In this stanza the prevailing foot is iambic, but the first foot is trochaic. In the following beautiful lines by Ben Jonson, there is the same thing:—
^ ^ ^ ^ quarter note eighth note eighth note quarter note eighth note quarter note eighth note quarter note “Drink to me on ly with thine eyes And I will pledge with mine;
Or leave a kiss but in the cup
And I’ll not look for wine.
The thirst that from the soul doth rise
Doth ask a drink divine;
But might I of Jove’s nectar sup,
I would not change for thine.”
| ^ | ^ | ^ | ^ | ||||
| quarter note | eighth note | eighth note | quarter note | eighth note | quarter note | eighth note | quarter note |
| “Drink | to | me | on | ly | with | thine | eyes |
A similar substitution may occur in any other verse of the stanza; but we feel the change more than when it is found in the first verse. The second stanza of Jonson’s song furnishes an example of the substitution of a trochee for an iambus:—
“I sent thee late a rosy wreath,
^ ^ ^ quarter note eighth note eighth note quarter note eighth note eighth note eighth note Not so much hon or ing thee As giving it a hope that there
It could not withered be,
But thou thereon didst only breathe
And sent’st it back to me;
Since when it grows and smells, I swear,
Not of itself, but thee.”
| ^ | ^ | ^ | ||||
| quarter note | eighth note | eighth note | quarter note | eighth note | eighth note | eighth note |
| Not | so | much | hon | or | ing | thee |
Of all the great poets, but few have been such masters [281] of the art of making musical verse as Spenser. The following stanza is from “The Faerie Queene;” and the delicate changes from one foot to another are so skillfully made that one has to look twice before he finds them.
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ “A lit tle low ly her mit age it was,
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ Down in a dale, hard by a for est’s side,
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ Far from res ort of peo ple that did pass
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ In trav el to and fro; a lit tle wide
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ There was a ho ly chap el ed i fied,
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ Where in a her mit du ly wont to say
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ His ho ly things each morn and ev en tide;
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ There by a crys tal stream did gent ly play,
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ Which from a sac red foun tain wel léd forth al way.”
| ^ | ^ | ^ | ^ | ^ | |||||
| “A | lit | tle | low | ly | her | mit | age | it | was, |
| ^ | ^ | ^ | ^ | ^ | |||||
| Down | in | a | dale, | hard | by | a | for | est’s | side, |