die."

Who swims with virttle, he shall still be sure,
tJlysses-like, all tempests to endure,
And 'midst a thousand gulfs tO be secure.

Herrick — " No Shipwreck of Virtue."

POETICAL LICENSES.

179

Crowned with trailing plumes 5f sablfi, right a-front my^ standtng-

place
Moved a swarthy oceSn-steamfir in h6r storm-rfisisting grace.
Prbphit-rtke, shS clove thg watgrs toward thg ancient mothSr-land,
And I heard hSr clamSroQs engine and th6 ech6 of c6mmand,
While thS long Atlantic billSws to my feet cSme rolling on,
With the miiltitudinotis mOsic of S thousand ag^s gone.
Stedman — ' ' Flood -Tide. ' '

(6) The comparative degree is used joined to the positive
before a verb, as :

" Near Snd m6re near th6 intrepid beaut5^ pressed "

Merrick.

(7) The conjunctions "or — or," and "nor — nor" are
used as correspondents, as :

N6t all the autQmn's riistling gold,
N6r sun, n5r moon, n5r star shall bring
The joctind spirit which 6f old
Made it an easy joy t6 sing !

Aldrich — " Song-Time."

Th6 hand 6f God came to him, and hS rose :

" G6 trench thg valley ; though yoti may n5t feel
Or wind 6r rain, th^ waters shall bg poured
ThroOghout thS camps in streams. N6r heed thg foes,
F6r M6ab shall bS givgn to yoGr steel,
The choicest cities spoiled, th6 friiit trefis scored,
Th6 wells ch6ked iip, thS gardens marred with stones ! "

In awe thgy heard the potent words. Alas,
F6r homes foredoomed t6 fall with evil thrones,
F6r, as h6 had fbretold, it came t6 pass 1

Joseph O' Conner — " Bring Me a Minister."

(8) The use of " and — and " for " both — and," as :

" And the starlight and moonlight."

1 80 THE AR T OF FOE TR Y.

(9) The preposition is placed after the object, as :

I lounge 5(n thS ilgx shadows,
1 see thS lady lean,
Cnclasping hgr silkgn girdlS,
The curtain's folds between.

Aldrich— ' ' Nocturne. ' '

(10) Prepositions and their adjuncts are not unfrequently
placed before the words on which they depend, as :

Against yotir fame wJth fondnfiss hatec5mbines;
The rival battSrs and the lovSr mines.

Samuel Johnson.

(11) Compound epithets are frequently used, as :

Hebe's hSre, May is here !
The air is fresh Snd sunny ;
And the mis^r-bees Sre bus^
Hoarding golden honey.

Aldrich — " May."

" Blue-iyed, strdnge-vbiced, shdrp-biaked, ill-dmened fowl
What art thou ? ' What I 5ugbt t6 be, an owl.' "

(12) Inversions are very common in poetry, as:

Few and short were the prayers we said.
And we spoke n6t a word 5f sorr5w;
Btit we steadfastly gazed 5n the face 5f the dead,
And we bitterly thought 5f the morrOw.

Charles Wolfe — " Burial of Sir John Moore."

(13) Superfluous pronouns are freely used, as:

There came a burst 6f thunder sound ;

The boy, — fih ! where was he?
Ask 6f the winds, that far around

With fragments strewed the sea.

Felicia Henians — " Casabianca."

POETICAL LICENSES. jgi

(14) Foreign idioms are not unfrequently used, as :

" F6r not t6 have be^n dipped in Lethfe lake
CoQld save th6 son 6f Thetis yVow tH dle.^''

(15) The adjective is placed after the noun, as :

"Across the meadbws bare 5nd brown."

(16) The adjective is placed before the verb " to be," as:

" Sweet is the breath 6f vemSl showers."

(17) The antecedent is not infrequently omitted, as :

Wh6 nev^r fasts, n6 banquet e'er Snjoys,
Who nev6r toils 6r watches, nev^r sleeps.

Armstrong.

(18) The relative is omitted, as :

" 'Tis Fanc^ In hfir fiery car,
Transports mS to the thick&t war. "

(19) The verb precedes the nominative, as :

Th6n shook th6 hills with thunder rivSn,
Thgn rushed thg steeds t5 battle driven.
And louder than thg bolts 5f heaven,
Y^x flashed ^^ red artillery.

Thomas Campbell — " Hohenlinden."

(20) The verb follows the accusative, as :

His prayer h6 sdith, this holy man.

Keats.

I82

THE ART OF POETRY.

(21) The infinitive is placed before the word on which it
depends, as :

When first thy sire, tH send 6n earth
VirtQe, his darling child, designed.

Thomas Gray.

(22) The use of the first and third persons in the impera-
tive mood, as :

B}^ man's peculiar work his sole delight.

Beattie.

TUrn we a moment fancy's rapid flight.

Thomson.

(23) The pronoun is expressed with the imperative, as :

" H6pe ihou In God."

(24) The object precedes the verb, as :

Lands he coQld meastire, times Snd tides presage.

Goldsmith — "Deserted Village."

(25) Adverbs are placed before the words which they
modify, as :

The plowman homeward plods hts weary way.

Gray's Elegy.

(26) The introductory adverb is not unfrequently
omitted, as :

was naught around btit images 6f rest

Thomson.

POETICAL LICENSES.

183

(27) The use of personal pronouns and afterwards intro-
ducing their nouns, as :

It curled n6t Tweed alone, that breeze.

Scott.

(28) The use of the second person singular oftener than
prose writers, as :

Btit thou, 6f templfis old, 6r altars new,
Stdndist alone — with nothing like t6 thee.

Lord Byron.

0 Lucifer, thOu son 6f morn,
Alike 5f Heaven and man th6 foe;

Heaven, mfin, and all,

N5w press thy fall.
And sink thS lowest of thS low.

Oliver Goldsmith — "The Captivity."

(29) The use of antiquated words and modes of expres-
sion, as :

J6hn Gilpin was a citizen
Of credit and rSnown,
A train-band captain eke was he
6f famotis L6nd6n town.
Cowper — "The Diverting History of John Gilpin.''

(30) The use of many words not used by prose writers or
that are used but rarely :

(i) Nouns, as — benison, boon, emprise, fane, guerdon, guise, ire,
ken, lore, meed, sire, steed, welkin, yore.

(ii) Adjectives, as — azure, blithe, boon, dank, darkling, dark-
some, doughty, dun, fell, rife, rapt, rueful, sear, sylvan, twain,
wan.

1 84 THE ART OF POETRY.

(iii) Verbs, as — appall, astound, brook, cower, doff, ken, wend,
ween, trow.

(iv) Adverbs, as — oft, haply, inly, blithely, cheerily, deftly, felly,
rifely, starkly.

(v) Prepositions, as — adown, aloft, aloof, anear, aneath, askant,
aslant, aslope, atween, atwixt, besouth, traverse, thorough, sans.

(34) The formation of many adjectives in y, not common,
as :

Dimply, dusky, gleamy, heapy, moony, paly, sheety, stilly, spiry,
steepy, towery, vasty, writhy.

PART SECOND.

CHAPTER I.

FIGURES OF SPEECH COMMON TO POETRY.

FIGURES OF ETYMOLOGY.

Apheresis.

The cutting off of one or more letters from the beginning
of a word, as :

'Neath for beneath, 'gan for began, 'gainst for against 'thout for
without, 'ghast for aghast, 'mazed for amazed, 'fore for before,
'feeble for enfeeble, 'dure for endure, 'venge for avenge, 'Nelope
for Penelope, 'sdained for disdained, 'Frisco for San Francisco,
woe's for woe is, he's for he is, what's for what is. 'twas for it was,
I'll for I will, she's gone for she is gone, devil's for devil is, she'll
for she will, world's for world is, I'm for I am, you're for you are,
there's for there is, I'd for I would, soul's for soul is.

The gl6w-w6rm shows th6 mattn to bg near,
And 'gins t5 pale hts ineftectoal fire.

Shakespeare — " Hamlet. 'Act 5."

Thg moon's th6 earth's Snamotired bride ;
True t6 him In hfir very changes,
T6 other stars sh6 nevfir ranggs :
Though, crossed by him, s5metimes sh6 dips
H6r light in short, 6ffended pride.
And faints t6 an Sclipse.

Campbell— y Moonlight."
J 87

133 THE AR T OF POE TR V.

ApocoPi:

Is ihe elision of a letter or letters at the end of a word, as:

The' for though, th' for the, t'other for the other, thro' fi>r
through, Pont' for Pontus, Lucrece for Lucretia, obstruct for
obstruction, Per for Persia, Ind for India, Adon for Adonis, conduct
for conductor, amaze for amazement, Moroc for Morocco, addict
for addicted, Pat for Patrick, wretch for wretched, sads for saddens,
suit for sultr}', swelt for swelter, potates for potatoes, after for
afterwards.

W6e ! woe ! feach heart shall bleed — shall break !
ShS would have hung tJpon his neck,

Had h& come but yest6r-ev6n ;
And he had clasped th5se peerl&s charms
That shall nevSr, nevSr fill his arms,

Or meet him but in heaven.

Campbell — "The Brave Roland."

BQt time will teach the Russ, $v'n conquering War
Has handmaid arts.

Campbell — "The Power of Russia."

Epenthesis.

Is the inserting of a letter or letters in the middle of a
word, as :

. The wearied sentinel
At eve may overlook the crouching foe,
Till, ere his hand can sound the aiartlm bell,

He sinks bSneath thg unexpected blow;
Before the whisker of grimalkin fell,

When slumbering on her post, the mouse may go ;
Btit woman, wakeftil woman's never weary ;
Above all, when she waits — 16 thump her deary.

R. H. Rarham.

FIGURES OF SPEECH. 1 89

"U" is inserted in "alarum." The "y" at the end
of the word " dear-y " furnishes also a fine example of
Annexation or Paragoge.

Paragoge.

Is the annexing of an expletive syllable to a word. A
satire on Sir John Suckling furnishes us a fine exam] le of
this figure. Sir John Suckling was a courtier and poet at
tlie court at the time of King Charles I, in the seventeenth
century. He was v\ ell educated and refined in his taste for
that day, writing the purest and brightest poetry of his
time. Sir John, in response to a call from his majesty, the
King, raised a troop of one hundred men and equipped
them at a cost of sixty thousand dollars. Gaily caparisoned
as were his troops, they ran off the field at the first approach
of the Scotch covenanters in their first and only skirmish.
Some one given to satire thus describes Sir John. It will
be noticed annexation assists the ridicule intended with
pleasing effect :

"Sir John, h6 got him Sn ambltng nag,

T6 Scotland for t5 ride-S,
With S hundr&d h5rse more, SU his own h6 swore,

T6 guard him 6n every side-a."

Another stanza runs thus

"The ladies ran all tft th6 windows tft see
S6 gallant and warlike his sight-a,

And as he pr(5ssed by thSy cried with a sigh,
' Sir John why will you g5 fight-a ? ' "

190

THE ART OF POETR\.

Prosthesis

The prefixing of one or more letters to the beginning of a
word, as :

Amid for mid, yclept, yclad, ypowdered.

L6t fall ddown hTs silver beard s6me tears.

Thomson.

The ground wis green, ypowSred with the daisy.

Chaucei .

Syncope.

Is the elision of a letter or letters from the middle of a
word, as :

Ca't for called, r'ally for really, med'cine for medicine, e'en for
even or evening, o'er for over, conq'ring for conquering, s'en night
for seven night, ha' penny for half penny, de'il for devil.

First, then, a womSn will, 6r won't, depend 6n't ;
If she will do't, she will ; and there's Sii end 6n't.
Btit if she won't, since safe find sound yoOr trust Is,
Fear IS affront, Snd jealofi^y tinjust Is.

Hill—" Woman. ' '

SVNAERESIS.

Is the joining together of two syllables with one, as :
I'll for I will, 'tis for it is, spok'st for spokest.

Only a little more

I have to write,

Then I'll give o'er,
And bid the world goftd-night.

FIGURES OF SPEECH. igj

'TKs but a flytng minOte

That I mtist stay,

Or linger In Jt ;
And then I must Sway.

Herrick.

Tmesis.

The inserting of a word between the parts of a compound
or between two words which should be united if they stood
together, as:

Yoti say t6 me-wards your affecti6n's strong ;
PrSy love mS a little, so you love mS long.
Slowly g6es f arre ; thS meane is best ; dSsire
Gr6wn vi61ent, d5's either die, 6r tire.

Herrick.

FIGURES OF SYNTAX.

Ellipsis.

An omission ; a figure by which one or more words are
omitted, which the hearer or reader can supply, and which
are necessary to a full construction of a sentence. Words
thus omitted are said to be understood. It is a figure very
common in the language, and serves to avoid repetitions.
When, however, the ellipsis would have a tendency to
obscure the meaning or weaken the force of the sentence it
should be avoided. The ellipsis may be of the substantive,
adjective, article, pronoun, verb, adverb, preposition or
conjunction. The following is an excellent illustration of
this figure :

One mOre tinforttinate,

Weary of breath ;
Rashly importfinate ,

Gone t6 h^r death.

Hood — " Bridge of Sighs."

192

THE ART OF POETRY.

In the following couplet the antecedent pronoun is
omitted, as :

Wh6 has n6 inwSrd beauty, none perceives,
Th6ugh all around be beautlfill.

Richard Henry Dana.

One of our greatest American poets in his conception of
the wild mystic, furnishes in the stanza following an instance
of the omission of the verb :

Once Qpon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary
Over many a quaint and curiotls voltime of forgotten lore.
While I nodded nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping.
As 6f some One gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door ;

Only this and nothing more.
Edgar Allan Foe — "The Raven."

The subject of the verb is often omitted, as in the follow-
ing stanza :

Did the green isles

Detain thee long? Or 'mid the palmy groves

Of the bright South, where NatQre ever smiles,

Didst sing thy loves

Pickering.

The following will serve as an example of the omission of
the participle :

His knowledge meastired to his state and place.
His time a moment, and a point his space.

Alexander Pope.

An Ellipsis of the adverb :

She shows a body rather than a life ;
A statQe than a brother.

Shakespeare — " Anthony and Cleopatra."

FIGURES OF SPEECH. 193

Enallage

Is the use of one part of speech, or of one modification
for another.

(i) Substituting a noun for an adjective :

From thy Glory-throne.

Palgrave.

Glory-throne used instead of glorious throne, Seraph-
sound for Seraphic sound, Carthage-queen for Carthagenian
queen.

(2) A phrase for a noun :

C6me, cuddle yotir head 6n my shouldSr, dear,

Your head Itke the g6ld6n-r6d,
And wS will g5 sailing away fr6m here

T6 the beautifiil Land 6f Nod.
Away fr6m life's hurry, ftnd flurry, Snd worr>f,

Away fr5m garth's shad5ws and glooin,
T6 a world 6f fair weathSr wS'll float Sff'tOgethSr,

Where roses are always in bloom.
Ella Wheeler Wilcox — "The Beautiful Land of Nod."

' ' Land of Nod ' ' is here substituted for the noun ' 'sleep. ' '

Had she told me fifty shillings,

I might (and wouldn't yoii? )
Have referred t6 that dress in a way f51ks express

By an elSquent dash 5r two ;
BOt the guilefftl little creattire

Knew well her tactics when
She ciisually said that that dream in red

Had cost biit two p6unds ten.

Eugene Field — "The Tea-Gown."

194 THE ART OF POETRY.

(3) The use of an adverb for a noun :

To the land 6f the hereafter.

Longfellow — " Hiawatha. "

The adverb " hereafter " used as a noun, viz : to heaven.

A better Where t5 find.

Shakespeare.
VVhere instead of place or home.

(4) Noun for a verb :

"I'll queen ?/ no inch farther."
Viz : I'll walk or go no inch farther.

Bedawn ftur sky.

Shakespeare.

Dawn, a noun, changed to a verb by prefix be-dawn.

Noun for a verb :

CrimsSned with flowers Snd dark with leafji' shade.

Vaughan.

(5) An adjective for a noun :

Thy path is high Qp in heaven ; we cannOt gaze
On the Intense Hf light th.1t girds thy car.

Percival — "Apostrophe to the Sun."
Viz : the sun.

(6) An adjective for a verb :

It tanks the cheek Snd pales the freshest sight.

Giles Fletcher.

This day will gentli his c6nditi5n.

Shakespeare.

FIGURES OF SPEECH.

195

(7) An eighth variety is to compare with -er and -est adjec-
tives that are compared by more and most, or vice versa.

T6 hear yoQr most sweSt music mirScle.

Mrs. E. B. Browning — "Seraphim."

(8) An adjective for an adverb :

BGt soft ! methitiks 1 scent th6 morning's air.

Shakespeare — " Hamlet, Act i, Scene 5."

Wh6n soft wSs th6 sun.

"Piers Plowman."
Soft for softly.

(9) A noun and a preposition for an adjective.

A thing 5f beauty is S joy f5rev6r.

Keats.
Of beauty for a beauteous thing.

(10) A preposition for an adjective :

WTth the spleen
Of all the und'&r fiends.

Shakespeare.

(i 1 ) An adverb for a jjronoun :

Where Sgainst
W^ grained ash <1 hundred times hSth V^roke.

Shakespeare.

(12) A preposition is used for a noun :

0 not like me

F6r mine's beyond Beyond.

Shakespeare.

I g6 THE ART OF POE TR } '.

(13) Adverb and a preposition in place of a preposition :

F6rthatl am s5me twelve 6r fourteen moonshines Za^^ a brother.

Shakespeare.

(14) A verb is used as a noun :

With everj? gale Snd vary of their masters.

Shakespeare.

(15) An adjective used as a participle :

Let the blQat king tempt you.

Shakespeare.

(16) Usages similar to " Meseems : "

Methinks her patient sons before me stand.

Goldsmith — " Traveler. ' '

(17) Change of prepositions. Using "of" instead of
"by:"

I am s5 wrapt, And thorSughly lapt
Of jolly good ale <1nd old.

John Still.

(18) Participles are turned into adjectives and actions
ascribed to them which do not belong 10 them, as :

Where smiling spring its earliest visit paid,

And parting summer's lingering blooms delayed.

Goldsmith — " Deserted Village."

And passing rich with forty pounds ,1 year.

Goldsmith — " Deserted Village."

FIGURES OF SPEECH. I97

(19) The use of transitive verbs as intransitive, as :

This minstrSl-god, w^U-pleased, Smid th6 choir
Sto6d proud t6 hymn, Snd tune his youthf&l lyre.

Pope.

(20) The use of intransitive verbs as transitive, as :

LSng after kenned 6n Carrtck shore ;
F6r mony a beast 16 dead^\^^ shot.
And perished mony S bonnte boat.

Burns — "Tarn O'Shanter."

Still in hSrmonTotis intercourse, thgy lived
The rural day, ftnd talked tii6 flowing heart.

Thomson.

(21) The use of the auxihary after its principal, as :

The man wh6 suffers, loudly may c6mplain;
And rage hS may, btit he shall rage Kn vain.

Pope.

(22) The use of can, could and would as principal verbs
transitive, as :

Wh&t wouldxWys, man ? N5w upward will hS soar,
And, little less th.ln angel, would be more.

Pope.

HVPERBATON OR INVERSION.

A figurative construction inverting the natural and proper
order from words and sentences. The following stanza
furnishes us with a fine example :

198 THE ART OF POETRY.

In England rlvSrs all Sre males,

F6r instance, Father Thames ;
Wh6ev6r in C51umbiS sails

Finds them mamselles Snd dames.
YSs, there thS softer sex presides —

Aquatic, I assure yoti ;
And Mrs. Sippy rolls hfer tides

Responsive to Miss Souri.

James Smith.

Milton furnishes us a fine example of an inversion at the
very commencement of his great epic :

Of man's first dis6bedience and the fruit
Of that forbidden tree, wh6se mortal taste
Brdught death into the world and all 6ur woe,
Sing, heavenlj? Muse.

" Paradise Lost."

Pleonasm.

The use in speaking or writing of more words than are
necessary to express the thought. From Thomas Hood ue
have the following, in the second line Pleonasm can be
detected:

And when I speak, my voice is weak ;

BOt hers, she makes a gong of it ;
F5r I am small and she is tall.

And that's the short and long of it

Syllepsis.

A figure of speech by which we conceive the sense of
words otherwise tha,n the words import, and construe them

FIGURES OF SPEECH.

199

according to the intention of the author — the taking ol
words in two senses at once, the hteral and the metaphorical.
The following is an example of this figure :

While Providence stlpports,

Let saints securely dwell ;
That hand which bears all Nattire up,

Shall guide his children well.

Philip Doddridge.

FIGURES OF RHETORIC.

Allegory.

Is the narration of fictitious events, designed to represent
and illustrate important realities. It is continued metaphor,
representing objects and events that are intened to be sym-
bolical of other objects and events having usually moral and
spiritual character.

The following beautiful allegory by Longfellow, starting
with the metaphorical representation of the state as a ship,
expands the metaphor into a complete description :

Th6u too, sail on, 0 Ship 6f State !
sail on, 6 Uni6n, strong and great !
HQniaiiity, with all its fears.
With all its hopes 6f futGre years.
Is hanging breathless on thy fate !
we know what Master laid thy keel.
What Workmen wrought thy ribs 5f steel,
Wh6 made each mast, and sail, and rope.
What anvils rang, what hammers beat.
In what a forge and what a heat
Were shaped the anchSrs of thy hope !
Fear not each sudden sound and shock —
'Tis of the wave and not the rock ;

200 THE ART OF FOE 77? Y.

'TIs but the flapping of th6 sail,

And not a rent mSde by thS gale !

In spite 5f rock and tempest's roar,

In spite 6f false lights on th6 shore,

SSil on, n5r fear t6 breast thfi sea !

Our hearts, 6ur hopes, Sre all with thee,

dur hearts, 6ur hopes, 5ur prayers, 5ur tears,

6ur faith triumphant o'er 6ur fears.

Are all with thee ! Sre all with thee !

Apostrophe.

Literally a turning away from the natural course of one's
thoughts or ideas to address the absent or dead as if present,
former ages, future ages, some person or thing. It is
closely allied to Personification with which it is often com-
bined. Objects personified, however, are not addressed ;
objects apostrophized are addressed.

RftU on, th6u deep 5nd dark blQe ocean, — roll !

Ten thousand fleets sweep over thee in vain ;

Man marks thg earth with riiin, — his c6ntr61

St6ps with the shore;— Qpon the watery plain

ThS wrecks are all thy deed, n5r doth remain

A shadow of man's ravage, save his own,

When, for a moment, like a drop 6f rain,

He sinks into thy depths with bubbling groan.

Without a grave, tinknelled, Oncoffined, and tinknown.

Byron — " Childe Harold.

R511 on, ye stars ! Exult in youthfQl prime ;
Mark with bright curves the printless steps 5f Time.
Near and m5re near yotir beamy cars approach,
And lessening orbs fin lessening orbs encroach.
Flowers 6f the sky ! ye too t6 age mftst yield.
Frail as yoQr silken sisters of the field !

FIGURES OF SPEECH.

20I

Star aftSr star fr6m heaven's high arch shSll rush,
Stins sink 5n suns, Snd systems systems crush,
Till o'er the wreck, Emerging from the storm,
Immortal natQre lifts hSr changeftil form ;
Mounts from her fianeral pyre 6n wings 6f flame,
And soars 5nd shines, another and the same.

Erasmus Darwin.

Ay, tear her tattered ensign down !

L6ng has it waved 6n high,
And'many an eye has danced t5 see

That banner in the sky ;
Beneath it rung the battle-shout.

And burst the cannSn's roar ;
The meteOr of the ocean air

Shall sweep the clouds n6 more !

Holmes — " Old Ironsides."

Hail, holy Light, offspring 5f Heaven first-born !
6r of the Eternal co-eternai beam
May I express thee Qnblamed ? since God is light,
And never but in iinapproached light
Dwelt from eternity, dwelt then in thee.
Bright effiiience 6f bright essence increate !
Or hear'st th6u rather pure ethereal stream,
VVh5se fountain who shall tell ?

Miltoti — '• Paradise Lost.

ANAPHORA.

Is the repetition of a word at the beginning of several
clauses of a sentence. It is thus repeated that the mind
may be more distinctly impressed with the idea or thought,
as :

202 THE AR 7 OF POE TR Y.

(I).

All natiire is bdt art, tinknown t5 thee ;

All chance, direction, which th6u canst n6t see ;

All <Jisc6rd, harmOny n6t understood ;

All partial evil, universal good ;

And spite 5f pride, in erring reas5n's spite,

One truth is clear. Whatever is, is right.

Pope — " Essay on Man."

(2).

S6metimes th6 linnSt piped his song ;

sometimes thg throstle whistled strong ;'
sometimes the sparhawk, wheeled along,

Htished all the groves fr6m fear 6f wrong.

Tennyson — "Sir Launcelot and Queen Guinevere."

(3).

There is a rest f5r all things. On still nights

There is a folding of a milliOn wings —
The swarming honey-bees in tinknown woods,
The speckled butterflies, and downy broods

In dizzy poplar heights ;
Rest for innumerable nameless things.
Rest for the creatilres underneath the Sea,
And in the Earth, and in the starry Air —
Why will it not tinburden me 5f care ?
It comes t5 meaner things than my despair.
0 wear5^, weary night, that brings n5 rest t5 me !

Aldrich — " Invocation to Sleep."

ANTITHESIS.

A contrast by which each of the contrasted things is
rendered more striking :

FIGURES OF SPEECH. 203

On parent knees, S naked new-b5rn child,
Weeping th6u sat'st, while all around the6 smiled ;
S6 live, that sinking in thy last, 16ng sleep,
Th5u then may'st smile, while all around theg weep.

Sir Williatn Jones.

EPANALEPSIS.

Is a fioure by which a sentence ends with the same word
with which it begins :

(I).

Fare thefi well, and if fSrevfir,

Still fOrevSr fare theS well ;
Evgn though iinf5rgiving nev^r

'Gainst the6 shall my heart rfebel.

Byron—'' To His Wife."

(2).

Th6y questiSned each th6 other

What Brahma's answgr meant,
said VivSchumQ, " Brother,
Throiigh Brahma the great Mother

Hath spoken her intent :

''MUn ends as he b^gan, —
The shad6w on the water is all there is 6f man ! ' '

Richard Henry Stoddard. — " Brahma's Answer."

EPIGRAM.

It is a statement in which there is an apparent contradic-
tion between the form of the expression and the meaning
really intended. The force of the epigram lies in the
pleasant surprise attendant upon the perception of the real
meaning :

204 TliE ART OF POE TR V.

(I).

Mf wonder is reSllS^ boundless,
That among th^ queSr cas6s w^ try,

A land cSse shOuld oftfin h& groundless,
'And a wat6r-case always b6 dry !

Sa:ire — " On a Famous Water-Suit."

(2).

Swans sing before they die, 'lw6re no bad thing
Did certain persOns die before they sing.

S. T. Coleridge.

EPIZEUXIS.

The repetition of a word or words for the sake of em'
phasis :

(I).

The isles 6f Greece, the ISLES 6F GREECE,
Where burning Sapph6 loved and sung,
Where grew the arts 6f war and peace.
Where Del6s rose and PhoebQs sprung —
Eternal siimmer gilds them yet,
BQt all except their siin is set.

Byron.

(2).

An example of double affirmation :

" Falsel>^, falsely have ye done,
(y mother," she said, " if this be true
T5 keep the best man under the siin
S6 many years fr5m his diae."

Tennyson — " Lady Clare."

FIGURES OF SPEECH. 20S

(3).

Laugh, and th6 world laughs with yoQ,

Weep, and yoQ weep alone",
F6r the sad 61d earth miist borrSw its mirth,

Bflt has trouble Enough 6f its own.
Sing, and th6 hills will answer.

Sigh, it is lost 6n thg air ;
The echoes bound t6 a joyftil sound,

BQt shrink fr6m voicing care.

Ella Wheeler Wilcox — ' ' Solitude. ' '

(4).

" The fault was mine, th6 fault was mine " —
Why am I sitting here s6 stunned and still.
Plucking the harmless wild-fl5wer on the hill ?
It is this guilty hand !

Tennyson — ' ' Maud. "

(5).

Mtist ye wait ? MQst ye wait ?
Till they ravage her gardens 5f orange and palm.
Till her heart is dust, till her strength is water ?
Mtist ye see them trample her, and be calm

As priests when a virgin is led t6 slaughter ?
Shall they smite the marvel of all lands, —

The Nation's longing, the earth's completeness, —
On her red mOuth dropping myrrh, her hands
Filled with fruitage and spice and sweetness ?
MQst ye wait ?

Stedman — " Cuba. ' '

EROTESIS OR INTERROGATION.

Is an animated or passionate interrogation. Interrogation
in its primary sense is the asking of a question, and an

2o6 T^^ ^^T OF POETRY.

answer would be expected. When declarative sentences
are expressed in the interrogative lorm, no answer is
expected ; for the statement is made thereby more emphatic
and convincing.

The negative interrogation affirms — an affirmative denies.
An interrogative sentence should always be followed by a
question mark.

can storied urn, 6r animated bust,

Back to Jts mansiSn call th6 fleeting breath ?

can honSr's voice pr6voke the silent dust,
Or flatte?y soothe the dull c5ld ear 6f death ?

Gray — "Elegy."

ECPHONESIS.

Is an animated or passionate exclamation, generally indi-
cated by such interjections as O ! oh ! ah ! alas !

(I).

0 my sOul's joy.

If after every tempest comes stich calms,

May the winds blow till they have wakened death •

Shakespeare — "Othello."

Pope illustrates well one of the ruling passions that con-
tinue not only throughout life but even unto death :

(2)-

" Odiohs ! In woolen ! 'Twould a saint pr6v6ke ! "
were the last words that poor Narcissa spoke.
" N5, let a charming chintz and Brussels lace
Wrap my c61d limbs, and shade my lifeless face.
One would n5t, sure, be frightffll when 6ne's dead ;
And, Betty, give this cheek a little red."

FIGURES OF SPEECH. 207

" I give and I dSvise," 51d EucliS said
And sighed, "my lands find tenements t6 Ned."
" Yoflr mongy, sir ? " " My mongy, sir ? What! all?
Why, if I miist (thSn wept), I give t6 Paul — "
"ThSmanSr, sir?" "Th6man5r? Hold !" he cried ;
" N5t that— I cann6t part with that ! " and died.

(3)-

A horse ! a horse ! My kingdSm for a horse !

Shakespeare — " King Richard III."

EUPHEMISM.

Is the suppression of a harsh or obnoxious word or phrase,
by substituting a word or phrase in its place that is deHcate,
yet expressing the same meaning :

(I).

Worn 6ut with anguish, toil, and cold, and hunger,
Down sQnk the wandSrSr; sleep had seized her senses.
There did the traveler find her in the morning :
God had released her.

Soiithey — " The Widow. ' '

From Burns we have the following :

(2).

An honest wabster to his trade,
Whase wife's twa neives were scarce weei-bred.

(3)-

0, fear nOt in a world like this.
And thou shalt know ere long, —
Kn5w how sublime a thing it is
T6 sviffer and be strong.

Longfello-cu — "The Lightof the Stars."

2o8 THE ART OF POETRY.

HEARING.

Is. a figure akin to vision. The speaking doubtfully of
some sound that has been heard at the present or just before
apparently indistinct, but which proves to be the distant roar
of cannon, of thunder, or something real. Byron's Waterloo,
taken from Childe Harold, is one of the finest examples of
the figure :

Did ye n6t hear it? No ! 'twSs but the wind,

Or the car rattling o'er thg stony street ;

On with the dance ! LSt joy bg unc5nfined ;

N5 sleep till morn, when Youth and Pleasure meet

T5 chase th6 glowing hours with flying feet.

BCit hark ! That heavy sound breaks in 5nce more.

As if the clouds its ech6 would repeat ;

And nearer, clearer, deadlier than before !

Arm ! arm ! it is, it is the cannOn's opening roar 1

Canto III, Stanza XXII.

HYPERBOLE.

Is inflated or exaggerated speech ; so great is the exag-
geration that it cannot be expected to be believed by the
reader or hearer. It is an expression of strong passion,
and is often made use of by the poet and the orator. Im-
pulsive natures make great use of this figure of speech.
Everything with them is magnificent ! splendid ! sublime !
awful ! Abraham Cowley has translated from the Greek
poet Anacreon, this beautiful hyperbole entitled, " The
Grasshopper " :

Happy insect ! what can be
In happiness cdmpared t5 thee ?
Fed with nourishment divine.
The dewy morning's gentle wine !
Nattire waits Qpon thee still,
And thy verdant cup d5es fill ;

FIGURES OF SPEECH. 200

'Tis filled wherever thou d5st tread,

NatQre's self's thy Ganymede.

Thou d6st drink, Snd dance find sing,

Happigr than th6 happiest king !

All the fields which thou d6st see,

All the plants belong t6 thee ;

All the summer hours pr6duce,

Fertile made with early juice.

Man f6r thee d6es sow Snd plough,

Farmer he, Snd landl5rd thou !

Thou d6st inn5cently joy,

N6r does thy luxury destroy.

The shepherd gladly hearfeth thee.

More harmonious thSn he.

The country hinds with gladnSss hear,

Prophet of the ripened year !

Thee Phoebus loves and does inspire ;

PhoebGs is himself thy sire,

T6 thee, 6f Sll things Qpon the earth.

Life is n6 longer than thy mirth.

Happy insect ! happy thou

D6st neither age n6r winter know ;

BQt when thOu'st drunk and danced Snd sung

Thy fill, the flowery leaves Smong,

(VoluptQoiis and wise withal,

Epicurean animal ! )

Sated with thy summer feast,

Thou retir'st t6 endless rest.

" Ye stars ! which are the poetry 6f heaven !
If in your bright leaves we wotlld read the fate
6f men and empires, — 'tis t6 be f5rgiven,
That in 6ur aspirations to be great,
Our destinies 6'erleap their mortal state,
And claim a kindred with you ; for ye are
A beauty and a mystery, and create
In lis stich love and reverence tr5m afar,
That fortQne, lame, p6wer, life.have named themselves a star."

Byroii — "Childe Harold."

2 1 o THE ART OF POE TR \.

IRONY.

A figure ot telling effect when properly used. It is used
to express directly the opposite of what it is intended shall
be understood. It is used effectively in Whittier's "The
Prisoner for Debt, ' ' a poem of great merit :

What has the gray-hSired prisoner done ?

His murder stained his hands with gore ?
N6t so ; his crime's a fouler one ;

GOD MADE THE OLD MAN POOR !
F6r this h6 shares a felcjn's cell, —
The fittest earthly type 5f hell !
F6r this, the boon f5r which he poured
His young blo6d on the invader's sword,
And counted light the fearfQl cost, —
His blood-gained liberty is lost !

And so, f5r such a place 5f rest.

Old prisoner, dropped thy blood as rain
On Concord's field, and Bunker's crest,

And Saratoga's plain ?
Lo6k forth, thCu man 6f many scars,
ThroQgh thy dim diingeOn's irOn bars ;
It miist be joy, in sooth t6 see
Y5n monQment tipreared t5 thee, —
Piled granite and a pris6n cell.
The land repays thy service well !

G6, ring the bells and fire the guns.

And fling the starry banners out ;
Sh6ut "Freedom ! " till your lisping ones

Give back their cradle-shout ;
Let boastful eloquence declaim
Of honOr, liberty and fame ;
Still let the poet's strain be heard,
With glory for each secOnd word.
And everything with breath agree
T5 praise "Our glorioils Hberty ! "

FIGURES OF SPEECH. ^i i

BOt when the patrGn cannSn jars

That prison's cold and gloomy wall,
And through its gates the stripes and stars

Rise on the wind, and fall, —
Think ye that prisoner's aged ear
Rejoices In the general cheer ?
Think ye his dim and failing eye
Is kindled at yoQr pagentry ?
S6rr6wing 5f soul, and chained 5f limb,
What Is yotir carnival t6 him ?

D6wn with the LAW that binds him thus !

tTnworthy freemen, let it find
N5 refuge from the withering curse

6f God and human kind !
Open the prls6n's living tomb,
And usher from its brooding gloom
The victims of yoQr savage code
T5 the free sun and air 6f God ;
N6 longer dare as crime t5 brand
The chastening of the Almighty's hand.

LITOTES.

A diminution or softening of statement, for the purpose of
avoiding censure, or of expressing more strongly what is
intended ; a figure in which the affirmative is expressed by
the negative of the contrary ; thus, ' ' a citizen of no mean
city" means " of an illustrious or important city."

It is the opposite of hyperbole.

The following from one who was unsurpassed as a prose
writer, and who was a very clever poet, illustrates this
figure.

212 THE ART OF POETRY.

The Mountain and th6 Squirrgl

Had a quarrel ;

And the Mountain called th6 Squirrel "Little Prig."

Bun replied,

" You are doubtless very big ;

But all sorts 6f things and weather

Must be taken in tSgether

T5 make Qp a year

And a sphere ;

And 1 think it no disgrace

T6 occGpy my place.

If I'm n6t s5 large as you,

You are not s6 small as I,

And n6t half s6 spry.

I'll n6t deny yoQ make

A very pretty squirrel track :

Talents differ ; all is wisely put, —

If I cannot carry forests on my back,

Neither can yoti crack a nut."

Emerson — " A Fable."

METONYMY.

A change of noun or substantive, is a figure in which the
name of one object is put for some other object. The rela-
tion is always that of causes, eflfects, or adjuncts.

(i) Substituting a noun that e.xpresses the cause, for tha
noun that expresses the effect :

A time there was, ere England's griefs began
When every rood 5f ground maintained its man.

Goldsmith — " The Deserted Village."

' ' Ground ' ' is here used for what the ground produces,
viz : food.

0 for a beaker fiill 5f the warm South !

Keats — " Lines to the Nightingale."

FIGURES OF SPEECH. 213

"South" is here used for the rich wines produced in
sunny lands.

R6bed In the I6ng night 6f her deep hair.

Tennyso7i-

" Night," the cause of darkness, is put for " darkness,"
the effect.

(2) Substituting the noun expressing the effect for the
noun used to express the cause, being the converse of the
first proposition :

SwKft as Sn arrSw flies the leaden death.

James Harvey — "Thereon and Aspasia."

"Death," the effect of the bullet, is put for the bullet
itself

(3) A substantive denoting the place is substituted for a
substantive denoting the inhabitants :

At length the world, renewed by calm repose,
was strong f6r toil ; the dappled morn Srose.

Parnell— ''The Hermit."

" World" is used for " inhabitant."

" WhSt land is s6 barbarous injustice to allow ? "
' ' Land ' ' is used to express ' ' race " or " people. ' '

(4) The sign is used for that of which it is the symbol or
signifies :

His banner leads the spears n6 more Smld the hills 6f Spain.

Felicia Hetnans.

' ' Spears ' ' is used for ' ' soldiers. ' '

214 THE ART OF POETRY.

As, too, "the olive branch," instead of "peace;" the
* ' throne, ' ' the ' ' purple, ' ' the ' ' scepter ' ' instead of
" kingly power."

Th6 path by which wg twain did go.

Which led by tracks that pleased Os well,
ThroQgh four swe^t years Srose Snd fell,

Fr6m flower t6 flower^ fr6m snow t6 snow.

BQt where the path wS walked began

T6 slant the fifth autumnal slope.

As we descended, following Hope,
There sat the ShadSw feared 6f man.

Tennyson.

' ' Flower, " " snow ' ' and ' ' shadow ' ' as used here are
emblematic of ' ' Summer, " " Winter ' ' and ' ' Death. ' '

(5) Substituting the abstract for the concrete term, and
vice versa :

There Hondr comes, a pilgrim gray,
T6 deck the turf that wraps their clay ;
And Freedom shall a while repair
T6 dwell a weeping hermit there.

Collbis.

" Honor " is used to denote an individual of merit. A
man of honor full of ripe years.

I have found 6ut a gift f6r m>- fair ;

I have found where the wo6d-pTge5ns breed ;
BQt let me the plunder f5rbear —

She woGld say 'twas a barbarotis deed,
F6r he ne'er cotlld be true, she averred,

Wh6 cotlld rob a po6r bird 5f its yoiing :
And I loved her the more when I heard

Stich tend^rnSs.^ fall fr6m her tongue.

Shenstone — ' ' A Pastoral. ' '

FIGURES OF SPEECH.

215

Here the word " tenderness" is used to express " kind
feelings. ' '

(6) Substituting the container for what is contained.

"Our ships n6xt opgned fire."
•Here the word "ships" is used to designate "sailors."

" H6 is fond 6f the d<9/^/^."
Viz : he is fond of ' ' drink. ' '

" Yottr purse 6r yoQr life."
Viz : your money,

" WhSre will yoQ find another breast Hke his ? "
' ' Breast ' ' is here used for the spirit that animated it.

(7) Substituting the substantive that denotes the thing
supporting for the substantive that denotes the thing sup-
ported, as:

Field for battle, table for eatables on it, altar for sacrifice.

(8) Substituting the name of the thing possessed for the
possessor, as :

"The war-who5p shall wake the sleep 5f th6 cradlg."
Viz : the voice of men en route to battle.

Drove the bristled lips before him."

Shakespeare — " Coriolanus."

Viz : Drove indetermined men.

2i6 T^£- ART OF POETRY.

(9) Substituting the possessor for the possessed :

"L6t tis browse 6n the fields co61 with dew."

Virgil — ' ' Georgics. ' '

" Us " is used here for ' ' our flocks. ' '

(10) Substituting the instrument for the user :

"Light has spread, Snd ev6n bayonets think "

"Bayonets," the instrument or thing used is here substi-
tuted for " soldiers " or men who use bayonets.

" FQII fifty thousand muskets bright,
L6d by 61d warri6rs trained in fight."

"Muskets oright" used for "soldiers."

(11) Substituting the noun denoting the material for the
thing made of that material :

Like a tempest down the ridges
Swept the hurricane 5f steel ;
Rose the slogan of MacDonald,
Flashed the broad sw5rd of LOchiel.

Ayioun — " Battle of Killiecrankie. "

' ' Steel ' ' here means ' ' swords. ' '

The wind is piping loud, m>- boys.

The lightening flashes free ;
While the h6116w oak 5ur palace is.

Our heritage the sea.

Allan Cunningham.

" The hollow oak " is here used to represent " a ship."

FIGURES OF SPEECH.

217

Hood has also given us a fine example similar to the one
above, in the following :

The oakgn cell
ShSU lodge him well
Wh6se sceptrg ruled S realm.

" A Dream in the Woods."

It is very easy for one to guess the meaning of the word
" oaken cell " in the above quotation.

(12) Substituting the noun for the period of time during
which certain events occured for the events :

S6 have 1 worn 6ut manj^ sleeplSss nights,
And wadSd deep throtigh many i bloody day.

Homer.

' ' Nights ' ' here is used to designate a period of time, viz :
' ' many sleepless nights ' ' in place of " a given number of
days. ' ' The same is true of day in the next verse or line ;
it is a noun used to express a fact, viz : waded through a
bloody battle or through war.

(13) Substituting the place for the occurrence that hap-
pened there :

BQt Linden saw another sight,
When the drtim beat, St dead 5f night,
CSmmanding fires 6f death t6 light
The darkness of her scenery.

Thomas Campbell — " Hohenlinden."

Here Linden, the place, is used for the occurrence that
happened there, viz : The Battle of Hohenlinden.

2i8 THE ART OF POETRY.

Agincourt, Agincourt!
Know yS n6t Agincourt,
Where wS w6n field Snd fort ?

French fl6d like woni^n
By hSnd Snd eke by water ;
Nevfer wis seen stich slaughter

Made by 5ur bowman.

Drayton — " Agincourt. ' '

Here "Agincourt," the place, is used for the occurrence
that happened there, viz : The Battle of Agincourt in 1415.

ECHO.

A returning of what has already been uttered ; is another
form of repetition :

But the Past and all its beauty,
Whithgr has it fled Sway ?
Hark ! the mournfiil echftes say —
"Fled Sway ! "

Adelaide Anne Procter.

(2)

But the drum
Ech5ed "Come ! "

Brete Harte.

ONOMATOPCEIA.

Is the use of a word or a phrase formed to imitate the
sound of the thing signified, as :

The moan 6f doves in immemorial elms
And murmuring of innumerable bees.

Tennyson.

FIG URES OF SPEE CH. ^ig

The breezy call 5f inc^nse-breathing mom,
The swall5w twittering from th$ straw-built shed,

The cock's shrill clari5n, or th6 echoing horn,
N6 more shall rouse thfim from thgir lowly bed.

Gray — "Elegy "

Btit soon 6bscured with smoke, all heaven appeared,

Fr6m those defip-throatfid engines belched, whSse roar

£mb6w611ed with SutrageoQs noise the air,

And all her entrails tore, disgorging foul

Their devilish glut, chained thunderbolts and hail

Of ir6n globes.

Milton — " Paradise Lost.

Here it c5mes sparkling,

And there it lies darkling;

Here smoking and frothing,

Its tumult and wrath in,
It hastens along, conflicting strong ;

N5w striking and raging,

As if a war waging.
Its caverns and rocks among,

Rising and leaping,

Sinking and creeping,

Swelling and flinging.

Showering and springing,

Eddying and whisking.

Spouting and frisking,

Turning and twisting
Around and around ;

collecting, disjecting,
With endless rebound ;

Smiting and fighting,

A sight t6 delight in,

confounding, astounding,
Dizzying and deafening the ear with its sound.
Robert Southey— " The Cataract of Lodore.'

THE ART OF POETRY.
PARALEIPSIS.

A pretended or apparent omission ; a figure by which a
speaker pretends to pass by what at the same time he really
mentions, as :

H6r kindness and her worth t5 spy,
Yoti need bQt gaze 5n Ellen's eye ;
N6t Katrine, in h6r mirr5r blue.
Gives back the shaggy- banks m5re true.
Than every free-b5rn glance confessed
The guileless movements of her breast ;
Whether j6y danced in her dirk eye.
Or woe 5r pity claimed a sigh,
Or filial love was glowing there,
Or meek dev6ti5n poured a prayer,
Or tale Of injury called forth.
The indignant spirit of the North,
One only passiOn iinrevealed.
With maiden pride the maid c6ncealed,
Yet not less purely felt the flame —
0 need I tell that passiOn's name ?

Scott — " The Lady of the Lake."

PERSONIFICATION.

Is a figure by which the absent are introduced as present
and by which inanimate objects and abstract ideas are rep-
resented as living. Personification is a species of Metaphor:

There is a Reaper whOse name is Death,

And, with his sickle keen,
He reaps the bearded grain at a breath.

And the flowers that grow between.

Longfellow — "The Reaper and the Flowers."

FIGURES OF SPEECH. 22 i

T5 you, fair phant6ms in thS sun,

Wh5m merry Spring discovgrs,
With blue-birds for your laureates.

And honfiy-bees f6r lovfirs.

Aldrich — "The Blue-Bells of New England."

His was thS spell 6'er hearts

Which only acting lends, —
Thg younggst of thS sistfir Arts,

Where all thfiir beauty blends;

F6r ill cSn Poetry Express

FQU many a tone 5f thought stiblime,
And Painting, mute and moti6nless,

Steals but a glance 5f time.
Biit by thS mighty actSr brought,

lUiisiOn's perfect triumphs come, —
VSrse ceas6s to bg airy thought,

And SculptOre to bS dumb.

Campbell— ''To]. P. Kemble."

REFRAIN, OR CHANT.

A kind of musical repetition.

Hast thou a goldSn day, a starlit night.

Mirth, and music, and love without alloy?
Leave n6 drop Qndriinken 6f thy dSlight :
S6rr5w and shadSw f6ll6w on thy joy,
'Tis all in a lifetime.
Edmund Clare?ice Stedman — "All In a Lifetime."

John Gibson Lockhart also furnishes in his translations of
Spanish ballads, another fine illustration :

The Moorish king rides iip and down
Through Grenada's royal town ;
From filvira's gates t5 those
Of Bivarambia on he goes :
Woe is me, Alhama ! "

222 THE ART OF POETRY.

SIMILE.

Is an express comparison ; usually introduced by like, as,
and so :

(I).

Life is like S tale
Ended ere 'tKs told.

Aldrich — " Dirge."

(2).

Man, like thS generoQs vine, supported lives ;

The strength h6 gains is from the embrace he gives.

Pope.

(3).

Btit pleasures are like poppies spread, —

You seize the flower, its bloom is shed ;

Or like the snowfall in the river,

A moment white — tiien melts fSrever ;

<3r like the borealis race.

That flit ere yoO cftn point their place ;

Or like the rainbftw's lovely form,

Evanishing amid the storm.

Burns — " Tam O'Shanter.

(4).

The day is done, and the darkness
Falls from the wings 6f Night,
As a feather is wafted downward
Fr6m an eagle in his flight.

LongfeUow — " The Day is Done.

FIGURES OF SPEECH.

SYNECDOCHE.

223

Is the figure by which the whole of a thing is taken for
the part, or a part for the whole, as, the genus for the
species, or the species for the genus. It comprehends more
or less in the expression than the word which is employed
literally signifies.

The noun "sail " is used instead of the noun " ship" — a
part of the ship for the whole :

A sail! & sail! S promised prize 16 hope,
HSr nation's flag — h6w speaks the telescope?
N6 prize, Si as ! btit yet ft welcftme sail.

Byron.

The force of this figure consists of the greater vividness
with which the part or species is realized.

In Pickering's ballad we have the following lines where
this figure of speech is found, where one wreath is put for
the many, that make the whirl, or storm :

" C5me in, auld Carl, I'll steer my fire,

I'll make it bleeze S bonnie flame ;
Yotir blijid is thin, yfe've tint the gate,

Y6 shouldna stray sSe farfrSe hame."

"N5e hame have I," th6 minstrel said ;

" sad party strife 5'ertiimed my ha' ;
And weeping at the close 5f life,

I wander through a wreath 6/ sndzv."

TROPE.

An important figure defined as a figurative use ol a word;
a word or expression used in a different sense from that
which it properly possesses, or a word changed from its

2 24

THE ART OF FOE TR Y.

original signification to another for the sake of life or em-
phasis to an idea, as when we call a shrewd man a fox.
Tropes are chiefly of four kinds : Metaphor, Metonymy,
Synecdoche, and Irony, but to these may be added
Allegory, Prosopopoeia, Antonomasia, and perhaps some
others.

The word Trope comes from the Greek word tropos,
which means a turning.

A change of noun is termed a Metonymy, a change of
adjective is termed a Trope.

The following are illustrations ;

(I).

N6w fades the glimmering landscape on the sight,

And all the air a solemn stillness holds,
save where the beetle wheels his droning flight,

And drowsy thiklings lull the distant folds.

Gray's Elegy.

(2).

Away ! away ! t5 Athtlnree !

Where, downward when the sun shall fall

The raven's wing shall be yoiir pall !

And not a vassal shall linlace

The vis5r from yoOr dying ikce. !

Campbell — "Curse of O'Connor's Child."

(3)-

She wept t6 leave Xh&fond ro5f where

She had been loved s6 long ;
Thoilgh glad the peal tipon the air,

And gay the bridal throng.

Miss Landon — "Adieu to a Bride."

FIGURES OF SPEECH.

(4).

225

At last thg closing seas6n browns th& plain,
And r'jpe October gathers in th6 grain.

Joel Barlow — " The Hasty Pudding."

(5).

Fountain-heads Snd pathless groves —
Places v^\{\c\\ p&le pdssiHn loves.

Francis Beaumont.

(6).

When the humid shadOws hov^r

Over all the starry spheres,
And the mel&7tchdly ddrhiiiss

Gently weeps in rainy tears,
What a bliss t6 press the pillOvv

Of a cottage chamber-bed,
And t6 listen to the patter

Of the soft rain overhead.

Coates Kinney — " Rain on the Roof."

■ (7).

'Tis pleasant, by the cheerftil hearth, t6 hear
Of tempests and the dangers of the deep ;
And pause at times and feel that we are safe,
Then listen to \.\\& periloiis tale again.

Southey — " Modoc. ' '

(8).

Mother, thy child is blessed ;

And though his presence may be lost t6 thee,

And vacant leave thy breast.

And missed H sweet Idad from thy parent knee ;

Th6ugh tones familiar from thine ear have passed,

Thftu'lt meet thy first-b6rn with the Lord at last.

WilHs G. Clark.

2 26

THK ART OF POETR V.

(9)-

Sh6 hears th6 cann6n's deadly rattlfe.

Washington Allston — ' ' Spanish Maid . ' '

(lo).

Piirpm dressSs, the wearing 6f which is brighter thftn any star.

Horace — "Odes."

(II).

The dogs ftr klndfir than \h€\x purple master.

" Lazarus and Dives."

(12)

Others from the dawning hills
Looked Ground.

Milton — ' ' Paradise Lost. ' '

The "hills" are but the receivers of the light — they are
not "dawning hills" save when the "dawning light"

shines upon them.

VISION.

Is the expression of powerful emotion, akin to Apostro-
phe. It is a figure in which the past or future is conceived
for the present. It is appropriate to animated description,
as it produces the effect of an ideal presence. Thomas
Campbell's " Lochiel's Warning" illustrates this figure :

Lochiel, Lochiel ! beware 6f the day
When the Lowlands shall meet thee in battle array !
F5r a field 6f the dead rushes red 6n my sight,
And the clans 6f CGlloden are scattered in fight.
They rally, they bleed, f6r their kingdSm and crown; —
W6e, woe t6 the riders that trample them down !
Pr5ud Cumberland prances, insulting the slain,
And their hoof-bCaten bos5ms are trod trt the plain.

PART THIRD.

CHAPTER I.
OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY.

WE cannot better introduce our chapter ' ' On the
Various Kinds of Poetry ' ' than by giving Fonte-
nelle's celebrated allegory on " The Empire of Poetry. " It
is professedly one of the finest metaphorical descriptions
that has ever been written.

THE EMPIRE OF POETRY.

This Empire is a very large and populous country. It is
divided, like some of the countries of the Continent, into the
Higher and Lower Regions. The Upper Region is inhabited
by grave, melancholy and sullen people, who, like other
mountaineers, speak a language very different from that of
the inhabitants of the valleys. The trees in this part of the
country are very tall, having their tops in the clouds.
Their horses are superior to those of Barbary, being fleeter
than the winds. Their women are so beautiful as to eclipse
the star of day. The great city which you see in the maps,
beyond the lofty mountains, is the capital of this province,
and is called Epic. It is built on a sandy and ungrateful
soil, which few take the pains to cultivate. The length of
the city is many days' journey, and it is otherwise of a
tiresome extent. On leaving its gate, we always meet with
men who are killing one another ; whereas, when we pass
through Romance, which forms the suburbs of Epic, and

2-0 T^^^ ^^^ Of' POETRY.

which is larger than the city itself, we meet with groups of
happy people, who are hastening to the shrine of Hymen.

The mountains of Tragedy are also in the province of
Upper Poetry. They are very steep, with dangerous preci-
pices ; and, in consequence, many of its people build their
habitations at the bottom of the hills, and imagine themselves
high enougli. There have been found on these mountains
some very beautiful ruins of ancient cities, and from time to
time, the materials are carried lower to build new cities ; for
they are now never built nearly so high as they seem to have
been in former times.

The Lower Poetry is very similar to the swamps of
Holland. Burlesque is the capital, which is situated amid
stagnant pools. Princes speak there as if they had sprung
from the dung-hill, and all the inhabitants are buffoons from
their birth. Comedy is a city which is built on a pleasant
spot ; but it is too near to Burlesque, and its trade with this
place has injured the manners of the inhabitants.

I beg you will notice, in the map, those vast solitudes
which lie between High and Low Poetry. They are called
the Deserts of Common Sense. There is not a single city
in the whole of this extensive country, and only a few
cottages scattered at a distance from one another. The
interior of the country is beautiful and fertile, but you need
not wonder that there are so few that choose to reside in it ;
for the entrance is very rugged on all sides, the roads are
narrow and difficult, and there are seldom any guides to be
found capable of conducting strangers.

Besides, this country borders on a province where every
person prefers to remain, because it appears to be very
agreeable, and saves the trouble of penetrating into the
Deserts of Common Sense. It !s the province of False

OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY. 231

Thoughts. Here we always tread on flowers ; everything
seems enchanting. But its general inconvenience is, that the
ground is not solid ; the foot is always sinking in the mire,
however careful one may be. Elegy is the capital. Here the
people do nothing but complain ; but it is said that they find
a pleasure in their complaints. The city is surrounded with
woods and rocks, where the inhabitant walks alone, making
them the confidants of his secrets, of the discovery of which
he is so much afraid that he often conjures those woods and
rocks never to betray them.

The Empire of Poetry is watered by two rivers: One is
the River of Rhyme, which has its source at the foot of the
Mountains of Reverie. The tops of some of these mountains
are so elevated that they pierce the clouds. Those are
called the Points of Sublime Thought-;.

Many climb there by extraordinary efforts ; but almost the
whole tumble down again, and excite, by their fall, the ridicule
of those who admired them at first without knowing why.
There are large platforms almost at the bottom of these
mountains, which are called the Terraces of Low Thoughts.
There are always a great number of people walking on them.
At the end of these terraces are the Caverns of Deep Rev-
erie. Those who descend into them do so insensibly, being
so much enwrapt in their meditations that they enter the
cavern before they are aware. These Caverns are perfect
labyrinths, and the difficulty of getting out again could
scarcely be believed by those who have not been there.
Above the terraces we sometimes meet with men walking in
easy paths, which are called the Paths of Natural Thoughts;
and these gentlemen ridicule equally those who try to scale
the Points of Sublime Thoughts as well as those who grovel
on the terraces below. They would be in the right if they

232

THE ART OF POETRY.

could keep undeviatingly in the Paths of Natural Thoughts,
but they fall almost instantly into a snare by entering into a
splendid palace which is at a very little distance. It is the
Palace of Badinage. Scarely have they entered it, when,
in place of the natural thoughts which they formerly had,
they dwell upon such only as are mean and vulgar. Those,
however, who never abandon the Paths of Natural Thoughts
are the most rational of all. They aspire no higher than
they ought, and their thoughts are never at variance with
sound judgment.

Besides the River Rhyme, which I have described as
issuing from the foot of the mountains, there is another
called the River of Reason. These two rivers are at a great
distance from one another, and, as they have different
courses, they could not be made to communicate except by
canals, which cost a great deal of labor ; for these canals of
communication could not be formed at all places, because
there is only one part of the River Rhyme which is in the
neighborhood of the River Reason ; and hence many cities
situated on the Rhyme, such as Roundelay and Ballad,
could have no commerce with the Reason, whatever pains
might be taken for the purpose.

Further, it would be necessary that these canals should
cross the Deserts of Common Sense, as you will see by the
map, and that is almost an unknown country. The Rhyme
is a large river, whose course is crooked and unequal, and,
on account of its numerous falls, it is extremely difficult to
navigate. On the contrary, the Reason is very straight and
regular, but does not carry vessels of every burden.

There is in the Land of Poetry a very obscure forest, where
the rays of the sun never enter. It is the Forest of Bom-
bast. The trees are close, spreading, and twined into each

OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETR Y.

233

Other. The forest is so ancient that it has become a sort of
sacrilege to prune its trees, and there is no probability that
the ground will ever be cleared. A few steps into this forest
and we lose our road, without dreaming that we have gone
astray. It is full of imperceptible labyrinths, from which no
one ever returns. The Reason is lost in the forest.

The extensive province of Imitation is very sterile. It
produces nothing. The inhabitants are extremely poor,
and are obliged to glean in the richer fields of the neighbor-
ing provinces ; and some even make fortunes by this
beggarly occupation.

The Empire of Poetry is very cold toward the north, and
consequently this quarter is the most populous. There are
the cities of Anagram and Acrostic, with several others of a
similar description.

Finally, in that sea which bounds the States of Poetry,
there is the Island of Satire, surrounded by bitter waves.
The salt from the water is very strong and dark-colored.
The greater part of the brooks of this island resemble the
Nile in this, that their sources are unknown ; but it is par-
ticularly remarkable that there is not one of them whose
waters are fresh. A part of the same sea is called the
Archipelago of Trifles. The French term is 1' Archipel des
Bagatelles, and their voyagers are well acquainted with
those islands. Nature seems to have thrown them up in
sport, as she did those of the Egean Sea. The principal
islands are the Madrigal, the Song, and the Impromptu.
No lands can be lighter than those islands, for they float
upon the waters.

FONTENELLE.

The painter gives color to his study, and his tints and
tone colors are varied according as the master possesses

234 '^^^^ "^^'^^ ^^ POETRY.

science in his art, and as genius has given him ability and
industry necessary to great effort. The poet paints with
anotlier brush. Figures of Rhetoric are his colors, and
nature furnishes him with similes, metaphors, and personifi-
cations. He should abound in imagery, and his words
should be descriptive of external objects which are on every
side. His efforts should be to please, and he is allowed
greater freedom than any other writer. Man is alwa}s
interested in his fellow man ; hence, character, fortitude,
devotion, affection, aspiration, and passion, are all elements
that may enter into the poem. From the earliest ages down
to the present, poetry has held a place in tlie human heart.
Rude songs descriptive of war and peace, love and affection,
hymns to the gods, and poems celebrating the achievements
of heroes are among the first productions of all nations.
Traditional odes are found among the rudest tribes. Poetry
has always been a pleasing form of literature, and has been
assiduously cultivated at all times. The higher the grade
of civilization the greater has been the appreciation of the
poet's efforts. His efforts should always be to attain the
ideal. He has the whole world of reality to select from.
He should seek to surpass nature in his creative imagination.
The true poet is a creator, sensitive to all the scenes and
impressions around him ; his eye should catch that which
the ordinary observer passes by ; and his ear should be
attuned to every sound about him. The picturesque, the
ideal, and the real are all his. To fancy he gives form and
color, and his expressions should contain a delicacy, rich-
ness and warmth of feeling and beauty, that should ever be
a pleasure to mankind. His ideas, figures, characters,
scenes, and language should all harmonize. His lines should
carry the reader throughout the poem without a jar or inter-

OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY. 235

ruption. Words should be selected for their beauty of sound
and association ; and the effort should alone be to attain the
highest form of expression known to elevated thought and
diction.

CLASSIFICATION OF POETRY.

It is very difficult to classify all poems. Poems may be
found that are susceptible of various classification ; others
will be found that will hardly take their places in any list.
Poetry may be divided, however, into six general heads :

1. Lyrical. 4. Epic.

2. Pastoral. 5. Dramatic.

3. Didactic. 6. Satirical.

These six species may be again subdivided as follows :
The Lyric.

Songs, {il^Sa^,

4. Elegy, (Epitaph),

Odes.

5. Sonnet.

Ballads.

6. Epigram.

The Pastoral.
I. Eclogue. 2. Idyl.

The Didactic
I. Philosophical. 2. Meditative.

The Epic.

1. Grand Epic. 3. Metrical Romance.

2. Mock Epic. 4. Metrical Tale.

236

THE ART OF POETRY.

The Drama.

Tragedy, (Prologue).

Comedy, (Epilogue, Envoy).

Farce.

Mask, Travesty or Mock Heroic.

Melodrama.

Burletta.

The Satire.

• I. Moral. 3. Political.

2. Personal.

To the above classification we may be allowed to add
some other heads which properly speaking belong to some
of the classes above enumerated. They are, however,
figures and forms different from the ordinary :

1. Dialectic. 3. Versicles.

2. Nonsensical.

OBJECTIVE AND SUBJECTIVE POETRY.

We should ask ourselves when we begin to write poetry
whether what we write should be objective or subjective.
The mental forces at work in writing Cowper's " Task " or
Wordsworth's " Excursion," both eminendy subjective, —
are different from the mental forces at work iri writing Long-
fellow's "Psalm of Life " or "The Day is Done," or
Brennan' s ' ' Come to Me, Dearest, ' ' which are objective
poems. In objective poetry the structure is light and airy,
lit up as by the gay light of electricity, and the teachings
merely suggestive ; the other structure — subjective poetry —
is strong and ponderous, grave and staid, and its writers

OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY.

237

may be terrhed teachers of their own experiences, thoughts
and feehngs. Subjective poetry is mostly written in the
iambic rhythm and comprises not only poems of beauty, but
poems of strength and grandeur. Objective poetry is more
frequently written in the trochaic, anapestic and dactylic
rhythms, — light, tripping, airy, suggestive, and yet possessed
of more outward beauty than any other class of poetry.
Objective poetry expresses not facts, but fancies ; yet these
fancies must have facts for a basis. Conciseness in poetry is
a virtue — often a necessity, and the writer of anapestic and
dactylic verse cannot cram his lines like the writer of iambic
verse, or they would be harsh and rugged. Then again,
consonants dominate the vowels in our language, and the
writer of anapestic and dactylic verse should make it unob-
trusively alliterative, and thus artfully bevel the corners by
the smoothing process of alliteration. Bring the liquids
mto use.

THE LYRIC.

The lyric poets form the largest class of singers. They are
a kingdom unto themselves, and often they are too much
engaged with their own feelings and emotions to have sym-
pathy with the world about them. The lyric poet loves his
muse, however, and feels that the muse loves him, and, like
the bird, he warbles his joys and sorrows, his fears and
aspirations, and the world is made better and brighter by
his song. Lyric poetry is gaining rapidly in popular favor ;
it today has more worshippers at its shrine than either the
dramatic or epic, and goes hand in hand with the metrical
romance.

2^8 ^^^'" ^-^'^ ^^^'^ POETRY.

SECULAR SONGS.

Secular songs that have endured for all time claim some
notice. The poets of every age and clime have sung and
will continue to sing of the beauties about them. Especially
do they sing of love, that mightiest of all the passions.
Facts and fancies, love and romances, sentiment and
reflection, have all been food for the poet's imagination.
What a world of melody and rhythm today delights human
kind, written for us by the singers of all ages. Today -we
are delighted constantly by some new words set to popular
music. Today our song writers are as sentimental, as true
to nature and as skilled as the writers of any other age. It
is, however, the old songs, — the songs of days gone by — of
the long ago, that we naturally go back to and inquire after.

Burns, Bayly, Byron, Lover, Moore, Caroline Norton,
Whittier, Longfellow, Holmes, and Tennyson have all
written words that will be ever enduring.

Bishop, Balfe, Claribel, Foster, Sullivan, and Winner
have written music that have immortalized not only the
words but the authors of both words and music. Ever
have music and poetry been twin sisters. The world would
be not beautiful without them. They are both a passion burn-
ing in the human soul that makes the cold, bleak world warm
with their inspirations. All peoples love songs. The
rudest savages have songs of love and of war, of home and
of country, of peace and of religion. The wild Cossack
delights in his songs and sings of and to his love, with the
same tenderness as the cultivated European.

Ireland has ever been famous for her song writers. The
Welsh and Scots have given to the world the sweetest of
music. Germany has contributed her part. The singers

OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY.

239

of all kindreds and of every clime have produced words
and music which solace mankind. Let it not be supposed,
however, that the popular song that has frequently handed
the name of the author down to posterity is but the work
of an idle moment.

Thomas Moore's " Last Rose of Summer " is one of the
most widely popular songs. Its sale in this country alone is
estimated at over two million copies. It cost Moore deep
meditation. He wrote the song for an old air, "The
Groves of Blarney. " He tells us he was weeks composing
just one of its lines before he succeeded in obtaining words
that were suitable. Moore's Irish Melodies are full of the
sweetest of songs — songs that will be more and more
appreciated in the future by a refined and cultivated public.
None can, however, touch the popular heart more than the
one we have just alluded to, a song of but three stanzas of
eight lines each, written in anapestic rhythm. " The Last
Rose of Summer " will be as popular with future genera-
tions as it has been with past on2s, and had Moore never
written anything else his name would be immortalized. We
select the last stanza :

S6 soon mfty t follSw,

Wh6n friendships dficay,
As from love's shining circle

Th6 gems dr5p away !
When trQe hearts Sre withered,

And fond 5nes ftre flown,
Oh ! wh6 would inhabit

This bleak w6rld alone ?

Many accounts are given of how " Home, Sweet Home "
came to be written. John Howard Payne, its author, was

240

THE ART OF FOE TR Y.

an American poet and playwright who had received a fair
education and who made his Hving by his pen and on the
stage. Like many actors, as well as writers, he was a spend-
thrift and became stranded in Paris, France, the world's
gay capitol. While all the world below was gayety and
pleasure, he was the occupant of a poorly furnished room in
the topmost story of a house in the Palais-Royale, Without
friends, and temporarily without money, naturally enough
these words suggested themselves to him :

'Mid pleasOres find palacSs though wg mSy roam,

B6 It evSr s6 humble there's no place like home ;

A charm fr5m thg skies seSms t6 hall5w Os there,

Which, seek throilgh the world, is nS'er met with elsewhere.

H5me ! Home ! sweet, sweet home !

There's no place like home !

Ch, there's no place like home !

The words found a response in every heart. Over one
hundred thousand copies of the song were sold the first year
of its publication. Although Payne was never benefitted
a penny thereby, it immortalized him. Its music is an
old Calabrian air familiar to the peasant folk of Sicily. Sir
Henry Bishop, who arranged the music, tells us that he
obtained the air from an old army officer who served in
Sicily. The rhythm of the poem is anapestic tetrameter.

Stephen Collins Foster,* author of "The Old Kentucky

* Stephen Collins Foster was born July 4, 1826, in Pennsylvania. He was a
delicate child, and throughout life was ©fa quiet and retiring disposition. At the
early age of thirteen he composed, " Sadly to My Heart Appealing," and at six-
teen years of age, "Open Thy Lattice, Love." In after years he gave to the
worlS, " Old Uncle Ned," "O Susanna," " Massa's in the Cold Ground," "Old
Dog Tray," "Gentle Annie," and ' Come Where My Love Lies Dreaming."
Foster not only composed the words, but the music to most of his songs. His was
a peculiar musical talent, which has been recognized by musical celebrities, and
hisairs have been incorporated by many into concert fantasias. He died as he had
lived, in neglect and poverty, at the early ageof thirty-seven, in 1864, in New York
City. It is a sad commentary upon life to know the songs of this gifted writer are
daily sung in almost every household, and still continue to delight the public on
both sides of the Atlantic, and yet, no monument marks the last resting place of
the author of " The Old Folks at Hotne."

OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POE^TRY. 24 1

Home," was a writer of still another class of songs indigen-
ous to the United States. They are negro melodies, sad and
quaint, and many of them will last forever. "The Old
Folks at Home ' ' in both words and air cannot be surpassed.
Its rhythm is iambic :

way down Qpon d6 Swane6 RibbSr,

Far, far away —
Dare's wha my heart is turning ebbSr-

Dare's wha de old f6lks stay.
All up and down d6 whole creation,

Sadly I roam ;
Still longing for de old plantation.

And for dfi 61d folks at home.

All d6 World am sad and dreary,

Eb'rywhere 1 roam ;
Oh, darkeys, how my heart gr6ws weary,

Far from dS 61d folks at home.

All round d6 little farm I wandered,

When I was young ;
Den many happji^ days 1 squandered.

Many de songs 1 sung.
When I was playing wid m^ brudder,

Happy was I ;
6h ! take me to my kind 61d mudder !

Dare let me live and die !

One little hut among de bushes —

One dat I love —
Still sadly to my memory rushes,

N6 matter where 1 rove.
When will I see de bees a-hummtng,

All round de comb ?
When will I hear de banj6 tummtng

DOwn in my good 6ld home ?

242 7 HE ART OF POETRY.

Henry Russell is the author of " A Life on the Ocean
Wave. " It is one of the most popular of the many beautiful
songs of the sea. The British Admiralty adopted it as the
march' of the Royal Marines. It is iambic trimeter. We
select the first stanza :

A life 5n th6 ocean wave,

A home 6n thg rolling deep,
Whgre th6 scattered waters rave,

And the winds thgir revels keep !
Like Sn eaglS caged, I pine,

On this dull, Gnchanging shore ;
Oh ! give m6 th6 flashing brine,

The spray Snd the tempest roar !

" The Bay of Biscay," by John Davy, and " Black-Eyed
Susan," by John Gay, both favorites in their day, are still
popular sea songs.

A little romance is attached to one the prettiest of the old
Scotch songs. Annie Laurie was no myth. She was born
on thei6th day of December, 1682. Her father was Sir Rob-
ert Laurie of Maxwelton, who lived on the opposite side of the
river Nith, from Dumfries, Scotland. William Douglass
wooed, but never won her. His song describing her beauty
and his passion for her will render her name immortal.
The fickle Annie preferred, however, to become the wife of
Sir Robert Ferguson, who possessed riches as well as a
name. The music of the song was composed by Lady Jane
Scott, and both words and music will live for generations to
come. We give the original words as they were first
written, as numerous changes have been made to them since
that time. The rhythm is iambic.

OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY. 343

Maxwelt6n banks Sre bonnie,

VVHiere early fa's th6 dew ;
WhSre me Snd Annie Laurie

Made up the promKse true;
Made lip the promise true,

And nev6r fOrget will I ;
And f5r bonnte Annte Laurie

I'll lay mS down and die.

She's backlt like the peacdck,

She's breistit like the swan,
She's jimp about the middle,

Her waist ye weel micht span ;
Her waist ye weel micht span.

And she has a rolling eye ;
And f6r bonnie Annie Laurie

I'lllay me down and die.

The poets of the Emerald Isle will ever be held in high
esteem in the memories and hearts of all nations. The
songs of her writers have a fei*vency and pathos that are
unsurpassable. The old song from which we select the
second stanza is ever dear to the heart of her countryman.
This song is selected not only on account of the admirable
words but also for the reason they are written in dactylic
rhythm — dactylic tetrameter:

Over the green sea, Mavofirneen, MavoQrneen,

Long sh5ne the white sail that bore thee away,

Riding the white waves that ftiir summer mor-tn'.

Just like a MayflSwer afloat On the bay.

Oh, but my heart sank when clouds came between tis,

Like a grey curtain 6f rain falling down.

Hid fr5m my sad eyes the path 6'er the 6ce3n,

Far, far away where my colleen had flown.

2^4 THE ART OF POETRY.

Then c5me back t6 Erin, Mavotirne6n, MavotirneSn,
Come back Sgain t6 thfi land 6f thy birth ;
Come backt6 Erin, Mavotirneen, MavoQrneSn,
And it's KlUarngy shall ring with 6ur mirth.

Claribel — " Come Back to Erin."

It requires only true manhood which is born of cultivation
and civilization to appreciate anything which is beautiful,
either of art or nature. And even the careless, the indiffer-
ent, and the impatient lover of business will frequently turn
aside and listen to such delicious songs of love as ' ' Ever of
Thee I'm Fondly Dreaming," by Linley, "Her Bright
Smile Haunts Me Still," by Carpenter, or " Love Not," by
Caroline Norton.

The field of song is one of the finest, and every poet has
entered it, and many have told in song their tales of joy or
woe that will never die. Burns sang of his ' ' Highland
Mary," and nothing in afl of his wonderlul productions is
superior to it. "Mary of Argyle" by Nelson, is a beautiful
song. It is mixed iambic and anapestic meter, but the pre-
vailing foot is iambic. We select the first stanza :

I have heard thS mavis singing

His 16ve-s6ng to th6 morn ;
1 have seen thS dew-dr6ps clinging

T6 the rose jtist newly born ;
BQt a sweeter song has cheered m6

At the evening's gentle close,
And I've seen an eye still brighter

Than the dew-dr6p on the rose ;
'Twas thy voice, my gentle Mary,

And thine artless, winning smile,
That made this world an Eden,

Bonny Mary 6f Argyle.

OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETR\.

245

' ' Only Friends and Nothing More, ' ' by Septimus Win-
ner, one of the famous song writers of the New World, is a
very pretty song. Alice Hawthorne who is accredited with
the words was Winner's mother — Hawthorne being her
maiden name. Out of respect for his mother, her talented
and gifted son has named her as the authoress of some of
the most charming and delightful of songs. One, ' ' The
Mocking-Bird," is world renowned, on account of the
delicious melody of the music, and also the words of the
song.

The stanza selected from " Only Friends and NotTiing
More," is iambic rhythm.

WS met as many have before

N6r wished n6r hoped t5 meet again ;
N6'er dreaming of 6ur fate Jn store

With days 6f pleasure or 6f pain.
W6 met again with right g6od will

Yet paused when parting at the door ;
W6 lingered with a sigh, bQt still

As only friends and nothing more.
W6 lingered with a sigh, bOt still

As only friends Snd nothing more.

Old songs that still live and are in touch with the popular
heart are many, but the quaint ones, the expressive ones,
those that possess a distinctiveness of their own, are not so
numerous as one would suppose. An old English song,
a war song, entitled ' ' I Will Hang My Harp on a Willow
Tree," is such an one. The measure is mixed, but the
iambus is the prevailing foot. The anapest, however, is
also found in almost every line. We select the first stanza :

246 THE ART OF POETRY.

I'll hang vci^ harp 6n S will6w tree,

I'll off t6 the wars again ;
My peaceful home his n6 charm f6r me,

The battlefield n6 pain ;
The Lady 1 love will soon be S bride,

With 5 diadem 6n her brow.
Oh ! why did she flatter my boyish pride,

She's going t6 leave me now.
Oh ! why did she flatter my boyish pride,

She's going t5 leave me now.

Tfie four stanzas composing this grand old song are all
first-class, although a little different from the war music of
the present time. There is, however, something about the
air that is fine, and music and words will still continue to
find old as well as young admirers.

The Civil War of the United States produced many great
songs — songs that stir the souls of men. Charles S. HalFs
"John Brown's Body" will still go marching on. It caught
the public feeling of the North — the public sentiment.
"Dixie," the great song of the South was composed by
Gen. Albert N. Pike, the music by Dan D. Emmett. The
music found a general response, not only in the South, but
also in the North, and every school boy sang the song.
The words are iambic rhythm, and there is genuine music
in every word, as well as every note.

* ' Bonnie Blue Flag ' ' was also one of the great songs of
the South, and was written by H. McCarthy. It is mixed
iambic and anapestic measure, the iambic foot prevailing.
No song of the South was, however, greater in words and
music than " My Maryland." written in 1861 by James R.
Randall. We select the third stanza :

OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY. 247

ThOu wilt n6t cowSr in the dust,

Maryland, my Maryland !
Thy gleaming sword shall nevfir rust,

Maryland, my Maryland !
Remember Carroll's sacrfid trust,
Rgmemb^r Howard's warlike thrust,
And all thy slumbCrSrs with thS just,

Maryland, my Maryland !

We remember while a boy in college hearing Chaplain
Charles C. McCabe, who had just been released from a
Southern prison and was visiting at the home of that great
and good uncle of his, Prof L. D. McCabe, of the Ohio
Wesleyan University, sing the " Batde Hymn of the
Republic." The song is by one of the grandest of woman-
kind, Julia Ward Howe. Nothing we have ever heard
found a greater response. As Chaplain McCabe' s voice
went up it thrilled the very soul. The chorus was caught
by all present, and men and women sang in the old William
Street Church upon that occasion who never sang before.
The song is in the iambic rhythm. We select the first
stanza.

Mine eyes hSve seen the glory of the coming of the Lord ;

He Ts trampling out the vintage where the grapes 6f wrath Are

stored :
He hath loosed the fatefftl lightning of His terrible swift sword.
His truth is marching on.

Song writing, while it may not be the greatest conception
of the poet's mind, is one that may serve to keep his mem-
ory green. It requires feeling, tenderness and sympathy to
write the sweet songs that must endure forever.

24.8 T^^ ANT OF POETRY.

SACRED SONGS.

How often have we listened in former days to good old
hymns, designated by the minister as Long Meter, Short
Meter, or Particular Meter. We did not then understand, or
could we tell just what was meant by it. When, however,
some good brother would start the tune, we could distin-
guish and recognize the old familiar sound ; for in those
days tunes were scarce. When we heard the following
iambic stanza:

0 where shall rest b6 found,

Rest for the weary soul ?
'TwSre vain th6 oceSn's depths t6 sound,

Or pierce t5 either pole.

Montgomery.

it was not difficult for us to distinguish the tune from the
following, which the same brother, who always led the
singing, would start, written in trochaic rhythm:

8s 7s.

Come, thOu Fount 5f everj^ blessing,

Tune my heart t6 sing thy grace.
Streams 5f mercy nevSr ceasing,

Call f6r songs 6f loudest praise.
Teach m6 some melodious sonnet,

Sung by flaming tongues Shove :
Praise th6 mount — I'm fixed tipon ft ;

Mount 5f thy redeeming love !

Robinson.

Our ear soon taught us that this was Particular or Odd
Meter. We could distinguish it from the first, known as

OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY.

249

short measure, or from this stanza in iambics, when the
same good brother would start the tune again, and drawl its
slow length on to the end :

Defim not that they Sre blest alone
Wh6se days a peacefQl tenOr keep ;

The anointed Son 5f God makes known
A blessing for thg eyes that weep.

Bryant.

This hymn was designated as Long Meter. These meas-
ures were also to be distinguished from the following stanza
in iambics, as

I love t6 steal awhile away

Fr6m every cumbering care,
And spend th6 hours 6f setting day

In humble, gratefOl prayer.

Mrs. Brown.

This was known as common measure. The Wesleys,
John and Charles, and Dr. Watts, have made these meas-
ures familiar, and all remember the old hymns we learned
at church, and are thankful for what they taught us. A
stanza of four iambic lines, the first, second and fourth
being trimeters ; the third line, tetrameter, is designated as
Short Meter.

A stanza of four iambic lines, the first and third being
tetrameter, tlie second and fourth trimeter, is known as
Common Meter.

A stanza of four lines, rhyming in couplets, or alternately,
in iambic tetrameter, is Long Meter. Particular or Odd
Meter was formerly used to denote all other kinds of meter,
as distinguishable from L. M., S. M., C, M., etc. We have

2 50

THE ART OF POETRY.

also what is known as the Hallelujah Meter, a stanza of six
iambic lines, the first four being trimeter ; the last two
tetrameter, or the last two lines may be separated into four
lines, containing two iambics each, as

All hail ! the gloriotis morn,

That saw 6ur Saviotir rise,
With Victory bright adorned,

And triQmph in his eyes ;
Y6 saints, 6xt61 yoflr risSn Lord,

And sing his praise with sweet accord.

" Psalms and Hymns."

Long Particular Meter is still another form of the stanza
in which some of our hymns are written. The stanza is
iambic. The six lines are tetrameter, the third and sixth
rhyming together, the others rhyming in couplets, as

Let mortals tremble and adore
A God 6f such resistless power,

N6r dare indulge their feeble rage ;
vain are yoQr thoughts, and weak yoOr hands,
Bttt his eternal counsel stands,

And rules the world fr6m age t6 age.

" Psalms and Hymns."

All the above stanzas but one are written in iambics. The
second stanza is in trochaic measure. The iambic is a
favorite measure for hymns.

OTHER METERS.

But we have many beautiful hymns in other measures.
Many hymns are designated as 8s and 7s, 7s, 6s and 8s, 8s

OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY. 25 1

and 7s and 4s, lis, 12s, etc. This simply has reference to
the number of syllables contained in the line or verse of the
stanza.

A common form of our hymns is the trochaic tetrameter,
lines of eight and seven syllables rhyming alternately. The
line of seven syllables being catalectic. This form in our
hymn books is denominated the 8s and 7s.

It would be much better were we to name it properly —
trochaic tetrameter.

Hymns written in trochaic, dactylic, or anapestic meter
are however, designated only by figures, giving us no clue
to the rhythm. Were the name of the meter added, as,
IIS, anapestic tetrameter, our hymns would be properly
designated.

The following stanza of an old hymn is in anapestic
rhythm, 6s and 9s :

" 0 h5w happy are they
Wh6 the SavioQr 6bey,
And have laid tip their treasGre above !
0 what tongue can Express
The sweet c6mf6rt and peace
6f a soul in its earliest love ? "

C. Wesley.

The first, second, fourth and fifth lines are anapestic
dimeter, the third and sixth anapestic tetrameter.

Our hymns have been greatly improved in recent years ;
not only have many new and beautiful ones been added, but
the music has been vastly improved. We remember hear-
ing an eminent divine once say, ' ' The church has all the
good hymns, but the de'il has all the best tunes." This
can no longer be said. Hymnology has kept pace with the

252

THE ART OF POETRY.

times. Such benefactors as Philip PhilUps, Ira D. Sankey,
P. P. BHss and many others have revolutionized church
hymns and church music. Some of our hymns are the
most beautiful of songs. The slow and sorrowful iambics
of the long, short and common meters are being replaced by
sweet strains in trochaic, anapestic and dactylic rhythms.
What can be more beautiful than the tender and pathetic
hymn, written by Frances Laughton Mace. It is trochaic
tetrameter. We give the first stanza :

Only waiting till thg shad6ws

Are a littlS longer grown ;
Only waiting, till the glimmer

Of the day's Iftst beam hSs flown ;
Till the night 6f earth is faded

From the heJirt 6nce full 6f day ;
Till the stars 6f heaven ftre breaking

Through the twilight soft ,1nd gray.

"Only Waiting."

Another woman, Sarah Flower Adams, has written for us
another beautiful hymn. It is mixed measure, the iambic
being the prevailing foot. The first, third, fifth and sixth
lines are iambic trimeter ; the second, fourth and seventh
lines, iambic dimeter. We give the first stanza :

Nearer my God, t6 thee,

Nearer t6 thee !
£'en though it be fl cross

ThSt rfiiseth me ;
Still nil my song shftll be
Nearer my God, t6 thee

Nearer t6 thee !

" Nearer My God to Thee."

OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY.

253

Bishop Heber is the author of a beautiful hymn in dac-
tylic rhythm. It is the IIS and los, dactylic tetrameter.
We give the first stanza :

Brightest Snd best 6f th6 sons 5f th6 morning,
Dawn \\\ 5ur darkness and lend Os thine aid ;
Star 5f th6 East, th6 h5riz5n Sdorntng,
Guide where 5ur InfSnt Redeemer is laid.

" The Beautiful River " is still another of our hymns that
will be sung until the children of earth are gathered on the
other shore. It is trochaic tetrameter. We give the first
Stanza :

Shall we gather at the rivSr

Where bright angel feet hflve trod ;

With its cryst.ll tide fOrever
FlowTng by the throne 6f God ?

Chorus —

Yes, we'll gather at the river,
The beaiitifQl, the beautifQl river —
Gather with the saints St the river,
That fl6ws by the throne 6f God.

Rev. Robert Loivry.

The " Sweet By and By," a hymn in anapestic rhythm,
is another of our popular hymns. We give the second
stanza :

we shall sing 6n that beautiftil shore

The melodfofls songs 6f the blest,
And ^ur spirits shall sorrOw n6 more

N5t a sigh f6r the blessing 6f rest

254 THE ART OF POETRY.

Chorus —

In the sweet by-and-by,

we shall meet 5n that beauttfOl shore,
In the sweet by-ind-by,

W6 shall meet 6n that beautiftil shore.

S. Filnwre Bennett.

While many beautiful hymns have been written, and old
ones arranged to new music, there is a charm that lingers
around many old ones, and they will never die. We
mention " Old Hundred," written by Dr. Isaac Watts,
it being a paraphrase of the one hundredth Psalm, the
music by G. Franc, 1554 ; "Jesus, Lover of My Soul,"
Rev. CharJes Wesley, 1740, the music by Simeon B.
Marsh in 1798; "Rock of Ages," written by Rev. A.
M. Toplady, 1776, and set to music 1830 by Dr. Thomas
Hastings; " Sweet Hour of Prayer," written in 1846 by
Rev. W. H. Walford, arranged to music in 1859 by W. H.
Bradbury.

Many are the hymns that have survived for over one
hundred years, and are fresh in the minds of the people
today.

THE ODE.

Odes are of four kinds Sacred, Heroic, Moral and
Amatory. The ode is one of the most elevated forms of
lyric compositions. Ode, derived from the Greek, meaning
song, originally meant any poem adapted to be sung. The
ode is, however, to be distinguished from the song. It is
the loftiest form of lyrical poetry, embodying as it does the
most elevating thoughts and most intense emotions of the
writer. It is usually written in an abrupt, concise and ener-

OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY. 255

getic style. The meters are often irregular and are not
arranged by any fixed stanzaic law, but by a deeper law —
that feeling which guides the soul of inspiration on and on,
in rapt emotion, regardless of the demands of the stanza.
Poetry may, however, lose immensely by not being governed
by a fixed stanzaic law for much of its beauty depends upon
the fixed regularity of its rhyme. Odes are, however, irreg-
ular, and call forth the highest art of the poet in adapting
the meters and cadences to the ever varying changes of
sentiment and imagmative thought.

THE SACRED ODE.

Byron's Hebrew Melodies and Moore's Sacred Melodies
contain fine specimens of lyrical beauty. Milton's ode on
the " Nativity" is still another fine example:

And on that cheek find o'er that brow

S6 soft, s6 calm, s6 elSquent,
The smiles that win, th6 tints that glow,

Biit tell 6f days lin goodness spent, —
A mind at peace wKth all below,

A heart wh6se love is innScent.

Byron — "She Walks in Beauty."

THE MORAL ODE.

Odes of this nature express sentiment suggested by
friendship, humanity of heart, and patriotism. Lanier's
" Ode to the Johns Hopkins University " is an example in
iambic :

256 T^E ART OF POETRY.

And here, 0 finer Pallas, long remain, —
Sit on these Maryland hills, and fix thy reign,
And frame a fairfir Athens than Cif yore

In these blest bounds 6f Baltimore, —

Here, where the climates meet
That each may make th6 other's lack c6mplete, —
Where Florida's s5ft Fav6nian airs beguile
ThS nipping North, — where Natflre's powers smile, —
Where Chesapeake h6lds frankly forth her hands
Spread wide with invitation to all lands. —
Where now the eager people yearn \h find
The organizing hand that fast may bind
Lo5se straws 6f aimless aspiration fain

In sheaves 6f serviceable grain, —

Here, old and new in one,
Throtigh nobler cycles round a richer sun

6'er-rule 6ur modern ways,
0 blest Minerva of these larger days !

THE AMATORY ODE.

It is better known as a love song. Most English and
American poets have contributed to this great class of
literature. Goethe, Schiller and Heine are the most cele-
brated of the German writers who have contributed to this
species of poetry. The Madrigal is a little amorous poem
that may be properly classed under this head. Byron's
"Maid of Athens," Tennyson's "Maud," and Burns'
" Highland Mary" are among the finest specimens of our
love songs, expressing refined sentiment and tender affection:

0, sad are they wh5 know n5t love.

But, far fr6m passi5n's tears and smiles.
Drift down a moonless sea and pass
The silver coasts hi fairy isles.
Thomas Bailey Aldrich — " Sad Are They Who Know Not Love."

OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY. 257

THE HEROIC ODE.

Odes of this species celebrate and sing the praises of
heroes and are mostly occupied with martial exploits.
Lowell's " Commemoration Ode " and Coleridge's "Ode
to France ' ' are specimens of this species :

Our fathers fought f6r Liberty,
They struggled long and well,
History of their deeds can tell —

Btit did they leave tis free ?

Lowell — "Fourth of July Ode."

'Twas at the royal feast, ftSr Persia won
By Philip's warlike son ;
Aloft in awfQl state
The Godlike her5 sate

On his imperial throne ;
His valiant peers were placed aroiind,
Their brows with roses and with myrtles bound
(S6 should desert in arms be crowned.)
The lovely Thais, by his side,
sate like a blooming Eastern bride
In flower 5f youth and beauty's pride.
Happy, happy, happy pair !
None bfit the brave,
None btit the brave,
None bQt the brave deserves the fair.
Chorus —

Happy, happy, happy pair !
None bfit the brave,
None but the brave.
None btit the brave deserves the fair.
John Dryden — "Alexander's Feast ; or, the Power of Music."

Thfls bright fSrever miiy she keep

Her fires 6f tolerant Freedom biirning,

Till wiir's red eyes are charmed t6 sleep
And bells ring home the boys returning.

Jolm Hay — "Centennial,"

258 THE ART Oh POETRY.

THE BALLAD.

It is only in very enlightened communities that books
are readily accessible. Metrical composition, therefore,
which, in a highly civilized nation, is a mere luxur}% is, in
nations imperfectly civilized, almost a necessary of life, and
is valued less on account of the pleasure which it gives to
the ear, than on account of the help which it gives to the
memory. A man who can invent or embellish an interest
ing story, and put it into a form which others may easily
retain in their recollection, will be always highly esteemed
by a people eagei* for amusement and information, but
destitute of libraries. Such is the origin of ballad-poetry,
a species of composition which scarcely ever fails to spring
up and flourish in every society, at a certain point in the
progress towards refinement. Tacitus informs us that songs
were the only memorials of the past which the ancient
Germans possessed. We learn from Lucan and from Am-
mianus Marcellinus that the brave actions of the ancient
Gauls were commemorated in the verses of Bards. During
many ages, and through many revolutions, minstrelsy re-
tained its influence over both Teutonic and the Celtic race.
The vengeance exacted by the spouse of Attila for the murder
of Siegfried was celebrated in rhymes, of which Germany is
still justly proud.

The exploits of Athelstane were commemorated by the
Anglo-Saxons, and those of Canute by the Danes, in rude
poems, of which a few fragments have come down to us.
The chants of the Welsh harpers, preserved, through ages
of darkness, a faint and doubtful memory of Arthur. In
the Highlands of Scotland may still be gleaned some relics
of the old songs about Cuthullln and Fingal. The long

OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY.

259

Struggle of the Servians against the Ottoman power was
recorded in lays full of martial spirit.

We learn from Herrera that when a Peruvian Inca died, men
of skill were appointed to celebrate him in verses, which all
the people learned by heart and sang in public on days of
festival. The feats of Kurroglou, the great freebooter of
Turkistan, recounted in ballads composed by himself, are
known in every village of Northern Persia.

Captain Beechey heard the Bards of the Sandwich Islands
recite the heroic achievements of Tamehameha, the most
illustrious of their kings. Mungo Park found in the heart
of Africa a class of singing men, the only annalists of
their rude tribes, and heard them tell the story of the victory
which Damel. the negro prince of the Jaloffs, won over Ab-
dulkader, the Musselman tyrant of Foota Torra. This
species of poetry attained a high degree of excellence
among the Castilians, before they began to copy Tuscan
patterns. It attained a still higher degree of excellence
among the English and the Lowland Scotch, during the
fourteenth, fifteenth, and sixteenth centuries. But it reached
its full perfection in ancient Greece ; for there can be no
doubt that the great Homeric poems aregenerically ballads,
though widely distinguished from all other ballads, and
indeed from almost all other human compositions, by tran-
scendent sublimity and beauty.

Lord Macaulay.

Among the modern poets, Schiller, Goethe, Hood, Cow-
per, Carleton, Tennyson, Lang and Dobson have written
some of the finest ballads. William Cowper's " John Gil-
pin's Ride," is a ballad known to almost every one.

.'?6o THE ART OF POETRY.

Thomas Campbell ranks as one of the best of English
writers, and few ballads have been more popular with the
general reader than "Lord Ullin's Daughter." Thomas
Hood was an inimitable writer, one who could spin puns and
take even the bright side of life when adversity was his
almost constant companion. His " Faithless Nelly Gray "
is a ballad that will ever be remembered, and his work
abounds with good things in this species of poetry. Oliver
Wendell Holmes has also given to the world some excellent
ballads.

Our common English ballads record in easy verse incidents
and adventures. Here is a stanza of one of the earlier
ballads :

CHEVY CHASE.

." The drivers through thS wo6ds went

For t6 rouse thg deer,
BowmSn hovfired Qpon th6 bent'

With their brSad arrOws clear,
ThSn thg wild deer through thS wo6ds went

On every side full shear, ^
Greyh5unds through th6 grOve glent^

For t6 kill thgse deer."

* Upland. - Many. ' Chased.

The ballad of today is in higher favor than poems of a
didactic character. The ballads of the present day are not
merely simple narratives without any symbolical meaning ;
they are artistic tales, in conception grand, and in execution
perfect, and are frequently of an exceedingly high order.
Schiller's ballads are among his best poems, and he, without
doubt, was second to none of Germany's great poetic
geniuses. "The Diver" is one of his most fascinating

OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY. 26 1

ballads. With admirable art the poet has heightened the
effect of one of the best German stories by ornamenting
the poem with those graces of description which were ever
at his command. He selects anapestic rhythm, which he
uses with such metrical beauty that from the commencement
until the conclusion the reader is carried along entranced by
the simple style of recital of which Schiller was a master.
We select three stanzas :

Thgn outspSke th6 daughter in tender SmotiSn —
"Ah ! father, my father, what more cSn there rest?

finough 6f this sport with the pitiless ocean —

He has served thee Ss none wotild, thyself hast c5nfest.

If nothing can slake thy wild thirst 5f desire,

Let thy knights ptit t6 shame the exploit Of the squire ! "

The King seized the goblet, he swung it 6n high,

And whirling, it fell in the roar 5f the tide ;
" BQt bring back that goblet again t5 my eye,

And I'll hold thee the dearest that rides by my side ;
And thine arms shall embrace as thy bride, I decree.
The maiden wh5se pity n5w pleadeth for thee."

And heaven, as he listened, spoke out frOm the space,

And the hope that makes herOes shOt flame frOm his eyes ;

He gazed 6n the blush in that beautif Ql face —
It pales— at the feet 6f her father she lies !

H6w priceless the guerd5n ! — a moment, a breath,

And headl5ng he plunges tO life and t6 death.

John Hay is the author of "Jim Bludsoe," "BantyTim,"
and "Little Breeches," three excellent ballads in dialect.
Mr. Hay is a fascinating author of both prose and poetry,
whose verse has an air of polished personality. We have
selected the following stanza from " Banty Tim," originally
published in Harper s Magazine.

262 TfiE. ART OF POETRY.

L6rd ! how th6 hot sQn went f5r us,

And br'iled find bUstgred Snd burned !
H6w the Rebel buUfits whizzed rSund us

Wh6n a cuss tn his death-grip turned !
Till along toward dtisk 1 seen a thing

1 couldn't believe f6r a spell :
That niggSr — that Tim— was a crawlin' t6 me

Throtigh that fire-pro6f, gilt-Sdged hell !

Oliver Wendell Holmes has written a ballad of early-
New England life entitled, " Agnes," from which we have
selected the following stanza :

The old, 6ld story, — fair and young,

And fond, — and not to6 wise, —
That matrons tell with sharpened tongue

T6 maids with downcast eyes.

Of Tennyson's ballads, " Locksley's Hall," "Lady
Clare" " The Lord of Burleigh," and " Edward Gray" are
the finest. No prettier ballad adorns the English language
than ' ' Lady Clare : ' '

It was the time whSn lilies blow,

And clouds are highest up in air,
L6rd Ronald brought a lily-white doe

T5 give his cousin. Lady Clare.

THE ELEGY.

To be able to move the affections should be the greatest
aim and effort of the poet. To be able to touch the heart-
strings of mankind is a rare gift and power, and he who
succeeds in doing so is a benefactor of mankind. One of
our most delightful writers, who has given to the world
dialect poetry that has pleased all mankind, refused the offer

OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY. 263

of a large sum in the lecture field, that he might continue to
write poems and give to the world his book offerings. He
said there was a little monitor within his breast that told him
this was a duty he owed to mankind. It is not, however,
altogether his poems in dialect that makes Riley one of
the most lovable of poets. He owes a greater part of his
popularity to his power to reach the human heart in depict-
ing the scenes of daily life, which he seizes upon and makes
the themes of his poetry. Brush away the dialect from
Riley's poems and you still have thoughts and expressions
that glitter like polished diamonds, and which carry you
entranced throughout the reading, on account of the deep
feeling that pervades his every thought. His lines are full
of tender sympathy, simple pathos, and emotion, that finds
a ready response in the hearts of men who cannot write, but
who feel and see and know well that which is written, and
are ready critics, capable of pronouncing just verdicts. To
this class of readers Riley owes his wide popularity. His
poetry is not unlike Gray, Burns, Moore, and Cowper, of
the past generation ; and it ranks with Longfellow, Tenny-
son, Whittier, Bryant, Holmes, and Lowell, of the present
generation in its elegiac character. The elegy combines
simplicity and pathos; and a tenderness that frequently
springs from an overpowering melancholy. Elegiac poetry
must necessarily be begotten of the finest impulse of the
human soul. It is always of the mournful and somewhat
contemplative class of poetry. It appeals directly to the
sympathies of mankind. It may or it may not express
grief, yet a tone of melancholy always pervades the senti-
ment, frequently born of the burning heart-throbs of despair
that seizes upon the gifted sons of song, from whose wretch-
edness, and sorrow, and intense feelings thousands of readers
receive joy and delight.

264 THE AR 1 OF POE TR Y.

Elegiac poetry is various in character. The grief that
one heart expresses another pours out in a manner entirely
different, although both show and express the tenderness
and pathos of a sensitive and fine nature. Let us make a
few selections from James Whitcomb Riley :

Wh^n Bessie died —

W6 writhed in prayer finsatisfied ; '

W6 begged 6f God, Snd He did smile

In silence on tis all thS while ;

And we did see Him, throOgh 6ur tears,

Enfolding that fSir form 6f hers,

ShS laughing back Sgainst His love

The kissfes we had nothing of —

And death t6 us Hfi still denied,

Whgn Bessie died.

" When Bessie Died."

What can be more expressive than the stanza selected
from the poem entitled, "Little Mahala Ashcraft ? " We
select the fourth stanza. Its lines are iambic heptameter :

ThSy's sorr6w in th6 wavin' leaves 6f all th6 applg-trees ;
And s6rr6w in the harvfist-sheaves, find s6rr5w in th6 breeze ;
And sorrOw in thS twitter of the swallSrs 'round th6 shed ;
And all the song hgr red-bird sings is " Littlg Haly's dead ! "

"A Leave Taking" is a poem full of that rare beauty
peculiar to the writings of Riley — human nature vividly

portrayed :

1 kiss the eyes
On either lid,
Where her I5ve lies
F6rever hid.

1 cease my weeping

And smile Snd say :
I will be sleeping

Thus, s6me day !

OF 7 HE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETR Y. 265

How beautiful these lines. Every word comes from the
depths of deep thought, sad and reflective :

Th6n the face 6f & Mother lo6ks back, throtigh the mist

Of the tears thSt 5re welling ; and, lucSnt with light,
I see the dear smile 6f the lips I hSve kissed

As she knelt by my cradle, at morning Snd night ;
Biit my arms are 6utheld, with a yearning to6 wild

F6r any bQt God in His love t6 inspire,
As she pleads at the foot 6f His throne f6r her child, —

As I sit in silence and gaze in the fire.

Riley — " Envoy."

" In the Dark " is another pathetic poem from which we
have selected two stanzas :

And I think Of the smihng faces

That Qsed tO watch and wait.
Till the click Of the clock was answered

By the click Of the opening gate —

They are not there now in the evening —

Morning Or noon — nOt there ;
Yet 1 know that they keep their vigil,

And wait f6r me S6mewhere.

The poet Coleridge has defined an elegy to be that form
of poetry natural to the reflective mind. It may treat of
any subject, but must treat of no subject for itself, but, always
and exclusively with reference to the poet himself.

Riley's peculiar genius is such that while he may have
many imitators there can never be but one Riley. If we
read his poems as the swallow skims the air, we might be
led to say there is nothing but frivolity and fun in all his
writings. This is not true, however. While many of his

266 THE AR T OF POE TK Y.

poems abound in the pleasantries of life and are mirth-provok-
iiig, few writers deal more directly with the sad perversities
of life :

N6w — sad perversity ! My theme

Of rarest, purest joy
Is when, in fancy blest, I dream

1 am a little boy.

Riley — " Envoy."

From deep sorrow ofttimes comes great joy, — for out of
sorrow or sadness may come joy to the sons of song, after
the teardrops have been wiped away from the soulful eye.
The misfortunes that seemingly are the inheritance of some
of our great men of letters, have given the staid old world an
inheritance in the writings of these gifted sons that delights
and benefits mankind, even though these treasures are
frequently wrung from their very heart's blood. The blind-
ness of Milton gave the world some of the rarest of poetic
gems. The melancholy of Gray gave the world an elegy
that has never been equaled. The great elegiac effort of
Tennyson, "In Memoriam," at the death of his friend,
Arthur Hallam, is the echoings of a sad and sorrowful heart.
Tennyson who was afflicted from his infancy with a lack of
good eyesight, never mingled with the gay festivous world
or dealt with its frivolities. To him the death of a friend
like Sir Arthur meant something, and he sorrowed over his
loss, and sorrowing gave to the world " In Memoriam : "

I sometimes hold it half a sin

T5 put in words the grief I feel :

F6r words, like NatQre, half reveal
And half cfinceal the Soul within.

OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY. 267

BGt, for thg Qnqulfit heart Snd brain,

A use tn meastired language lies ;

ThS sad tn&hanTc exercise,
Ltke dull narcotTcs, numbing pain.

In words, Uke weeds, I'll wrap mS o'er,
Like coarsest clothes 3gainst thS cold ;
Bflt that large grief which these Enfold

Is given Kn outline and n6 more.

Tennyson — " In Memoriam."

William Cullen Bryant wrote ' ' Thanatopsis ' ' at the age
of eighteen years. His own version of how it came to be
written is here given : "Wandering in the primeval forest
over the floor of which were scattered the gigantic trunks of
fallen trees, mouldering for long years, and suggesting an
indefinitely remote antiquity, and where silent rivulets swept
along through the carpets of dead leaves, the spoil of thous-
ands of summers, the poem 'Thanatopsis' was composed."
Richard Henry Dana, who was then one of the brilliant
young editors of the North American Review, and who
was himself a gifted poet, saw beauty in the lines and gave
the poem to the world, — its author's fame was made. Many
beautiful lines of the elegiac character have since come from
his pen. In "October, 1866," Bryant tenderly embalms
the memory of one to whom he once addressed "Oh
Fairest of the Rural Maids. ' ' Frances Fairchild was the
person to whom he addressed his song, and whom he wedded
and afterwards lived with for nearly half a century. We
select the eighth stanza of " October, 1866 : "

I gaze in sadness, it delights m6 not
T6 look 6n beauty which th6u canst n6t see ;
And, wert th5u by my side, thS dreariest spot
W6re, O, hOw far m6re beaiitifiil t6 me.

268 THE ART OF POETR Y.

These lines of " Thanatopsis," from which we quote,
are a vivid picture of man's destiny.

C6mes a stfll voice : — Y6t a ffew days, Snd thee

The all-b6holding sun shall see n6 more

In all his course ; n6r yet in the c6ld ground,

Where thy pSle form wSs laid, with many tears,

N6r in thg Embrace 6f oc^an, shall gxist

Thy image. Earth, that nourished thee, shall claim

Thy growth, t6 be resolved t6 earth again ;

And, lost each human trace, sQrrendSring up

Thine TndividQal being, shalt th6u go

T6 mix fSrevSr with thS elements ;

T6 be a brother to the insensible rock,

And to the sluggish clod, which the rftde swain

TQms with his share, Snd treads tipon. The oak

Shall send his roots abroad, and pierce thy mold.

Robert Burns was one of Nature's darlings. No poet,
past or present, has so truly depicted the joys and sorrows,
the needs and wrongs, the follies, as well as the passions and
virtues of mankind. In Burns the people of Scotland
found a true representative, especially that strong race of
middle life, from whence have sprung many of the sturdiest
and best men. Burns, however, owes much of his lasting
popularity to elegiac verse. It is said of Burns that he was
grave, serious, contemplative, possessing a thoughtful mind.
While he was the poet of the lowly and espoused their cause
on all occasions, it is a mistake to esteem Burns

" The simple Bard, r6ugh at the rustic plough."

He was reserved and dignified in his demeanor and
commanded the greatest respect among the very best
literary men of his time. He was fairly educated, having
received good instruction in all the common branches, suffic-

OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY.

269

ient to enable him to write, and write correctly. Is it a
wonder then, that one possessed of his high qualities, could
write such lines of ideal beauty, born of study, genius and
inspiration ?

Y6 banks and braes 6' bonnie Doon,

H6w can y6 bloom sSe fresh and fair;
H5w can yS chant. yS littlfi birds.

And I sSe weary fu' 6' care !
Th6u*lt break my heart, th5u warbling bird,

That wantCns through th6 flowering thorn ;
Th6u minds mS o' departed joys.

Departed — nev6r to return 1

Aft hae I roved by bonny Doon,

T6 see thS rose and woodbine twine ;
And ilka bird sang 6' its luve,

And fondly sae did I 6' mine.
Wi' lightsSme heart 1 pou'd a rose,

Fti' sweet Qpon its thorny tree ;
And my fause luv6r stole \\\^ rose,

Btit ah ! he left the thorn wi' me.

Burns — "The Banks of Doon."

Burns tells us in no mistaken strain, how dearly his friend,
Captain Matthew Henderson, was esteemed for his good
fellowship. His elegy, to use his own language, " is a
tribute to the memory of a man I loved much." We select
the fifth stanza :

M6urn, little harebells o'er the lea !
Ye stately f6xgl6ves fair t6 see 1
Ye woodbines, hanging bonnilie.

In scented bowers !
Ye roses on yoQr thorny tree.

The first 5' flowers !

"Lines on M. Henderson."

270 ^^tIE ART OF POETRY.

Noble and pathetic are the hnes in memory of Mary-
Campbell, one whom Burns had loved. The words are
sweet music, penned by a sad heart three years after the
death of his Mary, in October, 1789, on the anniversary of
her death.

Th6u lingering star, with lessening ray,

That lovest t6 greet thS early morn.
Again th6u iisherest in th6 day

My Mary from my soul wis torn.
6 Mary 1 dear departed shade !

Wh6re is thy place 5f blissful rest ?
Segst thou thy lovSr lowly laid ?

HearesTthou thg groans that rend his breast?

That sacred hour can I f 5rget,

Can I fCrget th6 halI5wed grove,
Where by thS winding Ayr w6 met,

T5 live 5ne day 6f parting love !
£ternity will not efface

Th5se rec5rds dear 6f transports past.
Thy image at 6ur last embrace, —

Ah ! little thought we 'twas 6ur last !

Ayr, gurgling, kissed his pebbled shore,

O'erhung with wild wo6ds, thickening green ;
The fragrant birch, and hawth5rn hoar.

Twined amorotis round the raptQred scene ;
The flowers sprang wantOn to be prest,

The birds sang love 6n every spray —
Till too, to5 soon, the glowing west

Prdclaimed the speed 6f winged day.

Still o'er these scenes my memory wakes,

And fondly broods with miser care ;
Time but th' impressi6n stronger makes,

As streams their channels deeper wear.

OF THE VAKIOUS KLXDS OF POETRY. 27 1

0 Mary ! dear departed shade !

Where is thy place 6f blissf Ql rest ?
StJest thou thy lovSr lowly laid ?

HSarest thou thS groans thSt rend his breast?

" To Mary in Heaven."

We could multiply examples from Burns, but one more
will suffice, a stanza in memory of '' Highland Mary,"
— Mary Campbell of Dunoon, on the Firth of Clyde.

Thy crystal stream, Aft6n, h6w lovely it glides,
And winds by thg cot where my Mary resides ;
H5w want6n thy waters h6r snowy feSt lave,
As gathering sweSt flowerets sh6 stems thy cl6ar wave.

" Flow Gently, Sweet Afton."

Emerson, while he may not rank with our most celebrated
poets, has left a volume of poetry that finds a high place in
literature. He is universally conceded to be one of the first
of prose writers ; and we may add, to him the world is also
indebted for poetry that must always be held in high esteem
for its elevated thoughts. Emerson was a thinker. His
poetry, therefore, is not of that dreamy nature peculiar to
many of our most gifted artists in song. His poetry is
refined, elegant and subtle, calm and serene. His poems
are not characterized by that peculiar fever-heat which
belongs only to the masters. To Emerson, however, we
must credit one of the best of elegies. It was in memory
of his lost child — his ' ' hyacinthine boy. ' ' It was born of the
sorrow that brings mankind to tears. It was born of that
sorrow only those can feel and realize who have lost one
most near and dear. It was born of that sorrow where tear-
drops cease to flow, and the sorrowing heart ceases to be
comforted ; and torn and rent, gives voice to its feelings in
elegiac verse, — verse that beats time to the aching heart-
throbs, and tells its story in an outburst of sorrow.

272 THE ART OF POETRY.

6 child 6f paradise,

B6y who made dear his father's home,

In whose de^p eyes

M6n read thg welfare of th6 times t5 come,

1 am to6 much bereft :

The world dishon5red thou hast left.

0 truth's and natQre's costly lie !

0 trusted broken prophecy !

(3 richest fortCine sourly crossed !

B6rn for the f utQre, to the f utQre lost !

Enter S071 — "Threnody. "

It was Lord Macaulay, we believe, who said Gray would
go down to posterity with a thinner volume of verse than
any other one of our great poets. Gray was a timid youth,
one so fearful seemingly of mankind, that he was almost a
recluse. Gray had a fine sensitive nature ; his fiber was
more of heaven than of earth, and he was ill fitted to cope
with anything rude or boisterous. His fellow studrnts
accused him of being over fastidious, but his nature and
organization was higher and he could ill enjoy their vulgar
sports. Though not a writer of a great number of poems
Gray has written what might be termed the greatest of all
poems, his "Elegy Written In a Country Churchyard,"
completed and published in 1751. The favor in which it
was received surprised even its author, who said sarcastic-
ally, that it was owing entirely to the subject, and that the
public would have received it equally well in prose. There
is no poem in the English language more decidedly popular.
It appeals to a feeling all but universal, — applicable to all
ranks and classes of society. The poem exhibits the highest
poetic sensibility and the most cultivated taste. No poem
in the English language is more figurative, nor is there any
of greater metrical beauty. The popularity which it first

OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY.

273

attained, today continues unabated. The original manu-
script bequeathed by the poet to his friend, Mr. Mason, is
still in existence. It sold in 1845 for five hundred dollars ;
in 1854 it was again placed upon the market, bringing the
fabulous sum of six hundred and fifty-five dollars. The
original manuscript was written with a crow-quill, a favorite
pen of the author, on four sides of a double half sheet of
yellow foolscap, in a neat, legible hand. Gray had but one
enemy in life — the gout, from which he died. He lived
contentedly and in comparative ease, devoting his time to
travel and books, of which he was ever fond. A delicate,
handsome, effeminate soul, he lived and died one of the
greatest of literary geniuses. The entire elegy is here
given :

The curfew tolls the knell of parting day,
The lowing herd winds slowly o'er the lea.

The ploughman homewSrd plods his weary way,
And leaves the world t6 darkness and t6 me.

N6\v fades the glimmering landscape on the sight.
And all the air a solemn stillness holds,

Stive where the beetle wheels his droning flight,
And drowsy tinklings lull the distant folds :

save that, fr6m yonder ivy-mantled tower,
The moping owl does to the moon c5mplain

Of such as, wandering near her secret bower,
M61est her ancient solitary reign.

Beneath thOse rugged elms, that yew-tree's shade,
Where heaves the tiirf in many a mouldering heap,

Kach in his narr6w cell fSrever laid,

The rude forefathers of the hamlet sleep.

274

THE ART OF POETRY.

The breezy call 6f incSnse-breathtng morn,

The swall6\v twittering from th6 straw-buTlt shed,

The cock's shrill clari6n, or th6 ech5Ing horn,
N6 more shall rouse thSm from thgir lowly bed.

F6r them n6 more thfi blazing hearth shall burn,
Or bus)^ housewife ply h6r evening care ;

N6 children run t6 lisp their sire's rgtiirn,
Or climb his knees th6 envied kiss t5 share.

Oft did the harvest to their sicklS yield,
Their furrow oft th6 stubborn glebe hSs broke ;

H5w jocund did th^y drive their team afield !

H6w bowed thg woods beneath their sturdy stroke !

Let not SmbitiSn mock thgir iiseffll toil,
Their homely joys, and destiny 5bscure ;

N5r grandeQr hear with a disdainf ill smile
The short and simple annals of the poor.

The boast 5f heraldry, the pomp 6f power,
And all that beauty, all that wealth e'er gave,

Await alike the inevitable hour ;
The paths 6f glor^ lead but to the grave.

N6r you, ye proud, impute t6 these the fault,
If memory o'er their tomb n6 trophies raise,

Where through the long-drawn aisle and fretted vault
The pealing anthem swells the note Gf praise.

can storied iirn, 6r animated bust.

Back to its mansion call the fleeting breath ?

can honor's voice pr5v6ke the silent dust,
Or flattery soothe the diill c61d ear Of death ?

Perhaps in this neglected spot is laid
■ S5me heart Once pregnant with celestial fire ;
Hands that the rod Of empire might have swayed,
Or waked tO ecstasy the living lyre ;

OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY.

Bat Knowledge to thSir eyes hgr amplg page
Rich with the spoils 5f time did ne'er tinroll ;

Chill pentiry repressed thSir nobIS rage,
And froze thS genial cixrrSnt of thg soul.

FQll many S gem 6f piirgst ray sfirene
The dark tinfath5med caves 6f oceSn bear ;

Ftill many a flower is born t5 blush tinseen,
And waste its sweetness on th6 desert air.

S5me village Hampdgn, that, with dauntless breast,
The littlS tyrant of his fields withstood,

S6me mute ingloriotis Milt5n here may rest,
S6me CromwSU guiltless of his country's blood.

Th6 applause 6f listening senates to c5mmand,
Th6 threats 6f pain and ruin to despise,

T5 scatter plenty o'er a smiling land.

And read thgir history in a natiSn's eyes,

Thfeir lot fSrbade: nor circumscribed alone
Their growing virtues, but thgir crimes c6nfined ;

F6rbade t5 wade throQgh slaughter to a throne.
And shiit th6 gates 5f mercy on mankind,

The striiggling pangs 6f consciotis triith t6 hide,
T6 quench thS blushfis of ingenuofis shame.

Or heap thS shrine 5f luxtiry and pride
With incense kindled at thS Miise's flame.

Far from the madding crowd's ignoble strife,
Their sober wishes never learned to stray ;

Along the cool sequestered vale 6f life
They kept the noiseless tenor of their way.

Yet even these bOnes from insult t6 prStect,
S6me frail memorial still, erected nigh.

With iinco&th rhymes and shapeless sciilptflre decked.
Implores the passing tribtite of a sigh.

275

276

THE ART OF POETRY.

Their name, their years, spelt by th' iinlett6red Muse,

The place Of fame and elegy sGpply :
And many S holy text Ground she strews,

That teach the rustic moralist t5 die.

•
F5r who, t6 dumb f5rgetf fllness a prey,

This pleasing anxious being e'er resigned,
Left the warm precincts of the cheerfQl day,

N5r cast 6ne longing, lingering look behind ?

On some f 5nd breast the parting soul relies,
S6me pioQs drops the closing eye requires ;

fi'en from the tomb the voice 5f nattJre cries,
E'en in 6ur ashes live their wonted fires.

F5r thee, wh5, mindfQl of th' tinh6n5red dead,

DOst In these lines their artless tale relate :
If chance, by lonely contemplation led,

SOme kindred spirit shall inquire thy fate, —

I
Haply s6me hoary-headed swain mSy say :

Oft have we seen him at the peep 5f dawn
Brushing with hasty steps the dews away,

T6 meet the sun tipon the iipland lawn.

There at the foot 5f yonder nodding beech,
That wreathes its old fantastic roots sO high.

His listless length at noontide would he stretch,
And pore Qpon the brook that babbles by.

Hard by y5n wood, nOw smiling, as in scorn,
Muttering his wayward fancies, he woQld rove ;

N6w drooping, woeftil-wan, like one fOrlorn,
Or crazed vvitli care, Or crossed in hopeless love.

One morn I missed him on the 'customed hill,
Along the heath, and near his favorite tree ;

Another came ; nOr yet beside the rill,
NOr up the lawn, nOr at the wood was he :

OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY. 277

The next, with dirgSs due, in sad array,

Slow through th6 church-wSy path wS saw him borne: —
Approach Snd read (fbr thou cSnst read) th6 lay

Graved 6n thg stone bgneath y5n agSd thorn.

THE EPITAPH.

Here rests his head tipon th6 lap 6f earth
A youth t6 fortQne and t6 fame tlnknown :

Fair Science frowned n6t on his humblS birth,
And Melancholy marked him foT hSr own.

Large was his bounty, and his soul sincere ;

Heaven did a rec5mpense as largely send ;
He gave t6 misery (all h6 had) a tear,

He gained fr6m Heaven ('twas all he wished) S friend.

N6 farther seek his merits to disclose.
Or draw his frailties from their dread abode,

(There they alike in trembling hope rep6se\
The bosOm of his Father and his God.

It was Wolfe, the hero of Quebec, on the eve of that
decisive battle, gliding down the St. Lawrence in the dark-
ness of midnight with his fellow officers in a boat, who re-
peated the elegy to them. At the close of the recitation
said he : " Now, gentlemen, I would rather be the author
of that poem than take Quebec ! " In a few hours after-
wards Wolfe had taken Quebec. Yet the path of glory led
but to the grave.

The elegy properly speaking may be classed as lyric
poetry. Many other beautiful elegies might be given.
Shelley's " Adonais" on the death of his friend and brother
bard, John Keats, is one of the finest in the English language.

John Milton's "Lycidas," commemorative of the virtues of

278

THE AR T OF POE TR Y.

his friend, Edmund King ; Collins' " Dirge in Cymbeline,"
and Burns' " Man Was Made To Mourn," are all fine speci-
mens of elegiac verse. The elegy is one of the grandest of
all departments in the realm of poetical literature.

THE EPITAPH.

An Epitaph is an inscription on a monument in honor or
memory of the dead. Many of these inscriptions were
formerly written in quaint and curious verse. Our ancestors
were given to epitaphic writing more than the writers of the
present day. Another definition given is, a eulogy in prose
or verse composed without any intent to be engraven on a
monument ; hence an epitaph may be termed a brief de-
scriptive poem commemorative of the virtues of the dead.
An epitaphic stanza in iambics :

Ere sin cotild blight 5r s6rr5w fade,

Death came with friendly care ;
TI16 opening bud t5 Heaven c5nveyed.

And bade it bloss6m there.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge — "Epitaph On An Infant."

The following epitaph is also in iambic rhythm :

St6p, mortal ! Here thj^ brother lies —

The Poet of the Poor.
His books were rivers, woods, and skies,

The meadOw and the moor ;
His teachers were the torn heart's wail,

The tyrant and the slave,
The street, the factory, the gaol,

The palace — and the grave !
Sin met thy brother everywhere !

And is thy brother blamed ?
Frf)m passiSn, danger, doubt, and care,

He no exemption claimed.

Ebe7tezer Elliott — "A Poet's Epitaph."

OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY. 279

The following is an elegant epitaph in trochaic rhythm :

tJndSmeath thTs marble hearse
Lies the subject of all verse,
Sydney's sister, — Pembroke's mother.
Death, Sre thou hSst slain another
Fair Snd wise and good Ss she,
Time shall throw a dart at thee !

Marble piles ISt no man raise
To h6r name Kn aftfer days ;
Some kind woman, born as she,
Reading this, like Ni5be
Shall tQrn marble, and become
Both h^r moumgr and hgr tomb.
Benjonson — "Epitaph on the Countess of Pembroke."

The stanzas following are in iambic rhythm :

Is there a whim-lnspirfid fool,

Owre fast fbr thought, 6wre hot R3r rule,

dwre blate t6 seek, 6wre proud t6 snool ;

LSt him draw near,
And owre this grassy heap sing dool,

And drap a tear.

Is there a bard 6f rustic song,

Wh6, noteless, steals th6 crowd among, '

That weekly this area throng ;

6, pass n5t by ;
BQt, with a frater-feeling strong,

H6re heave a sigh !

Is there a man wh6se judgment clear
Can others teach the course t6 steer.
Yet runs himself life 's mad career.

Wild as the wave ;
Here pause, and, through the starting tear,

SQrvey this grave.

28o THE AR T OF FOE TF V.

Th6 poor inhabitant below

WSs quick t6 learn &nd wise itS know,

And keenly felt thg friendly glow,

And sober flame ;
Btit thoughtless follies laid him low,

And stained his name !

Reader, attend, — whether thy soul
Sftars fancy's flights beyond the pole.
Or darkly grubs this earthly hole,

In low pursuit ;
Kn6w, prudent, cautiotis self-c6ntr6l

Is wisdom's root.

Robert B2irtis — " A Bard's Epitaph.

The lines following, in iambic rhythm, were written
August 20th, 1755 :

Beneath thS stone brSve Bradd6ck lies,
Wh6 alwSys hated cowardice,
Btit fell a savage sacrifice ;

Amidst his Indian foes.
1 charge yoti, herSes, of the ground,
T5 guard his dark pavili6n round,
And keep 6fFall Obtruding sound,

And cherish his repose.

Sleep, sleep, I say, brave, valiant miin,
B61d death, at last, has bid thee stand,
And to resign thy great c5mmand.

And cancel thy c5mmissi5n ;
Although th5u didst n5t much incline.
Thy post and honSrs to resign,
N6w ir5n slumber doth c6nfine ;

N6ne envies thy c6nditi5n.

Tilden — ''An Epitaph for Braddock."

OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY. 281

*THE PASTORAL.

Pastoral poetry, strictly speaking, is that which celebrates
rustic or rural life or deals with the objects of external
nature. In times gone by pastoral poetry was used to
depict shepherd life by means of narratives, songs and dia-
logues. The pastoral poems of Virgil were called Ec-
logues. An Eclogue is a pastoral in which shepherds are
represented as conversing. Theocritus wrote pastoral poems
termed Idyls. An Idyl is a short descriptive pastoral.
The term Idyllic poetry is now applied to the pastoral.
This variety of poetry is very popular, and meets with a
just appreciation by the public. Pastoral poetry depicts all
the beauties of rural life, — mountain scenery, lowland vales,
majestic rivers, expansive lakes, rifting clouds, birds, beasts,
insects, flowers, and rural scenes ; and rural sports in all their
various phases, are subjects of this kind of poetry. Poems
of nature are classed under this head, as the following iambic
lines : '

(I).

H5w beautiftll is th§ rain !

After the dust and heat,

In the broad And fiery street,

In the narrow lane,

H6w beautifai is th6 rain !

H6w ft clatters along thg roofs.

Like the tramp 5f hoofs !

H6w ft gOshes and strQgglgs out

Fr6m th6 throat 6f the overflowing spout !

*P"or The Sonnet, see page 107. The Epigram, see page 203.

282 THE ART OF POETRY.

Across thS wind6w-pane
It pours and pours ;
And swift find wide,
With a muddy tide,
Like a rivSr down th6 gutter roars
The rain, the welcOme rain !
The sick man fr6m his chamber looks
At the twisted brooks ;
He can feel the cool
Breath 6f each little pool ;
His fevered brain
GrOws calm again,

And he breathes a blessing on the rain.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow — " Rain in Summer.

(2).

G6ne, gone, s6 soon !
N5 more my half-crazed fancy there
can shape a giant in the air,
N6 more 1 see his streaming hair,
The writhing portent of his form ; —

The pale and quiet moon
Makes her calm forehead bare,
And the last fragments of the storm,
Like shattered rigging from a fight at sea.
Silent and few, are drifting over me.

James Russell Lowell — " Summer Storm.

(3).

H6w sweet, at set 6f sun, t6 view

Thy golden mirr6r spreading wide,
And see the mist 6f mantling blue

F16at round the distant mountain's side.

James Gates Percival — "To Seneca Lake.

OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY. 283

(4).

Whtch is the wind that brings the flowers ?

The west-wind, Bessie ; find soft and low
The birdies sing in the summer hours

When the west begins t6 blow.
Edmund Clarence Stedman — "What the Winds Bring."

(5).

Lithe and long as the serpent train,

Springing and clinging fr5m tree t6 tree,
N6w darting upward, n5w down again,

With a twist and a twirl that are strange t5 see ;
Never to6k serpent a deadlier hold,

Never the coiigar a wilder spring,
Strangling the oak with the boa's fold.

Spanning the beach with the condftr's wing.

William Gilmore Sitnms — ' ' The Grap>e- Vine Swing. ' '

(6).

" Wh6 planted this 61d apple-tree ? "
The children of that distant day
ThQs to s6me aged man shall say ;
And, gazing on its mossy stem.
The gray-haired man shall answer them :

"A poet of the land was he,
B6rn in the rude bQt good 6ld times ;
'Tis said he made s6me quaint Old rhymes

6n planting the apple-tree."
William. Cullen Bryanl — " The Planting of the Apple-Tree."

(7).

A song fbr the plant 6f my 6wn native West,

Where nattire and freedom reside,
By plenty still crowned, and by peace evSr blest,

T6 the corn ! the green corn 6f her pride !

284

THE ART OF POETRY.

In climes 5f thg East hSs th6 olive been sung,
And the grape be6n the theme 5f their lays ;

Btit f5r thee shall S harp 6f the backwo5ds be strung,
ThoQ bright, ever beautiffll maize !

William W. Fosdick — "The Maize."

(8),

Btit look ! 6'er the fall see the angler stand.
Swinging his rod with skillfGl hand ;
The fly at the end 5f his gossSmer line

Swims throiigh the sun like S summer moth,
Till, dropt with S careful precisiSn fine,

It touches the pool beyond the froth.
A-siidden, the speckled hawk 6f the brook
Darts from his covert and seizes the hook.
Swift spins the reel ; with easy slip
The line pays oiit, and the rod, like a whip.
Lithe and arrOwy, tapering, slim,
Is bent t6 a bow 6'er the brooklet's brim,
Till the trout leaps iip in the siin, Snd flings
The spray fr5m the flash 6f his finny wings ;
Then falls 5n his side, and, drunken with fright,

Is towed t5 the shore like a staggering barge,

Till beached at last 5n the sandy marge.
Where he dies with the hues 5f the morning light.
While his sides with a cliister 5f stars are bright.
The angler in his basket lays
The consteilatiSn, and goes his ways.

Thomas Buchanan Read — " The Angler."

(9)-

0, fruit l5ved of b6yho5d ! the 5ld days recalling ;

When wood-grapes were purpling and brown nQts were falling !

When wild, ligly faces we carved in its skin.

Glaring out throtigh the dark with a candle within !

When we laughed r5und the corn-heap, with hearts all in tune,

Our chair a br6ad pumpkin, oOr lantern the moon,

OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY. 285

Telling tales 6f the fairy wh6 traveled like steam
In a pumpkin-shell coach, with tw6 rats f5r her team !
Then thanks f6r thy present ! — n6ne sweeter 6r better
£'er smoked fr6m Sn oven 6r circled S platter !
Fairer hands never wrought it S pastry m6re fine,
Brighter eyes never watched 5'er its baking, than thine !
And the prayer, which my mouth is to6 fiill t6 express,
Swells my heart that thy shad6w may never be less,
That the days 5f thy lot mSy be lengthened below,
And the fame 6f thy worth like a pumpkin-vine grow.
And thy life be as sweet, and its last sunset sky
Golden-tinted and fair is thy own pumpkin-pie !

John Greenleaf Whittier — " The Pumpkin."

Tennyson' s ' ' Idyls of the King, ' ' Burns' s ' ' Cotter' s Satur-
day Night," Allan Ramsay's "Gentle Shepherd," Shen-
stone's "Pastoral Ballads," are fine examples of pastoral
poetry ; while Wordsworth, Cowper, and Swinburne abound
in this excellent verse. Of our American poets, Longfellow,
Whittier, Bryant, John Hay, James Whitcomb Riley, Bret
Harte, and Joaquin Miller have poems that will rank with
the best of English productions.

THE DIDACTIC.

It has been said no subject is so unpromising it has not
been selected by some one as a beautiful theme. Didactic
poetry ha'' been oftenest employed in the presentation of the
various themes thus selected ; for, differing from other
poetry, its chief aim and object is instruction. Poetry of this
species is accompanied with poetic reflection, illustrations
and episodes.

Didactic poems are often seemingly dry and prosaic ;
they are, however, many of them full of interest, filled with
noble thoughts, and when considered as poetical essays,

286 THE ART OF POETRY.

may be classed among our finest literature — considered from
a purely moral and didactic standpoint. Many didactic
poems, however, are highly ornamental in figurative
language and metrical beauty :

The ' ' Essay on Criticism ' ' and ' ' Essay on Man ' ' by
Alexander Pope, Cowper's "Task," Wordsworth's "Ex-
cursion," Dryden's "Hind and Panther," Campbell's
" Pleasures of Hope."

PHILOSOPHICAL.

Far from my dearfist friend, 'tis mine t5 rove
ThroOgh bare grSy dell, high wood, and pastoral cove,
■ His wizard course whSre hoary Derwgnt takes,
Thr6' crags, and forfist glooms and opening lakes,
Staying his sil6nt waves, t6 hear th6 roar
That stQns thg tremulous cliffs 6f high L5d6re,
Whgre peace t6 Grasmfire's lonely island leads
T6 willowy hedgr6ws, and to emerald meads ;
Leads to hgr bridge, rQde church, and cottaged grounds,
Hgr rocky sheepwalks, and her woodland bounds ;
Where, bosftm'd deep, the shy Winander peeps
'Mid clustering isles, and holy sprinkled steeps ;
Where twilight glens endear my Esthwaite's shore.
And memory of departed pleastlres, more.
Fair scenes ! erewhile I taught, a happy child.
The ech5es of yoflr rocks my car6ls wild ;
Then did n6 ebb 6f cheerfQlness demand
sad tides 5f joy frSm Melancholy's hand ;
In youth's wild eye the livelong day was bright,
The sun at morning, and the stars at night,
Alike, when first the valves the bittern fills
6r the first wo6dc5cks roamed the moonlight hills.
In thoughtless gayety \ course thC plain,
And hope itself was all I knew 5f pain ;
F6r then, even then, the little heart would beat
At times, while yoiing CSntent f6rso6k her seat.

OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY. 287

And wild Impatience, pointing upwSrd, showed,

Where, tipped with gold, the mountain siimmits glowed.

Alas ! the idle tale 5f man is found

Depicted in the dial's moral round ;

With hope Reflecti6n blends her social rays

T5 gild the total tablet of his days ;

Yet still, the sport 5f some malignant power.

He knows bQt from its shade the present hour.

Wordsworth — "An Evening Walk. "

Six years had passed, and forty ere the six.

When Time began t6 play his usual tricks :

The locks 6nce comely in a virgin's sight,

Locks Of pQre brown, displayed th' encroaching white ;

The blood, 6nce fervid, now t6 cool began,

And Time's str6ng presstire to stibdiie the man.

1 rode 6r walked as I was wont before,

BQt now the bounding spirit was n6 more ;

A moderate pace wottld now my bddy heal,

A walk 5f moderate length distress my feet.

I showed my stranger guest th6se hills sQblime,

Bdt said, " The view is poor, we need n6t climb."

At a friend's mansion I began t6 dread

The cold neat parlOr and the gay glazed bed ;

At home 1 felt a more decided taste,

And must have all things in my order placed.

1 ceased t6 hunt ; my horses pleased me less, —

My dinner more ; I learned t6 play at chess.

1 took my dog and gun, bQt saw the brute

Was disappointed that I did n6t shoot.

My morning walks I now coQld bear t6 lose,

And blessed the shower that gave me not t5 choose.

In fact, I felt a languOr stealing on ;

The active arm, the agile hand, were gone ;

Small daily actiOns int5 habits grew.

And new dislike t5 forms and fashions new.

I loved my trees in order to dispose ;

I nijmbered peaches, looked h5w stocks arose ;

Told the same story 6ft, — in short, began t5 prose.

George Crabbe — "Tales of the Hall."

288 THE ART OF POETK Y.

MEDITATIVE.

1 was a stricken deer, that left the herd

L6ng since ; with many an arr5w deep Tnfixed

My panting side was charged, when I withdrew,

T6 seek a tranquil death in distant shades.

There was 1 found by one wh5 had himself

Been hurt by the archers. In his side he bore,

And in his hands and feet, the cruel scars.

With gentle force s61iciting the darts,

He drew them forth, and healed, and bade me live.

Since then, with few associates, in remote

And silent woods I wander, far fr6m those

My former partners of the peopled scene ;

With few associates, and n6t wishing more.

Here much 1 ruminate, as miich I may.

With other views 6f men and manners now

Than once, and others of a life t6 come.

1 see that all are wariderers, gone astray

Each in his own deliisiSns ; they are lost

In chase 6f fancied happiness, still wooed

And never won. Dream after dream ensues ;

And still they dream, that they shall still sdcceed ;

And still are disappointed. Rings the world

With the vain stir. I siim Qp half mankind.

And add tw6-thirds Of the remaining half,

And find the total of their hopes and fears

Dreams, empty dreams.

William Cowper — "The Task."

THE EPIC.

The epic or heroic poem is the longest of all poetical
compositions, consisting of a recital of great and heroic
events. These events are represented as being told by the
hero or some participant in the scenes. There should be a
plot of interest and many actors therein ; added to which
are numerous episodes, incidents, stories, scenes, pomp and

OF THE J-Ak'/OUS A'/A'DS OF POETRY.

289

machinery. This latter term signifies the introduction of
supernatural beings, or, as Mr. Pope said, " a term invented
by the critics to signify that part which the deities, angels
or demons are made to act in a poem, without which no
poem can be admitted as an epic." Fiction, invention and
imagination are all used to an unlimited extent, and all re-
counted in the most elevated style and language.

Epic poetry is subdivided into two classes, — the
Great Epic and the Mock Epic. The Great Epic poem has
for its subject some grand heroic action. English literature
possesses the greatest of all epics — Milton's ''Paradise Lost;"
the Greek literature furnishes the " Iliad " of Homer, while
Roman literature gives us the "^neid" of Virgil, and
modern Italian literature gives us Dante's ' ' Divine Comedy. ' '
None of our poets of late years have attempted a great epic
l)oem, and few civilized races have produced more than one.
Milton's " Paradise Lost," by many of our men of letters,
is considered noble in style, unrivaled in language, artistic
in construction. Ages have come and gone, yet Milton's
grand epic is still considered a work of consummate art.

All was false find h6115w; though his tongue
'i>r6pped mannS, and coflld make the worse appear
The better reas6n, to perplex and dash
Maturfist counsels ; for his thoughts wfire low ;
T6 vice industrious, btit t6 nobler deeds
Timorotts and slothftil : yet hg pleased th6 ear,
And with persuasive acc6nt thus began.

Milton — " Paradise Lost."

THE MOCK EPIC. ,
The Mock Epic is a caricature of the Great Epic. Pope's
"Rape of the Lock," and " The Battle of the Frogs and
Mice, ' ' from an unknown Greek original, attributed to Homer,

290

THE ART OF POETRY.

are notable examples familiar to the reader. Mr. Pope says
of the " Rape of the Lock." " It will be in vain to deny that
I have some regard for this piece, yet you may bear me
witness it was intended only to divert a few young ladies
who have good sense and good humor enough to laugh not
only at their sex's little, unguarded follies, but at their own."

And now, Qnveiled, th6 toilet stands displayed,
Each silver vase in mystic ordgr laid.
First, robed in white, thg nymph intent, adores,
With head iincovgred, the cSsmetic powers.
A heavenly image In th6 glass Appears,
T6 that she bends, t5 that hgr eyes sh6 rears ;
Th' inferior priestSss, at hgr altiir's side.
Trembling begins thfi sacred rites 6f pride.
tTnnumbered treasures ope St once, find here
The variotis offerings of thS world appear ;
Fr6m each she nicely culls with curiotis toil,
And decks the goddess with the glittering spoil.
This casket India's glowing gems iinlocks,
And all Arabia breathes fr5m yonder box.
The tortoise here arid elephant tinite.
Transformed t5 combs, the speckled and tlie white.
Here files 6f pins extend their shining rows,
Pfiffs, powders, patches. Bibles, billet-doCix.
N5w awfiil beaOty piits 5n all its arms ;
The fair each moment rises in her charms.
Repairs her smiles, awakens every grace,
And calls f5rth all the wonders of her face ;
Sees by degrees a purer blush arise.
And keener lightnings quicken in her eyes.
Tlie biisy sylphs stirround their darling care,
These set the head, and those divide the hair,
S5me fold the sleeve, whilst others plait the gown ;
And Betty 's praised f5r labors not her own.

T'fl/),?— "The Rape of the Lock."

OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY. 29 1

METRICAL ROMANCE.

The Romance is a narrative of love and heroic adventure.
It possesses many of the quahties of the Epic poem and
ranks next in the order of poetry. It is a tale in verse but
little less elevated than the Epic. The passion of love
which does not appear in the Grand Epic is usually the lead-
ing feature of the Romance, and instead of the machinery of
the Epic we have ghosts, witches, elves, fairies, fire worship-
ers, veiled prophets, and the peri. Metrical romances, for
the mere pleasure of reading, give greater delight than any
other species. We have many romances in rhyme, both
ancient and modern, and it is not difficult to find examples.
The "Fairy Queen" by Spenser, written in that peculiar
stanza which now bears his name — the Spenserian — is an
elegant romance, the "Canterbury Tales" by Geoffrey
Chaucer, Scott's "Lady of the Lake" and "Marmion,"
Keats' "Eve of St. Agnes," Thomas Moore's " Lalla
Rookh," Lord Lytton's "Lucile," and Longfellow's
" Evangeline " are among the best romances and metrical
tales.

They glide, like phantSms, int5 the wide hall !

Like phant6ms to the ir6n porch they glide,

Where lay the porter in Uneasy sprawl,

With a hQge empty flagOii by his side :

The wakefQl bloodhoQnd rose and shook hte hide,

Btlt his sSgaciotls eye an inmate owns ;

By one, and one, the bolts fQll easy slide ;

The chains lie silent on the fo6tw5rn stones ;

The key ttirns, and the door Opon its hinges groans.

Keats — "The Eve of St. Agnes."

292

THE ART OF POETRY.

A metrical tale of exquisite beauty is one of Mr. Charles
Algernon Swinburne's latest productions — a story of Ar-
thurian days, entitled "Tale of Balen." It is preeminently
melodious, being wonderful in musical expressions, and
harmonious in words, and withal a singular grace and rare
simplicity of style. Notice the beautiful rhythm of the follow-
ing stanza:

Swift from his place Ifeapt Balen, smote
The liar across his face, find wrote
His wrath in blood Opon the bloat
BrQte cheek that challenged shame fSr note

H6w vile a king b5rn knave may be.
F6rth sprang their swords, and Balen slew
The knave ere well 6ne witness drew
Of all that round them stood, 6r knew

What sight was there t6 see.

The following is another beautiful stanza from the poem.
It is a nine line stanza, composed of a quatrain and a five
line stanza. The first four lines of the stanza are fourfold
rhymes, the fifth and ninth lines rhyme, while the sixth,
seventh and eighth lines of the stanza are threefold or triple
rhymes. It is an elegant stanza, brisk and spirited in style
— iambic measure :

As thought fr6m thought takes wing and flies,
As month 5n month with sunlit eyes
Tramples and triQmphs in its rise.
As wave smites wave t5 death and dies,

SO chance 6n hiirtling chance like steel
Strikes, flashes, and is quenched, ere fear
Can whisper hope, 5r hope can hear.
If sorrow 6rj6y be far or near

F6r time t6 hurt 6r heal.

OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY.

METRICAL HISTORY.

293

The Historical poem is a narrative of public events.
Dryden's "Annus Mirabilis " is a noble example. Macau-
lay's " Lays of Ancient Rome" may also be classed under
this head ; so, too, ballads descriptive of battles may be
classed as metrical history.

THE DRAMA.

It is to Greece we must give praise for the invention of
the Drama. It was first invented and exhibited at the festi-
vals of the god Dionysus. The ancient Greek writers tell
us that the drama originated in the choral song. Aristotle
tells us it had its origin in the singers of dithyramb. While
the drama had its origin in pantomimic dances and choral
singing, it was slowly purified from its extraneous mixtures.
While lyric poetry by means of musical expression by
language of mental emotions aims to represent human
actions, the drama consists of an impersonal representation
by the dramatist or an animated conversation of various
individuals from whose speech the movements of the story
is to be gathered ; thus it is constructed on the one hand
with dialogue, and on the other with every other species of
poetry. The movements and thoughts of the drama are so
lively and the expectation of the issue so vivid that this class
of poetry surpasses all others in interest and intensity. The
drama from Greece was introduced into Rome and from
there mto other parts of Europe, where after years of decline,
change, and struggle, with the vicissitudes of the age, about
the middle of the sixteenth century it extricated itself from
its ancient fetters. In the early years of Christianity actors
were denied baptism, and the decree of the church was

294

THE ART OF POETRY.

followed by an edict of the Emperor Julian. The drama,
however, was finally appropriated by the clergy, and plays
known as Miracle Plays and Moralities followed as a result.
The Passion Plays of Germany had their origin in this
manner. "The Passion of Our Saviour" is still in exist-
ence and played at Ammergau and is said to be the only
miracle play which has sur\Mved. It is played by about five
hundred peasants instructed by the village priest, who con-
ducts it morally and reverently, and it is largely attended
by the peasants of Bavaria and all parts of Tyrol. These
plays originated in Europe about the beginning of the elev-
enth century and most of them had their ending about the
middle of the fifteenth century, and with their decline the
drama proper began to flourish.

The drama is divided into two classes, the Tragedy, and
Comedy. The first known tragedy of England was the
joint production of Mrs. Norton and Lord Buckhurst, and
was known variously as ' ' Ferrex and Porrex " or as " Gor-
budoc." It was written about 1562. The first comedy was
written about the middle of the sixteenth century, 1551, by
Nicholas Udall, and was entitled " Ra]})h Roister Doister."
Blank verse was first introduced into dramatic composition
in " Ferrex and Porrex," but the play was dull and heavy
and not a success. Between this time and the advent of
Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe was the best-known
writer of the drama. The plays of ' ' Edward II. " and ' ' Dr.
Faustus " were said to contain passages unsurpassed by even
Shakespeare. It was Marlowe who first introduced blank
verse upon the public stage. We pass Shakespeare' s prede-
cessors, Lyle, Kyd, Marlowe, Peele, Greene, Lodge, Nash,
Chettle and Munday, who were all writers of more or less
note in their day and time ; the drama in their time, though

OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY.

295

far from being in a crude state, lacked much of being in a
state of full development. Shakespeare was a man of
broad vision ; his genius as the poet of the drama was then,
as it has remained since, unsurpassed. At first he began to
retouch and rewrite some of the old plays of his prede-
cessors. Described as an actor and unknown as a writer,
with times and conditions favorable to the development of
the English drama he was quick to discover the material at
hand, which soon made his fame — a fame that still shines
brighter than that of any other poet living or dead. He
devoted himself to English and Roman history, and as a
result his historic dramas reached a perfection that has never
before nor since been attained. Shakespeare was a great
poetical genius ; he used blank verse with the skill of the
consummate master that he was, and his tragedies and his
comedies established themselves for all time to come as ex-
amples of the highest type. His historic themes became
the perennial models of the modern historic drama. The
influence of the diction and versification of Shakespeare can-
not be overrated ; in his characterizations he has never been
equaled, while his plays furnish models in every phase of
human life and are a mirror of humanity. Goethe and
Schiller contributed to the German drama. Goethe's
"Faust," " Ipigenia " and " Tasso " are masterpieces of
the art of dramatic poetry. Schiller contributed ' ' Don
Carlos, " " Wallenstein ' ' and ' ' William Tell ' ' as master-
pieces of his genius, a genius bright as electric light, illumin-
ating the pathway of those to follow who seek the field of
literature. Sir Edward Bulwer-Lytton contributed to the
modern English drama the " Lady of Lyons" and "Rich-
elieu," both of which found great favor. Sheridan gave
an impulse to the genteel comedy that is felt to the present
day.

296 THE ART OF POETRY.

THE TRAGEDY.

Tragedy is earnest and serious, and deals witli the great
and sublime actions of life. It is generally written in blank
heroic verse. Its diction should be elevated. The calam-
itous side of life wiih tragic events is placed before the public
gaze with a view to arouse pity, fear, or indignation, or it
may be of noble deeds in connection with life's events. The
subjects of tragedy are various. Shakespeare has given to
the world ' ' King Lear, ' ' ' 'Othello, " " Macbeth, " " Hamlet, ' '
"Julius Caesar," "Romeo and Juliet," and many other
plays of great merit which the reader may well refer to with
profit. "Virginias" is a fine example of the tragedy.

THE COMEDY.

Directly the opposite of tragedy is comedy, which seeks
to represent all the follies and foibles of human life, and has
only an eye to the ridiculous and ludicrous. Its humor,
however, should always be refined and its ending be ever
happy. Comedy deals largely in satire, and its caricatures
are often grotesque.

THE DIVISIONS OF THE DRAMA.

These constitute acts, which are in turn subdivided into
scenes. The regular drama is limited to five acts. The
first should present the intrigue, the second should develop
it, the third should be filled with incidents forming its com-
plication, the fourth should prepare the means of unraveling,
the fifth should unravel the plot.

OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY. 297

THE FARCE.

It is a short play in which ridiculous qualities and actions
are greatly exaggerated for the purpose of exciting laughter.
The dialogues and characters are usually taken from inferior
ranks.

THE TRAVESTY, OR BURLESQUE.

It is a humorous dramatic composition where things high
and low are commingled. Common thoughts and topics are
invested with artificial dignity, and the forms and express-
ions of serious drama are imitated in language of a ludicrous
character.

THE MELODRAMA.

The melodrama is a combination of the tragic and comic
interspersed with song and music and gorgeous scenery. Its
drama is genteel comedy and is perhaps more popular with
the theater-going world than any other species of drama.
Oliver Goldsmith's "She Stoops to Conquer," Sheridan's
" Critic" and Jefferson's " Rip Van Winkle" are excellent
illustrations.

THE BURLETTA.
It is a musical drama of a comic nature.

THE PROLOGUE.

An introduction in verse to be recited before the represen-
tation of the drama.

298

THE ART OF POETRY.

Imagine yoQrself then, go5d Sir, in ft wig,
Either grizzle 5r bob — never mind, yofl lo5k big.
YoO've a sword At yoQr side, in yoilr shoes there ftre biickles,
And the folds 6f fine linen fl.lp over yoGr kniickles.
YoG have come with light heart, and with eyes that are brighter,
Fr5m a pint 6f red Port, and a steak at the Mitre ;
Yott have strolled fr6m the Bar and the purlietis 5f Fleet,
And yoQ turn fr6m the Strand int6 Catherine Street ;
Thence climb t5 the law-l5vihg sQmmits 5f Bow,
Till yoQ stand at the Portal all play-g5ers know.
See, here are the 'prentice lads laughing and pushing.
And here are the seamstresses shrinking and blushing.
And here are the urchins wh5, just as t5-day. Sir,
Buzz at yoti like flies with their "Bill 5' the Play, Sir ? "
Yet yoti take 6ne, n6 less, and yoCi squeeze by the chairs,
With their freights 6f fine ladies, and mount tip the stairs ;
So isstie at last 6n the House in its pride.
And pack yoQrself snug in a box at the side.

Austin Dob son — Prologue to Abbey's Edition of "She Stoops to
Conquer."

THE EPILOGUE.

An address in verse to the audience at the conchi.sion of
the drama. It is usually intended to recapitulate the chief
incidents, and draws a moral from them.

THE ENVOY.

It is a sort of postscript appended to poetical compositions
to enforce or recommend them.

Go6d-bye t5 yoQ, Kelley, yoQr fetters are broken
GoOd-bye tO yoQ, Cumberland, Goldsmith has spoken !
Go6d-bye t5 sham Sentiment, moping and mumming,
F5r Goldsmith has spoken and Sheridan's coming ;
And the frank MQse Of Comedy laughs in free air
As she laughed with the Great Ones, with Shakespeare, MOliere !
Austin Dobson — Envoy to Abbey's Edition of "She Stoops to
Conquer."

OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY.

THE SUBJECTIVE DRAMA.

299

The drama of the human soul, teaching the lessons of
human struggle to the higher stages of life. Goethe's mas-
terpiece, "Faust," is a high type of this species of the
drama. Life is made up of incessant toils and struggles to
nobler ends. This poem is grand, bringing together as it
does, the tragedies and the comedies of human life into a
perfect state of reconciliation.

THE OPERA.

The opera is a dramatic composition set to music and
sung on the stage, accompanied with musical instruments
and enriched with magnificent dresses, machinery, dancing,
and songs. Thus made up of music, dancing, decoration,
and poetry, it is intended to please the sight, and must be
judged more from the standpoint of its being able to secure
popular applause and favor than from any real intrinsic
literary merit. To the opera of the present day more of its
success frequently lies in its decorations and pantomimic
character than to the parts sung or spoken. The opera of
today is patterned after the French, Italian, and German.

THE SATIRE.

The satire in character is allied to the didactic, and is
intended to reform the abuses it attacks. The satirical
poem is a composition in which wickedness or folly is ridi-
culed, censured, and held up to reprobation ; hence it is an
invective poem. Satirical poetry is divisible into three
classes. Moral, Personal and Political. Of the first class,
Pope's " Moral Essays" and the satires of Horace furnish
fine examples.

300 THE ART OF POE TR Y.

T5 rest, the cushion and s6ft dean invite,
Wh6 never mentions hell t8 ears p5lite.

Pope — " Moral Essays."

'Tis edticati5n forms the c6mm6n mind ;
Jttst as the twig Ks bent the tree's inclined.

Idem.

Satirical poetry is also used for the purpose of exposing
the weaknesses, the absurdities or vices of men. Derision,
irony, mockery, sarcasm, or burlesque may be employed. Of
these personal satires, excellent examples may be found in
Dryden's " MacFlecknoe, " it being a personal attack on a
rival dramatist. ' ' English Bards and Scotch Reviewers, ' ' by
Lord Byron, is perhaps the greatest of all personal satires.
Being attacked by critics and held up to ridicule, he replied
in a way that gave evidence of his mighty genius and in turn
ridiculed nearly all critics and poets of the author's day and
time.

Sttll must I hear ? — shSll hoarse FitzgerSld bawl
His creeking couplets in S tavern hall.
And I n6t sing, lest, haply, Scotch reviews
Should dub me scribbler, and denounce my muse?
Prepare f5r rhyme — I'll publish, right 5r wrong :
Fo5ls are my theme, let satire be my song.

Byron — "English Bards and Scotch Reviewers."

86 the strQck eagle, stretched Qpon the plain,
NO more throQgh rolling clouds t5 soar again.
Viewed his Own feather on the fatal dart,
And winged the shaft that quivered in his heart.

Idem.

OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY. 301

As soon
Seek rosSs in De?embSr, — ice in Jiine ;
H5pe constancy in wind, 6r corn Tn chaff.
Believe S womSn, or Sn epTtaph,
Or an^^ othfir thing that's false, before
Yofi trQst in critics.

Idem.

The " Dunciad," by Alexander Pope, is an excellent
satire of this kind, one in which he vilifies all writers by
whom he had been vilified. Under the same head we may
be allowed to class James Russell Lowell's "A Fable for
the Critics," one of the finest productions of its kind in the
English language, of a very different nature, however, from
the satires of Dryden, Byron and Pope. Lowell's satire
was written for the purpose of provoking friendly rivalry,
and not for the purpose of giving offense. His portraits and
caricatures were, however, droll, and the colors were laid on
with no sparing hand ; yet the tone of " A Fable for the
Critics" was so good-natured that no one ought to have
taken offense, although some of his thrusts left embittered
memories.

There c6mes Poe with his Raven, like BarnSby Rudge,

Three-fifths 6f him genius and two-fifths sheer fudge,

Wh6 talks like a book 6f iambs and pentameters,

In a way t6 make people 6f c6mm5n sense damn meters,

Wh6 has written s6me things quite the best 6f their kind,

BQt the heart s6meh6w seems ail squeezed out by the mind,

Wh5— bQt hey-day ! What's this ? MessieQrs Matthews and Poe,

Yoti must n5t fling mud-balls at L6ngfeil6w so,

D6es it make a man worse that his character's such

As t5 make his friends love him (as yoii think) to6 much?

Why, there is n5t a bard at this moment alive

M5re willing than he that his fell6ws shoQld thrive ;

While you are abusing him thus, even now

He wotild help either one 6f yoti out 6f a slough ;

302 THE ART OF FOE TK K

YoO may say that he's smooth and all that till you're hoarse,

Biit rgmembgr that elegance als6 is force ;

After polishing granite as much as yoQ will,

The heart ke6ps its tough 61d persistency still ;

Deduct all yoQ can that still keeps yoQ at bay, —

Why, he'll live till men weary 5f Collins and Gray.

I'm not 6v6r-f6nd 5f Greek meters in English,

T6 me rhyme's a gain, s6 it be n6t to6 jinglish.

And yotir modern hexameter verses are no mOre

Like Greek 5nes than sleek Mr. Pope is like Homer ;

As the roar 5f the sea t6 the coo 6f a pige6n is,

S6, c5mpared t6 yoQr moderns, sotlnds old Meiesigenes ;

I may be to6 partial, the reas6n, perhaps, O't is

That I've heard the 51d blind man recite his 6vvn rhaps6dies,

And my ear with that music impregnate may be.

Like the poor exiled shell with the soul 5f the sea.

Or as one can't bear Strauss when his natQre is cloven

T6 its deeps within deeps by the stroke 6f Beethoven ;

Bat, set that aside, and 'tis truth that 1 speak.

Had Theocrittis written in English, n6t Greek,

I believe that hjs exquisite sense woQld scarce change a line

In that rare, tender, virgin-like pastoral, Evangeline.

Lowell — " A Fable for the Critics.

Satires of a political nature are written in the interest of some
great political party, or its candidates. Dryden's "Absalom
Achitophel," Butler's" Hudibras," and Lowell's "What
Mr. Robinson Thinks," are all first-class political satires.
The satire of Lowell is from his " Bigelovv Papers." It w-as
not an ephemeral production, as such satires usually are, but
was well received then and has ever since been appreciated
by a reading public. Mr. Lowell has written this satire in
the Yankee dialect, and has thus helped to preserve this
quaint type of New England speech.

OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY.

303

Guvgner B. is S sensible man ;

He stays t6 his home .In' lo6ks artSr his folks ;
He draws his fiirrSr Sz strait Sz h6 can, —
And intfir nObody's tatSr-pStch pokes ; —
Btit J6hn F.
Robins6n he
SSz he wtint vote fSr Guv6ner B.

James Russell Lowell — "What Mr. Robinson Thinks."

THE DIALECTIC

People of the same country do not always speak the same
language. In our own country we have many varieties
or peculiar forms of the English. These peculiarities of
speech may be termed dialectics. America having a more
diversiloquent population than any other race on the globe,
there are necessarily more dialectics. These varieties are
found in all parts of the country. In New England we have
the Yankee dialect ; in the South we have the Negro dialect ;
on the Western plains we have a dialect peculiar to the cow-
boy, the mountaineer and the miner ; in the interior we have
a dialect peculiar to a large class of Westerners which
has received the euphonious name of the Hoosier dialect.
" Unzer Fritz" in America has produced what is known
as the German dialect, while Patrick has given to us a
mixture of his brogue, which is known as the Irish dialect ;
on our western coast John Chinaman has given us a mixture
of his tongue, and we have what is known as the Chinese
dialect. Is it a wonder America is a land where dialectic
poetry flourishes ? England has dialects peculiar to her
own province. So, too, the Welsh and the Scotch. The
Scotch dialect Burns has immortalized, and beauty teems in
every line of his Lowland Scotch. The peculiar charm
which attaches to the dialect of the Irish-American, and the

304

THE ART OF POETRY.

native talent and wit possessed by the Irish people, together
with the "bulls" and mistakes that necessarily happen in
conversations, has made the Irish dialect quite a favorite in
this country, and much excellent as well as amusing poetry
is the result. Our German cousin has ever furnished amuse-
ment for men like Charles FoUen Adams, a Massachusetts
poet, who has made a decided success with his favorite
dialect — the German. Riley's poems in Hoosier dialect are
inimitable, unsurpassable and never-dying. The provincial-
isms of our Western folk are as indelibly fixed by Riley as
was the Scottish by Burns. James Russell Lowell was the
author of good dialectic poetry, and many others' of our bright-
est and best authors have indulged in the temptation. Bret
Harte is still another one of those peculiar geniuses that
have touched the chord-strings of the human heart ; and his
dialectic poems are the best of their kind, describing the
dialect of the far West and the peculiarities of its multigen-
erous inhabitants. Dialectic poetry has gained so great
a prominence in the literature of today that we have con-
cluded to classify it under a distinct head, although it em-
braces many species or varieties of poetry.

GERMAN DIALECT.

Charles Follen Adams has furnished some Anglo-Teutonic
verse that will ever be appreciated by the reading public.
Adams is a Boston business man who has, during his leisure
moments, for recreation and pastime, written of the troubles
and trials of the Strauss family. He has demonstrated
himself a master of the art.

I don'd vSs preaching voman's righdts,

()x finyding like dot,
tTnd \ likes t6 see SU beopl^s

Shust gSndentfed mit dh6ir lot ;

305

OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY.

BQdt I vants t6 g6ndradict d6t shap

D6t made dis leedlg shoke :
"A vomSn vas der gllnging vine,

Ond man dgr shturdy oak."

Adams — "Der Oak und der Vine."

You vouldn't dink mine frau,
If you shdst look at her now,
Vhgre d^r wrinkles on her prow

Long haf been,
VSs d6r fraulein blump Qnd fair,
Mit dSr wafy flaxfin hair,
Wh6 did vonce mine heart Snshnare —

Mine Katrine.

Adams — " Mine Katrine.

Dh6re vSs many qveSr dings, in dis land Off d6r free,

I nefffer coQld qvite tlndSrstand ;
D6r beoples dhey all seem s6 deefrfint t6 me

As dhose in mine own faderland.
Dhgy gets blgndy droubl6s, ftnd ind6 mishaps,

Mitoudt dSr least bit Off a cause ;
tJnd, vould yoti pSlief id ? dh6se mean YangeS chaps,

Dhey fights mit dheir moder-in-laws !

Adams — "Mine Moder-in-Law."

I'm a proken-hearted Deutscher,

V6t's vill'd mit crief und shame.
I dells yoft vot dSr drouple ish :

I doosn't know my name.

Yoti dinks dis fery vunny, eh ?

VSn yoij dSr schtory hear,
Yoti vill n5t vondSr den s5 mooch,

It vas s6 schtrange ttnd queer.

Mine moder had dw6 leedle twins ;

Dey vas mS und mine broder :
\'e lookt s5 fery mooch alike,

N6 von knew vich vr5m tod^r.

3o6 THE ART OF POETRY.

V6n off dSr poys wis " Yawc6b,"

tfnd " Hans " dSr odfir's name :
BQt den it made n6 tifftrent ;

V6 both g6t called d^r same.

VfeU ! von 6fFus g5t tead, —

Yaw, Mynheer, dot ish so !
Bat \edder Hans 6r Yawc6b,

Mine moder she d6n'd know.

tTnd so I am in drouplgs :

I gan't kit droo mine hed
Vedder I'm Hans v6t's Hfing,

Or Yawc6b vot Is tead !

Adams — "The Puzzled Dutchman.

IRISH DIALECT.

Poems in this dialect are very popular with the reading
world. They are usually very droll, yet full of pith and
point. One by Charles FoUen Adams will serve to illus-
trate our meaning.

"Th6 greatest burd tO foight," siys Pat,

" Barring the agle, is the duck ;
He has a folne large bill to peck,

And plinty of rale Irish pluck.

"And, thin, d'ye moind the fut he has?

Foil as brOad over as a ciip ;
Sh(5w me the fowl tlpon tw6 ligs

That's able fer t6 thrip him up ! "

" Pat's Logic."

" Arrah, boys, it's meself that will tell ye,

And that I can do pretty soon,
Of the incidents strange that befell me,

When 1 traveled up t6 the moon.

307

OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY.

1 heard that quSre sowls did reside thSre,

S6 I In a balloon wint 5ne day,
And as swift as a race-hSrse did ride thgre,

Fr6m earth disappearing away.

" 1 tell yoil thS truth 6n my h6n6r,

H5w 1 traveled tip In a balloon ;
F6r siire it's mgself, Paddy C6nn6r,

That journeyed smack up t6 the moon."

Anonymoics — " Paddy's Balloon Ascension."

"Oh, 'twas Norah M'Frlsky 1 met 6n th6 road

T5 the Fair 5f Tralee, as I trotted away ;
Cn her breast, a gdssoori, a mOst beautifQl load,
And the Image 6f Paddy, each gossip did say.
"Arrah, Norah, my honey, is it you I see there? "

'"Tis, MurtSch, avic, I'm 6fft6 the Fair."
" If that's what yoQ're at, N5rah, fiith its all right ;
we'll set 6ff t6gether, we'll be there at night.
And we'll drink t6 the Lynches,
The beautiful Clinches,
The Murphys, O'Ryans,
The Duflfys, the Brians,
The Careys and Learys,
The Laughlins, O'Shaughlins,
The Whelans, the Phelans,
6'C6nneils, O'Donnells,
The Fogartys, Doughertys,
The Burkes and M'Gurks,
The Nolans and Folans,
The Kiernans and Tiernans,
The Rogans and Brogans,
The Lacys and Caseys,
That keep Op the fun and the frolick galore."

" The Fun at the Fair."

3o8 THE ART OF POETKY.

" WTd all c6nd6sclnshin, I'd turn yoQr attlnshln
T5 what I wotild minshtin 6v Erin s5 green ;

An' widout h^siftashin I'd show h5w thftt nashin
Became 6v crfiashin th6 gem Snd thg queen."

"The Origin of Ireland.

(^h ! Erin, my country, th6ugh strangers mSy roam
ThS hills clnd thg vallgys I once cftUed my home.
Thy lakes Snd thy mountains n5 long&r I see,
Y6t warmly Ss ev^r my heart bgats f5r thee,

Oh ! coush la machree ! my heart bfiats f6r thee,

ErJn, Erin, my heart bgats f5r thee.

Charles Jeffreys — "Oh ! Erin, My Country."

Tr5th, Nora! I'm wadin'

The grass an' paradin'
The dews at yoGr dure, wid my swate serSnadin',

Alone and fSrsakSn,

Whilst yofl're nev^r waktn'
T6 tell mS yott're wid mfe an' I am mistaken !

James Whitcotnb Riley — "Serenade — To Nora."

WESTERN DIALECT.

Some very excellent poems have been written in this
dialect by Francis Bret Harte. Mr. Harte is a master of the
art of versification.

It was Augiist the third.

And quite soft was the skies ;
Whtch it might bS inferred

That Ah Sin was likewise ;
Yet he played It that dfiy ttpSn William

And me in a way I despise.
Bret Harte — " Plain Language from Truthful Jamt-s."

OF THE VARIOUS KJNDS OF POtlTKY. 309

, say there ! P'r'aps
S5me on yoti chaps

Might know Jim Wild?
W^ll, no Cffense :
Thar ain't n6 sense
In gittJn' riled !

Bret Harte — "Jim."

I've seen S grizzlj^ show his teeth ;

I've seen Kentucky Pete
DrSw out his shooter 'n' Sdvlse

A "tenderfoot " tSr treat ;
But nuthin' evSr tCik mS down,

'N' made my benders shake,
Like that sign about the doughntits

Like my mother used ter make.

Charles Fallen Adams — " Mother's Doughnuts."

Western dialect is still further exemplified by what is
termed Hoosier dialect, a speech peculiar to the people of
some of the western states, yet of a little different type from
those beyond the Rockies. Many excellent poems are
written in this dialect. We have made a few selections :

" 'Scuriotls-like," said the tree-t6ad,

"I've twittered fer rain Sll day ;
And I g6t tip soon,
And hollered till noon —

Blit the sun, hit blazed away,
Till I jest clQmb down in a crawfish-hole,
Weary at heart, and sick at soul !

James Whitcomb Riley — "The Tree-Toad."

A thing 'at's 'bout as tryin' as a healthy man kin meet

Is some po6r feller's funeral a-j6ggin' 'long the street :

The slow hearse and the bosses — slow enough, t6 say the least,

Fer t6 even tax the patience of the gentleman deceased !

3IO

THE ART OF POETRY.

The slow scrQnch of the gravel — and the slow grind of the wheels, -
The sl6w,'Sl5w go 6f ev'ry woe 'at ev'rybody feels !
S6 I ruther like the contrast when I hear the whiplash crack
A quickstep fer the hosses,

When the

Hearse

C6mes

Back !
James Whitconib Riley — " When the Hearse Comes Back."

" P6ur fis out another, Daddy," says the feller, warmin' up,

A-speakin' 'crost a saucerful, as Uncle tiick his ciip, —

" When I seed yer sign 5ut yander," he went on, t5 Uncle Jake, -

" 'C6me in and git s6me coffee like yer mother used t6 make ' —

1 thought 6f my 6ld mother, and the Posey county farm,

And me a little kid agin, a-hangin' in her arm.

As she set the pot a-bilin', broke the eggs and poured 'em in '' —

And the feller kind 6' halted, with a trimble in his chin.

James Whiicomb Riley — " Like His Mother Used to Make."

He's fer the pore man ever' time ! And in the last campaign

He stumped 61d Morgan County, through thesixnshine and the rain,

And helt the banner up'ards from a-trailin' in the dust,

And cut lo6se on m6n6p6lies and ciiss'd and cuss'd and cuss'd !

He'd tell s5me funny story ever' now and then, yoii know,

Tel, blame it ! it wflz better 'n a jack-6'-lantern show !

And I'd g5 furder, yit, t6-day, t6 hear 61d Jap n6rate

Than any high-t6ned orator 'at ever stumped the State !

James Whiicomb Riley — "Jap Miller."

Nothin' ever made we madder
Than fer Pap t6 stomp in, layln'
On a' extra fore-stick, siiyin'

"Gr6un'h6g's out and seed his shadder ! "
James Whiicomb Riley — "Old Winters on tlie Farm.

OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF FOE TRY.

311

Rfec'lect thfi wortSr drappin'

In th6 troff s6 still 'nd clair,
'Nd w6'd hunkfir down 'nd drink it,

Still a drappin' In 6ur hair ;
Rgc'lect ytt how it tasted,

S6rt^r soothJn' like 'nd sweet, —
£f a feller jest coQld buy it

Yoti cotild tap m6 fer ft treat.

Joe S. y^^^rf— " Stirrin' Off."

CHINESE DIALECT.

Mr. Harte has given us a specimen of this dialect in "The
Latest Chinese Outrage," a poem in anapestic rhythm of
unusual merit in descriptive resources, metrical beauty and
amusing incidents. We select the fourth stanza.

ThSn w^ axed f6r a parley. Wh6n out 5f the din
T6 the front c6mes S-rockin' that heathgn, Ah Sin !
" YoQ owe fl5wty dollee — mS washed yoQ camp,
YoO catchee my washed — me catchee n6 stamp ;
One dollar hap dozen, me n5 catchee yet,
N6w that flSwty dollee — n6 hab? — h5w can get?
Me catchee yoti piggee — me sellee f6r cash,
It catchee me licee — yoO catchee n6 ' hash ' ;
Me belly go6d Sheliff— me lebbee when can.
Me allee same halp pin as Melican man !

Btlt Melican man,

He washee him pan

On bottSm side hillee

And catchee — h6w can ? "

SOUTHERN DIALECT.

The dialect peculiar to the South is known as the Negro
dialect. Many excellent poems are written in this dialect,

312

THE ART OF POETRY.

many of them quaint and laughable. We have selected an
admirable poem and give it entire, entitled " De 'Speri-
ence of de Reb'rend Quacko Strong " :

Swing dat gate wide, 'Postlg Pet6r,

Ring d6 big bgll, beat dS gong,
Saints Snd martyrs den will meet dSr

Bruddgr, Reb'rfind Quack5 Strong !

Sound dat bugle, Anggl Gabr'el !

Tell d6 elders loud Sn' long,
Cl'ar 6ut dem high seats 5b heabSn,

Here c6mes Reb'rend Quack5 Strong !

Turn de guard 6ut, Gen'ral Michael,

Arms present, de line along.
Let de band play "Conk'rin Her5 "

For de Reb'rend Quack6 Strong.

Den bid Moses bring de crown, Sn'

Palms, an' weddin' gown along !
Wid pr6cessi5n to de landin'.

Here's de Reb'rend Quacko Strong.

Joseph, march d5wn wid yoQr bred'ren,
Tribes, an' banners musterin' strong ;

Speech 6f welc6me from 61e Abram,
Answer, Reb'rend QuackO Strong.

Tune yoiir harp-strings tight. King David,
Sing your good Ole Hundred song.

Let de ser6phs diince wid cymbals
'Round de Reb'rend Quack6 Strong.

Angels hear me yell HSsanner,

Hear my dulceni sperito5l song ;
Halleliiyer ! I'm a-comin',

I'm de Reb'rend Quack6 Stronjj.

OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY.

Make dSt white r5be raddSr spaciotis,
And the waist belt strordn'ry long,

'Cause 'twill take s6me room in glor^^
For de Reb'rSnd Quack6 Strong.

What ! No 6ne at d6 landifn' !

'Pears like sufTn' 'nuddSr's wrong ;
Guess I'll gib dat sleepj^ Pet^r

Fits — fr6m Reb'rfind Quack6 Strong.

What a narrSr littlS gateway !

My ! dat gate am hard t6 move,
" Who am dat? " says 'P6stl6 Peter

From de parapet Sbdve.

Uncle Peter, don't yoQ know me —

Me a shinin' light s6 long ?
Why de berry niggers call me

Good 5le Reb'rend Quack6 Strong.

Dun'n6 me ! why ! I've c6nvarted
Hundreds 6' darkies in a song,

Dun'nfi me ! n6r yet m^ massa !
I'm de Reb'rend Quack6 Strong !

Ole Nick's comin' 1 I can feel it

Gettin' warmer all about.
Oh, my good, kind Kernel Peter,

Let me in, I'm all to6 stout

To g6 'long wid MajOr Satan

Int6 dat warm climate 'mong
Fire an' brimst5ne. Hear me knockin',

Ole chtirch member, Quack6 Strong.

Dat I6ud noise am comin' nearer,
Dreffle smell like powder smoke ;

'Nudder screech ! Go6d heaben help me —
Lord, f6rgib dis poor 61e moke.

313

314

THE AR T OF POE TR Y.

Aliens was s6 berry holj',
Singin' and prayln' extra long ;

Now d6 debble's gwine t5 catch m6,
Poor 51e nigggr, Quack6 Strong.

Hi ! dat gate swings back a Httl6,

Mighty squeezin' to gSt froo !
Ole Ap6lly6n howlin' louder,

Everj^thing around am blue.

Bang dg gate g5es ! an' Beelzgb&b,
Bunch 5b wool Qpon his prong,

Goes along widout d6 soul 5b
Missabtil sinner, name 5b Strong-

Anonymous.

Few prettier selections can be made than the following :

A PLANTATION LULLABY.

Mammy's littlg pickaninny gwine t5 go t5 sleep —

Hush a by-by, hush a by.
Doan' y5' hear dg co6n-d5g bayin' loud an' deep?

Hush a by-by, hush a by.
Mock-birds' notes a-callin', doan' y5' hear 'fini sing?
Piippy's gone a huntin', an' a possQm home'll bring.
There's wotermel5ns coolin' in thS shaddfirs 6' de spring.

Hush a pickaninny, an' a by-by.

There's sweet pertaters bilin' an' a ham bone t5 boot,

Hush a by-by, hush a by.
Pappy's got a graveyard rabbit's left hind foot.

Hush a by-by, hush a by.
S5 hush a pickaninny while de scut' winds moan,
Go t5 sleep s5 mammy can g5 lieb y5' fill alone,
Fer she's goin' t5 make y5'r pappy a big c5'n pone.

Hush a pickaninny, an a by-by.

Roy Farrell Greene.

OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY.

YANKEE DIALECT.

315

The Yankee dialect is peculiar to our New England States.
It has a quaintness about it that makes it very pleasant read-
ing. James Russell Lowell has given to the world the finest
specimens of this dialect. We select a poem entitled " The
Courtin'," which in the excellence of its description is not
exceeded :

G6d makes sSch nights, all white an' still

FQr'z you cSn look 6r listen,
Moonshine an' snow 6n field an' hill,

All silfince an' all glisten.

Zekle cr6p' up quite unbeknown,

An' peeked in thru' the winder,
An' there s6t Hiildy all alone,

'Ith no 6ne nigh t6 hendSr.

A fireplace filled the room's 5ne side

With half a cord 6' wood in, —
There warn't n6 stoves (tell comfQrt died)

T6 bake ye to a puddin'.

The wa'ntit logs sh5t sparkles out

Towards the pootiest, bless her !
An' leetle flames danced all about

The chiny on the dressei;.

Agin the chimbley crook-necks hung,

An' in amongst 'em rusted
The ole queen's arm thet Gran'ther Young

Fetched back fr5m C6nc5rd busted.

The very room, c6z she was in.

Seemed warm fr5m floor t5 ceilin".
An' she lo6ked full as rosy agin

£z the apples she was peelin'.

3i6 THE ART OF POETRY.

'Twas kin' G' kingdOm-come t6 look

On sech i blessed cre'tQr',
A dogrSse blushin' to a brook

Ain't mod&ter n6r sweeter.

H6 wSs a six foot 6' man, A 1,
Cl6an grit ftn' human nattir';

N6ne couldn't quicker pitch a ton
N6r dror a furr^r straightSr.

He'd sparked it with ftlU twenty- gals,

He'd squired 'Sm, danced 'em, druv 'em,

F&st this 6ne, an' then thet, by spells, —
All is, he couldn't love 'em.

BQt 'long 6' her his veins 'oQld run
All crinkly like cGrled maple,

The side she breshed felt full 6' siin
Ez a sotith slope in Ap'il.

She thought n6 v'ice hed sech jl swing

£z his'n in the choir ;
My ! when he made Ole Hundred ring

She kno'djed the Lord was nigher.

An' she'd blQsh scarlit, right in prayer,
When her new meetin'-bunnet

Felt somehSw thrii' its crown a pair
0' bliie eyes st)* Gpon it.

Thet night ; I tell ye, she loOked some !

She seemed t5've giit a new sOul,
F6r she felt sartin-sure he'd come,

DOwn to her very sh6e-s61e.

She heered a foot, an' knowed It, tu,

A-raspin' on the scraper, —
All ways to once her feelin's flew

Like sparks in- burnt-Qp paper.

OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY.

H6 kin' 5' I'itfired on the mat,

S6me doubtflg 6' th6 sekl^ ;
HTs heart k^p' goin' pity-pat,

Btit her'n wSnt pity ZeklS.

An' yit she gin her cheer a jerk
£z though she wished him f iirdSr,

An' on her apples kep' t6 work,
Parin' Sway like murder.

" YoQ want t6 see my Pa, 1 s'pose ? "
"WSl — no — I come dSsignin' " —

" T5 see my Ma ? She's sprinklin' clo'es
Agin tS-morrer'si'nin'."

To say why gals act so 5r so,

Or don't, 'ottld be presumin';
Mebby t5 meanjv^^ an' sSy vo

C5mes nateral tO women.

He stood fi spell 5n (3ne fo5t fust,

Then stood A spell on t'other,
An' on which one he felt the wiist

He couldn't ha' told ye, nuther.

says he, " I'd better call agin ";

says she, " Think likely Mister " :
Thet last w5rd pricked him like a pin.

An' — wal, he up an' kist her.

When Ma bimeby Qpon 'em slips,

Huldy s5t pale ez ashes.
All kin' 5' smily roun' the lips

An' teary roun' the lashes.

F5r she was jes' the quiet kind

\Vh5se natflrs never vary,
Like streams that keep a siimmer mind

.Snrtvv-hid in Jeno5ary.

317

3i8

THE ART OF POETRY.

The blood cl6st roun' h6r heart ftlt glued

To5 tight fbr all Sxpresstn',
Tell mother see h5w metters stood,

An' gin '6m both her blessln'.

Then her red come bSck like the tide

D6wn to the Bay 6' Fundy,
An' all I know is, they wis cried

In meetin' come nex' Sunday.

James Russell Lowell.

THE SCOTCH DIALECT.

The Scotch is a very popular dialect. From the time it
was first brought into general notice and rendered ever-
enduring by the sweetest of Scotland's singers, Robert
Burns, it has always been read with delight by the public.
We give the following selections.

ThoQ hast sworn by thy God, my Jeanie,

By that pretty white hand 6' thine,
And by a' the lowing stars in heaven.

That thou wad aye be mine !
And I hae sworn by my God, my Jean!e,

And by that kind heart 6' thine,
By a' the stars s5wn thick 5wre heaven,

That thou shalt aye be mine !
Allan Cunningham — " Thou Hast Sworn by Thy God, My
Jeanie."

He was a gash and faithfbl tyke,
As ever lap a sheugh 6r dike.
His honest, sonsie, baws'nt face,
Aye gat him friends in ilka place.
His breast was white, his touzie back
VVeel clad wi' coat 5' glossy black ;
His gaucy tail, wi' upward curl,
HOng o'er his hurdies wi' a swirl.

Burns — " Twa Dogs."

OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY.

319

My heid Is like t6 rend, WilHe,

My heart is like t6 break ;
I'm wearin' aff my feet, Willte,

I'm dyin' for yoQr sake !
0, lay yoQr cheek t6 mine, Willie,

YoQr hand 5n my briSst-bane, —
0, say yg'll think 5n me, Willie,

Wh^n I am deid Snd gane !
William Motherwell—'' My Heid is Like to Rend, Willie."

Shoftld auld acquaintance be f5rg6t,

And nev6r brought t6 min' ?
Shotild auld acquaintance be fSrgot,

And days 5' lang syne?

F5r iiuld lang syne, my dear,

F5r auld lang syne,
W^'U tak a cup 6' kindness yet,

F6r auld lang syne.

Robert Burns — "Auld Lang Syne."

CHILD DIALECT.

Listening to the dialect of children has ever furnished us
some of our happiest hours, as well as most pleasing affec-
tions. Simple and artless, it is nevertheless engaging to
both old and young. Mr. Riley's "Rhymes of Child-
hood" and "A Child World" are rare, grand gifts to
mankind. A selection from " Maymie's Story of Red
Riding Hood " is here given :

An' nen Riding Hood
She say " Oh-me-5h-my ! Dran'ma ! what big
White long sharp teeth yoQ dot! "

NSn old VV'6lf says :
" Y6s — an' they're thataway " — Sn' drovvled —
"They're thataway," he says, " t5 eat yoQ wiv ! "

320 THE ART OF POETRY.

An' nen he ist jump ftt her, —

But she scream' —
An' scream', sh6 did — s6's 'at the Man
'At wuz a-choppin' wood, yoQ know, — h6 hear,
An' come S-riinnin' in there wiv his ax ;
An', 'fore the old W6lf know, what he 's about.
He split his old brains out an' killed him s' quick
It make' his head swim ! — An' Red Riding Hood
She wQzn't hiirt at all !

An' the big Man
He looked her all safe home, he did, an' tell
Her Ma she's all right an' ain't hiirt at all
An' old W6lf s dead an' killed — and ever'thing ! —
S6 her Ma wtiz s6 tickled an' s5 proud,
She gived him all the good things t' eat they wuz
'At's in the basket, an' she tell him 'at
She 's much Sblige', an' say t6 "call adin."
An' story's honest truth — an' all s6, too !

James Whitcomb Riley.

My Pa he ist fished an' fished !
An' my Ma she said she wished
Me an' her was home ; an' Pa
said he wished s6 worse 'n Ma.
James Whitcomb Riley — "The Fishing Party.

NONSENSE.

" A little nonsense now and then
Is relished by the wisest men."

The writing of a nonsensical verse is a pleasure indulged
in by some of our most excellent writers. The rhymes of
our childhood — Mother Goose's Melodies — are familiar to
almost every one, and it made very little difference what the
wording of them was so that the measure and rhythm were
perfect ; in fact. Mother Goose has some of the most com-

OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY.

321

plex lines to be found in poetry.* Where, however, the
measure and rhythm are perfect, words make but very Httle
difference in writing what are termed nursery rhymes, and
nonsensical songs. " The Owl and the Pussy Cat," one of
Lear's " Nonsense Songs," is one of the best of its kind
extant. Lear has a book in which many good songs of this
species may be found. They will repay the reading where
one has any desire for the quaint. Billowy are the metrical
waves of this nonsensical song ; leaping and bounding,
billow upon billow, leaping higher on the middle or line
rhymes, the waves surge and lash each other in beautiful
sounds to the end of the stanza ; all nonsense, it is true,
and yet pleasing in the highest degree to the ear.

The owl and the pussy-cat went 5ut 15 sea

In a beautiful pea-green boat ;
They took s6me honey, and lots 6f money

Wrapped up !n a five-p5und note.
The owl looked up t5 the moon above,

And sang t6 his light gQitar,
"0 pussj?, 0 pussy, 0 pussy, my love,

What a beautiftll pussy yotl are, yoQ are ! —
What a beautif&l pussy yoQ are ! "

PCissy said t6 the owl, " YoQ elegant fowl,

H6w charmingly sweet yoQ sing !
C5me, let tis be married — to6 long we have tarried;

BQt what shall we do f5r a ring? "
S5 they sailed away f5r a year and a day,

T5 the land where the bong-tree grows,
And there in the wood a piggy-wig stood,

With a ring in the end 5f his nose, his nose —
A ring in the end 6f his nose.

* Mary Goose, wife of Isaac Goose, the author of " Mother Goose's Melodies,"
lived and died in Boston, Massachusetts, and was buried in Old Christ's Church
Cemetery.

322 THE ART OF POETRY.

" Dear pig, are yoti willing tft sell f5r 5ne shilling

YoQr ring ? " SSid th6 piggy, "Iwill";
S6 they took it Sway, and w^re married nSxt day,

By the turkey wh6 lives 6n the hill.
They dined tip6n mince, Snd slices 6f quince,

Which they ate with a runcibie spoon.
And hand in hand 6n the golden sand

They danced by the light 6f the moon, the moon —
They danced by the light 5f the moon.

Edward Lear — "The Owl and the Pussy Cat.

James Whitcomb Riley has some excellent verses of this
species. Mr. Riley delights in amusing mankind, and few
authors have been more prolific in writing poems that cause
men to forget troubles and laugh heartily at the eccentricities
of life. We make two selections :

A little D6g-W6ggy
Once walked roQnd the World :
S5 he shiit up his house ; and, fbrgetting
His two piippy-children
Lacked in there, he curled
tip his tail in pink bombazine netting.
And set out
T6 walk round
The World.
James Whitcomb Riley — "The Little Dog-Woggy. "

Dainty Biiby Austin !

YoQr Daddy's gone t6 B6st6n

T6 see the King

Of 05-Rinktum Jing
And the whale he rode acrost on !
James Whitcomb Riley — "The King of Oo-Riiiktiim-Jiiig."

OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY.

THE VERSICLE.

323

A little verse, a metrical toy. Poets of all ages — past as
well as present, have taken delight in writing these momen-
tary thoughts suggested by the occasion of passing incidents.
Many of them, however, are very bright and deserve a place
in the household of poetry. Our magazines and news-
papers furnish a never-ending amount of them. We make
the following selections :

WHAT SHE didn't KNOW.

" That darling girl IcnSw everything,

Kn6w Hebrew, Latin, Greek —
Yes, several 6th6r languages

With fluency cotild speak.

"Of music, art, gmbroidfiry,

She had a thoroQgh knowledge.
And many othSr things besides

That girls are taught at college.

" The only thing sh6 didn't know

(N5r could thS maid c5nceal
Her ignftrance 6f that) was how

T6 cook a decent meal.

" Bat did that make the maiden less

Desirable to me ?
N6, she was rich, and could afford

T6 hire a cook, yofi see."

YOUTH AT CHRISTMAS.

" 6h, would 1 were young," the old man sighs

When the Christmas songs are sung.
The 5ld woman never a word replies —

She still claims she is yoiing. "

324 THE ART OF POETRY.

tommik's girl.

'■ She is cheerful, warm-heart6d and triie,
And is kind t6 her father find mother ;

She studies h6w much she cSn do
F6r her sweet little sister find brother.

" If yoti want a c6mpani6n f5r life,

T6 comfSrt, enliven, and bless,
She is just the right sort 5f a wife,

My girl with a calic5 dress."

A SURPRISE.

" I met her strolling on the street,
We walked together up the hill,

She was a maiden very neat,
\Vh6 made my heart stand still,

When in a manner hard t6 beat
She shyly said, ' I know yoQ're sweet'

" SQch words I knew nOt how t5 meet,
Slie was not wont t5 talk that way,

Bflt happiness I found was fleet
F6r very soon I lieard her say,

' I think it faces toward the street.'
And then t knew she meant my siiite."

IN COLLEGE CAP A.ND GOWN.

" My sweetheart is a student in a famotis female college.

And though I do n5t think she'll win particQlar renown
In any special study, or be noted for her knowledge,

I'm certain that she's charming in her college cap and gown.
That the costftme's fascinating there's n5 reas5n for concealing,

I think my love m6st beautiful when in it she appears,
BQt when I steal a kiss fr5m her, h5w fiinny is the feeling

When the edges ^f the mortar board are tickling my ears."

OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY.

325

Jennie kissed m6 when w6 met,

Jumping from thS chair sh6 sat In ;
Time, yoti thief, wh5 love t6 get

Secrgts into yoQr list, pGt that in.
Say I'm weary, say I'm sad.

Say that health and wealth hSve missed m& ;
Say I'm growing old, bQt add—

Jennie kissed m6.

Leigh Hunt.

The law I5cks up the man 5r womSn

Who steals a goose fr5m off th6 commOn ;

But lets the greater villian loose,
Wh6 steals the c6mm5n from the goose.

E. Elliott.

** ,. .

When first in Ceha's ear I poured

A yet unpracticed prayer.
My trembling tongue sincere ignored

The aids 6f " sweet " and "fair."
I only said, as in me lay,

I'd strive her " worth " t5 reach ;
She frowned and turned her eyes away —

S5 much f5r triith in speech.

Then Delia came. 1 changed my plan ;

1 praised her to her face ;
I praised her featQres, — praised her fan,

Her lap-d5g and her lace ;
1 swore that not till Time were dead

My passi5n should decay ;
She, smiling, gave her hand, and said

'Twill last, then, for a Day.

Austin Dobson — " A Love Song."

Yoti sleep tipon yotir mother's breast.

Yotir race begun,
A welc5me, long a wished-f5r Guest,

Wh5se age is One.

326 77/^ ART OF POETRY.

A baby-boy, yoti wonder why

Yoti cannSt run ;
Yott try to talk — h5w hard yoii try !

YoQ're only One.

-ftre long yoCi won't bS such ;1 dunce ;

You'll eat yofir bun,
And fly yoflr kite, like folk, wh(") once

W^re only One.

You'll rhyme And woo, And fight And joke,

Perhaps you'll pun !
Such feats ftre nevSr done by folk

Before they're One.

S5me day, too, you may hav^yoftr joy,

And envy none ;
Yes, you, yoQrself, may own ft Boy,

Wh6 isn't One.

Frederick Locker — " A Rhyme of One.

A MEAN LOVER.

" 1 love t5 make my Mabel cry,

By jealoQs taunts and jeers.
F5r then I get a chance t6 try

And kiss away hSr tears."

LEGAL WHISKERS.

"As o'er their wine and walnOts sat,
Talking 6f this and then 6f that,
Tw6 wights well learned in the law —
That is, well skilled to find a flaw —
said one c6mpani5n to the other,
' How Is it, most respected brother.
That you have shaven away
Th5se whiskers which fOr many a day
1 lave ornamented miich yottr cheek?
Sttre, 'twas an idle, silly freak.'

OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY. 327

T6 whom thS othSr answer gave,
Wrth look half merry and half grave,
' Th5ugh others be by whiskers graced,
A lawyer can't bS too barefaced.' "

CONCLUSION.

And now we bring to a close a subject full of never-ending
interest to the student of general literature — poetry, the art
divine. Endeavoring to make its study practical, we have
followed it step by step, exemplifying its measures by quo-
tations from our great authors. It is a theme inexhaustible,
and yet one may become familiar with its elements and
science.

Were you to ask how to excel, the answer would be : if
nature has endowed you with the natural gift, cultivate it by
a careful study of authors whose works are preeminent.
Longfellow, Lowell, Holmes, Whittier, and Bryant are a
galaxy of names that will ever adorn American literature,
and whose works should be read and thoroughly analyzed
by every student of literature and art. England and Scot-
land have had a long line of poets whose works are gems
of rare art.

Every one would commend the works of Tennyson and
Burns. They were poets who possessed the faculty divine.
The world acknowledges them as two of the grandest of
any age. Yet there are those of our own time who are liv-
ing, toiling, struggling writers for fame, present as well as
future, that are models of excellence and elegance. Dobson,
Lang, Gosse, and Swinburne may be cited. Read, and you
may find yourself in touch with some one or all of them.
Of our present-day American authors, Stedman, Aldrich,
Riley, Harte, Hav, Carleton, and Stoddard, have each

328 THE ART OF POETRY.

earned a well-deserved fame. But be not mere imitators,
read and study the works of great authors, and then mold
and fashion your talent after a style of your own. There is
a peculiar something in the writings of our poets that has a
distinctiveness of its own plainly perceptible. Spontaneity
in writing may be, and often is, genius assisting her own true
children on and on, to nobler and greater deeds, giving
them clearer vision — a direct insight. But let it not be
supposed that genius alone makes men great. The lives of
the best authors reveal the fact that men of genius are men
who are untiring workers. Great poems are not mere acci-
dents of genius. The great beehive of poetry is not inhab-
ited by drones. The honey gathered from every flower is
the result of their toil and industry. Care, precision, and
painstaking methods are the royal roads to success. How
beautifully William Cullen Bryant has expressed in these
lines the poet's art :

The secret wouldst th6u know
T6 touch the heart 6r fire the blood at will ?

Let thine Own eyes S'erflow ;
Let thy lips quiver with the passionate thrill ;

Seize the great thought, ere yet Its power be past,

And bind, in words, the fleet em6ti6n fast.

"The Poet."

INDEX OF AUTHORS.

Adams, Charles Follen,

Adams, John Quincy, . . . .

Adams, Sarah Flower,

Aldrich, Thomas Bailey, 140, 152, 153, 159, 179,

Alkaios, .....

Allston, Washington, . . . ,

Armstrong, John, . . ' .

Arnold, Edwin, ....

Arnold, Matthew, ....

Aytoun, William Edmonstoune,

Baer, Libbie C,

Baillie, Joanna, ....

Barham, Richard Harris, . .

Barlow, Joel, ....

Baxley, Isaac R.,

Bayly, Thomas Haynes,

Beaumont, Francis,

Beattie, James, ....

Beddoes, Thomas Lovell,

Bennett, S. Filmore,

Bennett, William Cox,

Bethune, George Washington,

Bible, ......

Bishop, Sir Henry, . . .

Blackstone, Sir William,

Bowles, William Lisle,

Bradbury, W. H., .

Branch, Mary Bolles,

Brennan, Joseph, ....

Brooks, Maria Gowen,

PAGE

■ 304,

305,

306,

309
153
252

180, 202,

221,

222,

256
171
226
181

90,

216

188

225

159

225

178

182

253
72

240

155
114

254
71

•

164
82

330

INDEX OF AUTHORS.

Brown, Frances,
Browning, Elizabeth Barrett,
Browning, Robert,
Bruce, Michael,

PAGE

249

84, 195

135

Bryant, William Cullen, 16, 81, 100, loi, 134, 155, 157, 160, 249, 263.

267, 268, 283, 285, 328.
Brydges, Samuel Egerton, . . .111

Buckingham, Duke of, (George Villiers), ... 82

Bums, Robert, 4, 11, 16, 40, 45, 46, 48, 49, 50, 79, 96, 100, 169, 197, 207,

222, 256, 263, 268, 278, 279, 285, 318, 319.
Butler, Samuel, ...... 148, 302

Byron, Lord, 13, 29, 48, 76, 98, loi, 183, 203, 204, 208, 209, 223, 255.

256, 300.
Carey, Henry, ....... 90

Cary, Alice, ....... 55

Cary, Phoebe, . . . . . 91

Campbell, Thomas, 6, 10, 11, 15, 16, 19, 55, 156, 187, 188, 217, 221, 224,

226, 260, 286.

Carleton, Will,

21, 22,

163, 168

Carpenter, J. E.,

244

Catullus,

174

Chalkhill, John, (Izaac Walton), .

138, 166

Chatterton, Thomas,

Chaucer, Geoffrey, .

11,42,

190, 291

" Chevy Chase,"

260

Churchill, Charles,

. 156

Claribel,

244

Clark, Willis G., .

225

Cobb, Henry N.,

Coit, John 0., .

Coleridge, Samuel Taylor,

13.27,47.55.73.

204, 278

Collins, William, .

214. 278

Cooke, Philip Pendleton,

Cornwall, Barry, (B. W. Proctor),

Cotton, Charles,

130

Cowley, Abraham,

208

Cowper, William,

3, 168, 171, 183, 263, 285,

286, 288

Crabbe, George,

287

INDEX OF AUTHORS.

331

Craik, Dinah Maria Mulock,

Cunningham, Allan,

Dana, Richard Henry,

Daniel, Samuel,

Dante,

Darwm, Erasmus,

Davies, Sir John,

Dickens, Charles,

Dobson, Austin,

Doddridge, Philip,

Drayton, Michael,

Dryden, John, .

Durbin, Charles,

Eastman, Charles Gamage,

Edwards, Amelia B.,

Elliot, Ebenezer,

Emerson, Ralph Waldo,

Emmett, Dan. D.,

Falconer, William,

Field, Eugene,

Fletcher, Giles,

Fontenelle, Bernard le Bov

Fosdick, William W.,

Foster, Stephen Collins,

Franc, G., .

Gates, Ellen N. H., .

Gay, John,

Gaylord, Willis,

Gilder, Richard Watson, .

Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von, .

Goldsmith, Oliver,

Gosse, Edmund,

Goose, Mary,

Gray, Thomas,

Greene, Roy Farrell,

Hale, Sarah J.,

Hall, Charles S., .

Harte, Francis Bret,

72, «8, 8.

216,

80,

17, 119, 122, 123, 125, 129, 132, 298,
J. 135, 257. 286, 293, 300,

278,
212,

62, 150, 152,

141, 150, 256,
156, 182, 183, 196,

106, 1-47, 182, 206, 219, 224, 263, 266,

28, 87, 90, 167, 170, 218, 285, 308, 309,

PAGE

?. 99

318

192

94
289
200

92
105
325
199
218
302

55
325
272
246

59
193
194
229
283
240
254
HI'
138

56
108

29s
212
128
321
273
314
105
246

332

INDEX OF AUTHORS.

Harvey, James,
Hastings, Thomas,
Hay, John,
Heber, Reginald,
Heine, Heinrich,
Hemans, Fehcia,
Henryson, Robert,
Herbert, George,
Herrick, Robert,
Hervey, Thomas Kibble,
Heywood, Thomas,
Hill, Thomas,
Hogg, James,
Holmes, Oliver Wendell,
Homer,

Hood, Thomas, lo, 31,

Horace,

Howe, Julia Ward,
Howells, William Dean,
Hoyt, Ralph,
Hunt, Leigh,
Hunter, Anne,
Hugo, Victor, .
Ingelow, Jean,
Jeffreys, Charles,
'Johnson, Samuel, .
Jones, Sir William,
Jonson, Ben,
Josephus,
Keats, John

Keeling, Elsa D. E., .
Kingsley, Charles,
Kinney, Coates,
Knox, William,
Korner, Charles Theodore,
Larcom, Lucy,
Landon, Letitia Ehzabeth,
Lang, Andrew,

PAGE
213
254

n, 178, 257, 261, 285

• 145.253

256

12, 180, 213

131

50
. 15, 77, 148, 149, 151, 178, 190, 191

• • • 55

106

190

152, 162

51, 64, 147, 158, 201, 260, 262, 263

217, 289

54, 55. 77. 89, 93, 113, 161, 191, 198, 260

58, 226

247

55,78

325
..... 146

149

.... 308

180

203

. .279

103, III, 181, 195, 212, 277, 291

. ' . 67

81, 86, 144, 171, 173

25, 142, 225

.28

.... 80

140, 143, 168, 170

224

116, 125, 130, 154

INDEX OF AUTHORS.

333

PAGE

Lanier, Sidney, . . . .

44,255

Lear, Edward, .

321

Linley, G., . . . , . .

244

Locker-Lampson, Frederick,

112, 325

Lockhart, Burton W., .

Lockhart, John Gibson, ....

221

Logan, Margaret B., ,

122

Longfellow, Henry Wadsworih, 8, 12, 13, 14, 15, 35,

41,44, 45> 55.73,

74,81, no, 164, 171, 173, 194, 199,207, 220, 222,

263, 281

285, 291

Lowell, James Russell, . 257, 263, 282, 301,

302, 303,

315,317

Lowry, Rev. Robert, .....

253

Lytton, Sir Edward Bulwer,

295

Lytton, Robert Bulwer, ....

291

Macaulay, Lord, .....

258, 293

Macdonald, George, . . . . .

II, i6c

Mace, Frances Laughton, ....

252

Mackay, Charles, . . . . .

14.

104, 145

.Manners, Lady Frances, ....

Marlowe, Christopher, ....

294

.Matthews, James Newton, ....

167

McCabe, Charles C, . . . .

247

McCarthy, H., . . . .

246

Marsh, Simeon B., .

254

Merrick, James, .....

179

Miller, Joaquin, .....

285

Milton, John, . 48, 104, 109, 134, 198, 201, 219,

226, 266,

277, 289

Montgomery, James, ....

• 79,

'34, 248

Moore, Thomas, . . .

72, 239,

263, 291

Morris, Ida G., .

Motherwell, William, .....

166, 319

Moultrie, John, .....

Nelson, S., .

244

Norton, Caroline E., ....

96, 113

O'Conner, Joseph . . * .

179

Osgood, Frances Sargent, .

. 55,68

Ossian, . .

Palgrave, Francis Turner, ....

193

Parnell, Thomas, ....

213

334

INDEX OF AUTHORS.

lo, i8, 38, 68, 76, 146, 175
S'^, 59- '77> 192, 197, 202, 206, 222,

Parsons, Thomas W.,

Patmore, Coventry,

Payne, John Howard,

Percival, James Gates,

Perry, T. S.,

" Piers Plowman,"

Pike, Albert N., .

Pickering, Henry,

Pinkney, Edward Coate,

Poe, Edgar Allan,

Pope, Alexander, 2, 3, 27. 37

290, 300.
Powell, ......

Procter, Adelaide Anne, ....

Proctor, Bryan W., ( Barry Cornwall ), .

Quarles, Francis, .....

Ramsay, Allan, ......

Randall, James R., .

Read, Thomas Buchanan. .....

Reed, Joe S., .

Riley, James Whitcomb, 67, 159, 263, 264, 265, 266, 285,

319, 320, 322.
Roberts, Sarah, .....

Robmson, Maria Durey, .....

Rogers, Alexander,

Rouget de Lisle, Claude Joseph, ....

Russell, Henry, .....

Sappho, .......

Saxe, John Godfrey,

Schiller, J. C. F. von,

Scott, Lady Jane,

Scott, Sir Walter, ....

Sedley, Sir Charles,

Shakespeare, William, 48, 78, 103, \\i, 187,

215-
Shelley, Percy Bysshe,
Shenstone, William,
Shepherd, N. G.,

4
»94,

192

PAGE

, 240

282

19s

246

, 223

, 192

286.

. 60, 70, 95, 97,
256, 261,

51, 163. 169, 183. 220,

192, 194, 195, 196, 206,

70,
214,

75.95. 218

104

". 77

. 285

246

4, 55, 87, 284

3<i
308, 309, 310,

79
248

4«

242

172

204

295
242
291

99
207.

102

285

INDEX OF AUTHORS.

335

Shillaber, P. B., .

Shirley, James,

Sibley, Charles,

Sidney, Sir Philip,

Sigourney, Lydia H.,

Simms, William Gilmorc,

Smith, Charlotte,

Smith, James, .

Southey, Robert,

Spenser, Edmund,

Stedman, Edmund Clarence,

Still, John,

Stoddard, Richard Henry,

Stoddart, Thomas Tod,

Suckling, Sir John,

Swinburne, Algernon Charles, 123,

292.
Taylor, Bayard,
Tennyson, Alfred, 12, 15, 28, 35,

146, 159, 162, 171. 173,, 174,

263, 266, 285.
Thackeray, William Makepeace,
Thomson, James, .
Toplady, Rev. A. M., .
Tusser, Thomas,
Udall, Nicholas,
Vaughan, Henry, .
Virgil, ....
Voiture, Vincent, .
Waller, Edmund,
Walford, Rev. W. H ,
Walton, Izaak,
Watts, Isaac,
Weir, Harrison,
Wesley, Charles, .
White, Joseph Blanco,
White, Henry Ki'^ke,
Whitman, Walt,

151

... 283

198

153, 161, 163, 171, 172, 207, 219, 225
1 1, 181, 291
73,96, 143, i79> 205. 221, 283
196
55. 203
88
70, 189
124, 127, 142, 171, 172, 175, 285, 291,

38, 43, 47, 55, 59, 71, 76, 85, 90, 139,
202, 204, 205, 213, 214, 218, 256, 262,

169

178, 182, 190, 197

254

• 48, 49

294

194

216, 289

121

74
254

26, 157, 172, 254

106

251, 254

336 INDEX OF AUTHORS.

PAGH

VVhittier, John Greenleaf, 12, 14, 28, 35, 44, 72, 210, 265, 284, 285

Wilcox, Ella Wheeler, .16, 110,193,205

Willis, Nathaniel Parker, • ■ • • . . 35

Winner, Septimus, ...... 245

Wither, George, . . . -57

W^olfe, Charles, i8c

Wolfe, James, ....... 277

Wordsworth, William, . . 37,47,54,158,285,286

INDEX OF SUBJECTS

PACK

PAGE

Accent, .

6, 19

Construction of the Stanza, 63

Acrostics.

• 56

Couplet, .

Alcaics, .

171

Cretic,

. 26

Allegory,

• 199

Dactyl, .

Alliteration,

Dactylic Dimeter,

Amatory Ode,

. 256

Dactylic Rhythm,

160

Amphibrach,

Dialect,

303

Amphimacer, . •

Didactic .

■ 235,285

Anapest,

Dimeter Measure, 138,

150, 160,

Anapestic Rhythm,

165

166.

Anapestic Tetrameter,

Drama,

236, 293

Anaphora,

201

Echo,

2X8

Antithesis,

202

Ecphonesis .

206

Apheresis,

. 187

Eight Line Stanza,

Apocope,

188

Elegy,

262

Apostrophe, .

200

Ellipsis, .

191

Assonantal Rhyme,

Empire of Poetry,

. 229

Ballad,

. 258

Enallage,

193

Ballade, The

116

Envoy,

. 298

Blank Verse,

133

Epanalepsis,

203

Burlesque,

297

Epenthesis, .

. 188

Burletta,

• 297

Epic,

235, 288

Cento Verse,

Epigram,

. 203

Chant,

221

Epilogue,

298

Chant Royal,

118

Epitaph,

. 278

Child Dialect, . '

• 319

Epizeuxis,

204

Chinese Dialect,

Erotesis,

205

Classification,

• 235

Farce,

297

Comedy,

296

Feminine Rhyme,

Consonantal Rhyme, .

Figures of Etymology,

187

338

INDEX OF SUBJECTS.

rA(;b:

PAGK

Figures of Rhetoric, .

■ »99

Nonsense,

320

P^igures of Speech,

187

Oljjective Poetry,

• 236

Figures of Syntax,

. 191

Octometer Measure

146, 159

Five Line Stanza,

Odd Rhyme, .

Foreign Words and Expressions, 60

Ode,

254

German Dialect,

• 304

Onomatopcjeia,

. 218

Hearing,

208

Opera,

299

Hendecasyllables,

■ 174

Pantoum,

• 131

Heptameter Measure, . i

14, 158

Paragoge,

189

Heroic Ode, .

• 257

Paraleipsis, .

. 220

Hexameter Measure, 143, 157, 164,

Pastoral, .

235, 281

170, 172.

Pentameter Measure,

142, 155

Hyperbaton,

197

Personification,

220

Hyperbole, .

. 208

Pleonasm,

198

Iambic Pentameter,

Poetical Licenses,

• 177

Iambic Rhythm,

• 147

Poetry as an Art,

Iambus, .

Poetic Pauses,

• 36

Imitation of Classical Measures, 171

Prologue,

297

Inverse Rhyme

• 49

Prosthesis,

. 190

Inversion,

197

Quantity, ^ .

Interrogation,

205

Quatrain,

Irish Dialect,

306

Refrain, .

221

Irony,

210

Rhythm,

• 30

Kinds of Poetry,

229

Rhythmic Combinations,

Litotes,

211

Rhyme, .

Lyric, . . .2

35> 237

Rondeau,

120

Masculine Rhyme,

• 45

Rondel, .

123

Measures Exemplified,

136

Roundel,

• 124

Melodrama, .

• 297

Sacred Ode,

255

Meter, .

Sacred Songs,

. 248

Metonymy, .

. 212

Sapphics,

172

Metrical History,

293

Satire,

236, 299

Metrical Romance, .

. 291

Scansion,

3],

Middle Rhyme, .

Secular Songs,

. 238

Mock Epic, .

. 289

Sectional Rhyme,

Monometer Measure, 137, i

^8, 165

Selection of Words, .

• 58

Moral Ode,

255

Sestine, .

126

Nine Line Stanza,

. 98

Seven Line Stanza, .

. 82

INDEX OF SUBJECTS.

339

Scotch Dialect, .

PACK

318

Triolet, .

PAGE

129

Simile,

222

Triple Rhyme,

• 46

Six Line Stanza,

Tragedy,

296

Sonnet,

. 107

Travesty,

• 297

Southern Dialect,

Trimeter Measure, 139

151, 167

Spondee,

Triplet, .

Stanza, .

Trochaic Rhythm,

. 136

Subjective Poetry,

• 236

Trochaic Tetrameter,

Subjective Drama,

299

Trope,

. 223

Syllepsis,

. 198

Trochee,

Synaeresis,

190

Verse,

Synecdoche, .

• 223

Versicle, .

323

Syncope,

190

ViUanelle, .

. 124

Task Rhyme,

• 50

Virelay, .

130

Ten Liue Stanza,

102

Vision,

226

Tetrameter Measure, 140, 152, 163,

Western Dialect,

308

168.

Vankee Dialect,

• 315

Tmesis,

• 191

41567

A 000 671 696 3

Internet Archive Audio

Featured

Top

Images

Featured

Top

Software

Featured

Top

Books

Featured

Top

Video

Featured

Top

Mobile Apps

Browser Extensions

Archive-It Subscription

Save Page Now

Full text of "Elements and science of English versification"

See other formats