(4) When two accented vowels come together, the hiatus is much more pleasing than the synalœpha; Herrera:
¡Oh yà ìsla católica potente!
But synalœpha is tolerable when the second accent does not coincide with the end of the clause or with a necessary rhythmical accent; Herrera:
¿Qué áspera condición de fiero pecho?
Quintana:
Será alma sin amor ni sentimiento.
N.B.—In Old Spanish poetry hiatus prevailed and synalœpha was less common. Cf. F. Hanssen, Notas á la prosodia castellana (cited above).
METRE
In general the metre of a Spanish poetical composition is regulated by its pauses, accents, rhyme and, in most cases, its strophic arrangement.
I. Pauses.—Of these there are three kinds: