Ruéllo, Ruéllo, divóra la vía,
Portáteci a vólo, bufére del ciél.
È présso alla mórte la vérgine mía,
Galóppa, galóppa, galóppa Ruél.
(Prati, Galoppo notturno.)
(Translation: "Ruello, Ruello, as fast as you can! O storm-winds of heaven, lend us your wings; my loved one is lying near death; onward, onward, onward, Ruello!")
3. Eight syllable lines (ottonario): example:
Solitário bosco ombróso,
A te viéne afflitto cór,
Per trovár qualche ripóso
Fra i silénzi in quest'orrór.
(Rolli, La lontananza.)
(Translation: "O deserted wood! To your shade the sorrowing heart comes to find some rest in your cool silence.")
4. Six syllable lines (senario): example:
Pur báldo di spéme
L'uom último giúnto
Le céneri préme
D'un móndo defúnto;
Incálza di sécoli
Non ánco matúri
I fúlgidi aúgúri.
(Zanella, La conchiglia fossile.)
(Translation: "Radiant with hope, the latest comer treads on the ashes of a dead world, pursuing the glowing aspirations of ages not yet ripe.")
Note: In the above selections the vowels in broad-faced type have been marked with an accent by the child, to indicate the rhythmic beat.
We found, on the other hand, that greater difficulty is experienced by the children in lines where the syllables are in odd-numbers (imparisyllabics), the hardest of the Italian lines being the hendecasyllable, which is a combination of the seven syllable and the five syllable line, fused together with all their great varieties of movement.