RHYME.
French poetry being less rhythmical than English, owing to the absence of strong word-accents, makes up the deficiency by much greater stress on rhyme. In French verse, rhyme not only is almost indispensable, but must, in a measure, satisfy the eye as well as the ear. For instance, words ending in 's' 'x' or 'z' can only rhyme with words also ending in one of these three letters. Hence, the use of such obsolete forms as voi for vois (ll. 890, 947); the latter could not rhyme with moi or roi.
French rhymes are called "feminine" when they have a 'mute e' in or after their last sounded syllable; e.g., descendue, mémoire, armées, coururent, cabales, assassinaient are feminine rhymes. In all other cases they are called 'masculine' rhymes.
In heroic verse the masculine and feminine rhymes are generally found in alternating pairs. In lyrics, however, they are freely crossed, but with this restriction, that one rhyme of either kind is never found next to a different one of the same kind, i.e., two different masculines or feminines are never found in juxtaposition.
HIATUS.
Two sounded vowels coming together form a "hiatus." A hiatus between a vowel at the end of a word and another at the beginning of the next, is forbidden. Hence, l. 546, where the straightforward expression would have been lui échappe, Racine wrote the equivalent nous échappe, in order to avoid the hiatus.
Lastly, a sounded vowel, followed by an unelided 'mute e,' must be at the end of the line. Thus the word Mardochée must always be at the end of the line, or else be followed by a word beginning with a vowel or 'mute h,' so that its 'mute e' may be elided. Cf. ll. 44, 618, and 156, 459, etc. Such words as armées, joies, etc., whose 'mute e' cannot be elided, can never occur in the body of the line. The only exception is made in favor of the verb-endings in -oient and -aient. Cf. ll. 527, 1111.
In French poetry, as in French grammar, 'mute h' always = a vowel, and 'aspirate h' = a consonant.
The rules given above apply to classical French poetry only. The modern poetical schools of the nineteenth century have been taking liberties with them, especially with the caesura. The latest school of French poets, the symbolistes or décadents as they style themselves, are attempting to overthrow every one. At their hands the caesura has finally disappeared, and the following form, called a ternaire, has become possible:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Où je filai | pensivement | la blanche laine. (Th. de Banville.)