| Cóuld
we, whích we
néver cán, Strétch our líves beyónd their spán; Beáuty líke a shádow flíes, Ánd our yóuth befóre us díes. |
The other sort has a hasty sound, and requires an accent upon every third syllable; as,
| 'Tis the vóice of the
slúggard,
I heár him compláin, You have wák'd me too soón, I must slúmber agáin. |
You must always observe to pronounce a verse as you do prose, giving each word and syllable its natural accent, with these two restrictions:
First
, If there is no point at the end of the line, make a short pause before you begin the next.
Secondly
, If any word in a line has two sounds, give it that which agrees best with the rhyme and metre; for example the word
glittering
must sometimes be pronounced as of three syllables, and sometimes