1
AN EXPERIMENT FOR A METRE
I heard a voice pealing loud triumph to-day:
The voice of the Triumph, O Freedom, was thine!
Sumptuous Tyranny challeng'd the fray,[1014:2]
'Drunk with Idolatry, drunk with wine.'
Whose could the Triumph be Freedom but thine?
Stars of the Heaven shine to feed thee;
Hush'd are the Whirl-blasts and heed thee;—
By her depth, by her height, Nature swears thou art mine!
1. Amphibrach tetrameter catalectic ˘ ¯ ˘ | ˘ ¯ ˘ | ˘ ¯ ˘ | ˘ ¯
2. Ditto.
3. Three pseudo amphimacers, and one long syllable.
4. Two dactyls, and one perfect Amphimacer.
5. = 1 and 2.
6. ¯ ˘ ¯ | ¯ ˘ ¯ ˘ |
7. ¯ ˘ ¯ | ¯ ˘ ¯ ˘ |
8. ¯ ˘ ¯ | ¯ ˘ ¯, ¯ ˘ ¯, ¯ ˘ ¯
1801. Now first published from an MS.