CHAPTER XI

VERSE FORMS[56]

No pupil has passed through the graded schools without being told that he should not sing verses, though no one is inclined to sing prose. One can scarcely help singing verse, and one cannot well sing prose.

What is there about the form that leads a person to sing verses of poetry? For example, when a person reads the first lines of “The Lady of the Lake,” he falls naturally into a sing-song which can be represented by musical notation as follows:—

^ ^ ^ ^

eighth note quarter note eighth note quarter note eighth note quarter note eighth note quarter note

“The stag at eve had drunk his fill,

^ ^ ^ ^

eighth note quarter note eighth note quarter note eighth note quarter note eighth note quarter note

Where danced the moon on Mon an’s rill,

^ ^ ^ ^

eighth note quarter note eighth note quarter note eighth note quarter note eighth note quarter note

And deep his mid night lair had made

^ ^ ^ ^

eighth note quarter note eighth note quarter note eighth note quarter note eighth note quarter note

In lone Glen art ney’s ha zel shade.”

	^		^		^		^
eighth note	quarter note	eighth note	quarter note	eighth note	quarter note	eighth note	quarter note
“The	stag	at	eve	had	drunk	his	fill,

	^		^		^		^
eighth note	quarter note	eighth note	quarter note	eighth note	quarter note	eighth note	quarter note
Where	danced	the	moon	on	Mon	an’s	rill,

	^		^		^		^
eighth note	quarter note	eighth note	quarter note	eighth note	quarter note	eighth note	quarter note
And	deep	his	mid	night	lair	had	made

	^		^		^		^
eighth note	quarter note	eighth note	quarter note	eighth note	quarter note	eighth note	quarter note
In	lone	Glen	art	ney’s	ha	zel	shade.”

The second, fourth, sixth, and eighth syllables in each of these lines are naturally accented in reading, while the other syllables are read without stress. The eight syllables of each line fall naturally into groups [270] of two, an unaccented syllable followed by an accented syllable, just as in the musical notation given, an unaccented eighth note is followed by an accented quarter.

In “Hiawatha” the accented syllable comes first, and the unaccented follows it.

^ ^ ^ ^

quarter note eighth note quarter note eighth note quarter note eighth note quarter note eighth note

“By the shores of Git chee Gu mee,

^ ^ ^ ^

quarter note eighth note quarter note eighth note quarter note eighth note quarter note eighth note

By the shin ing Big- Sea- Wa ter,

^ ^ ^ ^

quarter note eighth note quarter note eighth note quarter note eighth note quarter note eighth note

Stood the wig wam of No ko mis,

^ ^ ^ ^

quarter note eighth note quarter note eighth note quarter note eighth note quarter note eighth note

Daugh ter of the Moon, No ko mis.”

^		^		^		^
quarter note	eighth note	quarter note	eighth note	quarter note	eighth note	quarter note	eighth note
“By	the	shores	of	Git	chee	Gu	mee,

^		^		^		^
quarter note	eighth note	quarter note	eighth note	quarter note	eighth note	quarter note	eighth note
By	the	shin	ing	Big-	Sea-	Wa	ter,

^		^		^		^
quarter note	eighth note	quarter note	eighth note	quarter note	eighth note	quarter note	eighth note
Stood	the	wig	wam	of	No	ko	mis,

^		^		^		^
quarter note	eighth note	quarter note	eighth note	quarter note	eighth note	quarter note	eighth note
Daugh	ter	of	the	Moon,	No	ko	mis.”

So, too, there are groups in which there are three syllables. The accent may fall on any one of the three. In the following stanza from “The Bridge of Sighs,” the accent falls on the first syllable of each group.

^ ^

eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note

“Touch her not scorn ful ly;

^ ^

eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note

Think of her mourn ful ly,

^ ^

eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note

Gent ly and hu man ly,

^ ^

eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note

Not of the stains of her;

^ ^

eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note

All that re mains of her

[271]^ ^

eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note

Now is pure wo man ly.”

^			^
eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note
“Touch	her	not	scorn	ful	ly;

^			^
eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note
Think	of	her	mourn	ful	ly,

^			^
eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note
Gent	ly	and	hu	man	ly,

^			^
eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note
Not	of	the	stains	of	her;

^			^
eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note
All	that	re	mains	of	her

[271]^			^
eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note
Now	is	pure	wo	man	ly.”

The accent may be upon the second syllable of the group. This is not common. The following is from “The Three Fishers.”

^ ^ ^ ^

eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note quarter note

“Three fish ers went sail ing out in to the West,

^ ^ ^ ^

eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note quarter note eighth note quarter note

Out in to the West as the sun went down;

^ ^ ^ ^

eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note quarter note

Each thought on the wo man that loved him the best;

^ ^ ^ ^

[eighth note] eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note quarter note

[And] the child ren stood watch ing them out of the town.”

	^			^			^			^
eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	quarter note
“Three	fish	ers	went	sail	ing	out	in	to	the	West,

	^			^			^		^
eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	quarter note	eighth note	quarter note
Out	in	to	the	West	as	the	sun	went	down;

	^			^			^			^
eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	quarter note
Each	thought	on	the	wo	man	that	loved	him	the	best;

		^			^			^			^
[eighth note]	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	quarter note
[And]	the	child	ren	stood	watch	ing	them	out	of	the	town.”

Or the accent may be upon the last syllable of the group. This form is very common. It is found in the poem entitled “Annabel Lee.”

^ ^ ^ ^

eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note quarter note

“It was man y and man y a year a go,

^ ^ ^

eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note quarter note eighth note quarter note

In a king dom by the sea,

^ ^ ^ ^

eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note quarter note eighth note quarter note

That a maid en there lived whom you may know

^ ^ ^

eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note quarter note eighth note eighth note eighth note

By the name of An na bel Lee;

^ ^ ^ ^

eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note quarter note eighth note eighth note eighth note

And this maid en she lived with no oth er thought

[272] ^ ^ ^

eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note quarter note

Than to love and be loved by me.”

		^			^			^		^
eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	quarter note
“It	was	man	y	and	man	y	a	year	a	go,

		^		^		^
eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	quarter note	eighth note	quarter note
In	a	king	dom	by	the	sea,

		^			^		^		^
eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	quarter note	eighth note	quarter note
That	a	maid	en	there	lived	whom	you	may	know

		^		^			^
eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	quarter note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note
By	the	name	of	An	na	bel	Lee;

		^			^		^			^
eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	quarter note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note
And	this	maid	en	she	lived	with	no	oth	er	thought

[272]		^			^		^
eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	quarter note
Than	to	love	and	be	loved	by	me.”

Poetic Feet. If all these verses be observed carefully, it will be seen that in each group of syllables there is one accented syllable combined with one or two unaccented. Such a group of syllables is called a foot. The foot is the basis of the verse; and from the prevailing kind of foot that is found in any verse, the verse derives its name.

A foot is a group of syllables composed of one accented syllable combined with one or more unaccented. It will be noticed further that if musical notation be used, all of these forms are but variations of the one form, represented by the standard measure 3/8. They are:—

^

eighth note quarter note

;

^

quarter note eighth note

;

^

eighth note eighth note eighth note

;

^

eighth note eighth note eighth note

; and

^

eighth note eighth note eighth note

.

	^
eighth note	quarter note

;

^
quarter note	eighth note

;

^
eighth note	eighth note	eighth note

;

	^
eighth note	eighth note	eighth note

; and

		^
eighth note	eighth note	eighth note

Accordingly there are five forms of poetic feet made of this musical rhythm. Of these, four are in common use.

An Iambus is a two-syllable foot accented on the last syllable. Verse made of this kind of feet is called iambic. It is the most common form found in English poetry. Example:—

“The stag at eve had drunk his fill.”

A Trochee is a two-syllable foot accented on the first syllable. Verse made of this kind of feet is called trochaic. Example:—

“Stood the wigwam of Nokomis.”

A Dactyl is a three-syllable foot accented on the first syllable. Such verse is called dactylic. Example:—

“Touch her not scornfully.”

[273] An Amphibrach is a three-syllable foot accented on the middle syllable. It is uncommon. Example:—

“Three fishers went sailing out into the West.”

An Anapest is a three-syllable foot accented on the last syllable. Example:—

“It was many and many a year ago.”

A Spondee is a very uncommon foot in English. It consists of two long syllables accented about equally. It occurs as an occasional foot in a four-syllable rhythm. No English poem is entirely spondaic. The four-syllable foot and the spondee are so uncommon that there is little use in the pupil’s knowing more than that there are such things. The example below is quoted from Lanier’s “The Science of English Verse.”

^ ^ ^ ^

eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note quarter note eighth note eighth note quarter note quarter note

“Ah, the au tumn days fade out, and the nights grow chill

^ ^ ^ ^

eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note quarter note quarter note

And we walk no more to ge ther as we used of yore

When the rose was new in blossom and the sun was on the hill,

And the eves were sweetly vocal with the happy whippoorwill,

And the land-breeze piped its sweetest by the ocean shore.”

	^				^			^	^
	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	quarter note	eighth note	eighth note	quarter note	quarter note
“Ah, the	au	tumn	days	fade	out,	and	the	nights	grow	chill

	^				^				^	^
	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	quarter note	quarter note
And we	walk	no	more	to	ge	ther	as	we	used	of	yore

Kinds of Metre.A verse is a single line of poetry. It may contain from one foot to eight feet.

A line made of one foot is called monometer. It is never used throughout a poem, except as a joke, but it sometimes occurs as an occasional verse in a poem that is made of longer lines. The two lines which follow are from the song of “Winter” in Shakespeare’s “Love’s Labour’s Lost.” The last is monometer.

[274] “Then nightly sings the staring owl

Tu-whit.”

A line containing two feet is called dimeter. It also is uncommon; but it does sometimes make up a whole poem; as, “The Bridge of Sighs,” already mentioned. Another example is:—

^ ^

“I’m wear ing awa’, Jean,

^ ^

Like snaw when it’s thaw, Jean,

^ ^

I’m wear ing awa’

^ ^

To the land o’ the leal.”

	^		^
“I’m	wear	ing	awa’,	Jean,

	^			^
Like	snaw	when	it’s	thaw,	Jean,

	^		^
I’m	wear	ing	awa’

		^			^
To	the	land	o’	the	leal.”

It is frequently met as an occasional line in a poem. Wordsworth’s “Daisy” shows it.

“Bright Flower! for by that name at last,

When all my reveries are past,

I call thee, and to that cleave fast,

Sweet, silent creature!

That breath’st with me in sun and air,

Do thou, as thou art wont, repair

My heart with gladness, and a share

Of thy meek nature!”

A line containing three feet is called trimeter. Example:—

^ ^ ^

“The snow had be gun in the gloam ing,

^ ^ ^

And bus ily all the night

^ ^ ^

Had been heap ing field and high way

^ ^ ^

With a si lence deep and white.”

	^			^			^
“The	snow	had	be	gun	in	the	gloam	ing,

	^		^		^
And	bus	ily	all	the	night

		^		^		^
Had	been	heap	ing	field	and	high	way

		^		^		^
With	a	si	lence	deep	and	white.”

A line containing four feet is called tetrameter. “Marmion” is written in tetrameters. See the extract on p. [276].

A line containing five feet is called pentameter. This line is very common in English poetry. It gives [275] room enough for the poet to say something, and is not so long that it breaks down with its own weight. Shakespeare’s Plays, Milton’s “Paradise Lost,” Tennyson’s “Idylls of the King,”—indeed, most of the great, serious work of the master-poets has been done in this verse.

A line containing six feet is called hexameter. This is the form adopted in the Iliad and the Odyssey of the Greeks, and the Æneid of the Romans; it has been used sometimes by English writers in treating dignified subjects. “The Courtship of Miles Standish” and “Evangeline” are written in hexameter.

Verses of seven and eight feet are rare; they are called heptameter and octameter, respectively. The heptameter is usually divided into a tetrameter and a trimeter; the octameter, into two tetrameters. Poe’s “Raven” and Tennyson’s “Locksley Hall” are in octameters, and Bryant’s “The Death of the Flowers” is in heptameters.

A verse is named from its prevailing kind of foot and the number of feet. For example, “The Merchant of Venice” is in iambic pentameter, and “The Courtship of Miles Standish” is in dactylic hexameter.

Stanzas. A stanza is a group of verses, but these verses are not necessarily of the same length. Monometer, dimeter, and trimeter are not often used for a whole stanza; but they are frequently found in a stanza, introducing variety into it. A stanza made up of tetrameter alternating with trimeter is very common. The stanzas from “Annabel Lee” and “The Village Blacksmith,” found on pages [278] and [279], are excellent examples.

Scansion. Scansion is the separation of a verse of poetry into its component feet. Poetry was originally sung or [276] chanted by bards and troubadours. The accompaniment was a simple strumming on a harp of very few strings, and was hardly more than the beating of time. The chanting must have been much like the sing-song that some people fall into when reading verses now. The first thing in scanning a line of poetry is to drop into its rhythm,—to let it sing itself. When the regular accent is felt, the lines can easily be separated into their metrical feet. Read these lines from “Marmion,” and mark only the accented syllables.

^ ^ ^ ^

“And there she stood so calm and pale,

^ ^ ^ ^

That but her breath ing did not fail,

And motion slight of eyes and head,

And of her bosom, warranted

That neither sense nor pulse she lacks,

You might have thought a form of wax

Wrought to the very life was there;

So still she was, so pale, so fair.”

	^		^		^		^
“And	there	she	stood	so	calm	and	pale,

	^		^		^		^
That	but	her	breath	ing	did	not	fail,

The marked verses have an accented syllable preceded by an unaccented syllable. Such a foot is iambic. There are four feet in each verse; so the poem is written in iambic tetrameter. In the same way, one decides that “The Song of Hiawatha” is written in trochaic tetrameter.

Variations in Metres. In music the bar or measure is not always filled with exactly the same kind of notes arranged in the same order. If the signature reads 3/8, the measure may be filled by any notes that added together equal three eighth notes. It may be a quarter and an eighth, an eighth and a quarter, a dotted quarter, or three eighth notes. So, in poetry the verses are not always as regular as in “Marmion” and “Hiawatha,” although poetry is more regular than [277] music and there are usually few variations of metre in any one poem. A knowledge of the most common forms of variation is necessary to correct scansion.

The commonest variation in verse is the substitution of three eighths for the quarter and the eighth, or the eighth and the quarter. And the very opposite of this often occurs; that is, the substitution of the two-syllable foot for the three-syllable foot. The following, from “The Burial of Sir John Moore,” illustrates what is done. Notice, however, that the beat is quite regular, and the lines lilt along as if there were no change.

^ ^ ^ ^

eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note quarter note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note

“Not a drum was heard, not a fun er al note,

^ ^ ^

eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note [eighth note]

As his corse to the ram part we hur [ried];

^ ^ ^ ^

eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note quarter note eighth note quarter note

Not a sol dier dis charged his fare well shot

^ ^ ^

eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note [eighth note]

O’er the grave where our he ro we bur [ied].”

		^		^			^			^
eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	quarter note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note
“Not	a	drum	was	heard,	not	a	fun	er	al	note,

		^			^			^
eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	[eighth note]
As	his	corse	to	the	ram	part	we	hur	[ried];

		^			^		^		^
eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	quarter note	eighth note	quarter note
Not	a	sol	dier	dis	charged	his	fare	well	shot

		^			^			^
eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	[eighth note]
O’er	the	grave	where	our	he	ro	we	bur	[ied].”

In reading this the first time, a person is not likely to notice that there are three feet in it containing but two syllables. The rhythm is perfectly smooth, and cannot be called irregular. The accent remains on the last syllable of the foot.

In the following selection from “Evangeline,” trochees are substituted for dactyls, yet there is no break in the rhythm. It does not seem in the least irregular.

^ ^ ^

quarter note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note quarter note eighth note

“Be hind them fol lowed the watch- dog,

[278]^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^

quarter note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note quarter note eighth note

Pa tient, full of im port ance, and grand in the pride of his in stinct,

Walking from side to side with a lordly air, and superbly

Waving his bushy tail, and urging forward the stragglers.”

	^		^			^
	quarter note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	quarter note	eighth note
“Be	hind	them	fol	lowed	the	watch-	dog,

[278]^

quarter note

eighth note

quarter note

eighth note

tient,

full

port

ance,

and

grand

the

pride

his

stinct,

These examples are enough to illustrate the fact that one kind of foot may be substituted for another and not make the rhythm feel irregular. So long as the accent is not changed from the first syllable to the last, or from the last to the first, there is no jar in the flow of the lines. The trochee and the dactyl are interchangeable; and the iambus and the anapest are interchangeable.

We may take a step further. There are many times when some sudden change of thought, some strong emotion forces a poet to break the smooth rhythm, that the verses may harmonize with his feeling. Such a variation is like an exclamation or a dash thrown into prose. The following is taken from “Annabel Lee.” The regular foot has the accent on the last syllable. It is anapestic, in tetrameters and trimeters. But note the shudder in the third line when the accent is changed on the word “chilling.” The music and the thought are in perfect harmony.

“And this was the reason that, long ago,

In this kingdom by the sea,

^ ^ ^ ^

eighth note quarter note eighth note quarter note eighth note eighth note eighth note quarter note eighth note

A wind blew out of a cloud, chil ling

My beautiful Annabel Lee;

So that her highborn kinsman came

And bore her away from me

[279] To shut her up in a sepulchre

In this kingdom by the sea.”

	^		^			^	^
eighth note	quarter note	eighth note	quarter note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	quarter note	eighth note
A	wind	blew	out	of	a	cloud,	chil	ling

Another beautiful example is found in the last stanza of the same poem. It is in the first two feet of the fifth line. Here the regular accent has yielded to an accent on the middle syllable and there are two amphibrachs. Notice, too, how it is almost impossible to tell in the next foot whether the accent goes upon the second or upon the third syllable. It is hovering between the form of the first two feet and the anapest of the last foot.

“For the moon never beams, without bringing me dreams

Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;

And the stars never rise, but I feel the bright eyes

Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;

^ ^ ^ ^ ^

eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note

And so, all the night- tide, I lie down by the side

Of my darling—my darling—my life and my bride,

In her sepulchre there by the sea

In her tomb by the sounding sea.”

	^			^			^	^			^
eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note
And	so,	all	the	night-	tide,	I	lie	down	by	the	side

As has already been said, the iambus is the common foot of English verse. It is made of a short and a long syllable. At the beginning of a poem an unaccented syllable seems weak; and so very frequently the first foot of a poem is trochaic; often the first two or three feet are of this kind. At such a place the irregularity does not strike one. The following is an illustration:—

^ ^ ^ ^

quarter note eighth note eighth note quarter note eighth note quarter note eighth note quarter note

“Un der a spread ing chest nut tree

^ ^ ^

eighth note quarter note eighth note quarter note eighth note quarter note

The vil lage smith y stands;

[280] The smith, a mighty man is he,

With large and sinewy hands;

And the muscles of his brawny arms

Are strong as iron bands.”

^			^		^		^
quarter note	eighth note	eighth note	quarter note	eighth note	quarter note	eighth note	quarter note
“Un	der	a	spread	ing	chest	nut	tree

	^		^		^
eighth note	quarter note	eighth note	quarter note	eighth note	quarter note
The	vil	lage	smith	y	stands;

In this stanza the prevailing foot is iambic, but the first foot is trochaic. In the following beautiful lines by Ben Jonson, there is the same thing:—

^ ^ ^ ^

quarter note eighth note eighth note quarter note eighth note quarter note eighth note quarter note

“Drink to me on ly with thine eyes

And I will pledge with mine;

Or leave a kiss but in the cup

And I’ll not look for wine.

The thirst that from the soul doth rise

Doth ask a drink divine;

But might I of Jove’s nectar sup,

I would not change for thine.”

^			^		^		^
quarter note	eighth note	eighth note	quarter note	eighth note	quarter note	eighth note	quarter note
“Drink	to	me	on	ly	with	thine	eyes

A similar substitution may occur in any other verse of the stanza; but we feel the change more than when it is found in the first verse. The second stanza of Jonson’s song furnishes an example of the substitution of a trochee for an iambus:—

“I sent thee late a rosy wreath,

^ ^ ^

quarter note eighth note eighth note quarter note eighth note eighth note eighth note

Not so much hon or ing thee

As giving it a hope that there

It could not withered be,

But thou thereon didst only breathe

And sent’st it back to me;

Since when it grows and smells, I swear,

Not of itself, but thee.”

^			^			^
quarter note	eighth note	eighth note	quarter note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note
Not	so	much	hon	or	ing	thee

Of all the great poets, but few have been such masters [281] of the art of making musical verse as Spenser. The following stanza is from “The Faerie Queene;” and the delicate changes from one foot to another are so skillfully made that one has to look twice before he finds them.

^ ^ ^ ^ ^

“A lit tle low ly her mit age it was,

^ ^ ^ ^ ^

Down in a dale, hard by a for est’s side,

^ ^ ^ ^ ^

Far from res ort of peo ple that did pass

^ ^ ^ ^ ^

In trav el to and fro; a lit tle wide

^ ^ ^ ^ ^

There was a ho ly chap el ed i fied,

^ ^ ^ ^ ^

Where in a her mit du ly wont to say

^ ^ ^ ^ ^

His ho ly things each morn and ev en tide;

^ ^ ^ ^ ^

There by a crys tal stream did gent ly play,

^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^

Which from a sac red foun tain wel léd forth al way.”

	^		^		^		^		^
“A	lit	tle	low	ly	her	mit	age	it	was,

^			^		^		^		^
Down	in	a	dale,	hard	by	a	for	est’s	side,

^			^		^		^		^
Far	from	res	ort	of	peo	ple	that	did	pass

	^		^		^		^		^
In	trav	el	to	and	fro;	a	lit	tle	wide

	^		^		^		^		^
There	was	a	ho	ly	chap	el	ed	i	fied,

	^		^		^		^		^
Where	in	a	her	mit	du	ly	wont	to	say

	^		^		^		^		^
His	ho	ly	things	each	morn	and	ev	en	tide;

	^		^		^		^		^
There	by	a	crys	tal	stream	did	gent	ly	play,

^			^		^		^		^		^
Which	from	a	sac	red	foun	tain	wel	léd	forth	al	way.”

First and Last Foot. From the lines on “The Burial of Sir John Moore,” another fact about metres may be derived. The second and fourth lines apparently have one too many syllables. This may occur when the accent is upon the last syllable of the foot; that is, when the foot is an iambus or an anapest.

Again, the last foot of each line may be one syllable short. This may occur when the accent is on the first syllable of a foot; that is, when the foot is trochaic or dactylic. The scheme is like this:

^ ^ ^ ^

quarter note eighth note quarter note eighth note quarter note eighth note quarter note eighth note

“Tell me not in mourn ful num bers

^ ^ ^ ^

quarter note eighth note quarter note eighth note quarter note eighth note quarter note eighth rest

Life is but an emp ty dream.”

^		^		^		^
quarter note	eighth note	quarter note	eighth note	quarter note	eighth note	quarter note	eighth note
“Tell	me	not	in	mourn	ful	num	bers

^		^		^		^
quarter note	eighth note	quarter note	eighth note	quarter note	eighth note	quarter note	eighth rest
Life	is	but	an	emp	ty	dream.”

[282] The last foot of a verse of poetry, then, may have more or fewer syllables than the regular number; still the foot takes up the regular time and cannot be deemed unrhythmical.

The first foot of a line, too, may contain an extra syllable; a good example has been given in the lines on page [273], beginning,—

“Ah, the autumn days fade out, and the nights grow chill.”

And the first foot of a line may lack a syllable, as in the first line of “Break, Break, Break,” by Tennyson.

In a line like the following, it is sometimes difficult to tell whether the syllable is omitted from the first or the last foot. If from the first, the verse is iambic, and is scanned like this:—

^ ^ ^ ^

eighth rest quarter note eighth note quarter note eighth note quarter note eighth note eighth note eighth note

“Proud and low ly, beg gar and lord.”

	^		^		^			^
eighth rest	quarter note	eighth note	quarter note	eighth note	quarter note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note
	“Proud	and	low	ly,	beg	gar	and	lord.”

If the last foot is not full, the line is trochaic.

^ ^ ^ ^

quarter note eighth note quarter note eighth note eighth note eighth note eighth note quarter note eighth rest

“Proud and low ly, beg gar and lord.”

^		^		^			^
quarter note	eighth note	quarter note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	eighth note	quarter note	eighth rest
“Proud	and	low	ly,	beg	gar	and	lord.”

Now if the whole of “London Bridge,” from which this line is quoted, be read, there will be found several lines that are trochaic beyond question; and the last line of the chorus is iambic. The majority of trochaic lines leads us to decide that the verse is trochaic. From this example one learns to appreciate how nearly alike are trochaic and iambic verses. Both are composed of alternating accented and unaccented syllables; and the kind of metre depends upon which comes first in the foot. In Blake’s “Tiger, Tiger,” there is not a line that clearly shows what kind of verse the poet used. If the unaccented syllable is supplied at the beginning the poem is iambic; if at the end, it is trochaic.

[283] “Tiger, Tiger, burning bright

In the forests of the night,

What immortal hand or eye

Framed thy fearful symmetry?”

Silences may occur in the middle of a verse of poetry as well as at the beginning or the end. In the following nursery rhyme it is clear that the prevailing foot is anapestic, though several feet are iambic, and in the first two lines and the last line a single syllable makes a foot. Silences are introduced here as rests are in music.

eighth rest quarter note eighth rest quarter note eighth rest quarter note

“Three blind mice!

eighth rest quarter note eighth rest quarter note eighth note quarter note

See how they run!

^ ^ ^ ^

Hur rah, hur rah for the farm er’s wife!

^ ^ ^ ^

She cut off their tails with a carv ing knife!

^ ^ ^ ^

Did you ev er see such a sight in your life

eighth note quarter note eighth rest quarter note eighth rest quarter note

As three blind mice!”

eighth rest	quarter note	eighth rest	quarter note	eighth rest	quarter note
	“Three		blind		mice!

eighth rest	quarter note	eighth rest	quarter note	eighth note	quarter note
	See		how	they	run!

	^		^			^		^
Hur	rah,	hur	rah	for	the	farm	er’s	wife!

	^			^			^		^
She	cut	off	their	tails	with	a	carv	ing	knife!

		^		^			^			^
Did	you	ev	er	see	such	a	sight	in	your	life

eighth note	quarter note	eighth rest	quarter note	eighth rest	quarter note
As	three		blind		mice!”

Like this is the scansion of Tennyson’s “Break, Break, Break.”

eighth rest quarter note eighth rest quarter note eighth rest quarter note

“Break, break, break!

On thy cold gray stones, O sea!

And I would that my tongue could utter

The thoughts that arise in me.”

eighth rest	quarter note	eighth rest	quarter note	eighth rest	quarter note
	“Break,		break,		break!

In scanning, then, it is necessary—

[284] First. To determine by reading a number of verses the kind of foot that predominates, and to make this the basis of the metrical scheme.

Second. To remember that one kind of foot may be substituted for another, at the will of the poet, introducing into the poem a delicate variety of rhythm.

Third. To keep in mind that the first foot of a verse and the last foot may have more or fewer syllables than the regular foot of the poem.

Fourth. That silences, like rests in music, may be introduced into a verse and give to it a perfect smoothness of rhythm.

Kinds of Poetry. It is a difficult thing to give a definition of poetry. Many have done so, yet no one has been fortunate enough to have his definition go without criticism. In general, it may be said that poetry deals with serious subjects, that it appeals to the feelings rather than to the reason, that it employs beautiful language, and that it is written in some metrical form.

Poetry has been divided into three great classes: narrative, lyric, and dramatic.

Narrative poetry deals with events, real or imaginary. It includes, among other varieties, the epic, the metrical romance, the tale, and the ballad.

The epic is a narrative poem of elevated character telling generally of the exploits of heroes. The “Iliad” of the Greeks, the “Æneid” of the Romans, the “Nibelungen Lied” of the Germans, “Beowulf” of the Anglo-Saxons, and “Paradise Lost” are good examples of the epic.

The metrical romance is any fictitious narrative of heroic, marvelous, or supernatural incidents derived from history or legend, and told at considerable length. “The Idylls of the King” are romances.

[285] The tale is but little different from the romance. It leaves the field of legend and occupies the place in poetry that a story or a novel does in prose. “Marmion” and “Enoch Arden” are tales.

A ballad is a short narrative poem, generally rehearsing but one incident. It is usually vigorous in style, and gives but little thought to elegance. “Sir Patrick Spens,” “The Battle of Otterburne,” and “Chevy Chase” are examples.

Lyric poetry finds its source in the author’s feelings and emotions. In this it differs from narrative poems, which find their material in external events and circumstances. Epic poetry is written in a grand style, generally in pentameter, or hexameter; while the lyric adopts any verse that suits the emotion. The principal classes of lyric poetry are the song, the ode, the elegy, and the sonnet.

The song is a short poem intended to be sung. It has great variety of metres and is generally divided into stanzas. “Sweet and Low,” “Ye Banks and Braes o’ Bonnie Doon,” “John Anderson, My Jo, John,” are songs.

An ode is a lyric expressing exalted emotion; it usually has a complex and irregular metrical form. Collins’s “The Passions,” Wordsworth’s “Intimations of Immortality,” and Lowell’s “Commemoration Ode,” are well known.

An elegy is a serious poem pervaded by a feeling of melancholy. It is generally written to commemorate the death of some friend. Milton’s “Lycidas” and Gray’s “Elegy in a Country Churchyard” are examples of this form of lyric.

A sonnet is a lyric that deals with a single thought, idea, or sentiment in a fixed metrical form. The sonnet always contains fourteen lines. It has, [286] too, a very definite rhyme scheme. Some of the best English sonnets have been written by Shakespeare, Wordsworth, and Mrs. Browning.

Dramatic poetry presents a course of human events, and is generally designed to be spoken on the stage. Because such poetry presents human character in action, the term “dramatic” has come to be applied to any poetry having this quality. Many of Browning’s poems are dramatic in this sense. In the first sense of the word, dramatic poetry includes tragedy and comedy.

Tragedy is a drama in which the diction is dignified, the movement impressive, and the ending unhappy.

Comedy is a drama of a light and amusing character, with a happy conclusion to its plot.

Exercises in Metres. Enough of each poem is given below so that the kind of metre can be determined. Always name the verse form and write the verse scheme. Some hard work will be necessary to work out the irregular lines, but it is only by work on these that any ability in scanning can be gained. Always read a stanza two or three times to get the swing of the rhythm. Remember the silences, and the substitutions that may be made.

“I stood on the bridge at midnight
As the clocks were striking the hour,
And the moon rose over the city,
Behind the dark church tower.
“Among the long black rafters
The wavering shadows lay,
And the current that came from the ocean
Seemed to lift and bear them away.”
“All things are new;—the buds, the leaves,
That gild the elm-tree’s nodding crest,
[287] And even the nest beneath the eaves;—
There are no birds in last year’s nest!”
“Meanwhile we did our nightly chores,—
Brought in the wood from out of doors,
Littered the stalls, and from the mows
Raked down the herd’s-grass for the cows;
Heard the horse whinnying for his corn;
And, sharply clashing horn on horn,
Impatient down the stanchion rows
The cattle shake their walnut bows;
While, peering from his early perch
Upon the scaffold’s pole of birch,
The cock his crested helmet bent
And down his querulous challenge sent.”
“You know, we French stormed Ratisbon:
A mile or so away,
On a little mound, Napoleon
Stood on our storming day;
With neck out-thrust, you fancy how,
Legs wide, arms locked behind,
As if to balance the prone brow
Oppressive with its mind.”
“Come, read to me some poem,
Some simple and heartfelt lay,
That shall soothe this restless feeling,
And banish the thoughts of day.
“Not from the grand old masters,
Not from the bards sublime,
Whose distant footsteps echo
Through the corridors of Time.
“For, like strains of martial music,
Their mighty thoughts suggest
[288] Life’s endless toil and endeavor;
And to-night I long for rest.
“Read from some humbler poet
Whose songs gushed from his heart,
As showers from the clouds of summer,
Or tears from the eyelids start;
“Who through long days of labor,
And nights devoid of ease,
Still heard in his soul the music
Of the wonderful melodies.”
“Hickory, dickery, dock,
The mouse ran up the clock;
The clock struck one,
And the mouse ran down;
Hickory, dickery, dock.”
“Two brothers had the maiden, and she thought,
Within herself: ‘I would I were like them;
For then I might go forth alone, to trace
The mighty rivers downward to the sea,
And upward to the brooks that, through the year,
Prattle to the cool valleys. I would know
What races drink their waters; how their chiefs
Bear rule, and how men worship there, and how
They build, and to what quaint device they frame,
Where sea and river meet, their stately ships;
What flowers are in their gardens, and what trees
Bear fruit within their orchards; in what garb
Their bowmen meet on holidays, and how
Their maidens bind the waist and braid the hair.’”

(In this quotation we have blank verse; that is, verse that does not rhyme. It is iambic pentameter,—the most common verse in great English poetry. What poems are you familiar with that use this verse-form?)

[289]
“A wet sheet and a flowing sea,
A wind that follows fast
And fills the rustling sails
And bends the gallant mast;
And bends the gallant mast, my boys,
While like the eagle free
Away the good ship flies, and leaves
Old England on the lee.
“O for a soft and gentle wind;
I heard a fair one cry;
But give to me the snoring breeze
And white waves heaving high;
And white waves heaving high, my lads,
The good ship tight and free—
The world of waters is our home,
And merry men are we.
“There’s tempest in yon horned moon,
And lightning in yon cloud;
But hark the music, mariners!
The wind is piping loud;
The wind is piping loud, my boys,
The lightning flashes free—
While the hollow oak our palace is,
Our heritage the sea.”
“Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door—
‘’T is some visitor,’ I muttered, ‘tapping at my chamber door—
Only this, and nothing more.’”
[290] “Somewhat back from the village street
Stands the old-fashioned country-seat,
Across its antique portico
Tall poplar trees their shadows throw;
And from its station in the hall
An ancient timepiece says to all,—
‘Forever—never!
Never—forever!’”
“Listen, my children, and you shall hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,
On the eighteenth of April, in seventy-five;
Hardly a man is now alive
Who remembers that famous day and year.”
“Sweet and low, sweet and low,
Wind of the western sea,
Low, low, breathe and blow,
Wind of the western sea!
Over the rolling waters go,
Come from the dying moon, and blow,
Blow him again to me;
While my little one, while my pretty one, sleeps.
“Sleep and rest, sleep and rest,
Father will come to thee soon;
Rest, rest, on mother’s breast,
Father will come to thee soon;
Father will come to his babe in the nest—
Silver sails all out of the west
Under the silver moon:
Sleep, my little one, sleep, my pretty one, sleep.”
“See what a lovely shell,
Small and pure as a pearl,
Lying close to my foot,
Frail, but a work divine,
[291] Made so fairily well
With delicate spire and whorl,
How exquisitely minute,
A miracle of design!”

(If the pupils have Palgrave’s “Golden Treasury of Songs and Lyrics,” they have a great fund of excellent material illustrating all varieties of metrical variation. There are very few pieces of literature that illustrate so many varieties of metre as Wordsworth’s “Ode on the Intimations of Immortality.”)

[292]
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