SUGGESTIONS FOR STUDY
Why is the grasshopper called a "shuttle"? What does the word still mean here? Who are the "elfin clan"? By whom is the sheaf tenanted? What is a reveille? Does the grasshopper chirp at night? Why is its cry called "gainsaying"?
See how simple the meter (measure) is in this little poem. Ask your teacher to explain how it is represented by these characters:
ˉ˘ˉ˘ˉ˘ˉ
ˉ˘ˉ˘ˉ˘ˉ
Note which signs indicate the accented syllables. See whether or not the accent comes at the end of the line. The rhyme-scheme is called a couplet, because of the way in which two lines are linked together. This kind of rhyme is represented by aa, bb, cc, etc.
EXERCISES
Find some other poem that has the same meter and rhyme that this one has. Try to write a short poem of five or six couplets, using this meter and rhyme. You do not need to choose a highly poetic subject: Try something very simple.
Perhaps you can "get a start" from one of the lines given below:—
1. Glowing, darting dragon-fly.
2. Voyager on dusty wings (A Moth).
3. Buzzing through the fragrant air (A Bee).
4. Trembling lurker in the gloom (A Mouse).
5. Gay red-throated epicure (A humming-bird).
6. Stealthy vagrant of the night (An Owl).
7. Flashing through your crystal room (A Gold-fish).
8. Fairyland is all awake.
9. Once when all the woods were green.
10. In the forest is a pool.