presented to the LIBRARY IVF.RSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN DIEGO by FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY MR. JOHN C. ROSE donor ELEMENTS AND SCIENCE OF ENGLISH VERSIFICATION. ELEMENTS AND SCIENCE OF ENGLISH VERSIFICATION BY WILLIAM C. jJONES BUFFALO : THE PETER PAUL BOOK COMPANY. 1897. COPYRIGHT, 1897, BY THE PETER PAUL BOOK COMPANY. PRINTED AND BOUND BY THE PKTER PAUL BOOK COMPANY, BUFFAI-O. N. Y. INSCRIBED TO . flJtfltams, L,L,. WRIGHT PROFESSOR OF (;REEK LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE, OHIO WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY, DELAWARE, OHIO. PREFACE. T IS the desire of the author to create a greater love for poetry. I do not think it is possible to make great poets any more than it is possible to create great musicians, sculptors, artists, or orators. All must be born with the spark of genius inherent within the soul. I believe, however, that even those possessed of great genius may profit by the research of others, and frequently are induced to follow their art by suggestions and rules pointed out to them. To such who possess real genius from a poetic standpoint this work may be of benefit. Another class to be benefited are readers who love poetry and make a study of it, and yet fail to receive the benefits or see the beauties of true poetry simply because they fail to under- stand the technique. It is a pleasure to be able to scan critically that which we read. If, however, we are unable to criticise for ourselves the merits of a poem from every standpoint, we necessarily lose much of the real pleasure of the reading. To be able to tell the measure, the rhythm, and the number of feet a verse contains is in every sense a satisfaction to the reader of a poem ; yet, not one-third of those who read poetry know anything whatever about measure, feet, or rhythm. They realize there is a certain jingle to the stanza that pleases them, and that is all they know about it. Few readers ever stop to consider whether the poem is composed vi PREFACE. of couplets, triplets, or quatrains. The mode of construct- ing the five, six, seven, eight, nine, and ten line stanzas is a matter that has given them no trouble and about which they have never had a thought. The combinations of verses is something that has escaped their attention entirely. Vers de Socit& polite and polished by masters of the art, can hardly be distinguished by some who feign a real love of poetry from blank verse. Poetical licenses and peculiarities are little known and less understood. The same is true of figures of etymology, syntax, and rhetoric ; and yet much of the pleasure of reading poetry is derived from being able to^rriticise it properly from every technical standpoint. A beautiful metaphor or simile is instantly detected by the highly educated reader and is a delight to his soul. Poetry is not only a question of matter, but one of manner. Our best poets understand versification thor- oughly and are ever painstaking. The true poet is careful in every detail. A diamond in the rough may be of value, but not until it is polished does it become a sparkling gem. The day is not distant when versification will be taught with the same care that is now given to rhetoric. Why not? Do not all derive pleasure from reading the works of the masters of poetry ? Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Turnbull, of Baltimore, Maryland, became benefactors to the world when they established a lectureship of poetry at the Johns Hopkins University in memory of their son, Percy Graeme Turnbull, and with an avowed intention of teaching poetry and thereby creating a knowledge of and a love for it. May their noble gift and benefaction become more generally known and others follow their example. PREFACE. vii The aim of the true poet is always high. He should not only rely upon those resources with which nature has equipped him, but he, too, should study appropriate models, until he becomes a sufficient master of the art to be able in turn to leave models for others who may follow after. W. C. J. Robinson, Illinois. TABLE OF CONTENTS. PART FIRST. PAGE POETRY AS AN ART i ACCENT AND (QUANTITY 6 OF VERSE 10 HEMISTICH 10 DISTICH, 10 TRISTICH, n TETRASTICH ... n FORMS OF THE OlATRAIN, 12 OF METER, 18 THE TR'OCHEE, . .... 23 THE IAMBUS, 23 THE DACTYL, 24 THE ANAPEST 24 OF RHYTHM, . . . .3 OF SCANSION, .... 33 POETIC PAUSES, ... 3 6 OF RHYME, 40 ALLITERATION, 4 2 ASSONANTAL, 44 CONSONANTAL 45 MASCULINE AND FEMININE, 45 TRIPLE, ... 46 TABLE OF COXTENTS. PfillK MIDDLE, .... 4 6 SECTIONAL, . . 4 8 INVERSE, ... . . 49 TASK, OR ODD, 50 54 ACROSTIC, 56 SELECTION OF WORDS 58 FOREIGN WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS, . 60 THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA, ... 63 RHYTHMIC COMBINATIONS, ... . . 65 THE FIVE LINE STANZA, 69 THE Six LINE STANZA, 75 THE SEVEN LINE STANZA, 82 THE EIGHT LINE STANZA, ... 92 THE NINE LINE STANZA 98 THE TEN LINE STANZA, 102 THE SONNET, . 107 THE BALLADE, . . . . . . . . 1 16 THE CHANT ROYAL, t . nS THE RONDEAU, , 120 THE RONDEL, 123 THE ROUNDEL, ... .... 124 THE SESTINA, ' . . - 126 THE TRIOLET, 129 THE VIRELAY, 130 THE PANTOUM 131 BLANK VERSE, 133 MEASURES EXEMPLIFIED, 136 TROCHAIC, 136 Monometer, . 137 Dimeter, 138 Trimeter, . 139 Tetrameter, .... 140 TABLE OF CONTENTS. Pentamettr, . . . PAGE 142 Hexameter, . . . . 143 Heptameter, 144 Octometer, 146 IAMBIC, 147 Monometer, ....... 148 Dimeter, ........ 150 Trimeter 151 Tetrameter, . . . . . 152 Pentameter, 155 Hexameter, ....... 157 Heptameter, . . . . . . I 5 8 Octometer, ....... 159 DACTYLIC, 1 60 Dimeter, 160 Tetrameter, ....... . 163 Hexameter, . . 164 ANAPESTIC . 165 Monometer, . 165 Dimeter 1 66 Trimeter, . . . . . 167 Tetrameter, 1 68 Hexameter, ....... 170 IMITATION OF CLASSICAL MEASURES, . 171 POETICAL LICENSES, 177 PAR T SECOND. FIGURES OF SPEECH COMMON TO POETRY, . 187 FIGURES OF ETYMOLOGY, 187 Aplieresis, 187 Apocope, .... .... 188 TABLE Ot CONTENTS. PAGE Epenthesis, .... iSS Paragoge, 189 Prosthesis,. ..-,.. 190 Syncope 190 Synaeresis, 190 Tmesis 191 FIGURES OF SYNTAX, 191 Ellipsis, 191 Enallage, ...... 193 Hyperbaton, ...... 197 Pleonasm, 198 Syllepsis 198 FIGURES OF RHETORIC, . . . . 199 Allegory 199 Apostrophe, 200 Anaphora, ...... 201 Antithesis, 2O2 Epanalepsis 203 Epigram, ....... 203 Epizeuxis, 204 Erotesis 205 Ecphonesis, ... . . 206 Euphemism, 207 Hearing, 208 Hyperbole, 208 Irony, ....... 2IO Litotes, 211 Metonymy, 212 Echo, 218 Onomatopoeia, . . . . . 2lS Paraleipsis, ...... 2 2O Personification, . . . . . 220 Refrain, ....... 221 Simile, ....... 222 Synecdoche, ...... 223 Trope, ....... 227 Vision, .... ** O 226 TABLE OF CONTENTS. xiii PART THIRD. OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POFTRY, PAGE 229 THE EMPIRE OF POETRY, . 229 CLASSIFICATION OF POETRY, .... 235 OBJECTIVE AND SUBJECTIVE POETRY, 236 THE LYRIC, 237 SECULAR SONGS, . 238 SACRED SONGS, 248 OTHER METERS, . . . . . 250 THE ODE, ........ 254 The Sacred Ode, ...... 255 The Moral Ode 255 The Amatory Ode, ...... . 256 The Heroic Ode, .... . . 257 THE BALLAD, . 258 THE ELEGY, 262 THE EPITAPH, . 278 THE PASTORAL, 281 THE DIDACTIC, . 285 Philosophical, ....... 286 Meditative, 288 THE EPIC, . . 288 The Mock Epic, ...... 289 Metrical Romance, 291 Metrical History, ...... 293 THE DRAMA, 293 The Tragedy, ....... 296 The Comedy, 296 The Divisions of the Drama, 296 The Farce, 297 The Travesty, 297 The Melodrama, ...... 297 The Burletta, 297 The Proloeue. . 207 xiv TABLE OF CONTEXTS. The Epilogue, .... ... 298 The Envoy, .... ... 298 The Subjective Drama, . . . . . . 299 The Opera, ........ 299 THE SATIRE, 299 THE DIALECTIC 303 German Dialect, 304 Irish Dialect 306 Western Dialect, 3-8 Chinese Dialect, 311 Southern Dialect, . . . . . . . 311 Yankee Dialect 315 Scotch Dialect, 318 Child Dialect, . . . . . . . . 319 NONSENSE 320 THE VERSICLE, 323 CONCLUSION, 327 INDEX OF AUTHORS, .329 INDEX OF SUBJECTS, . 337 THE ART OF POETRY. PART FIRST. CHAPTER I. POETRY AS AN ART. POETRY is an art. Like music, painting and sculpture, it is a divine art. The poetic principle burns within those who are gifted by nature with the true and the ideal. It is a part of their existence, a part of their being. There are those who love music, and spend their best days in its study and composition. It is their joy and their sorrow. The world drinks in that which their souls pour out. Music, to the master mind, is his heart's gratification. He lives and breathes in its atmosphere. To him it is a greater solace than the pleasures of fashion, pomp or power. He who is master of the art of painting enjoys satisfaction in consummating that art. He gives his life daily to the task of bringing it into perfection. His art is his love, and throughout life he admires her charms. The sculptor spends days and years in modeling and chiseling the rough marble into the perfect image. He, too, finds true enjoyment in giving his days in bringing his art to the highest degree of excellence. The true poet finds delight in the rhythmical creation of beauty. His word-pictures are paintings, his ideals are modeled with the care of a sculptor. He sees beauty in the tinting of the flowers, the waving of the grain, the cluster 2 THE ART OF POETRY. of the trees, the babbling of the brooks, the ripple of the rivers, the rifting of the clouds, the twinkling of the stars. The birds sing for him, and the winds sigh unto him. The calm, still ocean furnishes a picture of desolation, while its deep surf and mighty waves thunder back its power and destruction as they swell and surge the sands upon the shore. The moss upon the rock, the violet and the rose, the hum of the bee, the heather and the hyacinth, all have for him some charm. He can picture the beauty of woman as well as he who paints her upon the canvas. He can sing to her in song as well as he who trills before the harp. He finds the gems and true graces of womanhood. He idolizes the luster ol her eye, the soft melody of her voice the sigh, the laugh- ter, the tear. He worships at the shrine of her faith, in the strength of her purity, in the sweetness of her love. All that is true and beautiful he sees with the eye of the sculptor, feels with the touch of the painter, and hears with the ear of the musician. The mysteries of nature are unfolded unto him, and he finds a pleasure in singing, in painting and in picturing her charms and her grandeurs. It is only those who possess the inherent power and a perfect art that can do this. Nature presents to us strength in the rough stone. Art brings to us beauty in the polished diamond. True ease in writing comes from art, not chance. This verse is from Pope, a master of the art of versifica- tion. Born an invalid and possessed of a frail constitution throughout life, he devoted his time to his art. Educated and refined, with a vigor of mind possessed by few, he found FOE TRY AS A A 7 ART. 3 time to eclipse Dryden, his chosen master and model. Mr. Walsh, who was regarded by Dryden as the best critic in all London, encouraged Pope to become the critical writer he afterwards became. " For," said Mr. Walsh, "there is one way of excelling. Although we have several great poets, we have never had any one great poet that was correct." How well Pope succeeded, Cowper tells us : But he (his musical finesse was such), So nice his ear, so delicate his touch, Made poetry a mere mechanic art ; And every warbler has his tune by heart. The act, art or practice of composing poetic verse is ver- sification. The word ' ' verse, ' ' in our language, means a line of poetry. A piece of poetry is often incorrectly termed a verse. This verse be thine. Pope. 'Virtue was taught in verse. Prior. A verse may be defined as a succession of articulate sounds, consisting of words arranged in measured lines, constituting an order of accented and unaccented syllables, disposed of according to the rules of the species of poetry which the author intends to compose. Verse is merely the dress which poetry assumes. All verse is not poetry, nor is all poetry verse, as one can see by an examination of Ossian's poems, and "Leaves of Grass" by Walt Whit- man. A large portion of the Holy Scriptures is poetical. Many parts are railed songs, and the elevation of style clearly indicates the poetical construction of others. We 4 THE AR T OF POE TR Y. give a quotation from the forty- fourth chapter oi Isaiah : For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, And floods upon the dry ground ; I will pour my Spirit upon thy seed, And upon thine offspring my blessing profound. Josephus affirms that the ' ' Songs of Moses ' ' were heroic verse, while the songs of David were composed in trimeters and pentameters. Sing unto the Lord with the harp ; with the harp ; And the voice of a psalm ; With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise Before the Lord, the King. " Psalm xcvii." Some souls in this world fancy they have no love for poetry. They are mistaken. They love poetry, but they do not understand it. Every one fancies the true and the ideal. Who loves the natural world around and about us ? Is it only the man of cultivation and leisure ? All love nature. Every beautiful landscape that is visible to our eye is a poem. The everyday occurrences of life are poems. Yet it is only when the master mind perceives and tells to us their hitherto untold beauties, that we pause and listen. It is related of Robert Burns that he knew "The Cotter's Saturday Night ' ' was a success, when told that the scenes he had so faithfully djspicted "were common, very common; such as might be witnessed in Scotland at all times in the dwellings of the poor." Who would now remember " Sheridan's Ride," were it not for a Thomas Buchanan Read ? Who would no\v remember John Howard Payne, were it not for "Home, POE TRY AS AN ART. 5 Sweet Home ' ' ? Ages still preserve, and will, our best poems. This world of ours, with its rivers and lakes, its country and cities, its prairies and mountains, its almost every little nook and dell, is being painted with word accents by someone who sees a special beauty in the little things about him. The polite literature of poetry is keeping almost as many records of heroic events, and the heroes ; of inventions, and the inventors ; of art, and the artists ; of social, domestic, religious and political life, and the actors as her sister prose. Life's histories of love, adventure, romance, grief, joy, adversity, hope and pleasure all are woven together and told with unerring skill by the' master. CHAPTER II. ACCENT AND QUANTITY. ENGLISH poetry depends upon accent, and accent upon time. Let us illustrate : English poetry has four principal or primary meters. These meters or measures are known as iambic, trochaic, anapestic, and dactylic. All English poetry is written in one of these measures. Again, we have what is known as rhythm. The rhythm of verse is its relation of quantities or time. Take for example an iambic word, or a line of iambuses. The word "before" is an iambus. Why? Because the accent falls on the second syllable, the first being unac- cented. Hence, should we select an iambic verse, the accent would fall on the second syllable of each foot or measure of the line. 'TwSs vain : the loud wSves lashed the shore, Return 6r aid preventing : Th6 waters wild went o'er his child, And he w3s left lamenting. Campbell "Lord. Ullin's Daughter." Here we have word accent applied to poetry ; every other word or syllable in the verse or line being accented. A long syllable is termed an accented syllable. Now the ACCENT AND QUANTITY. 7 quantity of a syllable is the relative portion of time occu- pied in uttering it. In English poetry every syllable must be reckoned long or short, and a long syllable is usually equal to two short or unaccented syllables. All words that have not a fixed accent, or in other words, all monosyllables are reckoned in the first instance as being unaccented or short. While this is true, monosyllables when used in English poetry may be used as accented or long, or, as unaccented or short even in the same line, when it becomes necessary in order to make the meter and rhythm. Take the first line of the stanza just quoted : 'TwSs vain : th loud wave's lashed lh shore. Here we have a line of iambuses. Here we have a line of four iambic feet. Here we have a line that ticks like a clock : Tick-lock, tick-lock, lick-lock, lick-lock. Here we have a line in iambic rhythm. The rhythm here being determined by the accent, viz : The accent falling upon the second syllable of the foot, and the number of syllables in the foot or measure being two. There are four feet in this line. Each foot has two syllables, one accented and one not accented. Now, let us take another word, and another line. Take the word "lovely." Here the accent falls upon the first syllable. In other words it would be termed long, while the "ly" would be unaccented or short syllable. Now, this word is termed a trochee. It is one of the primary feet in English poetry ; a foot where the accent falls upon the first syllable Here is a stanza familiar to all, a stanza 8 THE ART OF POETRY. by one of the greatest and most charming of poets, Lives 6f great m6n all remind tis We cn make our lives sublime, And, departing leave behind tis, Footprints on the" sands 5f time. Longfellow " A Psalm of Life." Here we have another stanza of word accents. The ac- cents all fall on the first syllable or unemphatic word of each foot or measure of the line or verse. The trochaic and iambic measures are termed dissyllabic, for the reason that two monosyllables, or two syllables or a word of two syllables, compose a foot or measure. Now, we have the same old clock ticking, but we will elevate one side of it and put a chip under it. We now have it ticking just the reverse of what it did before. It ticks a little livelier. It now ticks Tock-tfck, tock-tfck, tock-tfck, tock-ttck. Its measure is trochaic, because composed of trochees. Its rhythm is trochaic, because it thus signifies or denotes the kind and character of the feet employed, and arranged into measures. If the line then is composed of four tro- chaic feet, viz : a trochaic tetrameter, the rhythm must necessarily be trochaic. What has been said of iambic meter, and trochaic meter, is equally true of anapestic and dactylic meter. These are termed trisyllablic feet. These measures or feet may be also distinguished from the dissyllabic measures. The ana- pestic foot having one accent-ed and two unaccented syl- lables, the first two being unaccented the last being accented, hence, it necessarily follows, the time meter and rhythm ACCENT AND QUANTITY. 9 must be different. The clock would now tick, Tick, tick-tock, tick, tick-tock, tick, tick-tock. On the other hand, dactylic measure being composed of dactyls, words of three syllables, having the accent upon the first syllable, the last two being unaccented, the clock being elevated slightly again, would tick a little faster, thus Tock, tick-tick, tock, tick-tick, lock, tick-tick. The quantity of a syllable, whether long or short, in other words, accented or unaccented, does not depend upon the long or short sound of the vowel, or diphthong, but upon the intensity with which the syllable is uttered, whereby a greater or less portion of time is employed in uttering it. Rhythmus in the widest sense is a division of time into short portions by regular succession of emotions, impulses, and sounds producing agreeable effect. We speak of the rhythmus of the dance, the rhythmus of music, the rhythmus of the poem. The language of the true-born poet is rhythmical, and its rhythmic nature distinguishes it from ordinary speech. To the lover of true poetry and art there is a peculiar charm and grateful satisfaction attaches to and delights the ear when reading a beautiful poem of a peculiar or particular rhythm. The rhythmic accent marks off given periods of time, and the natural or trained ear is thus enabled to say, as each measure passes in review before it, whether the time value of that particular measure is correct. CHAPTER III. OF VERSE. AVERSE being a metrical line of a length and rhythm determined by rules which usage has sanctioned, it will be therefore necessary to ascertain the divisions of verse. First, we have the Half Verse or Hemistich, it being a half poetic line or verse not complete : ANAPESTIC TETRAMETER. Heaven's fir is ftround thee, to blast Snd tfi burn ; Rtiirn t6 thy dwelling ! * * * Campbell 11 Lochiel's Warning." Second, we have the Couplet or Distich, two verses or a pair of rhymes : DACTYLIC DIMETER Alas ! for the 1 rarity 6f Christian charity. Hood "The Bridge of Sighs." TROCHAIC TETRAMETER. For the heart wh6se woes ar Iegi6n 'TIs ft peaceful, soothing region. Poe " Dreamland." OF VERSE. TI IAMBIC PENTAMETER. \ Wh6 hath nSt paused while Beauty's pensive 1 eye Askd from his heart the homage of & sigh ? Campbell " Pleasures of Hope." Third, the Triplet or Tristich, three verses rhyming to- gether : IAMBIC PENTAMETER. A sentinel angel sitting high in glory Heard this shrill wail ring out frdm Purgatory : Have mercy, mighty angel, hear my story ! Hay "A Woman's Love." And what's a life? a weary pilgrimage, Wh6se glory in one day d6th fill the stage With childhood, manho&d, and decrepit age. Quarles^ " What is Life." Fourth, the Stanza or Tetrastich, a regular division of a poem, consisting of two or more lines or verses. They are formulated according to usage, and the taste of the writer, and may be of every conceivable variety. Stanzas of the same poem should be uniform, and constitute a regular divis- ion of a poem. Stanzas are often incorrectly termed verses. A verse is one line of a poem ; a stanza, two or more. Stanzas are frequently known by the name of those using them most ; as, the stanza of Spenser, the stanza of Burns, the stanza of Chaucer. The Couplet is the simplest form of the stanza ; as, Where did y6u come from, baby dear ? Out of the everywhere into the here. George Macdonald "The Baby." 1 2 THE AR T OF POE TR Y. Alas ! f6r love, iff thou rt all, And naught beyond, O Earth ! Hemans "The Graves of a HousehoM." Any two lines of poetry that make complete sense when taken together, whether they rhyme or do not rhyme may be termed a couplet ; and this form of stanza is frequently employed in poems of considerable length ; as, Whittier's ' ' Barbara Frietchie ; ' ' Tennyson' s ' ' Locksley Hall ; ' ' Edwin Arnold's "Secret of Death." The couplet is also employed in combination to form other stanzas. The next form of stanza is the Triplet, which is three lines rhyming together. The following example is a trochaic tetrameter : Bear thr6ugh sorr6w, wrong, &nd ruth, In thy heart the dew 6f youth, On thy lips thg smile 6f truth. And th^t smile, like sunshine, dart Int6 many & sunless heart, For S smile 6f God th&u art. Longfellow " Maidenhood. Like the couplet, the triplet is used in combination to form other stanzas. The next form is a four-line stanza called a Quatrain. The quatrain is also used in combination to form other stanzas. Quatrains are a very common form of stanzas, and we shall give examples of many of them. Let us take the following iambic : OF VERSE. 13 His was the troubled life, The conflict and the pain, The grief, the bitterness 5f strife, The honfir without stain. Longfellow " Charles Sumner. " The first, second and fourth lines are iambic trimeter, composed of three iambuses. An iambus consists of a foot of two syllables, the first syllable is unaccented, the second accented. The third line is iambic tetrameter, com- posed of four iambic feet. In this stanza, the first and third lines rhyme, the second and fourth. From S. T. Coleridge we have the following : ii. She listened with a flitting blush, With downcast eyes Snd modest grace ; F6r well she knew, I could n6t choose Bflt ga/e flpon her face. " Genevieve." In this stanza, the second and fourth lines rhyme. The first three lines are iambic tetrameter, the fourth, iambic trimeter. My days are in the yelltfw leaf, The flowers and fruits 6f love are gone ; The worm, the canker, and the grief, Are mine alone. Lord Byron (Composed on his 36th birthday.) The first three lines are iambic tetrameter, the fourth, iambic dimeter. !_^ THE ART OF POETRY. IV. A keepsake, maybe, The gift 6f another, perhaps a brother, Or lover, wh6 knows ? him her heart chose, <3r was hr heart-free ? N. G. Shepherd " Only the Clothes She Wore." This stanza is iambic, the first and fourth lines rhyming. The first and fourth lines dimeter, the second and third, tetrameter. The second and third have line rhymes. v, Cle6n hath a million acres, ne'er a one have I ; Cleon dwelleth in a palace, In a cottage I ; CleOn hath a dozen fortunes, not a penny I ; Yet the poorer of the twain is CIe6n, and not I. Charles Mackay " Cleon and I." This stanza is thirteen syllabled, heptameter, trochaic measure. VI. Like Dian's kiss, Qnasked, unsought, L6ve gives itself, but Is not bought ; N6r voice, n6r sound betrays Its deep, impassioned gaze. Longfellow " Endymion. ' ' The first two lines are iambic tetrameter, the third .and fourth, trimeters. VII. Revile him not, the Tempter hath A snare for all ; And pitying tears, n6t scorn and wrath, Befit his fall ! Whittier " Ichabod." OF VERSE. 15 The first and third lines are iambic trimeters, the second and fourth dimeters. The lines rhyme alternately. VIII. T6 show a heart grief-rent ; T6 starve thy sin, Not bin, And that's t6 keep thy Lent. Herrick ' ' True Lent. ' ' This is a quatrain of iambics. IX. What more ? we took otir last adieu, And up, the snowy Splugen drew, Biit ere we reached the highest summit 1 pluck'd a daisy, 1 gave It you. Tennyson " The Daisy. " This is a tetrameter stanza of iambuses. x. And the night shall be filled with music, And the cares, that Infest the day, Shall fold their tents, like the Arabs, And as silently steal away. Longfellow "The Day is Done." This is an anapest. XI. 6 heard ye y6n pibrOch s6und sad In the gale, Where a band cOmeth slowly with weeping and wail ? 'T Is the chief 6f Glenara laments for his dear ; And her sire, and the people, are called t6 her bier. Campbell " Glenara." THE ART OF POETRY. This is an excellent anapestic tetrameter quatrain. Then shook the hills with thunder riven, Then rushed the steeds t6 battle driven, And louder than the bolts 6f heaven, Far flashed the red artillery. / "Hohenlinden. This stanza is composed of a triplet and an odd line. It is a tetrameter. The last syllables of the first three lines are redundant. Inhuman man ! Curse on thy barbarous art. And blasted be thy murder-aiming eye ! May never pity soothe thee with a sigh, N6r ever pleasure glad thy cruel heart ! Burns " On Seeing a Wounded Hare." The stanza is an iambic pentameter. xiv. As I look up Into your eyes, and wait F6r some response to my f6nd gaze and touch, It seems t6 me there is n6 sadder fate Than to be doomed 16 loving overmuch Ella Wheeler Wilcox "The Common Lot." This is a ten-syllabled iambic pentameter, the first and third, and the second and fourth lines rhyming. xv. Whither, midst falling dew, While glow the heavens with the last steps Of day, Far, through their rosy depths, dost thou pursue Thy solitary way. Bryant " To a Waterfowl. ' ' OF VERSE. 17 This stanza is iambic. The first and fourth lines are trimeter, the second and third, hexameter. We have given many forms of the quatrain. We have also given the measure of the stanzas selected. We have endeavored to present different forms with a view to show at a glance the numerous ways the quatrain may be formed. It is a fine form of the stanza, and is more in use than any other style of poetry. Employed with the couplet, and the triplet, as well as the single line of verse, the quartrain is capable of producing many other torms of beautiful stanzas. CHAPTER IV. OF METER. WHILE we may learn to distinguish measures by sound, if we happen to have a good ear for music, or time, still, until one acquaints himself with the art of versification and understands the rules or laws governing the formation of stanzas, he cannot tell or give the reasons why any particular stanza is written in any particular meter. Meter is derived from the Greek word metron, and denotes a measure. Measure or meter is a succession of groups of accented and unaccented syllables in which poetry is written. In the classic languages, the measure depended upon the way the long and short syllables were made to succeed one another. Our modern verse depends, as we have seen, not upon the distinction of long and short syllables, but upon that of accented and unaccented syllables. The accents should occur at regular intervals ; and the groups of syllables thus formed, each constitute a measure. In the classic verse these groups of long and short sylla- bles composing the measure, were called feet, each foot having a distinctive name. Meter in poetry, being similar to measures or musical bars in music, received the name of feet because the measure was regulated by the foot of the director of the Greek choirs. Keeping time, time, time. 18 Poe "The Bells." OF METER. jg The same names are applied to the modern that were applied to the classic measures, from which they are all taken. An accented syllable in modern verse being held equivalent to a long syllable in classic verse. It is designated by a ( ) macron ; an unaccented syllable is equal to a short syllable, and designated by a ( - ' ) breve. 'T is distance lends enchantment to the view, And robes the mountain In its azQre hue. Campbell " Pleasures of Hope." The first word is unaccented and is marked with a breve, the second accented, and marked with a macron, denoting the character of the measure, which is iambic pentameter. Each measure contains one accented syllable, and either one or two unaccented syllables. In poetry monosyllables receive accent. Most monosyl- lables in our language are variable in quantity,. and can be used as long or short, as strong or weak sounds suit the sense or rhythm. Every emphatic word, and every accented syllable, in verse forms a long or accented syllable. Monosyllabic unem- phatical words constitute short or unaccented syllables. Words of greater length usually have fixed accents. Ac- cented syllables are always long. Syllables immediately before or after an accented syllable are usually short. To determine the kind of verse, it is always safe to look, first, to the words that have a fixed accent ; second, to words that are emphatic that are unaccented. The number of feet in a stanza must always be reckoned by the number of accented syllables constituting each line or verse. A syllable is a whole word or each part of a word that is 20 THE AKT Of- FOE TR Y. uttered by one impulse of the mouth. A word usually has as many syllables as it has principal parts. A word of but one principal part is termed a monosyllable ; as, God. Such words are pronounced with but one impulse of the voice. A word of two syllables is termed a dissyllable ; as, God-ly. Such words require two articulations. Words of three syllables or principal parts are trisyllables, as God-li- ness, Un-god-ly, and require as many articulations as they have syllables. Accent in poetry is defined as the uttering or pronouncing of a word, noting the particular stress or force of the voice upon certain words and syllables of words. The acute accent is marked thus or thus / All words of more than one syllable are accented, as. Ho-ljr, Ho-li-ness, tn-ho-ly. Compound words may have two accents ; as, ev-Sr-chang-ing, e-ven-mmd-ed. Accent is the peculiar stress we lay upon some word or syllable of a word, as, F6r-give, Beau-ti-fbl, Hold-ing, Re-ward-ing, Res-o- nance, Wind-ing-sheet, C5n-fu-sion, B6-na-fi-d, Fin-an-cier, Rg-gard, R6gue-haQnt-d, Hap-py, Re-ward, Ab-sn-tee, Scarce-ly, C6n-sign-ee, These words have all fixed accents. OF ME TER. 2 1 We believe that accent is the sole principle that regulates our English rhythm. It is therefore necessary to observe certain principles that govern accent. In words of two or more syllables, there is one syllable which receives a stronger verbal accent than the others. That is called the primary accent. When the word contains three or more syllables, there is a secondary accent. Poets have in all ages, where the primary accent fell upon the first syllable, in words of three syllables, taken the liberty of giving a secondary accent to the third syllable, where the rhythm required it. Words of four syllables have a secondary accent, unless the primary accent falls on one of the middle syllables, it is then governed by the same as the trisyllable. Words of five syllables, if accented on the first, seldom have less than three accented syllables and never have less than two. When a pause separates two syllables, each syllable may receive the accent. In that case the pause fills the place of a syllable. When a verse, or a section .of a verse, begins with an accent, that accent should be a strong, not a weak one. There is no word, however, so unimportant, that it may not be accented if the rhythm requires it. The article may, and does, receive accent. The rule, however, is that quali- fying words, as adjectives, adverbs, and others of the same class, receive a fainter accent than the words qualified. In Will Carleton's " The Burning of Chicago," we have a fine illustration. Notice the fine effect of the compound words and how nicely the accent falls. The measure is anapestic. The first four lines of the stanza are ana- pestic trimeter. The remaining ten lines are anapestic hexameter. We give the third stanza as follows : 2 2 THE ART OF POE TR ) '. 'T was night in the sin-bQrdened city, The turbulent, vice-laden city, The sin-c6mpassed, rogue-haunted city, Th6ugh Queen 6f the North And the West. And low In their caves 6f p6lluti6n great beasts 6f humanity growled ; And over his money-strewn table the gambler bent fiercely, and scowled ; And men with n6 seeming 6f manho6d, with countenance flaming Snd fell, Drank deep fr6m the fire-laden fountains that spring from the rivers 6f hell ; And men with n6 seeming 6f manhoSd, wh6 dreaded the coming Sf day, Pr6wled, cat-like, f6r blood-purchased plunder fr&m men who were better than they; And men with n5 seeming of manho6d, \vhSse dearest-craved glory- was shame, Whdsejoys wereihe sorrows 6f others, wh6se harvests were acres 6f flame, Slunk whispering and low, in their corners, with bowle and pistol tight-pressed, In rogue-haunted, sin-cursed Chicago, th&ugh Queen 6f the North and the West. The stanza is mixed by the introduction of an iambus in the first foot of each verse. The words selected and accented in the proceeding chapter were selected for a two-fold purpose ; first, to show their fixed accents ; second, to illustrate meter, or measure. Every primary measure in English poetry contains one syllable accented, and either one or two, that are unac- cented. Accent may be on either the first, second or third syllable of the group, hence there are four complete and distinct primary meters in our modern poetic forms. In chapter two they were mentioned as iambic, trochaic, ana- OF METER. 23 pestic and dactylic measures. Let us further illustrate and define them. THE TROCHEE. Two are composed of dissyllables ; as an example, the word ho-ly. Here w r e have the accent falling upon the first syllable, the second being unaccented. This word in poetry is called a trochee, and the verse composed in it would be termed trochaic. It is a classic foot and simply means a foot of two syllables, the first accented, the second un- accented. THE IAMBUS. Let us next take the word re-ward. Here we find the accent is placed upon the second syllable, instead of the first. In poetry this word is termed an iambus, a classic foot, signifying a foot of two syllables, the first unaccented, the second accented. Verse written in this measure is termed iambic. The songs and satires of the ancient classics were written in this measure. We have, then, two dissyllabic meters, the trochaic and the iambic. The greater part of our entire verse is written in one or the other of these measures. The iambic measure is suited for grave and dignified subjects. The poetry written in this measure cannot well be enumerated. Three-fourths of our modern verse, we feel safe in saying, is written in iambic meter. The trochaic is an elegant foot. It has a faster movement than the iambic. It moves lightly and with a brisk trip. It is not encumbered by an extra syllable, as its sister foot, the dactyl. The trochee and iambus are interchangeable. 24 THE ART OF POETRY. THE DACTYL, Of trisyllabic feet we have two that are primary. The first is the dactyl, the second the anapest. Both are classic feet. Let us take the word beau-ti-ful. Here the accent falls upon the first syllable, the second and third being unaccented. This is the dactyl. This meter or foot is called the dactylic, and signifies a meter having the first foot accented, and the other feet unaccented. THE ANAPEST. Let us next take the word f in-an-cier. Here we have a word with the accent falling upon the final syllable. This is termed in verse an anapest. Verse written in this meas- ure is termed anapestic. It signifies in poetry a measure having the first two syllables unaccented, the last accented. The trisyllabic measures are often substituted one for another and like the dissyllabic they are interchangeable. They are also interchangeable with the spondee. These four primary measures are those most in use. The trisyllabic measures are more difficult to use than the dissyl- labic, although the dactyl is termed the flowing measure of poetry. It is capable of many results, and much beautiful verse is written in the dactylic. We have then four separate and distinct measures, which are termed primary, as follows: The Trochaic, The Iambic, -^ The Dactylic, ' * The Anapestic, The substitution of these feet denominated primary, where one foot is substituted for another frequently, gives rise to what is known and termed mixed measure. OF METER. 25 We shall now illustrate the four measures by a specimen of verse written in each kind. The following is a trochaic. The stanza is the eight and seven syllabled trochaic verse; a twelve line stanza, the second, fourth, sixth and eighth lines rhyming. When the humid shadows hover Over all the starry spheres, And the melancholy darkness Gently weeps in rainy tears, What a bliss t6 press the pil!6w Of a cottage-chamber bed, And t6 listen to the patter Of the soft rain overhead ! Coates Kinney "Rain on the Roof." Our next stanza is an iambic six line stanza. Yes ! bear them to their rest ; The rosy babe, tired with the glare 6f day, The prattler, fallen asleep e'en in his play ; Clasp them t6 thy s6ft breast, 6 night ! Bless them in dreams with a deep, hushed delight. G. W. Bethune" Hymn to Night." This stanza contains six lines, the first and fourth are iambic trimeters ; the second, third, and sixth iambic lines of ten syllables, or pentameters, and the fifth a fine speci- men of the iambic monometer, a verse of two syllables. The next stanza is composed of dactyls, and known as dactylic measure : Come t6 me, dearest, I'm lonely without thee, Day-time and night-time, I'm thinking about thee ; Night-time and day-time, in dreams I behold thee ; tlnwelc6me the waking which ceases t6 fold thee. 26 THE ART OF POETR Y. Come t6 me, darling, my sorrbws t6 lighten. Come in thy beauty to bless and t& brighten ; Come in thy womanhood, meekly and lowly, Come in thy lovingness queenly and holy. Joseph Brennan " Come to Me, Dearest." This is a stanza of eight lines, dactylic tetrameter, with the exception of the fourth verse, which is a pure line or verse of amphibrachic tetrameter, a secondary foot substi- tuted for the dactylic, with a truly pleasing effect. Our next stanza is anapestic. 'T is the voice 6f the sluggard ; I heard him c6mplain, You have \\ ak'd me to6 soon, 1 must slumber again. As the door 6n its hinges, so he 6n his bed, Turns his sides, and his shoulders, and his heavy head. Dr. Isaac Watts" The Sluggard." A four line stanza of anapestic tetrameter. In addition to the measures which we have termed pri- mary, the ancients had other measures denominated secon- dary measures. They are frequently introduced into verse to relieve monotony, as well as allowing the writer freer scope. They are also unconsciously introduced by writers fervent with the passion of the subject or theme, and give grace and style. They are three in number. The Spondee, a foot of two accented syllables ; as, praise God, vain world, poor man. A verse in this foot or meter is termed spondaic. An Amphibrach is a poetic foot consisting of three syl- lables, the first and last syllables unaccented, the middle accented ; as, cSnsider, transported. A Cretic, or Amphimacer, a poetic foot, the first syllable accented, the second unaccented, and the third, accented ; as. \vin-dSw-sash, wlnd-ing-sheet, llfe-s-tate. OF METER. 27 The dissyllabic feet then, are three in number, as follows : The Trochee The Iambus - The Spondee The trisyllabic are four in number, as follows : The Anapest The Amphibrach - The Dactyl The Cretic Coleridge, in " A Lesson for a Boy," exemplified these seven feet : Troche^ trips fr6m long t6 short ; Fr6m long t6 long in solemn sort Slow Spondee stalks ; strong foot ! yet Ill-able Ever t6 come tip with Dactyl trisyllable. Iambics march fr6m short t6 long : With a leap and & bound the swift Anapests throng ; One syllable long, with 6ne short at each side, Amphibrachys hastes with a stately stride ; First and last being long, middle short, Amphimacer Strikes his thundering hoofs, like a proud high-bred racer. Where a verse or line consists wholly of one kind of feet, it is termed pure. If a verse consists of nothing but iam- buses, it would be a pure iambic verse ; if no foot but the trochee, a trochaic ; if no foot but the anapest, anapestic ; if dactyls compose the entire line, the line is termed dactylic rhythm. The proper study of mankind is man. Pope. This verse, as will be seen by scansion, is iambic penta- meter ; viz, a ten syllabled line of iambuses. 2 g THE ART OF POETRY. Blessings on thee, little man, BarefoSt boy, with cheek 5f tan ! Wliittier" The Barefoot Boy." This poem is seven syllabled trochaic rhythm. In "Why should the Spirit of Mortal be Proud," by William Knox we have a poem written in pure anapestic rhythm save the first foot, which is an iambus. Th6 hand 6f the king, that the sceptre hath borne ; The brow of the priest, that the mitre hath worn ; The eye of the sage, and the heart of the brave, Ar6 hidden find lost in the depths 6f the grave. These two lines from the same poem are pure anapestic tetrameter : T6 the life we are clinging, they, als6, wSuld cling ; But it speeds f6r tts all, like & bird Sn the wing. The anapestic measure is a very capable one, smooth flowing and strong. It is alike suitable for the more serious thoughts of life, as well as, some that are exceedingly mirth- ful. Brete Harte has adopted this meter in very many of the quaint, mirth-provoking poems which he has written. For an illustration of the dactylic, we have taken a stanza from Tennyson's " Charge of the Light Brigade : " " Forward, the Light Brigade ! " Was there a man dismayed ? Not th5ugh the soldier knew Some one had blundered : Theirs n&t t6 make reply, Theirs n6t t5 reas6n why, Theirs but t6 do and die : Int6 the valley 6f Death, Rode the six hundred. OF METER. 2 9 This is a fine specimen of dactylic dimeter, mixed with trochees and anapests. The more pure these several measures are preserved, the more complete and perfect the chime of the verse, which should in every instance be as pure and smooth flowing as it is in the power of the writer to make it. Where, how- ever, verse becomes monotonous, it is well to substitute some other foot. Verse is truly beautiful where these substitutions arc made, as Know ye the land where the cypress and myrtle Are emblems 6f deeds that are done m their clime Where the rage 6fthe vulture, the love 6f the turtle, N5w melt mt6 softness, now madden t5 crime ? Know ye the land 6f the cedar and vine, Where the flowers ever blossSm, the beams ever shine, And the light wings 6f zephyr, 5ppressed with perfume, Wax faint 6'er the gardens 6f Giil in her bloom ? Where the citrSn Snd olive are fairest Sf fruit, And the voice 61'the 1 nightingale never is mute? Where the virgins are soft as the roses they twine, And all, save the spirit 6f man, is divine ? T is the land 6f the East 't is the clime 6f the sun- Can he smile 6n such deeds as his children have done ? Oh, wild as the accents 6f lovers' farewell, Are the hearts that they bear, and the tales that they tell. fey ran " Bride of Abydos. " Few prettier lines have ever been written in trisyllabic verse than these lines. Note how smoothly flowing the rhythm ; how the measures mix and commingle together. It will be seen that the first line is dactylic ; second, anapestic, first foot being iambic ; third, anapestic. The stanza is anapestic rhythm, that being the prevailing primary foot. CHAPTER V. OF RHYTHM. POETRY being the polite literature of the world, much of its beauty necessarily depends upon how it is written. No matter how beautiful the thought, it must still depend upon how that thought is arranged. To be able to tell at a glance the measure and rhythm of poetry is worth the effort of all classes, especially all readers who enjoy and love that literature that springs from the cathedral of the human heart. Musical notes properly arranged by the hand of a master, give joy to the listener. There is music that lulls to rest. There is music that curdles the blood. There is music that is awe inspiring. There is music that breathes of love. There is rhythm in music. There is rhythm in poetry, the kindred art. How much poetry depends upon rhythm let James Montgomery, a master spirit tell us : " How much the power of poetry depends upon the nice inflections of rhythm alone, may be proved by taking the finest passages of Milton or Shakespeare, and merely putting them into prose with the least possible varia- tion of the words themselves. The attempt would be like gathering up dewdrops which appear jewels and pearls on the grass, but run into water in the hands ; the essence and the elements remain, but the grace, the sparkle and the form are gone. ' ' 30 OF RHYTHM. 31 Poetry originates in the enjoyment of equality and fitness. Rhythm, meter, rhyme, stanza, alliteration, and other analogous effects are employed in the moods of verse. Many fail to make any distinction between meter and rhythm. Meter is the arrangement of poetic feet, or of accented and unaccented syllables into verse. Rhythm signifies the character of the feet thus arranged, as, Oh ! it was pitiftil ! Near S^vh61e city fttll, Home sh had none. Hood " The Bridge of Sighs." This is termed dactylic rhythm, a dactylic dimeter, it being a line or measure consisting of two dactyls ; thus, a line composed of iambuses, anapests, trochees, and dactyls, being primary feet, would be termed iambic rhythm, ana- pestic rhythm, trochaic rhythm, dactylic rhythm. Every reader of poetry has observed that it seldom happens that verse proceeds uniformly with a succession of absolutely equal feet ; namely, with a regular succession of trochees, iambuses, spondees, dactyls, amphibrachys, cretics or anapests only. The most musical lines are often inter- rupted in the succession and are varied by the introduction of other feet. Trochees are substituted for iambuses ; anapests, amphibrachys, dactyls; spondees and cretics are substituted one for an other. These feet may be termed equivalents, for the feet are of the same length, in 'other words, where they are of the same number of accented and unaccented syllables. We find trochees at the beginning of a verse we term iambic, where the iambus is the prevailing foot, denoting that the rhythm is in its character iambic. We also frequently find anapests in a line that is iambic rhythm ; 3 2 THE ART OF POETR Y. trochees are interrupted by the dactyl ; dactyls are inter- rupted or interspersed with the amphibrachys or some other trisyllabic foot. It is allowable thus to vary the verse, if the time and melody of the line be preserved. The time and the melody of the verse are often rendered more harmonious by the substitution of the trisyllabic foot for the dissyllabic, or the dissyllabic foot for the trisyllabic ; or, in other words, the substitution of one foot for another, where there is still preserved harmony in the sound, or where the substituted foot is equal to, or amounts to an equivalent. Pure dactylic stanzas are rare. Anapestic stanzas are seldom pure ; and even the trochaic and iambic rhythms, although purer than other rhythms are interspersed with spondees, anapests, dactyls, or some other foot. The classics were pleased to term the substitution of the trisyllabic for the dissyllabic foot, an irrational foot. In the iambic measure we more frequently find a spondee or an anapest substituted for the iambus ; in a trochaic foot we more frequently find the dactyl as a substitute ; in the dactylic foot, the trochee, the spondee, the amphibrach and the cretic. In these substitutions equality should be main- tained. CHAPTER VI. OF SCANSION. SCANNING or scansion of verse, is critically to examine and resolve it into poetic feet. Should there be a syllable wanting to complete the measure of a line, the foot is imperfect, and the line is said to be catalectic. Where there is a syllable over at the end of the line it is said to be hypermeter, or redundant. When, however, the line is found to be neither deficient nor redundant, it is. said to be acatalectic. We have seen that meter is a system employed in the formation of verses. Meter depends not only on the character of the feet employed, but likewise on the number of feet employed in the formation of the line or verse. We have, therefore, several varieties of meter or measure, determined by the number of poetic feet the line contains, as : A monometer, or a line composed of one foot. 'TTs time ! A d. meter, a line of two feet. Thg twilight falls. A trimeter, a line of three feet. Thg evening shades Sppear 34 THE ART OF POETRY. A tetrameter, a line of four feet. N6 littlg stars shine out to-night A pentameter, a line of five feet. H6w glad t6 feel that joyous night is here. A hexameter, a line of six feet. C6me haste ! and 'mid the darkness flee ftway, Sway ! A heptameter, a line of seven feet. Ere soon Sgain the light 6T still Another tell-Ulle day. An octometer, a line of eight feet. t hear the sound oT hoof aTar ! To arms ! Ttt arms ! 'Tis war ! 'Tis war ! Lines in this measure, written in trochees or in iambuses are usually too lengthy for the ordinary page, hence, are frequently written in tetrameter. It is more important in writing poetry to preserve the same number of accents in lines of like measure than the same number of syllables. An exception to this rule is in our ballad measure, where feet of three syllables are some- times intermingled with the ordinary feet of two syllables. The redundant syllable in that case should be unaccented and devoid of stress, and capable of being pronounced rapidly. The time of the trisyllabic foot and the time of the dissyllabic foot should be equal. Each syllable should be pronounced distinctly, but with greater rapidity. Our best writers prefer the use of words in their natural state, to words used as follows: flowers to flow'rs, silvery to silv'rv, glistening to glist'ning, murmuring to murm'ring, th' for the, i' for in, a' for an, We have here a stanza from Whittier. OF SCANSION. 35 And I, 6bedi6nt to thy will, HSve come a simple wreath t6 lay, Superfluous, on a grave that still Is sweet with all the flowers of May. "Sumner." From Longfellow: Thou hast taught me", Silent River ! Many a Iess6n, deep and long ; Thou hast been & gener6us giver ; I can give thee biit a song. "To the River Charles." From Willis : Bright flag at yonder tapering mast ! Fling out y5ur field 6f azure blue ; Let star and stripe be westward cast, And point as freedom's eaglfi flew ! Strain home ! 6h, lithe and quivering spars ! Point home, my country's flag 6f stars ! " Lines on Leaving Europe." From Tennyson : Begins the clash and clang that tells The joy t6 every- wandering breeze ; The blind wall rocks, and on the trees The dead leaf tremble's to the bells. " In Memoriam." In the first stanza, the words obedient, superfluous and flowers are used by the writer making lines of nine syllables, instead of syncopating the words ; in the second stanza, many a, and generous, not gen'rous ; in the third, tapering and quivering are used and not syncopated ; in the fourth stanza, every and wandering are used in their full form instead of being contracted to the forms ev'ry and wand' ring as is often the case in some poems. Elision and 36 THE ART OF POE TR Y. syncope, as a rule is no longer in use where it can be avoided, nevertheless, it is true, in some cases it is a help to the writer, and lends a charm to the rhythm. Time is essentially the basis of all true rhythm, and true rhythm is in fact frequently destroyed to the cultivated ear by the syncopation of words that properly belong in the line, and that only need to be spoken in quicker time, which the ear is always ready to recognize. Not only is the ear offended, but the eye, that other organ that enables us to perceive the beauty of written verse. POETIC PAUSES. In addition to the regular pauses that occur in the verse or line of poetry, there are other pauses, known as the cesural, and the final pause. The Cesural pause is a natu- ral suspension of the voice, which occurs in the verse, and is readily perceived when the verse is properly read. It is found in long lines, and usually occurs about the middle of the line. The art of the poet is shown in making these pauses occur where the thought requires them. Iambic pentameters usually have the cesural pause come after the fourth or fifth syllables. In Alexandrine, or iambic hexa- meter, the cesural pause usually occurs after the third foot. Two or more cesurals may sometimes occur in the same line. The cesura is indicated by two parallel lines ; thus, ||. The final pause occurs at the end of every poetic line, and should always be observed in reading, even when not required by the grammatical construction. We have selected the following lines from Pope, to illus- trate the position of the cesura. Pope's ear was exceed- ingly accurate in matters of euphony, and the cesural pause OF SCANSION. 37 usually occurs after the fourth or fifth syllable in his verse or line. Observe their position in the following lines : But most by numbers || judge & poet's song. And smooth or rough, j| with them, is right or wrong ; Th6se equal syllables j| alone require, Th6' 6ft th6 ear || the open vowels tire ; While expletives || their feeble aid d6 join ; And ten 16ng words || 6ft creep in one dull line : While they ring round || the same unvaried chimes, With sure returns || 5f still recurring rhymes ; Where 'er y6u find || 'the cooling western breeze,' In the next line || it ' whispers through the trees : ' If crystal streams || 'with pleasing murmurs creep,' The reader's threat'ned || not in vain with ' sleep.' Then at the last [| and only couplet, fraught With some tinmeaning thing || they call a thought, A needless Alexandrine || ends the song, That, like a wounded snake, || drags its s!6w length along. Leave such t6 tune || their own dftll rhymes, t6 know What's roundly smooth, || 5r languishingly slow; And praise the easy vig6r || of a line Where Denham's strength || and Waller's sweetness join. Trtie ease in writing || comes fr6m art, not chance. As those m6ve easiest || who have learned t6 dance. 'T is not enough || n6 harshness gives offense, The sound mflst seem an ech6 || to the sense. "Essay on Criticism." Let us take next an iambic hexameter by William Wordsworth. The dew was falling fast, || the stars began t6 blink ; I heard a voice ; it said, || " Drink, pretty creature, drink ! " And, looking o'er the hedge, || before me I espied A snow-white mountain lamb, || with a maiden at its side. 38 THE ART O/< POETRY. It will be observed the pause occurs after the third foot. It is difficult to lay down absolute rules for the use of the cesura in English poetry. In a decasyllabic line, it may occur after any fool, and it is by shifting its place, that verse is rendered less monotonous. In shorter poems, es- pecially of the amatory or lyric nature, it generally falls midway in the line or verse. The cesura should not divide a word ; neither should it separate an adjective and its noun ; nor an adverb and verb, when in either case, the latter immediately follows the former. The cesura is also counted a foot in poetry. A single emphatic syllable is used frequently in variegated forms of verse, and when thus taken by itself it is termed a cesura. To illustrate, let us take a stanza in iambic rhythm iambic trimeter : Break, break, break. On thy cold gray stones, sea ! And I would that my tongue coQld fitter The thoughts that Arise in me. Tennyson "Break, Break, Break." We select the following stanza. It is trochaic rhythm, one of the best of a fastidious poet's productions. Noth- ing in its line has ever excelled it. We give the second stanza : Hear the mell5\v wedding bells, Golden bells ! What a world 6f happiness their harmOny f6retells ! Through the balmy air 6f night, How they ring 6ut their delight ! From the molten golden notes. And all in tune, What 3 liquid ditty floats OF SCANSION. 39 To the turtl6-dove that listens, while she gloats On the moon ! Oh, fr6m out the sounding cells, What S gush of euphSny v61uminously wells ! How it swells ! How it dwells On the Future ! how It tells Of the rapture that impels To the swinging and the ringing Of the bells, bells, bells. Of the bells, bells, bells, bells, Bells, bells, bells, To the rhyming and the chiming of the bells. foe "The Bells." CHAPTER VII. OF RHYME. S5me rhyme neighb6r's name t6 lash ; S6me rhyme [vSin thought ! ] f6r needfu' cash , S6me rhyme t5 court the country clash, And make pun ; For me, an aim 1 neveY fash I rhyme ft>r fun. Burns "To James Smith." RHYME in poetry is of ancient origin. It was brought in by the Gothic conquerors during the middle ages. Some Latin poetry rhymed as early as 500 A. D. It can hardly be considered the invention of any race or age. It is universal, like music, painting, and the sister arts. Since its first use it has steadily gained favor, until it is now the popular form of poetic expression. Alliteration was the common form of the Anglo-Saxon poetry ; it had no other ornament. Al- though no longer a regular constituent of English verse, allit- eration is of frequent occurrence in modern poetry. In its most usual sense, rhyme is a correspondence of sound in the last syllables of two or more lines, succeeding each other immediately, or at no great distance. It is used to mark the ends of lines, or verses, of poetry. Rhyme depends upon the sound, and not upon the spelling. To make a perfect rhyme it is necessary that the syllables be both accented. It is OF RHYME. ^i also necessary that the vowel sounds be the same ; that the sounds following the vowel sounds be the same ; that the sounds preceding the vowel sounds be different. Good and stood, talk and walk, code and ode, dodge and lodge, plod and odd, toil and boil, all are perfect rhymes. We give a stanza from the famous national hymn of France Ye sons 6f France, awake t6 glory ! Hark ! Hark ! What myriads bid yoti rise ! Your children, wives, and grandsires hoary, Behold their tears and hear their cries. Rouget de Lisle "The Marseilles Hymn." Here the first and third lines have a redundant syllable. Here the first and third lines have the common sound of ' ' ory, ' ' in the first line being preceded by the consonants "gl," in the third by the consonant "h. " The second and fourth lines have the common sound " ise," the second line being preceded by the consonant "r," and the fourth by the consonants " cr. " Rhyme is not always the corre- spondence of sounds in the terminating or final syllables of two lines or verses. The lines may end with words that are spelled differently, and that may be entirely different in their meaning, yet, they may have an exact correspondence of sound ; as peak, pique, and peek ; also raze, raise, and rays. These words would not form rhymes, there being a sameness of the initial consonants. Should the initial consonants be changed, we shall have words that make perfect rhymes, as the following : For the structure that we raise, Time is with materials filled ; Our to-days and yesterdays Are the blocks with which we build. Longfellow" The Builders. " 42 THE ART OF POE TR Y. The common sound "aise," "ays" here have the initial consonants " r " and " d " different, and hence form a perfect rhyme. It is an absolute rule that no syllable should rhyme with itself. Rhyme always speaks to the ear and not to the eye. Perfect rhymes are pleasing to the ear and not a mere ornament. All people who have adopted an accented rhythm have adopted rhyme. Rhyme marks and helps us find the accent, and strengthens and supports rhythm. We have in poetry various kinds of rhymes. They may be denominated, alliteration, assonantal, consonantal, mas- culine, feminine, triple, middle, sectional, inverse and task or odd rhymes. ALLITERATION. As we have already seen, alliteration was an old form of Anglo-Saxon verse, which was simply rhyme at the begin- ning of the word instead of at its ending. It was the dis- tinctive characteristic of all the Gothic meters. Poems continued to be written in English, the verse of which was merely alliterative, down to the time of the sixteenth century. The taste, however, that introduced rhyme rejected alliter- ation to a very great extent, and its use began to decline. Chaucer was the first English poet particularly to discard it for rhyme, and hence, might be termed the father of English rhyme. While the recurrence of the same sound gave pleasure and satisfaction to the sense, slight, it is true, still one that was perceptible enough ; yet, there can be but little doubt, that the affectation displayed in crowding every line with alliteration, by which inappropriate words were often introduced, not unfrequently obscuring the sense and offending the taste, led to its disuse. Alliteration OF RHYME. 43 is, however, still much used in modern verse. There is a tendency in our nature to form recurring sounds ; hence alliteration is frequently produced without any set design ; and it is frequently so sparingly and unobtrusively intro- duced, that many readers of poetry are gratified by the graceful use of alliteration, though not aware to what source their gratification is owing. We give the following from a poem of Thomas W. Parsons : September strews the woodland o'er With maiijTa brilliant colSr ; The world is brighter than before, Why should our hearts be duller? Sorrow and the" scarlet leaf, SSd thoughts Snd sunny weather. Ah me ! This glory and this grief Agree nSt well t6gethr. "A Song for September." This is an iambic tetrameter, the second, fourth, sixth and eighth lines redundant. We give the following, an iambic tetrameter : WSrm broke the breeze Sgainst the brow, Dry sang the tackle, sang the sail : The Lady's-head upon the prow Caught the shrill salt, 2lnd sheered the gale. The broad seas swelled t6 meet the keel, And swept behind : s6 quick the run, We felt the good ship shake Snd reel, We seemed t6 sail into the Sun ! Tennyson " The Voyage." We select this stanza from the Quaker poet. The first and fourth lines, iambic tetrameter, the third and fourth, iambic dimeter, with a redundant syllable. 44 /'// ART OF POETRY. She sat beneath the broad-armed elms That skirt the mownig-mead6w, And watched the gentle west-wind weave The grass with shine and shad6w. Whittier "Among the Hills." Olaf, the King, 6ne summer morn, Blew a blast on his bugle-horn. Longfellow "The Saga of King Olaf. " Songful, soulful, sorrSwful Ireland ! Lanier "Ireland." ASSONANTAL. Assonantal rhyme is the correspondence of the vowels at the end of two lines. Such rhymes are not very frequent in our modern English verse. Rhyme by what is termed similar sound, or allowable rhymes are considered intolerable at the present time. In assonance, while the vowels of the last accented syllable and in all subsequent syllables are the same, the consonants must all be different. Formerly it was allowable to rhyme heels with fields, town with round, ask with blast, but such usage is no longer indulged in by finished writers. There may be found an occasional perfect assonantal rhyme, as : I in these flowery meads would be, Thfise crystal streams should solace me ; T6 whose harmonious bubbling noise I, with my angle, would rejoice, Sit here, and see the turtle-dove COurt his chaste mate t5 acts 8f love. Izaak Walton "The Angler's Wish." The first two lines of this poem of true nature furnish us a fine specimen of the perfect assonantal rhyme in the words OF RHYME. 45 "be" and "me." The final vowel "e" being the same, and the consonants " b " and " m " being different. CONSONANTAL. The last two lines of the above poem furnish us with a specimen of another kind of rhyme, by far the most common in English poetry. It is the consonantal rhyme, and is the correspondence of the vowel and the final consonant or consonants in the rhyming syllables. It will be seen that the consonants "d" and "1" in the rhyming words "dove" and ' ' love ' ' are different, while there is a perfect corre- spondence in the vowels and consonants ' ' ove. ' ' The following stanza furnishes us with a fine example of the consonantal : Fl6w gently, sweet Aft6n, among thy green braes, Fl5w gently, sweet river, the theme 6f my lays ; My Mary 's Ssleep by thy murmOring stream, F16w gently, sweet AftOn, disturb n6t her dream. Burns "Afton Water." MASCULINE AND FEMININE. Masculine rhymes are single rhymes, like "braes" and ' ' lays ; " " stream ' ' and ' ' dream ' ' in the last stanza. They constitute one accented syllable. They are to be distinguished from those rhymes that have an accented syllable followed by an unaccented one, the last two sylla- bles of the line rhyming with the last two of its mate. Longfellow's " Hiawatha" is a good specimen of what is described : At the feet 6f Laughing Water HiSwathS laid his burden, Threw the red deer from his shoulders ; 46 THE AK T OF POE TR \ . And the" maiden looked tip at him, Looked tip from h6r mat 5f rushes, Said with gentl look and accent, " You are welc6me Hiawatha ! " The above selection from Longfellow is trochaic rhythm, tetrameter measure, with the feminine or double ending. The principal rhyming syllables are usually long. Double rhyme adds one short syllable. Triple rhyme, of which we shall next speak, two. Such syllables in iambic and anapestic verses are redundant ; in lines of any other kind they are usually included in the measure. TRIPLE. Triple rhymes have three corresponding syllables ; as, CSre, mad t6 see man sae happy, E'n drowned himself amang the nappy ! As bees flee" hame wf lades 6' treasure, ThS minute's winged their way wf pleasure ; Kings may b blest, but Tarn was glo-ri-otis, O'eY a' th6 cares 6' life vie-to- rT-ous. Burns "Tarn O'Shanter." This is an iambic tetrameter. All the lines are redundant, the fifth and sixth furnishing a fine example of triple rhyme. MIDDLE. Middle rhymes are a correspondence of sounds at the middle and the close of a verse. It occurs at the natural pause or suspension of the voice in the line, and serves to mark the two sections of the verse. We give an example, an iambic tetrameter, the second and third lines redundant : OF RHYME. 47 The splendSr falls 6n castle walls And snowy summits old in story: The long light shakes Across the lakes, And the wild cataract leaps in glory. Tennyson' ' The Princess. ' ' It was said that Burns was the poet of the many, while Coleridge was the poet of the few. Coleridge was one of the most tasteful of writers and. used the middle rhyme with pleasing effect in one of his finest poems a poem written to help pay the expenses of a trip he and Wordsworth were taking together. He realized twenty-five dollars from its sale. Wordsworth suggested largely for it, and wrote some of its stanzas. We select three stanzas : And through the drifts the snowy clifts Did send & dismal sheen : N6r shapes 6f men n6r beasts we ken The ice was all between. The ice wSs here, the ice was there, The ice was all around : It cracked and growled, and roared and howled, Like noises in a swound ! At length did cross an Albatross: "A Through the fog it came ; S As if it had been a Christian soul, We hailed it in G6d's name. Coleridge " The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner." Middle Rhyme in the hands of the skillful poet adds a charm and lends music to the rhythm. In the hands of those not skilled it is likely to be overdrawn. 48 THE ART OF POETRY. SECTIONAL. Sectional rhyme is akin to middle rhyme. It occurs in the line and exists between syllables of the same section ; as, Lightly find brightly breaks away Th6 morning from her mantle gray. Byron " Siege of Corinth." They rushed and pushed, and bluide 6utgushed. Burns " Sheriff Muir." But then t6 see h6w ye're nfegleckit, H6vv huffed Sn' cuffed, ^in' dlsrepeckit ! Burns ' ' Twa Dogs. " S6 might, not right, did thrust 1116 to the crown. Shakespeare " Measure for Measure." All this derisi6n Shall seem a dream and fruitless visi6n. Shakespeare " Midsummer Night's Dream. " Then ye may tell, h6w pell &nd mell, By red claymores, and muskets' knell, WT' dying yell, the tories fell. Burns "Sheriff Muir." Who careth n6r spareth till spent he hath all, (")f bobbing, n6t robbing, be fearful he shall. Tfiomas Tusser. N6t fearing n6r caring f6r hell n6r f6r heaven. Thomas Tusser. Rocks, caves, lakes, fens, bogs, dens and shades 6f death. Milton " Paradise Lost." OF RHYME. 49 S6 many as love me, and use me" aright, With treasure and pleasure 1 richly requite. Thomas Tusser. INVERSE. Inverse rhyme occurs between the last accented syllable before the cesura and the first accented syllable after the cesural pause. We have fine examples in the following : As Tammie glow'red, amazed find curious, Th6 mirth find fun grew fast and furiotis ; Th6 piper loud and louder blew ; dancers quick and quicker flew. Burns "Tarn O'Shanter. " S6me, lucky, find & flowery spot, F5r which they never toiled 6r swat ; Th^y drink the sweet and eat the fat. Burns "To James Smith." Where with mtentiftn I have erred, N6 other plea I hav% But, Thou art good ; and goodness still Delighteth to fSrgive. Burns "A Prayer." Henderson, the man the brother ! And art th6u gone, and gone fSrever ? Burns " Elegy on M. Henderson." Let Prudence bless Enjoyment's cup, Then raptured sip, and sip it up. Burns Written in Friar's Carse Hermitage. 50 THE ART OF POETRY. Your beauty's a flower, in the morning that blows, And withers the faster the faster it grows. Burns "Hey for a Lass." Oh happy love ! where love like this is found ! Burns '' Cotter's Saturday Night." C6me ease or c6me travail, c&me pleasQre 6r pain, My wSrst word is: " Welcome and welc&me again !" Burns" Contented Wi' Little." TASK, OR ODD. Under this head are some peculiar combinations of poetry \vhich we shall give, known as task poetry, word-matching and curious lines of word accents. Task poetry is illus- trated by a stanza of George Herbert's. The task is drop- ping the first letter of the last two words of the second and third lines of the triplet : Inclose m6 still, f&r fear I start, Be to me rather sharp and tart. Than let me want thy hand and art. Such sharpness shows the sweetest friend, Such cuttings rather heal than rend, And such beginnings touch their end. The following curious distich is formed of three lines of the fragments of words, so that the middle ones read with either of the other two : curs f w d dis and p A ed iend rought eath ease ain. bless fr b br- and ag OF RHYME. 5I A cursed fiend wrSught death, disease and pain ; A blessed friend brSught breath and ease again. Dr. Holmes has given us an example in an " Ode for a Social Meeting ; With Slight Alterations by a Teetotaler." C6me ! fill & fresh bumper, f6r why should w go I6gwo6d While trig noctfir still reddens 6ur cups as they flow ? decoctiGn P5ur out the rich juicCo, still bright with the sun, dye-stuff Till o'er th6 brimmed crystal the" rubies shall run half-ripened apples Th6 purplfi glSbod cluot6rc their life-dews have bled ; taste sugar 6f lead H5w sweet is the brunth 6f the fragrfinco thCy ohcd ! rank pois6ns wines ! ! ! F6r summer's Iftot roo6o lie hid in the winoo stabl-b6ys smoking I5ng-nlnes That wSre garnered by maiddnc wb.5 laughed through thfi vinoo- scowl howl scoff sneer Then a smile, and a glace, and a toaot, and a choor) strychnine and whiskey, and ratsbane and beer FSr all thfi goSd wine, ttnd wfi'vo oomo Of it hero ! In cellar, in pantry, in attic, in hall, D6wn, down with the tyrant that masters us all ! L5ng live the gfiy Dorvttnt that laughs fQr us all ! Word matching is still another kind of odd rhyme. Then up with your cup till you stagger in speech, And match me this catch, thftugh yoii swagger and screech. Scoff. 52 THE ART OF POETRY. Another odd rhyme in iambic rhythm written anony- mously, is entitled : SONG OF THE DECANTER. Thgre was Sn old decanter, and its mouth w&s gaping wide ; the rosy wine had ebbed Sway Snd left Its crystal side ; and th6 wind went humming, humming ; tip <1nd down the sides it flew, and through the" reed-like, hollSw neck thg wildest notes it blew. I placed It in thS windOw, where the" blast was blowing free, and fancied that Its pale mOuth sang the 1 queerest strains t6 me. " They tell me puny conquerors ! the Plague has slain his ten, and War his hundred-thousands Of the very best Of men ; btitl "'twas thus the bottle spoke " but I have conquered more than all your famotis conquerors, s6 feared and famed Of yore. Then come, ye youths and maidens, come drink frOm out my cup, the beverage that dulls the brain and burns the spirit up ; that puts tO shame thS conquerors that slay their scores below ; f6r this has deluged millions with the lava tide 6f woe. ThOugh, in the path Of battle, darkest waves 6f blood may roll ; yet while 1 killed the body, I have damned the very soul. The cholera, the sword, such ruin never wrought, as I, In mirth Or malice, on the innO- cent have brought. And still I breathe upon them, and they shrink before my breath ; and year by year my thousands tread the fearful road t6 death. OF RHYME. 53 In the couplet below every word of the line is answered by another of the same measure and rhyme : "She drove her flock 6'er mountains, By grove, 6r rock, 6r fountains." Another example is : " Now, > now, 1 needs mtist part, Parting though I absent mourn ; Absence can n6 joy Impart, Joy 6nce fled can ne'er return." The Alphabetic is still another odd rhyme : " On going forth list night A friend t6 see, I met man by trade & s-n-o-b. Reeling along he held hits tipsy way. ' Ho ! Ho ! ' qu5th I, ' he 's d-r-u-n-k. ' Thfen thus t6 him : ' We're it n&t better far You were little s-6-6-e-r ? . 'TweYe happier for your family, I guess, ThSn playing off such rum r-i-g-s. Besides, all drunkards, when pGlicemen see *em, Are taken up at once by t-h-e-m.' " A truth is frequently impressed by means of another form of odd rhyme the Paradox. A first-class example is here given : Thtiugh we boast 6f modern progress as aloft we proudly soar, Above tintut6red cannibals wh6se habits we deplore, Yet in 6ur daily papers any day y6u chance t6 look You may find this advertisement : " Wanted A girl t6 cook." Ida Goldsmith Morris "A Paradox." In "Magazine of Poetry." e 4 THE ART OF POETRY. Odd rhymes are frequently employed to aid memory. Few persons understand the use of " Shall" and " Will." The following stanza memorized will be of use to every one : " In the first pers6n simply Shall fCretells ; In Will a threat 6r else a promise dwells ; Shall in th6 secftnd or the third d6th threat Will simply then fSretells the future feat." This quatrain is also useful to enable one to remember the formation of Latin verbs : " Frftm O are formed am and em ; Fr6m I, ram, rim, r6, se, and sem. tT, us, Snd rus are formed fr5m um ; All other parts fr6m Re d6 come." Another quaint stanza enables us to remember the days of the month : " Thirty days hath September, April, June and N6vemb6r ; All the rest have thirty-one, Save February alone, Which has but twenty -eight in fine Till leap year gives it twenty-nine " CENTO VERSES. Still another curious form of poetry is denominated "Cento Verses or Patch Work." MY LOVE. I only knew she came and went Powell. Like troutlets in a pool ; Hood. She was a phantom of delight, Wordsworth. And I was like a fool. Eastmav. OF RHYME. 55 "One kiss, dear maid," I said and sighed, Coleridge. Out of those lips unshorn ; Longfellow. She shook her ringlets round her head, Stoddard. And laughed in merry scorn. Tennyson. Ring out, wild bells, t6 the wild sky, Tennyson. You heard them, O my heart ; Alice Carey. 'Tis twelve fit night by the castle clock, Coleridge. " Beloved, we must part." Alice Carey. " C6me back, c6me back ! " he cried in grief, Campbell. " My eyes are dim with tears, Bayard Taylor. H6w shall I live through all these days ? Osgood. All through a hundred years? " T. S. Perry. 'TwSs in the prime 6f summer time She blessed me with her hand ; We strayed tSgethSr, deeply blessed, Into the dreaming land. Hood. Hoyt. Edwards. Cornwall. The laughing bridal roses blow, Patmore. T6 dress her dark-br6wn hair ; Bayard Taylor. My heart is breaking with my woe, Tennyson. M6st beautiful ! MSst rare ! Read. I clasped it on her sweet, cSld hand, Browning. The precious golden link ! Smith. I calmed her fears, and she wSs calm, Coleridge. " Drink, pretty creattire, drink." Wordsworth. And so I won my Genevieve, And walked in Paradise : The fairest thing that ever grew Atween me and the skies. Coleridge. Hervey. Wordsworth. Osgood. Anonymous. 56 THE ART OF POETRY. ACROSTIC. The acrostic is a form of odd rhyme. Below we give one, written by the Lady Frances Manners, daughter of the Earl of Rutland, and wife of Henry, Lord Bergavenny. She was the author of ' ' Precious Pearls of Perfect Godliness' ' and "The Monument of Matrons," written in 1582, at the end of which is this acrostic of her own name : Fr6m slnfulness preserve m6, Lord, RSnew my spirit In my hart ; And let my tongue therewith accord, Uttering fill goodness for his part. N6 thought let there arise in me CSntrairie to thy precepts ten ; IJver let me m6st mindful be Still for t6 praise thy name. Amen. As of my soul, s5 of my bodie", B thou my guidr, O my God ! Unto theS only do 1 crie, Remove fr5m me thy furious rod. Grflunt that my head may still deVIse All things that pleasing be 15 thee. Unto mine ears, and to mine eies, IJver 16t there & watch st bee. N6ne 111 that they mSy hear and see ; N6 wlckd deede I6t my hSnd do, Yn thy go6d paths iSt my fe^t go. POUNDS, SHILLINGS AND PENCE. s. d. This world's & scene as dark as Styx, Whfire hope is scarce w6rth 2 6 (5ur joys are borne s6 fleeting hence That they are dear at 18 And yet t6 stay heie most are willing, Although thgy may n6t have i Willis Gay lord "Lines Written in an Album." OF RHYME. 57 Ah me ! Am I thS swain, That, late fr6m sorrSw free, Did all the" cares 6n earth disdain ? And still untouched, as at s6me safeY games Played with the burning coals 6f love and beauty's flames ? Was't I cotild drive 3nd sound ach passiSn's secret depth at will, And from thSse huge 6'erwhelmmgs rise by help 6f rSas6n still ? And am I now, 6 heave'ns ! f6r trying this in vain, S6 sunk that I shall nevSr rise again ? Thn let despair set sorr6w's string F6r strains that doleful be, And I wfll sing Ah me ! Wither " Rhombic Measures." CHAPTER VIII. NevSr thS verse Approve 6r hold as good, Till many S. day &nd many a blot h&s wrought Th polished work, &nd chastened every thought By tenfold Iab6r to prfecti6n brought. Horace. SELECTION OF WORDS. The beauty of the poem consists in the perfection of its rhythm, and the aptness of the words selected which constitutes the rhyme. Perfect rhythm and rhyme make a perfect poem where reason and sound sense are at the bottom of the theme. The resources of our language are such that we are entitled to receive from the poet the most rigid work of perfection. Imperfect or what are termed allowable rhymes should no longer be tolerated. Rhyme is merely the dress with which our thoughts are clothed in rhythmic verse. Rhyme without reason and good sense is insufferable. Formerly many rhymes were allowable that at the present time would not be endured. Thus Pegasus, ft nearer way t& take, MSy boldly deviate from th6 commSn track. Pope. Here ' ' take ' ' and ' ' track ' ' are made to rhyme by one of the most fastidious of all poets. Pegasus is here permitted to deviate from the common track. 58 SELECTION OF WORDS. 59 The same author we quote from again : S6me haunt Parnassus but t6 please their ear, N6t mend their minds ; as some to church repair, N6t for the doctrine, but the music there. ' ' Ear. " " repair, " " there, ' ' are here used as allowable rhymes. We quote still another couplet from Pope, in this con- nection : The vulgar thus by imitation err, As 6ft the learned by being singular. 1 ' Err ' ' and ' ' singular ' ' are imperfect rhymes. Speak- ing of what are termed allowable rhymes, let us quote from Pope once more : The winged courser, like a generous horse, Sh6ws most true metal when you check his course. " Horse" and " course " are not perfect rhymes. His faithful wife fSrever doomed to mourn, F6r him, alas ! who never shall return. Falconer. " Mourn " and " return " are imperfect rhymes. S6 draw him home t6 those that mourn In vain ; & favourable speed, Ruffle thy mirr6wed mast, and lead Through prosperbfts floods his holy urn. Tennyson. "Mourn" and "return" and "mourn" and "urn" were, however, at one time perfect rhymes, but the style of 6 THE ART OF POE TR \ '. pronunciation is now obsolete. The fact that pronuncia- tion of words is constantly changing accounts also for many supposed imperfect rhymes. FOREIGN WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS. We believe it was Bryant who said he never looked for a foreign word to use in writing a poem but that he found one better in our own language. How true the assertion. Our own language is filled with choice words, and one has little difficulty in finding good English to express ideas and thoughts. The employment of foreign words and express- ions, however, is unobjectionable, where the person using them is master of the language used, and where the selec- tion is apt. In fact, frequently there is a mirth and charm lent to a poem by the use of some word or expression taken from some other language than the mother tongue. A fine example can be found in one of John G. Saxe's poems, entitled : THE PUZZLED CENSUS TAKER. " G6t any boys ? " the Marshal said T6 a lady fr6m over the Rhine ; And the lady shook her flaxen head, And civilly answered, "Ne'm ! " * " G6t any girls ? " the Marshal said T6 the lady fr6m over the Rhine ; And Again the lady shook her head, And civilly answered, "Nein ! " * ' Xem," German for ''no." SELECTION OF WORDS. 6 r " Btit some fire dead ? " the Marshal said T6 the lady fr6m over the Rhine ; And again the lady shook her head, And civilly answered, "Nem ! " " Husband, 6f course? " the Marshal said T5 thg lady fr6m over the" Rhine ; And again she shook her flaxen head, And civilly answered, "A'etn/" " Th6 devil you have ! " the Marshal said T6 th6 lady frSm 6v6r the Rhine ; And again she shook her flaxen head, And civilly answered, "JVeln/" - " N6w what d6 you mean by shaking yoiir head And always answering, 'Nem ' ? " 'Ich kann nicht Englisch ! " civilly said Th6 lady from over the Rhine. Charles Durbin is the author of an excellent poem, ' ' Nongtongpaw, ' ' the first two stanzas of which we give below : J6hn Bull f6r pastime took a prance, SSme time ago t5 peep at France ; T6 talk 6f sciences and arts, And knowledge gained in foreign parts. M6nsieur, 6bsequious, heard him speak, And answered John in heathen Greek ; T6 all he asked, 'b6ut all he saw, 'T was " Monsietir, je vous n'entends pas." John to the Palais Royal come, Its splendor alm6st struck him dumb. " t say, whfise house is that there here ? " " H6use ! Je voiis n'entends pas, M6nsieur."* * " I do not understand you. Mister." 62 THE AR T OF POE TR Y. " What ! N6ngt6ngpaw again ! " cries John ; "This felldw Is s6me mighty Don, N6 doubt hg's plenty for the maw, I'll breakfast with this N6ngt6ngpaw." Mr. Field has written an excellent poem about the German Zug: Thg Germans say that " schnell " means fast, and "schnellest" fastest yet, In all my life n6 grimmer bit 6f hum6r have I met ! Why, thirteen'mlles an hour's the greatest speed th^y ev6r go, While on thg engine pistSn rods d6 moss and lichgns grow, And yet the average Teuton will presumptuously maintain That one " ^ Draw th6 lines 3 little tighter, Spirit mine ! Make the life a little brighter, Spirit mine ! For the truth's s3ke be & fighter, Show the world life may be whiter, Purer, stronger, dearer, lighter, More divine ! John O. Coit "Upward." RHYTHMIC COMBINATIONS. TROCHEES AND DACTYLS. IAMBI AND ANAPESTS. I. ' I7 . ^___ 1 ' 3- 19- 4- - 20. -^ ' 5- ' ' * ~ 21. - 6. 22. 7- 2 3 . _- , ^ _ _, _ Q ^ ^ ^ 24. - 9- ' 25. -^ ^ 28. ' ' ^ ^ T -J ^ x - ^ s S -, ^ 2 9 . 3- 16 * *-^ -_^^ v^^ 31. ^- ' 66 THE ART OF POETRY. ANAPESTS AND IAMBI. 33- 34- 35- 36. 37- 38. 39- 40. These groups of rhythmic feet, or word accents, are capable of many combinations. We have forty-eight groups. To combine them is not difficult. By combining them we shall be enabled to write trochaic, dactylic, iambic, and anapestic rhythms. To illustrate : 21 : 38. " How dear to my heart are the scenes of my childhood." Examine the rhythmic combinations : We find \ve have a combination of 21 : 38, being anapestic tetrameter. 21 : 37- " Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam." We have as a combination 21 : 37, an anapestic tetra- meter. i : 18. " I am dying, Egypt, dying." THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA. 6 7 This combines group i with 18 and gives a trochaic tetrameter. i : 18 " When the humid shadows hover." It will be seen the first line of the beautiful poem, "Rain on the Roof," is the same combination, i : 18 trochaic tetrameter. James Whitcomb Riley has very recently written a dialect poem entitled, "The Green Grass av Owld Ireland," from which we select the fourth stanza. The first, third and fifth lines being combinations of groups 18 : n the lines being iambic tetrameter ; while group 19, being an iambic trimeter, forms lines two, four and six, the seventh line being a mixed iambic and anapestic tetrameter formed of 18 : 22. G6d bless yz, free Ameriky ! I love yz, dock Snd shore ! I kem t6 yez in poverty ThSt 's worstin' me n6 more. But most I'm lovin' Erin yet, Wid all her graves, d' y& see, By reasSn av the green grass &v 6wld IrelSnd. The following lines are by Elsa D' Esterre Keeling. The first, second and third lines combine groups 17 : 19 iambic tetrameter ; and the fourth line, group 17, and is iambic dimeter. We select the fourth stanza : Lclst, Winter comes ; f5r Eld hSs brought its snow, And says, " Sit quiet, sheltered from the storm." And I sit In my easy chair, Snd 0, The hearth h6w warm ! 8 : 6 "Come t6 me, dearest, I'm lonely without thee." 68 THE AR T OF POE TR Y. A combination of group 8 : 6 dactylic tetrameter. We might add example after example, but enough has been given to illustrate these rhythmic combinations. The vertical bar is used to separate poetic feet. It is placed between each accented foot. If the measure is dis- syllabic the vertical bar distinguishes it, thus : I : 18 : i : 18. Once up | on a | midnight | dreary, | while I | pondered | weak and | weary. Poe. "The Raven." The trisyllabic measure is marked as follows : Pause not to | dream of the | future be | fore us : Pause not to | weep the wild | cares that come | o'er us : Hark, how ere | ation's deep, | musical | chorus, Uninter | mitting, goes | up into Heaven ! Never the | ocean-wave | falters in | flowing ; Never the | little seed | stops in its | growing ; More and more | richly the | rose-heart keeps | glowing, Till from its | nourishing | stem it is | riven. Frances S. Osgood. "Labor." The vertical bar is sometimes used by authors of versifi- cation to represent or denote accent, as follows : Once | upon | a mid | night drear | y, while | I pon | dered weak | and wear | y. The macron and the breve ^ are far preferable, as well the acute accent, marked thus : ' as Once up | on a | midnight | dreamy, | while I | pondered | weak and | weary. THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA. 6g The scansion of verse becomes a pleasure when we understand rhythmic combinations and the use of accentua- tion marks. THE FIVE LINE STANZA. A pleasing form of our poetry is the stanza of five lines. It is composed of the single line, the couplet, the triplet, and quatrain. The combinations thus made are many and elegant. We can devise no better method of studying the art of composing this stanza, than that of giving examples from our best authors. Then, by a close analysis of each example given, we can tell the meter, rhythm and form. A study of each example will soon familiarize the student with this form of the stanza. From a poem by Sir Philip Sidney, we take the following, an iambic pentameter : My true-lOve hath my heart, and I have his, By just Exchange One to the other given : I hold his dear, and mine he" cannot miss, Th^re never was a better bargain driven : My true-lOve hath my heart, and I have his. "My True-Love Hath My Heart." Another fine example of the effect of a repetition of the subject of the poem, the same constituting the fifth line of the stanza, is found in the following iambic pentameter lines, entitled, Linger nOt long ! Home Is nOt home without thee" ; Its dearest tokens only make me mourn ; 6h ! Let its memOry, like a chain about thee, Gently cOmpel and hasten thy return. Linger nOt long. Anonymous "Linger Not Long." 70 THE ART OF POETRY. John G. Saxe is the author of the following. It is trochaic tetrameter, except the fourth line, which is a trochaic dimeter. We give the first stanza : Kiss me softly and speak t6 me low, Malice has ever 5 vigilant ear ; What if Malice were lurking near ? Kiss me, dear ! Kiss me softly and speak t6 me low. "Kiss Me Softly." The little poem by Sir John Suckling furnishes a fine example of a stanza in trochaic rhythm : Why s6 pale &nd wan, fond lover? Prythee, why s6 pale ? Will, when looking well c&n't move her, Looking ill prevail ? Prythee, why s6 pale ? " Why So Pale and Wan, Fond Lover." One of the finest poems, written by Percy Bysshe Shelley, is entitled, "To a Skylark." It is a trochaic rhythm, the first four lines are trochaic trimeter, the fifth trochaic hexa- meter. We give the first stanza : Hail t6 thee, blithe spirit ! Bird th6u never wert, That fr5m heaven 6r near It, Pourest thy full heart In prGfiise strains of Onpremeditated art. " To a Skylark." Charlotte Smith is the author of a bright poem. It is iambic tetrameter, the first and third and fourth lines rhym- THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA. 71 ing, and the second and fifth, the third and fourth being a couplet. We give the third stanza : C6me, summer visitant, attach T6 my reed-roof your nest 6f clay ; And let my ear yoQr music catch, L6w twittering underneath the thatch, At the gray dawn 6f day. " The Swallow." We give an example from a poem of nature by Mary Bolles Branch. It is iambic tetrameter. The first, fourth and fifth lines rhyme, and the second and third. The second and third, and fourth and fifth lines are couplets. We select the third stanza, describing the rock in the brook. How delicate and true the description : The rock is rough and broken on its edge With jutting corners, but there come alway The merry ripples with their tiny spray, T6 press it ere they flow 6n by the sedge, They never fail the old r&ck's broken edge. "My Little Brook." Tennyson furnishes an excellent iambic pentameter stanza in blank verse. We give the first stanza of the poem. Tears, idle tears, I know n&t what they mean, Tears from the depths 5f some divine despair Rise in the heart, and gather to the eyes, In looking on the happy Autumn-fields, And thinking of the days that are n6 more. "Tears, Idle Tears." Thomas Moore, the author of so many touching and 72 THE ART OF POETRY. pathetic lines, has written few better than ' ' The Lake of the Dismal Swamp." It is iambic rhythm. We give the first stanza : They made her a grave, to6 cold and damp F6r a heart s6 warm and true; And she's gone t6 the Lake 6f the Dismal Swamp Where, all night long, by a fire-fly lamp, She paddies her white canoe ! "The Lake of the Dismal Swamp. " Another form of this stanza is given in the following, in iambic measure : Enters today Another body in church yard sod, Another soul 6n the life in God. His Christ was buried and lives alway : TrQst Him, and go yotir way. Dinah Maria Mulock " Buried Today." We give the third stanza of a touching poem in iambic rhythm : And O, since that baby slept, S6 hushed, h6w the mother has kept, With a tearful pleasflre, That little dear treasure, And o'er them thought and wept ! William Cox Bennett "Baby's Shoes." Whittier describes a visit to Hampton Beach. The rhythm is iambic. We give the twelfth stanza : What heed I of the dusty land And noisy town ? I see the mighty deep expand Fr&m its white line 6f glimmering sand To where the blue 6f heaven on bluer waves shtits down ! "Hampton Beach." THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA. 73 A poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, contains this excel- lent stanza in iambic rhythm. It is the second one of the poem : F6r shame, my friend ! renounce this Idle strain ! What wouldst th6u have & good great man Obtain ? Wealth, titlg, dignity, & golden chain, Or heap 6f corse's which his sword hath slain ? Goodness find greatness are n6t means, bflt ends. " The Good Great Man." Edmund Clarence Stedman, one of our best writers, furnishes a dashing poem. It is in trochaic rhythm. We give a stanza : Hark ! thejlngie Of thS sleigh-bells' song ! Earth and air in snowy sheen c6mmingie ; Swiftly, throng Norseland fancies, as we sail along. "The Sleigh-Ride." Who is there that has not read of the fabled youth " A youth, wh6 bore, 'mid snow and Ice, A banner with the strange device Excelsior ! ' ' a youth that pressed on, harkening not the voices that gave him warning, until overtaken by death. The poem is by Longfellow. It is an iambic tetrameter, except the last line of the stanza, which is iambic dimeter. We have selected the fifth stanza : "Oh stay, " the maiden said, "and rest Thy weary head tipon this breast ! " A tear stoSd In his bright bltie eye Bfit still he answered, with a sigh, Excelsior. " Excelsior." 74 THE ART OF POETR V. Edmund Waller is the author of a pretty poem in iambic rhythm. The third stanza is given. Small is the worth Of beauty from the light retired ; Bid her come forth, Suffer herself t6 be desired, And not bltish so t6 be admired. "Go Lovely Rose." Henry Kirke White added to the poem, this stanza : Yet, though thoti fade, Fr6m thy dead leaves let fragrance rise ; And teach the maid, That goodness Time's rtide hand defies, That virtue lives when beauty dies. Longfellow ever teems in good thoughts. This one in iambic rhythm is worth remembering. We give the eighth stanza of the poem : And he who has n6t learned to know H5w false its sparkling bubbles show, H6w bitter are the drops 6f woe, With which its brim may overflow, He has not learned t6 live. "The Goblet of Life." Another charming poem by Longfellow, is entitled "Christmas Bells." It is iambic rhythm. We give the seventh stanza : Then pealed the bells m6re loud and deep : " G6d is n6t dead; nor doth he sleep ! The Wrong shall fail, The Right prevail, With peace 6n earth, g6od-will t6 men ! " " Christmas Bells." THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA. 75 "A Woman's Question," is the title of a poem written by Adelaide Anne Proctor in iambic rhythm, furnishing us an example of the middle or line rhyme in the fifth line, as well as another form. We give the first stanza : Before I trust my fate t6 thee, Or place my hand in thine, Before 1 let thy future give C6l6r and form t6 mine, Before I peril all f5r thee, questiSn thy soul to-night f6r me. "A Woman's Question." THE SIX LINE STANZA. Endless are the varieties of our English stanza. The art of the poet is susceptible of a high degree of cultivation. Our best authors have from time to time found new and beautiful combinations. The six line stanza is one capable of producing the very best of results. We have selected many forms of the six line stanzas with a view of illustrating their combinations and formations. Our first selection is in anapestic rhythm, anapestic tetrameter. We give the first stanza : There's a little I6w hut by the river's side, Within the sound 6f its rippling tide ; Its walls are grey with the mosses 6f years, And its roof all crumbled and old appears : But fairer t6 me than castle's pride Is the little I6w hut by the riveYs side ! P. B. Shillaber"My Childhood Home." A stanza by Tennyson, in anapestic rhythm is given. The first, second, third, fourth and sixth lines trimeter, the fifth, tetrameter. y6 THE ART OF POETRY. Come Int6 the garden, Maud, F6r the black bat, night, hSs flown ! C6me Int6 the garden, Maud, I am here at the gate, alone ; And the woodbine spices are wafted abroad, And the musk 6f the roses blown. "Come Into the Garden, Maud. Another form of this stanza,in iambic tetrameter, the lines rhyming alternately, is given. The first stanza is selected : She walks in beauty, like the night Of cloudless climes and starry skies, And all that's best 6f dark and bright Meet In her aspect and hSr eyes, Thtis mel!6wed to that tender light Which heaven t6 gaudy day denies. Byron " She Walks in Beauty." Here is another six line stanza rhyming in alternate lines. It is a poem of exquisite finish and delicacy of touch, tender and pathetic, by Edgar Allen Poe, entitled "Annabel Lee." The poem was composed by Poe in memory of his child- wife, who was his cousin and to whom he was devotedly attached ; whom he loved ' ' with a love that the winged seraphs of heaven coveted her and me." It is anapestic rhythm : It was many and many a year ago, In a klngdSm by th6 sea, That a maiden lived wh6m you may know By the 1 name 6f Annabel Lee ; And this maiden she lived with n6 other thought Than t6 love, and be loved by me. "Annabel Lee." THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA. 77 Sorrow and adversity are depicted in these lines by one of England's best writers. It is iambic rhythm and a fine form of the stanza, dimeter and tetrameter lines : Spring it is cheery, Winter is dreary, Green leaves hang, but the brown must fly; WhSn he's fSrsakSn, Withered and shaken, What can an old man do but die ? Hood " What Can an Old Man do but Die ? " Another form of this stanza, in iambic rhythm, is com- posed of a quatrain, rhyming in alternate lines, and a couplet : , I love, Snd have s6me cause t6 love, the earth, She is my Maker's creature, therefore good ; She is my mother, for she gave me birth ; She is my tender nurse, she gives me food ; But what's a creature, Lord, compared with thee? Or what's my mother or my nurse t6 me? Francis Quarles " Delight in God." Robert Herrick is the author of the following in iambic rhythm : Fair pledges of a fruitful tree, Why do ye fall s6 fast? Your date is not s6 past Bttt you may stay yet here awhile T6 blush and gently smile, And go at last. "To Blossoms." A fine trochaic stanza is to be found in "Twelfth Night," 7 8 THE ART OF POETRY. Act II, scene 3. The third and sixth lines rhyme, the other lines rhyming in couplets : What is love ? 'Tis not hereafter ; Present mirth hath present laughter ; What's t6 come is still unsure : In delay there lies n6 plenty, Then c5me kiss me, Sweet-Snd-twenty, Youth's a stuff will not endure. Shakespeare " O Mistress Mine." An ardent love stanza composed by John Moultrie, is to be found in the following in iambic rhythm, rhyming in couplets : " FSrget thee ?" If t6 dream by night, and muse on thee by day, If all thfe worship, deep and wild, a poet's heart can pay, If prayers in absence breathed f6r thee t6 Heaven's protecting power, If winged thoughts that flit t6 thee a thousand in an hour, If bus)/ Fancy blending thee with all my future lot, If this th6u call'st " fSrgetting, " thou indeed shalt be fSrgot ! " Forget Thee ?" Ralph Hoyt is the author of a poem depicting old age. It is touching and pathetic and portrays true to life some oi the sad events of this existence. The poem is written in trochaic rhythm. The first, second, third, fourth and sixth lines being trochaic pentameter, and the fifth trochaic dimeter. We have selected the seventh stanza : "Angel," said he sadly, " I am old ; Earthly hope no longer hath a morrOw ; Yet, why I sit here thou shalt be told." Then his eye betrayed a pearl 6f sorr5w, Down it rolled ! "Angel," said he sadly, " I am old." "Old." THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA. 79 Another form of the six line stanza is the quatrain rhym- ing in alternate lines, with the couplet. The following is iambic rhythm and the first stanza of the poem : Friend after friend departs ; Wh6 hath n&t lost a friend ? There is no uni6n here 6f hearts That finds n&t here an end ! Were this frail world 6ur final rest, Living 6r dying none were blest. James Montgomery " Parted Friends." A dainty poem, exquisite in its form, is by Sarah Roberts. It is trochaic rhythm. We give the first stanza : Here I c6me creeping, creeping everywhere ; By the dusty roadside, On the sunny hillside, Close by the noisy brook, In every shady nook, I c6me creeping, creeping everywhere. "The Voice of the Grass." Burns is not the first who used the form of the stanza fol- lowing. He, however, used it frequently in his writings and it is known as the stanza of Burns. It is iambic rhythm: Still thou art blessed, compared wf me ! The present only toucheth thee : But, och ! I backward cast my e'e On prospects drear ; An' forward, though I canna' see, I guess an' fear. "To a Mouse." go THE ART OF POETR Y. "The Little Beach Bird" is the theme of a poem by Richard Henry Dana. It is also in iambic rhythm. We give the first stanza : Thofl little bird, thou dweller by the sea, Why takest thou its melancholy voice ? Why with that boding cry O'er the waves d6st thoG fly ? O, rather, bird, with me Through the fair land rejoice ! " The Little Beach Bird." An interesting stanza may be formed in alternate lines, the first, second and fourth trimeter, the third tetrameter, and the fifth and sixth a tetrameter couplet, as follows : Tell me I hate the bowl, Hate Is a feeble word ; 1 loathe, abhor, my very soul By strong disgust is stirred When'er I see, 6r hear, 6r tell Of the dark beverage 6f hell ! Anonymous "Go Feel What I Have Felt." In trochaic rhythm we give So, go6d night ! Slumber on till morning light ; Slumber till another morr6w Brings its stores 6f joy and sorr6w ; Fearless, In the Father's sight ! Slumber on. Go6d night ! Kbrner " Good Night." William Cullen Bryant is the author of this patriotic stanza, in iambic rhythm : THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA. 8 1 6 MOTHER of a mighty race, Yet lovely in thy youth f til grace ! The elder dames, thy haughty peers, Admire and hate thy blooming years ; With words 6f shame And taunts 6f scorn they join thy name. "America." Charles Kingsley is the author of a poem in iambic rhythm, from which we give the second stanza : The creeping tide cSme up along the sand, And o'er and o'er the sand, And round and round the sand, As far as eye cotild see ; The blinding mist came down and hid the land: And never home came she. " The Sands of Dee." In trochaic rhythm Longfellow has written a poem entitled " Sea Weed. " It is a neat form of the six-line stanza. The first, third, fourth and sixth lines are tetra- meter, the second and fifth dimeter. We give the fifth stanza So when storms 6f wild emotiftn Strike the ocean Of the poet's soul, ere long, From each cave and rocky fastness In its vastness Floats s6me fragment of a song. "Sea Weed." Maria Gowan BrooRs is the author of these exquisite lines 8 2 THE ART OF POE TR Y. in trochaic rhythm. The quatrain is tetrameter, the couplet dimeter. We give the second stanza : Thou, 16 whom I love t6 hearken ; Come, 6re night around me darken ; Though thy softness but deceive m6, Say th6u'rt true, and I'll believe the; Veil, if ill thy soul's intent, Let me think ft inn6cent ! " Day, in Melting Purple Dying." THE SEVEN LIME STANZA. Of all those arts in which the wise excel, Nature's chief masterpiece is writing well ; N6 writing lifts exalted man s6 high As sacred and s6ul-moving poesy. Buckingham. This stanza may not be so generally used as the ones of four, five and six lines, still many beautiful and exquisitely finished poem; are to its credit. It is also capable of many nicely formed combinations. The various forms that may be selected from our best poems, examined and analyzed, will^oon make us familiar with the stanza of seven lines. The first selection is a sweet, spicy, little love poem by Charles Sibley, entitled " The Plaidie." How true to na- ture are these little word accents in iambic rhythm. An analysis of the first line of the stanza shows a line composed of three iambic feet, with a redundant syllable ; the second line is composed of a trochee, and two iambuses ; the third line is composed of an anapest and two iambuses, with a re- dundant syllable ; the fourth line is composed of an anapest and two iambuses ; the fifth line is composed of one iambus THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA. 83 and a redundant syllable ; the sixth line is like the third ; the seventh is composed of three iambuses. The fifth line is a monometer, the others trimeter : THE PLAIDIE. tTpon ane stormy Sunday, Coming adoon the lane. We're a score 6f bonnie lassies And the" sweetest I maintain Was Caddie, That I took unneath my plaidie, T6 shield her from the rain. Sh6 said that the daisies blushed F6r the kiss that I had ta'en ; 1 wadna hae thought the lassie Wad sae 6f & kiss c6mplain : " N6w, laddie ! I winna stay under your plaidie, If I gang hame in the rain !" But on an after Sunday, When cloud there was n6t ane, This selfsame wins6me lassie (We chance t6 meet in the lane) Said, "Laddie, Why dinna ye wear your plaidie ? Wha kens but it may rain ? " "How Many Times," a poem in iambic rhythm, by Charles Lovell Beddoes, gives expression of great love. We have selected the second stanza : 84 7 HE ART OF POETR Y. H6w many times d6 I love, again ? Tell me h6w many beads there are In & silver chain Of the evening rain, tTnraveled from the tumbling main, And threading the eye 6f a yellftw star : S6 many times d6 I love, again. " How Many Times." Elizabeth Barrett Browning has written a delicately fin- ished and pathetic poem entitled," My Heart and I." We give the seventh and last stanza. It is iambic rhythm : Yet, who complains ? My heart and I ? In this abundant earth n6 doubt Is little room for things \v6rn out ; Disdain them, break them, throw them by ; And if before the days grew rough, We once were loved, then well enough I think we've fared, my heart and I. " My Heart and I. From an old manuscript in the time of Henry VIII, written anonymously, the following stanza in iambic rhythm is taken : Ah, my sweet sweeting ; My little pretty sweeting, My sweeting will 1 love wherever I go ; She is so proper and pure, True, steadfast, stable and demure, There is nftne such, you may be sure, As my sweet sweeting. " My Sweet Sweeting. THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA. 85 Tennyson's "Song of the Milkmaid," from "Queen Mary, " is a fine specimen of the seven line stanza. It is trochaic measure : Shame upon you, Robin, Shame tipon you now ! Kiss me would you ? with m^ hands Milking the cow ? Daisies grow again, King cups blow again, And you came and kissed me milking the cow. Jean Ingelow is the author of " Songs of Seven," which contains a love song in anapestic rhythm : I leaned 6ut 6f wind6w, 1 smelt the white clover, Dark, dark was the garden, 1 saw n6t the gate ; " N6w, If there be footsteps, he comes, my 6wn lover, Hftsh, nightingale, hush ! (3 sweet nightingale, wait Till I listen and hear If a step draweth near, F6r m^ love he is late ! " Seven Times Three, Love." A poem greatly admired is by Rev. Charles Kingsley. It is an anapestic rhythm. The stanza which we have selected is an anapestic tetrameter, and analyzed is as follows: The first line is composed of two anapestic and two iambic feet ; the second line is like the first ; the third is composed of four iambic feet ; the fourth is composed of one iambic and three anapestic feet ; the fifth is composed of one anapestic and three iambic feet ; the sixth is like the third ; and the seventh line is like the fifth, the anapestic 85 THE ART OF POETR Y. foot prevailing denotes the rhythm of the Stanza. The third stanza is as follows : Three corpses lay out on the" shining sands In the morning gleam as the tide went down, And the women are weeping and wringing their hands F6r those wh6 will never c6me back t6 the town, F6r men must work, and women must weep ; And the sooner tts over, the sooner t6 sleep ; And go5d-bye t6 the bar and its moaning. "The Three Fishers." " My Love is Dead," is a poem by Thomas Chatterton, in trochaic measure composed of nine stanzas, from which we have selected the second. The measure is mixed, the trochaic foot prevailing. The stanza is tetrameter, except the fifth and sixth lines, they being dimeter. The first and third, the second and fourth lines rhyme. The fifth and sixth being a rhyming couplet : Black his hair s the summer night, White his neck as the winter snow, Ruddy his face &s the morning light ; Cold he lies in the grave below. My love is dead Gone t6 his death-bed, All under the will6w tree. " My Love is Dead." Henry N. Cobb is the author of the following lines in iambic rhythm. The first four lines being pentameter, the fifth and sixth dimeter, and the seventh a monometer. We give the first stanza of the poem : THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA. 87 The way is dark, m^ Father ! Cloud 6n cloud Is gathering thickly o'er my head, and loud The thunders roar above me. See, 1 stand Like one bewildered ! Father, take my hand, And through the gloom Lead safely home Thy child ! " Father, Take my Hand." In a fine descriptive poem Francis Bret Harte thus nar- rates the cause of the fear of the inhabitants of a seaport town, in iambic rhythm. We give the second stanza : Good cause fQr fear ! In the thick midday The hulk that lay by the rotting pier, Filled with children In happy play, Parted the moorings and drifted clear, Drifted clear beyond the reach 6r call, Thirteen children they were In all, All adrift In the lower bay ! "A Greyport Legend." A ride made famous in iambic tetrameter is that of Sheri- dan's from Winchestertown. We give the first stanza : tip from the South at break 6f day Bringing t6 Winchester fresh dismay, The affrighted air with a shudder bore, Like a herald In haste, t6 the chieftain's door, The terrible grumble, and rumble, and roar, Telling the battle was on 6nce more, And Sheridan twenty miles away. Thomas Buchanan Read "Sheridan's Ride." Another little poem depicting rural sport, is by Thomas Tod Stoddart, in trochaic rhythm. It is very cleverly 88 THE ART OF POETRY. written and the stanza worth reading to a lover of the sport. We give the first stanza : Sing, swe^t thrushes, forth and sing ! Meet thS morn upon the lea ; Are the emeralds of the spring On thg angler's trysting-tree ? Tell, sweet thrushes, tell t5 me ! Are there buds 6n Our will5w-tree ? Buds Snd birds 6n 6ur trysting-tree ? "The Angler's Trysting-Tree. " What a fine sentiment is contained in this stanza, the last one of a poem by Mrs. Craik. It is iambic rhythm : 6 soul, forget the weight that drags thee down, Deathfully, deathftilly: Knftw thyself. As this glory wraps thee round, Let It melt off th6 chains that long have bound Thy strength. Stand free before thy God and cry " My Father, here am I : Give to me as th&u wilt first cross, then crown." "The Aurora on the Clyde." And by the same author we find a fine iambic stanza taken from a poem entitled ' ' Sitting on the Shore ' ' : 6 life, 6 silent shore, Where we sit patient : O great sea beyond T6 which we turn with solemn hope and fond, But sorrowful n6 more : A little while, and then we too shall soar Like white-winged sea-btrds Int& the Infinite Deep ; TT11 then, Th6u : Father wilt our spirits keep. "Sitting on the Shore." THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA. 89 Let us give still another from the same author. It is from a poem in anapestic rhythm entitled, "Sleep on Till Day" : Yet life's btit a vision to6 lovely to stay : M6rn passes, no6n hastens, and pleasures decay ; And evening approaches and closes the day : Then laid with praises Under the daisies : Smiling we'll creep to our pillow of clay, And sleep 6n till Day, my 16ve, sleep 6n till Day. For one desirous of selecting a wife, the following stanza may be of some practical help. The poem is an iambic tetrameter. Here is the third stanza : If I could find a lassie mild, Woman in wit, in heart & child : Blithe j ust t6 sweeten sorr6w ; Sedate enough t6 temper mirth Meek-hearted, rich In househ61d worth N6t quite the ugliest girl 6n earth, I'd marry her t6morr6w. Craik "The Six Sisters." A " Dream in the Woods," written by Thomas Hood, in iambic rhythm, is a poem of excellent merit contemplative in character. We give the sixty-seventh stanza : BQt haughty peer and mighty king One doom shall overwhelm ! The oaken cell Shall lodge him well Wh6se sceptre ruled a realm While he wh6 never knew a home Shall find It in the elm ! "The Elm Tree." 90 THE ART OF POETR Y. Henry Carey is the author of ' ' God Save the King, ' ' written in dactylic rhythm. We give a stanza : God save 6ur gracious king, Long live 6ur noble king, God save the king ! Send him victorious Happy' and glorious, Long t& reign over us, God save the king ! A patriotic poem by Francis Bret Harte furnishes this excellent stanza in trochaic rhythm. The second one of the poem is selected : ' ' Let me of my heart take counsel : War Is not &f life the sum ; Who shall stay and reap the harvest When the autumn days shall come ? " But the drum Echoed, "Come! Death shall reap the braver harvest," said the solemn sounding drum. "The Reveille." Lord Tennyson is the author of a soul-stirring poem in dactylic rhythm. The second stanza is given : Be n6t deaf t6 the sound that warns ! Be not gulled by a desp&t's plea ! Are figs 6f thistles, 6r grapes 6f thorns ? How should a desp6t set men free ? Form ! form, Riflemen, form ! Ready, be ready 16 meet the storm ! Riflemen, riflemen, riflemen, form ! "The War." THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA. gi Phcebe Carey has written many tender and charming poems. The art of the poet was one she thoroughly under- stood. This stanza, the last one of the poem, is in trochaic rhythm : Ah wise mother ! If yoti proved Lover never crossed her way, I wotild think the self-same way. Ever since the world has moved, Babes seem women in a day ; And, alas ! and well a day ! Men have wooed and maidens loved ! Phcebe Gary "Gracie." Matthew Arnold has written a fine poem, which he entitles "A Question." It is trochaic rhythm. We give the first and second stanzas : Joy cSmes and goes, hope ebbs find flows Like thS wave ; Change d6th tinknit the tranquil strength 6f men. Love lends life a little grace, A few sSd smiles and then Both are laid in one c61d place, In the grave. Dreams dawn and fly, friends smile and die Like spring flowers; 6ur vaunted life is one I6ng funeral. Men dig graves with bitter tears For their dead h6pes ; and all, Mazed with doubts and sick with fears, Count the hours, "A Question." 92 THE ART OF POE TR } '. What is known as the Rhyme- Royal, a stanza invented by Chaucer, is still another form of the seven line stanza. The first four lines being an ordinary quatrain, with alternate lines rhyming, the fifth line repeating the rhyme of the fourth, and the last two rhymes forming a rhyming couplet. We give a stanza illustrating : And thou, sweet Music, dancing's only life, The ear's s6le happiness, th air's best speech, L6adst6ne 6f fellowship, charming-rod 6f strife, The soft mind's paradise, the sick man's leech, With thine 6wn tongue thOu trees and stones can'st teach, ThSt, when the air d6th dance her finest measQre, Then art thSu born, the gods' 3nd men's sweet pleasQre. Sir John Dairies "The Dancing of the Air." THE EIGHT LINE STANZA. This stanza is used extensively in writing poetry. No form, unless it should be the quatrain, is in such general use. It is capable of great variety. The stanza may be composed of four couplets, or a six line stanza and a couplet, or a seven line stanza with an odd rhyming line. As our object is not only the familiarizing ourselves with the various forms of the stanza, but also to learn perfectly the art of scansion, become perfectly acquainted with the rhythm and meter of verse, we shall endeavor to select from the best authors the various forms of the eight line stanza, assuring the reader that he cannot be too familiar with the formation of the stanzas, if he has a desire to become perfectly acquainted with the art of versification. The selections given, while but a single stanza of some excellent poem, will certainly be a help to the reader who will undoubtedly follow up the poem and give to it a thor- THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA. 93 ough reading. First, we have selected the fourth stanza of Thomas Hood's " The Song of the Shirt." It is iambic rhythm. The stanza is as follows : Oh ! men with sisters dear ! Oh ! men with mothers and wives ! it is n6t lin^n yoQ're wearing out, But humfln creatures' lives ! Stitch stitch stitch ! In poverty, hunger and dirt, Sewing at once, with a double thread, A SHROUD as well as a shirt ! What can be more beautiful than the poem of Edward Coate Pinkney entitled, " A Health?" It is also in iambic rhythm. The poem is composed of five stanzas. We have selected the last, as follows : 1 fill this cup t6 one made up Of loveliness alone, A woman, of her gentle sex The seeming paragon. Her health ! and would 6n earth there stood S6me more 6f such a frame, That life might be all poetry, And weariness a name. Philip Pendleton Cooke gives us a fine example of an eight line stanza in a little poem entitled, " Florence Vane. " It is iambic rhythm. We select the third stanza : Thou wast lovelier than the roses In their prime ; Thy voice excelled the closes Of sweetest rhyme ; Thy heart was a river Without a main. Would I had loved thee never, Florence Vane. 94 THE ART OF POETRY. Samuel Daniel has written a neat little poem entitled, ' ' Love is a Sickness. ' ' We give the last stanza : L6ve is a tormfint of th6 mind, A tempest everlasting ; And Jove hath made it of 3 kind, N6t well, n6r full, nSr fasting. Why so? M6re we Snjoy It, more it dies ; If not Snjoyed, it sighing cries Heigh-ho. James Shirley is the author of a fine poem in iambic rhythm entitled, " Death the Leveler." The last stanza is selected : The garlSnds wither on your brow, Then boast n6 more your mighty deeds ; tTpon death's purple altar now See where the vict6r-victim bleeds ; Your heads must come T6 the c61d tomb ; Only the acti6ns of the just Smell sweet, and bloss6m in their dust. Alexander Rogers gives us a beautiful stanza, in a love poem entitled, "Behave Yourself Before Folk." We select the fifth stanza, which is iambic rhythm : Ye tell me that my lips are sweet : Sic tales, 1 doubt are a' deceit ; At ony rate, it's hardly meet T6 prie their sweets before f5lk. Behave yourseT before f6lk, Behave yoursel' before f61k, Gin that's the case, there's time and place, But surely no before f6lk ! THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA. 95 John G. Saxe, the author of so many excellent poems, who delighted the reading public throughout his life, tells us he is growing old in these finished lines entitled, "I'm Growing Old. ' ' We give the fourth stanza. It is iambic tetrameter : 1 feel ift in my changing taste ; 1 see lit In my changing hair ; 1 see it In my growing waist ; 1 see it In my growing heir ; A thousand signs prSclaim the truth, As plain 3s truth w3s ever told, That, even In my vaunted youth, I'm growing old ! " An anonymous poem entitled, ' ' The Grave of Bona- parte " is a beautiful eight line stanza in anapestic rhythm. We have selected the first stanza : On a lone-barren Isle, where the wild-roaring bI116ws Assail the stern rock, and the loud-tempests rave, The herft lies still, while the dew-dr6pping willtiws, Like fond-weeping mourners lean over the grave. The lightnings may flash, and the loud-thflnders rattle ; He heeds n6t, he hears n6t, he's free fr6m all pain ; He sleeps his last sleep he has fought his last battle ! N6 sound can awake him t6 glory again ! ' ' A Doubting Heart, ' ' by Adelaide Anne Proctor, is a pathetic poem in iambic rhythm, expressive of sorrow and adversity. We give the third stanza : The sun has hid its rays These many days ; Will dreary hours never leave the earth ? doubting heart ! The stormy clouds 6n high Veil the same sunny sky That soon, f6r spring is nigh, Shall wake the siimmer Int6 golden mirth. 9 6 THE AR T OF FOE TR Y. We present below a stanza of eight lines, the second, fourth, sixth and eighth lines rhyming. It is taken from one of the finest poems in the English language, " Man was Made to Mourn," by Robert Burns. It is iambic rhythm. We give the eleventh stanza : Death ! the poor man's dearest friend, The kindest and the best ! Welcftme the hour my aged limbs Are laid with thee at rest ! The great, the wealthy, fear thy blow, Fr6m pomp and pleasure torn ; ButO, a blest relief t6 those That weary-laden mourn ! The "Cavalry Song" by Edmund Clarence Stedman- taken from "Alice of Monmouth," is a poem showy and animated, a very neat form of the eight line stanza. It is also iambic rhythm. We give the second stanza : Dish on beneath the smoking dome : Through level lightnings gallbp nearer ! <3ne look to Heaven ! N6 thoughts 6f home ; The guid6ns that we bear are dearer. CHARGE ! Cling ! Clang ! forward all ! Heaven help those wh6se horses fall ; Cat left and right ! Caroline E. Norton is known the world over by ' ' Bingen on the Rhine." The poem is highly descriptive, tender and sympathetic, touching a keynote that reverberates and swells as the reader cons each line. It is in iambic measure an iambic heptameter ; THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA. 97 His trembling voice grew faint and hoarse his gasp w&s childish weak, His eyes put on a dying look, he" sighed and ceased t6 speak ; His comrade bent to lift him, but the spark 6f life had fled ! The soldier of the Legion, in a foreign land is dead ! And th6 soft mo6n rose tip slowly, and calmly she loSked down (*)n th6 red sand of the battle-field with bloody corses strewn ; Yes, calmly on that dreadful scene her pale light seemed t6 shine, As It shone tin distant Binggn fair Binggn on the Rhine ! John G. Saxe is the author of " American Aristocracy," from which we have selected the first stanza. It is iambic rhythm : Of all the notable things 6n earth. Th6 queerest one Is pride 6f birth Among 6ur " fierce democracy ! " A bridge across a hundred years, Without a prop t6 save It fr6m sneers, N6t even a couple 6f rotten peers, A thing 6f laughter, fleers and jeers, Is American aristocracy ! How true to nature is this poem by Joanna Baillie, en titled " The Heath-Cock." It is iambic rhythm. We select the first stanza : Go6d morrtiw to thy sable beak And glossy plumage dark and sleek, Thy crims&n moon and azure eye, C6ck of the heath, s6 \\ ildly shy ; 1 see thee slyly cowering through That wiry web 6f silvery dew, That twinkles in the morning air, Like casements of my lady fair. 9 g THE ART OF POETRY. The Italian Heroic meter in which Tasso and Ariosto wrote, known as the " Ottava Rima," is a stanza of eight iambic pentameter lines. The stanza consists of six lines rhyming alternately, and the seventh and eighth a rhyming couplet. Lord Byron wrote ' ' Don Juan ' ' in this stanza, a selection from the first canto, is here given : 'TJs sweet t6 hear the 1 watch-dSg's hongst bark BSy deep-m6uthed welc6me as w6 draw nfiar home ; 'Tis sweet t6 know there is n eye wKll mark Our coming, and Io6k brighter when w come ; 'TTs sweet t6 be Swakgned by the 1 lark. Or lulled by falling waters ; sweet the hum Of bees, the voice 6f girls, the song 6f birds, Th6 lisp 6f children, and their earliest words. THE NINE LINE STANZA. The nine line stanza gives fine effect to English poetry, and hence may be termed a favorite among writers. It is capable of many combinations. One form, however, of the nine line stanza is fixed, and it is this form that is so justly praised and highly noted. It is the Spenserian, so named from Edmund Spenser, the author of " The Fairy Queen," who composed that beautiful poem in that stanza. While Spenser is generally accredited as being the inventor of the form of the stanza that now bears his name, and is so widely used, he borrowed it from Italian poetry. Many of the highest types of poetical composition, we find in this stanza Byron's " Childe Harold," Burns' "Cotter's Saturday Night," Beattie's "Minstrel," Thom- son's "Castle of Indolence." The Spenserian stanza con- sists of nine lines, the first eight being iambic pentameter, the ninth an iambic hexameter. The stanza is composed of THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA. 99 two quatrains rhyming in alternate lines. The last line of the first quatrain rhymes with the first line of the second quat- rain ; the ninth line rhyming with the eighth. Ah ! who can tell h6w hard it is t6 climb . The steep where Fame's pr6ud temple shines afar ! Ah ! who can tell h6w many soul sublime Has felt thg influence of malignant star, And waged with Fortune an Sternal war ; Checked by the" scoff 6f Pride, by Envy's frown, And Poverty's dnconqurabl<5 bar; In life's I6w vale remote has pined alone, Then dropped into the grave, unpitied and unknown ! Beatiie "The Minstrel.' 1 We have also selected a stanza from a beautiful poem, " Philip, My King," an illustration of childhood. It is by Dinah Maria Mulock Craik. It is iambic rhythm. We select the first stanza : LoSk at me with thy large brOwn eyes, Philip, my king ! RSund whom the enshad6wing purple lies Of babyhoSd's royal dignities. Lay on my neck thy tiny hand With Love's invincible scepter laden ; I am thine Esther, to cSmmand Till thou shall find a queen-handmaiden, Philip, my king ! Another fine nine line stanza is from the pen of Sir Charles Sedley, entitled, " Phillis is My Only Joy." It is trochaic rhythm. We give the first stanza I00 THE ART OF POETRY. Phlllis is my only joy, Faithless as the wind 6r seas ; Sometimes coming, sometimes coy, Yet she nevr fails t6 please. If with a frown I am cast down, Phillis, smiling And beguiling, Makes me happier than before. Robert Burns touched the hearts of all Scotland, as well as the reading world, when he gave to the public, "The Cotter's Saturday Night." It is a poem that portrays vividly the life of the Scottish peasant, and is so true and accurate as to bring home to all, the scenes it so faithfully depicts. The rhythm is iambic. We select the third stanza: At length his lonely cot appears in view, Beneath the shelter of fin aged tree ; The expectant wee things toddlin', stacher through T6 meet their dad, wi' tlichterin' noise an' glee. His \vee bit ingle blinking bonnily, His clean hearthst5ne, his thriftie wifie's smile, The lisping infant prattling on his knee, D6es a' his weary carking cares beguile, And makes him quite fOrget his Iab6r and his toil. William Cullen Bryant is the author of this stanza, selected from one of his poems entitled, '"June." The measure is iambic. We give the third stanza : There through the long, 16ng summer hours The golden light should lie, And thick yOung herbs and groups 6f flowers Stand in their beauty by. THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA. IO r The oriole should build and tell His love-tale close beside my cell ; The idle butterfly Should rest him there, and there be heard The housewife bee Snd humming-bird. Another beautiful poem is selected from the same author. Who hasn't read William Cullen Bryant's " Robert of Lincoln," and admired the charming rhythm.? The meas- ure is mixed, the trochaic prevailing. We select the fifth stanza : Six white eggs 5n a bed 6f hay, Flecked with purple, a pretty sight ! There as the mother sits all day, Robert is singing with all his might ; B6b-6'-link, bob-6'-link, Spink, spank, spink ; Nice go6d wife, that never g6es out, Keeping h6use while 1 frolic about. .Chee, chee, chee. From Byron's " Childe Harold," Canto III, we select the following stanza from his description of "Waterloo." No grander poem of its kind was ever written. It is written in Spenserian stanza, which is always iambic rhythm. The first eight lines are iambic pentameter, the ninth line being an hexameter Ah ! then and there was hurrying to and fro, And gathering tears, and tremblings of distress, And cheeks all pale which but an hour ago Blushed at the praise 6f their own loveliness ; And there were sudden partings, such as press The life fr6m out voting hearts, and choking sighs Which ne'er might be repeated ; who would guess If evermore shotild meet th5se mutual eyes Since up6n night s6 sweet such awful morn coQld rise ! 102 THE ART OF POETRY How beautiful are the "Lines" by Thomas Campbell, " On leaving a Scene in Bavaria." We select the seventh stanza. It is iambic rhythm : Yes ! I hSve loved thy wild abode, tfnknown, unploughed, Qntrodden shore ; Where scarce the woodman finds a road, And scarce the f Ishfir plies an oar ; F6r man's neglect 1 love thefi more ; That art nSr avarice intrude T6 tame thy torrent's thunder-shock, Or prune thy vintage of the rock Magnificently rude. A fine variation of the Spenserian stanza is found in the following from Percy Bysshe Shelley's lines entitled, " The Sun is Warm, the Sky is Clear." It is iambic rhythm. We select the third stanza : Alas ! 1 have n6r hope n6r health, N5r peace within, n5r calm around, N6r that C6ntent surpassing wealth The sage in meditatiSn found, And walked with inward glory crowned, N6r fame, nSr power, n$r love, nor leisure, Others I see wh6m these surround ; Smiling they live, and call life pleasure ; T6 me that cup has been dealt in another measure. THE TEN LINE STANZA. This form of the stanza is widely used. It may be em- ployed in many combinations. Five couplets make a beau- tiful ten line stanza. Three triplets and a single line may be used. The quatrain doubled and the couplet combined form the stanza. It can be formed of two five line stanzas ; THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA. 103 of a six line and a quatrain ; of a seven line and a triplet. We select a stanza from Shakespeare, entitled, " Blow, Blow, Thou Winter Wind," from "As You Like It," act ii, scene 7. It is iambic rhythm. We select the first stanza : BISw, blow, th6u winter wind, Th6u art n6t so unkind As man's ingratitude ; Thy tooth is not s6 keen, Because thou art n6t seen, Although thy breath be rude. Heigh-ho ! sing heigh-ho ! Gnto the green holly ; M6st friendship is feigning, m6st loving mere folly; Thgn heigh-ho, the holly ! This life is m6st jolly! Our next selection is a poem from John Keats. It is one of the best of that celebrated writer's productions. It is entitled, " Ode to a Nightingale." We select the seventh stanza : Th6u wast n6t born f&r death, immortal Bird ! N6 hungry generati6ns tread thee down ; The voice I hear this passing night was heard In ancient days by emperor find clown ; Perhaps the self-same song that found a path ThroGgh the sad heart 6f Ruth, when sick f5r home, She stood in tears amid the alien corn ; The same that oft-times hath Charmed magic casements opening on the foam Of perilous seas, in faery lands fSrlorn. Charles Mackay has written an excellent poem which has been oft quoted, entitled, "Tell Me, Ye Winged Winds." It is iambic measure. We select the first stanza : I0 4 THE ART OF POETR Y. Tell me, ye winged winds, That round my pathway roar, D6 ye n6t know s6me spot Whgre mortals weep n6 more ? S6me lone and pleasant dell, Some valley In the west, Where free fr6m toil find pain, The weary soul may rest ? The loud wind dwindled to a whisper low, And sighed f6r pity as it answered, "No." . Milton's "May Morning" is another charming ten line stanza. It is also iambic rhythm, as follows : N6w the bright morning star, day's harbinger, COmes dancing from the east, and leads with her The flowery May, who from her green lap throws The yel!6w cowslip and the pale primrose. Hail, bounteous May ! that doth inspire Mirth and youth and warm desire ; Woods and groves are of thy dressing, Hill and dale d6th boast thy blessing, Thus we salute thee with 6ur early song, And welc6me thee, and wish thee long. "The Owl," a poem by Bryan W. Proctor, furnishes another excellent ten line stanza, in a mixed anapestic and iambic rhythm, the iambic prevailing. We select the first stanza : In the h6116w tree, in the old gray tower, The spectral owl d6th dwell ; Dull, hated, despised, in the sunshine hour, But at dusk he's abroad and well ! N6t a bird 5f the forest e'er mates with him ; All mock him outright by day ; But at night, when the woods gr6w still and dim, The boldest will shrink away ! 0, when the night falls, and roosts the fowl, Then, then, is the reign 6f the horned owl ! THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA. 105 A rare old poem is "The Ivy Green," and its author is no less a personage than Charles Dickens. It is mixed anapestic and iambic rhythm, the iambic foot prevailing : 0, a dainty plant is the ivy green, That creepeth 6'er ruins old ! Of right chSice food are his meals, 1 ween, In his cell s6 lone and cold. The" walls must be crumbled, the stones decayed, T6 pleasure his dainty whim ; And thS mouldering dust that years have made, Is a merry meal for him. Creeping where n6 life is seen, A rare 61d plant is the ivy green. No less loved by everyone is Mrs. S. J. Hale. All school boys have read "It Snows," written by her. The poem is but a glimpse of the actual reality of the delight of the youth at a sight of snow and the rare pleasure of the winter sports. It is anapestic rhythm. We give the first stanza : " It snows ! " cries the School-b6y, " Hurrah ! " and his shout Is ringing through parlftr and hall, While swift as the wing 6f a swallSw, he's out, And his playmates have answered his call ; It makes the heart leap but t5 witness their joy ; Pr6ud wealth has n6 pleasure, I trow, Like the rapttire that throbs in the pulse 6f the boy, As he gathers his treasures 6f snow; Then lay n6t the trappings 6f gold 6n thine heirs, While health, and the riches 6f nature, are theirs. Harrison Weir is the author of ' ' Christmas in the Woods." It is a six line stanza and a quatrain combined. It is anapestic rhythm. We select the first stanza : I0 6 THE ART OF POETRY. Frdm under the boughs in the snow-clad wood The merle and the mavis are peeping, Alike secure from the wind and the flood, Yet S silent Christmas keeping. Still happy are they, And their looks are gay, And they frisk it fr6m bough t6 bough ; Since berries bright red Hang over their head, A right goodly feast, 1 trow. " Pack Clouds Away," a poem by Thomas Hey wood, in iambic rhythm, is a neat, pretty, dainty poem of love. We select the second stanza: Wake from thy nest, robin-redbreast ! Sing, birds, in every furr&w ; And from each bill let music shrill Give my fair love go6d-morr&w ! Blackbird and thrush, In every bush, Stare, linnet, and c&ck-sparr&w, You pretty elves, among yourselves, Sing my fair love go6d-morr6w. T6 give my love go6d-m6rr6w, Sing, birds, in every furr&w. Another fine ten line poem is by Thomas Gray. It is entitled, " Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eaton College." It is iambic rhythm. We give the last stanza : T6 each his sufferings : all flre men, Condemned alike t& groan ; The tender for another's pain, The unfeeling for his own. Yet, ah ! why should they know their fate, Since sorr6w never comes to5 late, And happiness to6 swiftly flies? Thought would destroy their paradise. N6 more ; where ign&rance Is bliss, 'Tis folly to be wise. THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA. 107 THE SONNET, One of the finest forms of the stanza in our English poetry is the Sonnet. Borrowed by the Italians from the early Provencial poets, it was assiduously cultivated by them, and brought to a high state of perfection. Many beautiful sonnets are found in the writings of Petrarch, Ariosto, Guide, and Dante. The Sonnet is a poetical piece containing four- teen iambic pentameter lines. It is generally lyrical in its nature. In fact it is the primordial form of modern English lyric poetry. It deals with one idea of a grave nature, presented under various aspects. The sonnet was intro- duced into English poetry in the early part of the sixteenth century by the Earl of Surrey and Sir Thomas Wyatt. The Italian sonnet then introduced is termed the correct and strict form. After the introduction of the sonnet into the English from the Italians, another form of the fourteen line stanza was used by English poets, in which the succession of rhymes was different in order from that authorized by the Italian form. To distinguish the two forms, the Italian was termed the regular, while all the others were called irregular, and are governed by separate and distinct rules or laws to be used in the formation of the different kinds of sonnets. The sonnet in its structure is more elaborate than any form of the stanza. The Italian is always a positive and fixed form in some respects. It consists of two divisions. A major and a minor portion. The major portion consists of eight lines, called the octave ; the minor portion consists of six lines, called the sestette. The octave is composed of two quatrains. The quatrains are similar in form and con- struction. The first and fourth lines of each quatrain rhyme with each other, and the second and third lines rhyme. The octave, however, has but two rhymes, for the first and I0 8 THE ART OF POETRY. fourth lines of the first quatrain rhyme with the first and fourth lines of the second quatrain ; the same is true of the second and third lines of both quatrains. The octave is joined to the sestette by a close grammatical structure. The octave is a fixed form. In the construction of the sestette of the Italian form of the sonnet, the first and fourth, the second and fifth, the third and sixth lines rhyme ; or, the first, third and fifth rhyme with the second, fourth and sixth of the sestette. All other forms of the sonnet are not termed pure. Our best poets have used the sonnet to pour forth their most sublime thoughts expressive of love, friendship, praise, adoration, grief and sorrow. It seems peculiarly adopted as a form to express the most intense feelings of the human mind, and to enable the writer to give vent to the finer feelings and thoughts. A beautiful sonnet by Richard Watson Gilder expresses in admirable language the sonnet : WHAT IS A SONNET ? MAJOR PORTION FIRST QUATRAIN. What is a sonnet? 'Tis & pearly shell That murmurs of the far-5ff murmuring sea ; A precious jewel carved m6st curiously ; It is a little pictfire painted well. MAJOR PORTION SECOND QUATRAIN. What is a sonnet? 'Tis the tear that fell Fr6m a great poet's hidden ectasy ; A two-edged sword, a star, a song ah me ! Sometimes a heavy-tolling funeral hell. THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA. IC MINOR PORTION. This was the flame that shook with Dante's breath, The solemn organ whereon Milt6n played, And the clear glass where Shakespeare's shad6w falls A sea this is beware, wh6 ventttreth ! F6r like a fiord the narrftw floor is laid Deep as mid-ocean to sheer mountain walls. John Milton thus describes his own blindness in a sonnet of the regular model : ON HIS BLINDNESS. To Cyriack Skinner. OCTAVE. When I cSnsider how my light is spent Ere half my days, in this dirk world and wide, And that 6ne talent, which is death t& hide, LSdged with me useless, though my soul more bent T6 serve therewith my Maker, and present My true account, lest He, returning, chide ; "D6th God exact day-lab6r, light denied?" I fondly ask. BQt Patience, to prevent SESTETTE. That murmQr soon replies, " G6d doth n6t need Either man's work, 6r his 6wn gifts ; wh6 best Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best. His state ts kingly ; thousands at his bidding speed, And post 6'er land and ocean without rest ; They als6 serve who only stand and wait ! " ! io THE ART OF POETR Y. Longfellow has written many exquisitely charming sonnets. None better than, " A Summer Day by the Sea : " The sun is set ; Snd in Ms latest beams Y6n little cloud 6f ashen gray Snd gold, Slowly upon the amber air unrolled, The falling mantle of the Prophet seems. Fr6m the dim headlands many a UghthSuse gleams, The street-lamps of the ocean ; and behold, O'erhead the banners of the night unfold ; The day hath passed into the land 6f dreams. O summer day, beside the joyous sea ! summer day, s6 wonderful and white, S6 full 6f gladness and s6 full 5f pain ! FOrever and forever shalt th6u be T6 some the gravestSne of a dead delight, T6 some the landmark of a new dftmain The following by Ella Wheeler Wilcox is a good example of the sonnet : Methmks ofttimes my heart is like s5me bee, That goes fSrth through the summer day and sings, And gathers honey from all growing things In garden plot, 6r on the clover leaf. When the I6ng afternoon grOws late, and she Would seek her hive, she cannot lift her wings, S6 heavily the too sweet burden clings, Fr6m which she would n&t, and yet would, fly free. S6 with my full f6nd heart ; f6r when it tries T6 lift itself t6 peace-cr6wned heights above The comm6n way where countless feet have trod, L6 ! then, this burden of dear human ties, This growing weight 6f precious earthly love, Binds down the spirit that would soar t6 God. THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA. Iir The regular model is varied in the sestette. Below we give forms of these variations. ' ' Echo and Silence, " is an excellent sonnet : In eddying course, when leaves began t6 fly, And Autumn in her lap the store 16 strew, As 'mid wild scenes I chanced the Muse t6 woo, Through glens untrod, and woods that frowned 6n high, Tw6 sleeping nymphs with wondering mute I spy ! And, 16, shg's gone in robe 6f dark-green hue, 'Twas Ech6 from her sister Silence flew, F6r quick the hunter's horn resounded to the sky ! In shade affrighted Silence melts away. N6t so her sister. Hark ! f6r onward still, With far-heard step, she takes her listening way, Bounding fr5m rock t6 rock, and hill t6 hill. Ah, mark the merry maid in mockfQl play With thousand mimic tones the laughing forest fill ! Samuet Egerton Brydges. Another elegant sonnet is : ON THE GRASSHOPPER AND CRICKET. The poetry 6f earth is never dead : When all the birds are faint with the htit sun, And hide in cooling trees, a voice will run Fr6m hedge t& hedge about the new-mSwn mead, That is the grasshopper's he takes the lead In summer luxury, he has never done With his delights ; f6r, when tired out with fun, He rests at ease beneath s6me pleasant weed. The poetry 6f earth is ceasing never : On a I5ne winter evening when the frost Has wrought a silence, from the stove there shrills The cricket's song, in warmth increasing ever, And seems, t6 one in drowsiness half lost, The grasshSpper's among s6me grassy hills. John Keats. I i 2 THE AR T OF POE TR V. William Shakespeare deigned to trangress the laws of the Italian model and mold one of his own. Can it not be said what was fit for Shakespeare's use is all sufficient for any person ? These sonnets, one hundred fifty-four in number, are wonderful in composition and merit. They are devoted to friendship and love. Their form consists of three quatrains and a couplet. Many of the best poets have written sonnets on the Shakesperian model : THE APPROACH OF AGE. When I 66 count the clock that tellsjhe time, And see the brave day sunk in hideous night ; When I behold the vi61et past prime, And sable curls all silvered o'er with white ; When lofty trees I see barren 6f leaves, Which erst fr6m heat did canGpy the herd, And summer's green all girded up In sheaves, B6rne on the bier with white and bristly beard ; Then of thy beauty do I questiSn make, That thou among the wastes 6f time must go, Since sweets and beauties do themselves fOrsake, And die as fast as they see others grow ; And nothing 'gainst Time's scythe can make defence, Save breed, t6 brave him when he takes thee hence. William Shakespeare. Mr. Frederick Locker- Lampson, an English poet, has written a sonnet fashioned after the Shakesperian model. It is entitled, " Love, Time and Death : " Ah me, dread friends Sf mine L6ve, Time and Death ! Sweet Love, wh6 came t5 me 6n sheeny wing, And gave her to my arms her lips, her breath, And all her golden ringlets clustering ; And Time, wh6 gathers in the flying years, He gave me all but where is all he gave ? He took my Love and left me barren tears ; Weary and lone, I foll6w to the grave. THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA. II3 Th6re Death will end this visi6n half divine, Wan Death, wh6 waits in shad6w evermore, And silent ere he gave the sudden sign ; Oh, gently lead m& through thy narrOw door, Th6u gentle Death, th6u trustiest friend 6f mine. Ah me, f6r Love will Death my Love restore ? A fine sonnet after the same model is by Thomas Hood : FALSE POETS AND TRUE. Lo6k how thg lark s6ars upward and is gone, Turning a spirit as he nears the sky ! His voice is heard, but body there is none T6 fix the vague SxcursiSns of the eye. S6 poets' songs are with us, though they die Obscured and hid by death's 6blivious shroud, And earth inherits the rich melSdy, Like raining music from the morning cloud. Yet, few there be wh6 pipe so sweet and loud, Their voices reach us through the lapse 6f space ; The noisy day is deafened by a crowd Of undistinguished birds, a twittering race ; But only lark and nightingale f5rlorn Fill up the silences 6f night and morn. A granddaughter of the famous orator, Richard Brinsley Sheridan, herself famous as a poetess of extraordinary merit, pays this compliment to her loved treasures, in a sonnet : TO MY BOOKS. Silent c6mpani6ns of the lonely hour, Friends who can never alter or forsake. Wh6 for inconstant roving have nS power, And all neglect, perforce, must calmly take, Let me return t6 you ; this turmSil ending Which worldly cares have in my spirit wrought. And, o'er your old familiar pages bending, Refresh my mind with many a tranquil thought, THE ART OF POETRY. Till happy meeting there, fr6m time to time, Fancies, the avidibTe ech6 of my own, 'T will be like hearing in a foreign clime My native language spoke in friendly tone, And with a sort 6f welcSme I shall dwell On these, my unripe musings, told s6 well. Caroline Elizabeth Norton. William Lisle Bowles furnishes a fine sonnet on the river Rhine. Mr. Bowles had great ability as a sonneteer : THE RIVER RHINE. 'Twas morn, and beauteous on the mountain's brow [Hung with the beamy clusters of the vine] Streamed the blue light, when on the sparkling Rhine We bounded, and thg white waves round the prow In murmurs parted. Varying as we go, L6, the woSds open, and the rocks retire, Some convent's ancient walls 6r glistening spire 'Mid the bright landscape's track unfolding slow. Here dark, with furrowed aspect, like despair, Frowns the bleak cliff; there on the woodland's side The shadowy sunshine pours its streaming tide ; While Hope, enchanted with the scene s6 fair. Would wish t6 linger many^a summer's day, N6r heed h6w fast the prospect winds away. Matthew Arnold's sonnet of " Quiet Work" is a lesson in itself. It is not strictly a sonnet of the regular type, the difference, however, is very slight. The second and third lines of the first and second quatrains do not rhyme together, making more than two rhymes in the octave. Arnold's sonnets, twenty-three in number, are all first-class, but none of them strictly pure : TIIK CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA. QUIET WORK. One Iess6n, Nature, let me learn 6f thee, One Iess6n which in every wind is blown, One Iess6n of tw6 duties kept at one Through the ISud world pr6claim their enmity, Of toil unsevered from tranqullity ; Of labftMthat in lasting fruit outgrows Far noisier schemes, Accomplished in repose, To6 great f6r haste, to6 high f6r rivalry. Yes, while 6n earth a thousand discords ring, Man's senseless uprSar mingling with his toil, Still do thy quiet ministers m6ve on, Thgir glorious tasks in silence perfecting ; Still working, blaming still 6ur vain turmoil, Laborers that shall n6t fail, when man is gone. One of the finest sonnets in our language is entitled : NIGHT. Mysterious Night ! when our first parent knew Thee from report divine, and heard thy name, Did he n6t tremble for this lovely frame, This glorious can6py 6f light and blue ? Yet 'neath a curtain of translucent dew, Bathed In the rays of the great setting flame, Hesperus, with the host 6f heaven came, And 16 ! creation widened In man's view. Wh6 could have thought such darkness lay c6ncealed Within thy beams, Sun ! 6r who could find, Whilst fly and leaf and Insect stood revealed, That to such countless orbs th6u mad'st us blind ! Why do we then shun death with anxious strife ! If light can thus deceive, wheref6re n6t life ? Joseph Blanco White. ! j6 THE ART OF POETR Y. THE BALLADE. The French ballade is radically different from the English ballad. Of late years it has come into general use, and it is now fairly well known to lovers of the poetic art. The ballade was attempted in England as early as the sonnet, more than three-hundred years ago, but it did not succeed. The ballade consists of three stanzas and a half stanza, clept an envoy, addressed to some prince or power, title or theme. The arrangement of the first stanza is repeated in the others ; and the burden or refrain concludes all three stanzas, as well as the envoy. Eight line stanzas using three rhymes are generally used ; but ten line stanzas using four rhymes are of frequent occurrence, and permissible. There is also a variety of the ballade known as the double ballade. It is simply a ballade of six stanzas of either eight or ten lines, repeating the arrangement" of the first stanza, and the ballade may conclude with or without an envoy, as the writer may desire. Then we have still another form of the ballade. It is a ballade with a double refrain. The stanzas are always of but eight lines ; and the fourth and eighth lines of the first stanza are repeated in the fourth and eighth lines of the other stanzas, while the envoy consists of two couplets, the first refrain occurring in the second line, and the second refrain occurring in the fourth line of the envoy. BALLADE OF BLUE CHINA. There's a joy without canker Or cark, There's a pleasQre eternally new, 'TTs t6 glote On the glaze And the mark Of china that's ancient and blue ; THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STAN /.A. 117 fjnchipped all the centuries through It has passed, since the chime oT it rang, And they fashiSned it, figure and hue. In the reign 5f the Emper6r Hwang. These drag6ns (their tails, you remark, Int6 bunches 6f gillyflSwers grew) When Noah came out 6f the ark, Did these lie in wait f6r his crew ? They snorted, they snapped, and they slew, They were mighty 6f fin and 6f fang, And their portraits Celestials drew In the reign 6f the EmperSr Hwang. Here's a pot with a cot in a park, In a park where the peach-b!6ss6ms blew, Where the lovers eloped in the dark, Lived, died, and were changed int6 two Bright birds that eternally flew Through the boughs 6f the May, as they sang ; 'Tis a tale was undoubtedly true In the reign Sf the EmperSr Hwang. ENVOY. C6me, snarl at my ecstasies, do, Kind critic, your "tongue has a tang " But a sage never heeded a shrew In the reign 5f the EmperSr Hwang. Andrew Lang. THE BALLADE OF PROSE AND RHYME. (BALLADE A DOUBLE REFRAIN). When the ways are heavy with mire and rut, In N6vember fogs, in December snows. When the North Wind howls and the doors are shQt There is place 3nd enough f6r the pains 6f prose ; 1 1 8 THE AR T OF POE TR Y. But whenever 3 scent from the whitethSrn blows, And thg jasmine-stars at the casement climb, And a Rosalind-face at the lattice shows, ThSn hey ! f&r the ripple 6f laughing rhyme ! When the brain gets dry as an empty nut, When the reas6n stands 6n its squarest toes, When the mind (like a beard) has a "formal cut," There is place and enough for the pains 6f prose ; But whenever the May-blo6d stirs and glows, And the young year draws t6 the " golden prime," And Sir RomeS sticks in his ear a rose, Then hey ! f6r the ripple 6f laughing rhyme ! In a theme where the thoughts have a pedant strut, In a changing quarrel 6f "Ayes " and " Noes," In a starched pr6cessi6n 6f "If" and " But,"- There is place and enough f6r the pains 6f prose ; Bftt whenever a soft glance softer grows And the light h6urs dance t& the trysting-time, And the secret is told that " no 6ne knows," Then hey ! for the ripple 6f laughing rhyme ! ENVOY. In the work-a-day world, for its needs and woes, There is place and enough f&r the pains 6f prose; But whenever the May-bells clash and chime, Then hey ! for the ripple 6f laughing rhyme ! Austin Dobson. THE CHANT ROYAL. Another variation of the ballade is known as the Chant Royal. It is a ballade of five stanzas of eleven lines, with an envoy of five lines. It is not, however, a practical form of verse and is difficult of construction. We give below a very excellent Chant Royal by Mr. Austin Dobson : THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA. THE DANCE OF DEATH. (CHANT ROYAL, AFTER HOLBEIN). " Contra vim Mortis Non est Medicamen in hortis." He is the despftts' Desp5t. All must bide, LatSr 6r soon, the message of his might ; Princes and potentates their heads must hide, Touched by the awful sigil of his right ; Beside the Kaiser he at eve d6th wait And pours a potiSn in his cup 6f state ; The stately Queen his bidding must 6bey, N6 keen-eyed Cardinal shall him affray ; And to the Dame that want6neth he saith " Let be, Sweetheart, t6 junket and t6 play." There is n6 king m6re terrible than Death. The lusty Lord, rejoicing in his pride, He draweth down ; before the armed Knight With jingling bridal-rein he still d6th ride ; He crosseth the strong Captain in the fight ; He beckOns the grave Elder from debate ; He hails the Abb6t by his shaven pate, N6r for the Abbess' wailing will delay ; N6 brawling Mendicant shall say him nay ; E'en to the pyx the Priest he f6116weth, N6r can the Leech his chilling finger stay. There is nS king m6re terrible than Death. All things must bow t6 him. And woe betide The Wine-bibber the Roysterer by night ; Him the feast-mSster many bouts defied, Him 'twixt the pledging and the cup shall smite Woe to the Lender at usurious rate, The hard Rich Man, the hireling AdvScate ; W6e to the Judge that selleth right fSr pay ; W6e to the thief that like a beast 6f prey With creeping tread the traveler harryeth : These, in their sin, the sudden sword shall slay. There is 116 king m&re terrible than Death. 119 THE ART Or POETR Y. He hath no pity, nor will be denied, \Vh6n the I6w hearth is garnished find bright, Grimly he" flingeth the dim portal wide, And steals the Infant in the Mother's sight ; He hath n6 pity for the scorned 6f fate : He spares n&t Lazarus lying at the gate, NSy, nor the Blind that stumbleth as he may ; Nay, the tired Ploughman, at the sinking ray, In the last furrftw, feels an icy breath, And knows a hand hath turned the team astray There is n6 king mSre terrible than Death. He hath n6 pity. For the new-made Bride, Blithe with the promise of her life's delight, That wanders gladly by her Husband's side, H6 with the clatter of his drum doth fright ; He scares the Virgin at the Convent grate ; The maid half-won, the Lover passi6nate ; He hath n5 grace f6r weakness and decay : The tender Wife, the Wid6\v bent and gray, The feeble Sire whose footstep faltereth, All these he leadeth by the lonely way There is n6 king m&re terrible than Death. YoQth for wh&se ear and monishing, Of late 1 sang 6f Prodigals and lost estate, Have thou thy joy 6f living and be gay ; Bflt know n6t less that there must come a day, Aye, and perchance e'en now it hasteneth,- When thine 6wn heart shall speak t6 thee and say, There is n6 king m6re terrible than Death. THE RONDEAU. The rondeau is a form of verse introduced from the French by the English. Its form dates back to the four- teenth century. The rondeau is composed of thirteen THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA. I2 [ verses or lines, of which eight have one rhyme and five another. These lines are divided in three unequal strophes ; the four first words of the first line serve as the refrain, and occur after the eighth and thirteenth lines. It is a delicate form of poetry and capable of the highest degree of excel- lence and finish. Many delight to use it for that reason, and have succeeded in producing poems of rare beauty. The practice of new meters and the study of new forms aids the poet and enables him to rise higher in his art. Form and precision are necessary to a high degree of excellence. The rondeau in its true type, has a fixed exotic form, susceptible of a highly English polish. Lope de Vega and Hurtado de Mendoza wrote sonnets on sonnet making; Voiture imitated them as regards the rondeau. Here is a paraphrase of Voiture : You bid me try, Blue Eyes, t6 write A rondeau. What ! forthwith ? tOnight ? Reflect. S6me skill I have, 'tis true ; But thirteen lines ! Snd rhymed 6n two ! " Refrain," as well. Ah, hapless plight ! Still, thre &re five Itnes, ranged Sright. These Gallic bonds, 1 feared, would fright M$ easy Muse. They did, ttll you You bid me try ! That makes them eight. The port's m sight ; 'Tis all because your eyes Sre bright ! N5wjust & pair t6 end in "06," When maids cSmmand, what can't we do ! Behold ! thg rondeau, tasteful, light, Yott bid me try ! j 2 2 THE ART OF FOE TA> J '. TO A JUNE ROSE. 6 royal Rose ! the Roman dressed His feast with thee ; thy petals pressed Augustan brows ; thine 6d6r fine, Mixed with the three-times mingled wine, Lent thg I6ng Thracian draught its zest. What marvel then, iff host and guest, By Song, by Joy, by Thee caressed, Half-trembled on the half-divine, 6 royal Rose ! And yet and yet I love thee best In our 61d gardens of the West, Whether about my thatch thSu twine, 6r Hers, that brfnvn-eyed maid 6f mine, Wh6 lulls thee on her lawny breast, royal Rose ! Austin Dob son. FOR MY DEAR LOVE. (AN OPAL.) For my dear love I long t5 bring S6me rare and dainty offering. I'll steal a rainbSw from the sky T6 paint my joy when she is nigh ; The fairness of her form t6 sing, I'll mount me on a p66t's wing ; Through winter frost, each flower 6f spring Shall speak and tell her how I sigh F6r my dear love. Nay, nay, this is but loitering ; See, here, a tiny, rounded thing, Where all sweet shades impris6ned lie, Her blush, the flowers, the rainbSw sky ; N6w, I will set this In a ring, F6r my dear love. Margaret B. Logan "The Magazine of Poetry. THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA. 7.23 THE RONDEL. The rondel is a poem, in two rhymes, containing fourteen lines. The refrain of the rondel is but a repetition of the first and second lines as the seventh and eighth, and again as the thirteenth and fourteenth. It is the original form of the rondeau. THE WANDERER. L6ve comes back to his vacant dwelling, The old, Sid Love that we knew 6f yore ! We see him stand by the open door, With his great eyes sad, &nd his bosftm swelling. He" makes &s though m 6ur arms repelling, He fain would lie as he lay before ; Love comes back to his vacant dwelling. old, 61d Love that we" knew 5f yore ! Ah, who shall help us fr6m over-telling That sweet f6rgotten, forbidden lore ! E'en as w6 doubt in 6ur heart 6nce more, With a rush 6f tears t5 6ur eyelids welling, L6ve conies back to his vacant dwelling. Austin Dobson. These many years since we began t6 be, What have the" gods d5ne with us ? what with me ? What with my love ? They have shown m& fates and fears, Harsh springs, and fountains bittergr than the sea, Grief a fixed star, and joy a vane that veers, These many years. With her, my love, with her have they d6ne well ? Bttt who shall answer for her? who shall tell Sweet things 6r sad, such things as no man hears ? May no tears fall ; if no tears ever fell, Fr6m eyes m6re dear t6 me than starriest spheres These many years I 24 THE AR T OF POE TR 1 '. Bat if tears ev6r touched, for any grief, Th&se eyelids folded like a whlte-r6se leaf, Deep double shells where through the eye-flSwer peers, Let them weep once more only, sweet and brief, Brief tears and bright, f6r one whS gave her tears These many years. A. C. Swinburne. THE ROUNDEL. Another variation of the rondeau is the Roundel. It is formed of three stanzas of three lines each, containing only two rhymes. A refrain composed of the first four or five words or syllables of the first line constituting the refrain or burden, which is at the end of both the first and third stanzas : THE ROUNDEL. A Roundel is wrought Ss & ring 6r & star-bright sphere, With craft 6f delight and with cunning 6f sound unsought, That the heart 6f the hearer nifty smile if t6 pleasure his ear A roundel is wrought. Its jewel 6f music is carven 6f all 6r 6f aught L6ve, laughter 6r mourning remembrance 6f rapture 6r fear That fancy may f ashi6n t6 hang in the ear 6f thought. As a bird's quick song runs round, and the hearts In us hear Pause answers t6 pause, and again the same strain caught S5 moves the device whence, round as a pearl 6r tear, A roundel Is wrought. A. C. Swinburne. THE VILLANELLE. The villanelle is still another form of French poetry introduced and adopted by our English writers. It is a THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA. I2 = vJ poem of but two rhymes written in tercets. The first and third lines of the first stanza alternating as the third line in each successive stanza, and at the close forming a couplet. YILLANELLE. (TO M. JOSEPH BOULM1ER, AUTHOR OF " LES VILLANELLES." ) Vilianelle, why art th6u mute ? Hath the singer ceased t6 sing ? Hath thS Master lost his lute ? Many & pipe and scrannel flute On thS breeze their discards fling ; Villanelle, why art thtiu mute ? Sound 6f tumult and dispute, Noise 6f war the" echSes bring ; Hath thg Master lost his lute ? Once he sang 6f bud and shoot In the seasftn of the Spring ; Villanelle, why art thfiu mute ? Fading leaf Snd falling fruit Say, " The year is on the wing, Hath the Master lost his lute ? " Ere the axe lie at the root, Ere the winter come &s king, Vilianelie, why 3rt th6u mute ? Hath the Master lost Ms lute? Andrew Lang. FOR A COPY OF THEOCRITUS. (VILLANELLE.) 6 Singer of the field and fold, Theocritus ! PSn's pipe wSs thine Thine was the happier Age 6f Gold. ! 2 6 niK -( X T OF POE TR 1 '. F5r thee the scent 6f new-turned mould. The bee-hives and the murmuring pine, 6 SmgSr of thg field and fold ! Th6u sang'st the simple feasts 6f old, The beechen bowl made glad with wine Thine was the happier Age 6f Gold. Th6u bad'st the rustic loves be told. Th6u bad'st the tuneful reeds combine, 6 Singer of the field and fold ! And round thee, ever-laughing, rolled The blithe Snd blue Sicilian brine Thine was the happier Age 6f Gold. Alas f6r us ! Cur songs Sre cold ; Our Northern siins to6 sadly shine : 6 Singer of the field and fold, Thine was the happier Age 6f Gold ! Austin Dobson, THE SESTINA. The sestina or sestine is another French form of verse, quaint and difficult. It, like many others, is from Provence, France, hence termed Provincial. It had its origin in the thirteenth century, and was invented by Arnauld Daniel, a troubadour. As its name indicates it is a stanza com- posed of six lines, each line or verse ending in the same six words arranged in a prescribed order, but not rhyming. The sestina concludes with an envoy of three lines, which must contain all six of the final words ; three of these words must be in the body of the verses and three at the end of the verses or lines. Mr. Swinburne varies this form by making the six final rhyme by threes. We give his poem at length : THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA. I2 y SESTINA. 1 saw my soul at rest upon & day As a bird sleeping in the nest 6f night, Among s6ft leaves that give the starlight way T6 touch its wings but not its eyes with light ; S6 that it knew as one in visi6ns may, And knew n6t as men waking, of delight: This was th6 measure of myf soul's delight ; It has n6 power 6f j 6y t6 fly by day, N6r part in the large lordship of the light ; But in a secret, moon-beholden way Had all its will 6T dreams and pleasant night, And all th6 love and life that sleepers may. But such life's triumph as men waking may It might not have t6 feed its faint delight Between the stars by night and sun by day, ShGt up with green leaves and a little light : Because its way was as lost star's way, A world's n6t wholly known 6T day 6r night. All loves, and dreams, and sounds, and gleams 6f night Made it all music that such minstrels may, And all they had they gave it of delight ; But in the full face of the fire 6f day What place shall be f6r any starry light, What part 5f heaven in all the wide sun's way ? Yet the soul woke nSt. sleeping by the way, Watched as a nursling of the large-eyed night, And sought n6 strength nor knowledge of the day, N6r closer touch conclusive of delight, N6r mightier joy, n6r truer than dreamers may, N6r more 6f song than they, n6r more 6f light. I2 8 THE ART OF POETRY. F6r who sleeps once, and sees the secret light Whereby sleep shows the soul a fairer way Between the rise and rest 6f day and night, Shall care n& more 16 fare as all men may, Bat be his place Of pain Or of delight, There shall he dwell, beholding night as day. SOng, have thy day, and take thy fill 6f light Before the night be fallen across thy way ; Sing while he may, man hath nO long delight Algernon Charles Swinburne. SESTINA. Fra tuttiil primo Arnaldo Daniello g> an maestro a" amor. PETRARCH. In fair Provence, the land Of lute and rose, Arnaut, great master of the lore Or love, First wrought sestines to win his lady's heart, F6r she was deaf when simpler staves he sang, And for her sake he broke the bonds Of rhyme, And in this subtler measure hid his woe. "Harsh be my lines." cried Arnaut, " harsh the woe, My lady, that enthorned and cruel rose, Inflicts On him that made her live in rhyme ! " But through the meter spake the voice Of Love, And like a wild-woOd nightingale he sang Who thought in crabbed lays to ease his heart. It is nOt told if her untoward heart Was melted by the poet's lyric woe, Or if in vain sO amorously he sang ; Perchance through cloud Of dark conceits he rose TO nobler heights Of philosophic love, And crowned his later years with sterner rhyme. THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA. This thing alone w know ; the triple rhyme Of him wh6 bared his vast and passi6nate heart T6 all th6 crossing flames 6f hate Snd love, Wears in the midst 6f all its storm 6f woe As some 16ud morn 6f March may bear rose impress of a song that Arnaut sang. I2 g "Smith of his mother-tongue," the Frenchman sang Of LauncelSt and 6f Galahad, the" rhyme That beat s6 blood-like at its core 6f rose, It stirred the" sweet Francesca's gentle heart T6 take that kiss that brought her so much woe, And sealed in fire her martydom 6f love. And Dantg, full 6f her immortal love, Stayed his dear song, and softly, sweetly sang As though his voice brOke with that weight 6f woe ; And to this day we 1 think 6f Arnaut's rhyme Whenever pity at the laboring heart On fair Francesca's memory drops the rose. Ah ! Sovereign Love, f6rgive this weaker rhyme ! The men 6f old wh6 sang were great at heart, Yet have we too kn6wn woe, and worn thy rose." E. W. Gosse. THE TRIOLET. Another form borrowed from the French is the triolet. It is a short poem of eight lines. Its peculiarity consists in the first lines being repeated as the fourth and again as the seventh lines ; while the second line is repeated as the eighth. A KISS. Rose kissed me tOday. Will she kiss me t6morr6w ? Let it be as it may, Rose kissed me t6day. 1 30 THE AR T OF POE TR Y. But the pleasure gives way To & savour 5f sorr6w ; Rose kissed me tfiday. Will sh6 kiss me t6morr6w ? Austin Dobson. Alas, the strong, the wise, the brave, That boast themselves the sons 5f men ! Once they g6 down into the grave- Alas, the strong, the wise, the brave, They perish and have none t6 save, They are sown, and Sre n6t raised again ; Alas, the strong, the wise, the brave, That boast themselves the sons 6f men ! Andrew Lang. VIRELAY. The virelay is an ancient French song or short poem. Ow- ing to the peculiarities of its formation it is termed the Veer- ing Lay. The French form contained only two rhymes, one ot which is made to lead at the beginning and the other at the end of the poem The English virelay is composed of more than two rhymes, and the rhymes change place or alternate. Here is a specimen of an ancient little poem of this type. Th6u cruel fair, 1 go, T6 seek 6ut any fate but thee ; Since there is none can wound me so, N6r that has half thy cruelty, Thou cruel fair, I go. F5rev6r, then, farewell ! 'Tis a long leave 1 take ; but oh ! T6 tarry with thee here is hell, And twenty thousand hells t6 go then, farewell. Cotton. THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA. 131 Here is another specimen of one of our early virelays. It is a stanza of an old song of the fifteenth century : Robin sat on the" good gregn hill, Keeping a flock 6f fie, 1 Merry Makyn said him till, 2 Robin, rue 6n me, I have 16ved thee, in speech and still, 3 These yars two 6r three, My secret sorrSw finless th6u dell 4 Doubtless in sooth I de. 5 Robert Henryson. 1 Sheep. 2 Unto or to. 3 Silence. 4 Assuage. 5 Die. THE PANTOUM. French poets anxious for something new adopted a Malayan form, the Pantoum. It is not of much practical use, but serves to illustrate the quaint and peculiar in verse. It is best adapted to the light, airy and frivolous things of life, and used in describing comic or ludicrous affairs. Mr. Austin Dobson has exercised his ingenuity and literary skill writing a pantoum entitled "In Town." It will be per- ceived the pantoum consists of a series of quatrains ; the second and fourth lines of the first stanza reappear as the first and third lines of the second stanza, and the second and third lines of the second stanza reappear as the first and fourth lines of the third stanza, and so on until the end of the poem. The first and third lines of the first stanza are again used as the third and fourth lines of the last stanza. Mr. Dobson' s pantoum is in dactylic rhythm and is here given : 132 THE ART OF POETRY. IN TOWN The blue fly sung in the pane. TENNYSON. Toiling in Town n6w is " horrid," (There is that woman again ! ) June in the zenith is torrid, Thought g6ts dry in the brain. There is that woman again : "Strawberries ! fourpence a pottle" ! " Thought gets dry in the brain ; Ink gets dry in the bottle. "Strawberries ! fourpence a pottle ! " for the green 6f a lane ! Ink gets dry in the bottle ; " Buzz " gSes a fly in the pane ! for the green Of a lane, Where 6ne might lie and be lazy ! " Buzz " gOes a fly in the pane ; Bluebottles drive me crazy ! Where One might lie and be lazy, Careless 6f town and all in it ! Blueb6tties drive me crazy ; 1 shall gO mad in a minflte ! Careless Of town and all in it, With some 6ne t6 soothe and t6 still yoQ 1 shall g6 mad in a minute ; Bluebottle, then 1 shall kill you ! With some One tO soothe and tO still yoft ; - As only One's feminine kin dO, Bluebottle, then I shall kill you : There nOw ! I've broken the window ! THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA. j-j- As only One's feminine kin dO, SOme muslin-clad Mabel Or May ! There nOw, I've broken the windOw ! Bluebottle's off and away ! SOme muslin-clad Mabel Or May, TO dash One with eau de Cologne ; Bluebottle's off and away ; And why should I stay here alone ! TO dash One with eau de COlogne, All over One's eminent forehead ; And why should 1 stay here alone ! Toiling in Town nOw is " horrid." BLANK VERSE. Blank verse is without rhyme. It is, however, a favorite form of poetic art with many writers of verse. All poetry was in blank verse until rhyming was introduced by Chaucer. For a long while its devotees condemned rhyme. Rhyming was termed frivolous and its practice and use dis- countenanced by some of the best writers of early English poetry. It gradually gained favor, however, until today, instead of our best and sweetest thoughts finding expression in blank verse, as was formerly the case, we find them expressed in rhyme. To blank verse, however, the world of literature is greatly indebted. It was in blank verse Milton wrote " Paradise Lost " and Bryant " Thanatopsis." The first may be termed the first and greatest of English poems in blank verse. For while it was used in Greek and Latin poetry, it was in little use in English poetry, until the appearance of Milton's " Paradise Lost." It immediately came into general favor in writing epic poetry. Before this its chief use in English was its use in dramatic composition. ! 3 4 THE ART OF POETRY. The second, "Thanatopsis," is justly termed one of the best and grandest of conceptions of an elegiac character. Blank verse is ten-syllabled, that is, composed of five poetic feet. It is also termed Heroic verse, and is iambic penta- meter. Blank verse usually ends with an important word. THANATOPSIS. T5 him wh6 In the love 6f Natttre holds C6mmuni6n with her visible forms she speaks A varioQs language ; for his gayer hours She has a voice 6f gladness, and a smile And el&quence 6f beauty, and she glides Intft his dark musings with a mild And gentle sympathy that steals away Their sharpness ere he Is aware. William Cullen Bryant. LIFE. Life Is the transmigratiSn of jl soul Throftgh varioQs bodies, various states 6f being : New manners, passiSns*, new pursuits in each ; In nothing, save ifn consciousness, the same. Infancy, adSlescence, manho6d, age, Are alway moving onward, alway losing Themselves In one another, lost at length Like undfilau'6ns on the strand 6f death. James Montgomery. ADDRESS TO LIGHT. Hail, holy Light, offspring 6f Heaven, first-born, Or of the eternal, co-eternal beam, May I express thee tinblfuned? since God Is light, And never but In unapproached light Dwelt from eternity, dwelt then In thee, Bright efflQence 6f bright essence Increate. John Milton. THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA. j MEN. Men are but children of & larger growth ; Our appetites Ss apt t6' change Ss theirs, And full Ss craving, too, find full &s vain ; And yet the soul shut up in her dirk room, Viewing s6 clear abroad, at home sees nothing ; Bfit like & mole in earth, busy find blind, W6rks all h6r folly up, Snd casts it outwSrd T6 the wSrld's view. John Dryden. A COUNTRY LIFE. H6w blest th6 man wh6 in thSse peaceffll plains, P16ughs his paternal field ; fSr from the noise, Th6 care, find bustle" of & busy world ! All in th6 sacred, sweet sequestered vale Of solitude, the secret primrose-path Of rurjl life, he dwells ; find with him dwell PSace and Content, twins of the sylvftn shade, And all the graces of the golden age. Michael Bruce. CHAPTER X. MEASURES EXEMPLIFIED. TROCHAIC. Tasteful, gracefttl, pleasing measftre And t6 write theS Is ft pleasure. THERE is real music about a well written poem com- posed in this measure. The stress or accent is laid on the odd syllables, and the even ones are unaccented or short. t Trochees are often mixed with iambuses, but that can make no difference in the scansion, as the number of feet in a verse or line must be reckoned by the number of accented syllables. Trochaic verse admits of the cutting off of the final syllable ; of the use of single rhymed endings, or in ofher words, single rhymed trochaic omit the final or un- accented syllable. While a foot may end in one accented syllable, a foot in no instance can be permitted to commence with simply one syllable. This is true in trochaic, iambic, or any other kind of measure. Frequently we find a line ending in one syllable in dimeter, trimeter, or tetrameter verse. Hence we have lines of three, five and seven sylla- bles. Trochaic retrenched of the last unaccented syllable is, however, trochaic still. Iambuses are admitted frequently in trochaic verse as we have already noticed. It is not usual, however, to intro- MEASURES EXEMPLIFIED. 137 duce a trochaic line with an iambic foot, although it is per- missible. Double rhymes are always less frequent than single ones; hence lines oftener terminate in trochaic meas- ures catalectic than in full trochaic. But the accented sylla- ble is always counted a foot. The inconvenience that naturally results from writing a line of full trochees is at once apparent. There must always be a double ending to the rhymes. This cannot always happen. It is also use- less. There is no good reason why trochaic of any length should not be allowed to terminate in a single rhyme. One or more unaccented syllables are termed hyper- metrical. When trochaic ends in a single accented syllable, consti- tuting a foot, such accented syllable is not to be termed an ' ' additional ' ' syllable. The verse is simply catalectic. No additional, unaccented syllable is ever allowed before the first foot. By permitting this you destroy all distinction between iambic and trochaic. It is well to observe also, in this connection, that iambic measure is never shorn of the unaccented syllable in the first foot. Iambic measure never commences with a single accented syllable. It must always commence with a regular foot, and so, too, must trochaic. Measure, Monometer. Rhythm, Trochaic. Formula, Ab. Sign, ^ EXAMPLE (i). i. 2. 3. Helter, Singing, Hurry, Skelter, Swinging, Skurry, Skaters go. They g6 by. See them glide. Changing, Whisking, Rattling, Ranging, Frisking, Battling, In ft row. As they fly Skater's pride. "The Skaters." THE ART OF POETRY. Measure, Dimeter. Rhythm, Trochaic, Formula, Ab X 2. Sign, v_-/ X 2. EXAMPLE (i). None d6 hear Use 16 swear : Oaths do fray Fish away ; We sit still, Watch our quill : Fishrs must not wrangle 1 . Chalkhill ' ' The Angler. ' ' One peculiarity of the above poem, many of its lines might be termed safely anapestic meter. The trochaic foot, however, prevails and the poem is trochaic. A fine specimen of trochaic dimeter is furnished in the following, with single rhyme : EXAMPLE (2). In a maze Lost, I gaze; Can our eyes Reach thy size ? May my lays Swell with praise Worthy thee ! Worthy me ! Muse, inspire All thy fire ! Bards 6f old Of him told, When thgy said Atlas' head Propped the" skies. See ! and believe yofir eyes ! John See him stride Valleys wide; Ovr woods, Ovr floods. When he treads, Mountain heads, Groan and shake : Armies quake, Lest his spurn Overturn Man <1nd steed. Troops, take heed ; Left and right Speed your flight, Lest an host, Beneath his foot b lost. Gay "A Lilliputian Ode." MEASURES EXEMPLIFIED. 139 This poem is also attributed to Alexander Pope and it is published in his works. Measure, Trimeter. Rhythm, Trochaic. Formula, Ab X 3. Sign, s^ X 3. EXAMPLE (i). Go n6t, happ^ day, From the shining fields, Go n6t, happy day, Till the maiden yields. Rosy is the West, Rosy is the South, Roses are her cheeks, And a rose her mouth. When the happy Yes Falters from her lips, Pass Snd blush the news O'er the blowing ships, Over blowing seas, Over seas St rest, Pass the happy news, Blush it thro' the West, Till the red man dance By his red cedar-tree, And the red man's babe Leap, beyond the sea. Blush from West t6 East, Blush from East tS West, Till the West is East, Blush it thro' the West. Rosy is the West, Rosy is the South, Roses are her cheeks, And a rose her mouth. Alfred Tennyson "Maud." THE AR T OF POE TR Y. EXAMPLE (2). L YXICS AND EPICS. I wodld be the Lyric, EvSr on the lip, Rather than the Epic Mem&ry lets slip ! I would be the dlam6nd At my lady's ear, Rather than the June-r6se Worn but once & year ! Thomas Bailey Aldrich " Lyrics and Epics." EXAMPLE (3). Swinging on & birch-tree To a sleepy tune, Hummed by all the breezes In the month 6f June ! Little leaves a-flutter, Sound like dancing drops Of ;1 brook 6n pebbles ; Song that never stops. Lucy Larcom "Swinging On a Birch Tree." Measure, Tetrameter. Rhythm, Trochaic. Formula, Ab X 4. Sign, > > X 4. EXAMPLE (r). " Your Mission " is an excellent poem in trochaic tetra- meter. We select the last stanza MEASURES EXEMPLIFIED. I4I " Do n6t, then, stand idly waiting For s6me greater work to do ; Fortune is a lazy goddess, She will nevfir come t6 you. Go and toil in any vineyard, Do not fear t6 do and dare, If you want field 6f Iab6r, You can find it anywhere." Ellen M. H. Gates. EXAMPLE (2). Sound, sweet song, fr6m some far land, Sighing softly close at hand, Now 6f joy, and now 6f woe ! Stars 3re wont to glimmer so. Sooner thus will good Qnfold ; Children young and children old Gladly hear thy numbers flow. Goethe "Sound, Sweet Song." Another poem that will never die illustrates this measure. In addition to its perfect versification there is something of heaven's own music, something supernal, in the poem. Its lines are so elevating and pure, with a sweet tenderness of expression unsurpassed : ' ' Every tinkle on the shingles Has an ech& in the heart." EXAMPLE (3). The fifth of six stanzas is here given : And another comes, t6 thrill m& With her eyes' deliciotis blue ; And I mind n6t musing on her, That her heart was all untrue ; 1 4 2 THE ART OF POE TK 1 '. I remember but t6 love her With a passiOn kin t6 pain, And my heart's quick pulse s vibrate To thg pattgr of the rain. Coates Kinney " Rain on the Roof." Measure, Pentameter. Rhythm, Trochaic. Formula, Ab X 5. Sign, ^ X 5. EXAMPLE (i). Tall th6 plumage of the riish-flSwer tosses ; Sharp Snd soft in many & curve and line, Gleam find glow the sea-c616red m.lrsh-mosses, Salt and splendid from the circling brine ; Streak 6n streak 6f glimmering sea shine crosses All the land sea-saturate as with wine. A. C. Swinburne " By the North Sea." EXAMPLE (2). " Mother, dear, what Is the water saying ? Mother, dear, why does the wild sea roar? " Cry the children on the white sand playing, On the white sand, half a mile from shore, ' ' Little ones, I fear & storm is growing. Come away ! Oh, let us hasten home ! " Calls the mother ; and the wind ts blowing ; Flashing up a million eyes 6f foam. Anonymous "The High Tide." The following poem is by one of our best authors, and the poem from which selection is taken one of his best lyrics. The measures are mixed and present an example of : MEASURES EXEMPLIFIED. 143 ist, Dimeter ; 2nd, Trimeter ; 3rd, Pentameter ; 4th, Dimeter ; 5th, Pentameter. EXAMPLE (3). Jingle ! Jingle ! How the fields g6 by ! Earth and air In snowy sheen c6mmingle, Far and nigh ; Is the ground beneath tis, or the sky ? Edmund Clarence Stedman "The Sleigh Ride." Measure, Hexameter. Rhythm, Trochaic. Formula, Ab X 6. Sign, -- ^ X 6. EXAMPLE (i). Never yet has poet sung a perfect song, But his life was rooted like a tree's, among Earth's great feeding forces even as crags and mould, Rhythms that stir the forest by firm fibres hold. Lucy Larcom "The Trees." From the works of the same author we take another example the first and third stanzas : EXAMPLE (2). Happy fields 6f summer, all your airy grasses Whispering and bowing when the West wind passes, Happy lark and nestling, hid beneath the mowing, Root sweet music in you, to the white clouds growing. Happy little children, skies are bright above you, Trees bend down t6 kiss you, breeze and blossSm love yoQ; And we bless you, playing in the field-paths mazy, Swinging with the harebell, dancing with the daisy ! Lucy Larcom " Happy Fields of Summer." j 44 THE AR T OF POE TR Y. EXAMPLE (3). Now the hare is snared and dead beside the snow-yard, And the lark beside the dreary winter sea, And my baby in his cradle in the church-yard Waiteth there tintil the bells bring me. Charles Kingsley "The Merry Lark." Each couplet of the trochaic hexameter is sometimes divided into alternate lines of six and five syllables, forming the trochaic us of our hymns. Measure, Heptameter. Rhythm, Trochaic. Formula, Ab X 7. Sign, ^ X 7. Iambic heptameter is what is termed ballad meter, being lines of tetrameter and trimeter alternately. There can be no good reason shown why trochaics can not also be used in the same manner. One thing, however, must necessarily be observed, where it is thus divided, every other line becomes iambic While the first and third lines will be trochaic and catalectic, the second and fourth will be iambic and hyper- meter. Trochaics of seven feet are exceedingly rare. We find few examples. It is not certainly on account of the extreme kngth, for trochaics octometer of late years are plentiful and can no longer be termed "prosodial anomalies," as they were formerly termed. This is the 75 and 6s of our hymns : " Stop, poor sinner, stop and think," Before you further go ; Will you sport tipon the brink Of everlasting woe? " MEASURES EXEMPLIFIED. 145 It will be observed the second and fourth lines are iambic. If, however, the lines were not alternated they would be trochaic. EXAMPLE (i). Cle6n sees n6 charms in nature, in daisy I ; CleSn hears n6 anthgtn ringing in thg sea and sky ; Nattire sings t6 me f&reve'r, earnest listener I ; State f6r state, with all attendants, who wotild change ? Not I. Charles Mackay"C\Q(m and I." EXAMPLE (2). Holy, holy, holy ! Though the 1 darkness hide Thee", Though thS eye 6f sinful man Thy glory may nftt see, Only Thou, God, art holy ; there is none beside Thee 1 , Perfect Thou in power, in love and purity ! Reginald Heber "Trinity Hymn." EXAMPLE (3). Hasten sinner to repent the6, turn t6 God find live, Seek f6r mercy, beg f6r pardon, God alone can give ; Leave thS sinftil throng fSrevSr, sinner, why delay ? Seek f6rgiven6ss, seek his blessing, haste thefi, haste Sway! Trust Him, sinner, he will bless the6, only mercy crave Trust thy loving, loving Saviour, He Slone cSn save. Come t6 Jestis, to thy Saviotir, plead before to6 late, Come in sorr6w, come repentant, do n6t longgr wait. Christ his left a true religi6n, that w& may n6t err, Come Snd share it, choose it, sinneY, will yoQ not prefer A rfiligiSn that c&n save yoti in that world above ? Where is bliss and endless pleasure God alone is love. " Hasten Sinner to Repent Thee." 146 THE ART OF POETRY. Measure, Octometer. Rhythm, Trochaic. Formula, Ab X 8. Sign, ^ X 8. EXAMPLE (i). She was walking In the spring-time, In the morning-tide 6f life, Little reckoning of the journey, of its perils and its strife ; For the flowerlPwere peeping coyly, and the sunshine glistened bright, And the dewdr6ps lingered, quivering, like fairy bells 6f light. Not a cloud was In the heavens, not surge was on the deep, For the rimpled sea lay breathing In an unimpassi&ned sleep, And the fresh green leaves were nodding, to the whispers of the breeze "Oh ! the world mQst be a paradise with promises like these ! There's n6 canker In the bl6ss5ms, and n5 blight upon the trees." Hunter " The Curtain." EXAMPLE (2). In the spring a fuller crlms6n comes upon the robin's breast ; In the spring the wanton lapwing gets himself another crest ; In the spring a livelier Iris changes on the burnished dove ; In the spring a young man's fancy lightly turns t6 thoughts 6f love. Alfred Tennyson " Locksley Hall." EXAMPLE (3). Ah, distinctly I remember, It was In the bleak December, And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor. Eagerly 1 wished the morrfiw ; vainly I had sought t6 borr5w From my books sdrcease 6T sorr6w, sorrow for the lost Lenore, For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore, Nameless here f&rever more. Edgar A. Poe "The Raven " MEASURES EXEMPLIFIED. 147 IAMBIC. As before observed the iambic measure is used more than all others combined. Accent in iambic verse is placed on the even syllables, and the odd ones are unaccented. This measure must always be commenced with a regular foot of two syllables, although the first may be a trochee, and often is. However, the first foot cannot be commenced with a single syllable. By an attempt to commence the first foot of the verse with a single accented syllable, you will simply change the measure to trochaic. A single sylla- ble not accented, frequently is added to the end of the verse. It is, however, not to be reckoned as anything but super- numerary unless we should term the ending an amphibrach. Dactyls and anapests, where they serve to explain the meter of a line of poetry should be used, as it is far better to do so than to have recourse to extra metrical syllables. It is sometimes difficult to tell theprevailing foot. However, only the accents are to be counted.and where a proper scan- sion is made the introduction of other feet causes no trouble. A dactyl may be often employed instead of a trochee, an anapest for an iambus. This usually occurs where one un- accented vowel precedes another in what we usually regard as separate syllables, and both are clearly heard, although uttered in such quick succession that both syllables occupy only half the time in utterance a long syllable would require, as : Fttll many ft gem 6f purest ray seYene. "Gray's Elegy." The murmuring wind, the quivering leaf, Shall softly tell Os thou art near ! Oliver Wendell Holmes " Hymn of Trust." 148 THE ART OF POETRY. The words " murmuring " and "quivering" are pro nounced naturally with more rapidity. So too "many a " in the first example. Lines may contain ten syllables and yet be only iambic tetrameter. The last two syllables being hypermetrical, as: There was an ancient sage Philosopher Wh6 had read Alexander Ross 6ver. Butler's "Hudibras." Extra metrical syllables can, however, occur, and are per- missible only at the end of a line, or verse. Such syllables are always unaccented. Measure, Monometer. Rhythm, Iambic. Formula, bA. Sign, w . Poems in this measure are very rare. The measure is often used, however, to construct a single line, in combi- nation with other lines in forming a stanza. Thus I Pass by A.nd die. EXAMPLE (i). As one Cnknown And gone ! I'm made A shade, And laid I' th' grave ; Where tell There have 1 dwell. My cave : Farewell. Robert Herrick " Upon His Departure Hence.'' MEASURES EXEMPLIFIED. EXAMPLE (2). At morn, And thy I hear GSy trill Thy note, Is but S6 cheer, H\s will, Sweet Thrush. Thrush ! ThS while May I I dream, Be heard, In song Like thee, You teem, F6nd bird, Blithe Thrush. Bright Thrush : G6d made T6 sing The earth G6d's praise, T6joy Sweet as In mirth Thy lays, Dear Thrush. Br6wn Thrush. "The Thrush." EXAMPLE (3). And he Wh6m we See dejected, Next day We may See erected. Herrick ' 'Anacreontic. ' ' EXAMPLE (4). Hark ! hist ! Around A list ! The bounds Of space All trace, Efface Of sound. Victor Hugo "The Djinns." so THE ART OF POETRY. Measure, Dimeter. Rhythm, Iambic. Formula, bA X 2. Sign, ^ X 2. EXAMPLE (i). Once through the forest Alone I went ; T6 seek for nothing My thoughts were bent. I saw in the shad6w A flower stand there ; As stars it glistened. As eyes 'twas fair. I sought t6 pluck it, It gently said : " Shall I be gathered Only t6 fade?" With all its roots I dug it with care, And took it home T5 my garden fair. In silent corner So5n it was set ; There grows it ever There blooms it yet. Goethe " Found." EXAMPLE (2). Though care and strife Elsewhere be rife, tlpon my word I do n6t heed 'em ; In bed I lie With books hard by, And with increasing zest I read 'em. Eugene Field ' ' De Amicitiis. ' ' MEASURES EXEMPLIFIED. Measure, Trimeter. Rhythm, Iambic. Formula, bA X 3. Sign, ^ X 3. EXAMPLE (i). Oh you the virgins nine, That do 6ur souls Incline T6 noble discipline. N6d to this vow 6f mine ! C6me then, find now inspire My vI61 and my lyre With your etern&l fire, And make m& one Entire Composer in your choir. Th6n I'll your alters strew With roses sweet find new, And ever live & true Acknowledger 6f you. Robert Herrick "A Hymn to the Muses. EXAMPLE (2). Lost ! lost ! lost ! A gem 6f countless price Cut from the living rock, And graved in Paradise, Set round with three times eight LSrge dlamSnds, clear and bright, And each with sixty smaller ones, All changeful as the light. Mrs. Lydia H. Sigourney " A Lost Day." 1 52 THE AR T OF POE TR V. EXAMPLE (3). Come, all y& jolly shepherds That whistle through the glen, I'll tell you of a secret That courtiers dinna ken : What is the greatest bliss That the tongue 6f man can name ? 'TTs t6 woo 3 bonnte lassie When the kye ctimes hame ! James Hogg " When the Kye Comes Hame." Measure, Tetrameter. Rhythm, Iambic. Formula, bA X 4. Sign, v-' - - X 4. EXAMPLE (i). F6r while thOu lingerest in delight, An idle poet, with thy rhyme, The summer hours will take their flight And leave thee in a barren clime. Thomas Bailey Aldrich " Song Time." EXAMPLE (2). I once knew all the birds that came And nested in 6ur orchard trees ; F6r every flower I had a name My friends were wood-chucks, toads, and bees ; I knew where thrived In yonder glen What plants would soothe a stone-bruised toe- 6h ! I was very learned then ; But that was very long ago ! Eugene Field "Long Ago." MEASURES EXEMPLIFIED. I EXAMPLE (3). HSve you n6t heard the poets tell H6w came the dainty Baby Bell Int6 this world 6f ours ? The gates 6f heaven were left ajar : With folded hands and dreamy eyes, Wandering out 6f Paradise, She saw this planet, like 3 star, Hung in the glistening depths 6f even- Its bridges, running to and fro, O'er which the white-winged Angels go, Bearing the holy deadt6 heaven. She touched a bridge 6f flowers th6se feet S6 light they did n6t bend the bells Of the celestial asphodels, They fell like dew upon the flowers ; Then all the air grew strangely sweet ! And thus came dainty Baby Bell Int6 this world 6f ours. Thomas Bailey Aldrich " Baby Bell." EXAMPLE (4). " Man wants but little here below, N6r wants that little long." 'TIs not with me exactly so, But 'tis s6 in the song. My wants are many, and If told, Would muster many & score : And were each wish & mint 6f gold, I still should long for more. John Quincy Adams, "The Wants of Man." EXAMPLE (5). My days among the dead are passed ; Around me I behold, Where'er these casual eyes are cast, The mighty minds 6f old : '54 THE ART OF POETRY. My never-failing friends are they With whom 1 converse night and day. With them I take delight in weal, And seek relief in woe ; And while I understand and feel H6w much t6 them 1 owe, My cheeks have often been bedewed With tears 6f thoughtful gratitude. Robert Southey"The Library." EXAMPLE (6). The Fays that to my christening came (F6r come they did, my nurses taught me,) They did n6t bring me wealth 6r fame, 'Tis very little that they brought me. But one, the crosses! of the crew, The ugly old 6ne, uninvited, SSid, "I shall be avenged &nyou, My child ; you shall grow up short- sighted ! " With magic juices did she lave Mine eyes, and wrought her wicked pleasure. Well, of all gifts the Fairies gave, H2rs is the present that I treasure ! The bore wh6m others fear and flee, I do n6t fear, 1 do not flee him ; I pass him calm as calm can be; I do n5t cut 1 do not see him ! And with my feeble eyes and dim, Where you see* patchy fields and fences, F6r me the mists 6T Turner swim My " azure distance " soon cfimmences ! Nay, as I blink about the streets Of this befogged and miry city, Why, alm6st ever^ girl 6ne meets Seems preternaturally pretty ! MEASURES EXEMPLIFIED. I5 " Try spectacles," 6ne's friends intone ; " You'll see the world ctirrectly through them." But I have visi6ns of my own, And not f6r worlds would I undo them. Andrew Lang" The Fairy's Gift." EXAMPLE (7). As, by s6me tyrant's stern c&mmand, A wretch fSrsakes his native land, In foreign climes c6ndemned t6 roam An endless exile from his home : Pensive he treads the destined way, And dreads t6 go, n6r dares t6 stay : Till on s6me neighboring mountain's brow He stops, and turns his eyes below ; There, melting at the well-knftwn view, Drops a last tear, and bids adieu ; S6, I thus doomed fr6m thee t6 part, Gay queen 6f fancy and 6f art, Reluctant move, with doubtful mind, Oft stop, and often look behind. Sir William Blackstone "A Lawyer's Farewell to His Muse." Measure, Pentameter. Rhythm, Iambic. Formula, hA X 5. Sign, ^ - - X 5 EXAMPLE (i). Fair insect ! that, with thread-like legs spread out, And blood-extracting bill, and filmy wing, D6st murmur, as thott slowly sail'st about, In pitiless ears full many a plaintive thing ; And tell'st h5w little our large veins should bleed, WoQld we but yield them freely in thy need. Bryant " To a Mosquito." THE ART OF POETRY. EXAMPLE (2), Eternal Hope ! when yonder spheres sGblime Pealed their first notes 16 sound the march 6f Time, Thy joyoQs youth began but not t6 fade. When all the sister planets have decayed, When wrapt in fire the realms 6f ether glow And heaven's last thunder shakes the world below, Thou, undismayed, shait o'er the ruins smile, And light thy torch at Nature's funeral pile. Thomas Campbell' 1 Pleasures of Hope. EXAMPLE (3). In all my wanderings round this world Of care, In all my griefs and God has given my share I still had hopes my latest hours t5 crown, Amidst these humble bowers t6 lay me down ; T6 husband out life's taper at the close, And, keep the flame frtim wasting by repose : I still had hopes, f5r pride attends fls still, Amidst the swains t6 show my book-learned skill, Around my fire an evening group t6 draw, And tell 6f all I felt, and all I saw ; And, as a hare, whftm hounds and horns pursue, Pants to his place fr6m whence at first she flew. 1 still had hopes, my long vexati6ns past, Here to return and die at home at last. Oliver Goldsmith " Deserted Village. EXAMPLE (4). What is't t5 us, if taxes rise 6r fall ? Thanks to our fortQne, we pay none at all. Let muckworms, who in dirty acres deal, Lament th6se hardships which we cannot feel. His Grace, whti smarts, may bellSw if he please, But must I bell5w too, whd sit at ease ? MEASURES EXEMPLIFIED. 157 By custOm safe, the port's numbers flow Fre6 as the light and air stime years ago. N6 statesman e'er will find it worth his pains T6 tax 6ur Iab6rs and excise 6ur brains. Burthens like these, vile earthly buildings bear ; N6 tribute laid 6n castles in the air ! Charles Churchill" The Poverty of Poets. ' ' Measure, Hexameter. Rhythm, Iambic. Formula, bA X 6. Sign, ^ -- X 6. EXAMPLE (i). Beside this massive gateway Built up in years gSne by, tTpon wh6se top the clouds In eternal shadftw lie, While streams the evening sunshine On the quiet wood and lea, I stand and calmly wait Till the hinges turn f6r me. William Cullen Bryant " Waiting by the Gate." EXAMPLE (2). Adore n6 God besides me, to prSvoke mine eyes ; N6r worship me in shapes and forms that men devise ; With reverence use my name, n5r turn my words ttf jest ; Observe my Sabbath well, n6r dare prSfane m^ rest ; H6n6r and due 6bedTence to thy parents give ; N6r spill the guiltless blood, n6r let the guilty live ; Preserve thy body chaste, and flee the unlawful bed ; Nor steal thy neighbSr's gold, his garment, or his bread ; F6rbear t& blast his name with falseho5d or deceit ; N6r let thy wishes loose upon his large estate. Dr. Isaac Watts " The Ten Commandments Versified." ! 5 8 THE A K T OF POE TK Y. EXAMPLE (3). What ails thefi, young One? what ? Why pull so at thy cord ? ts it n6t well with thee ? well both f6r bed flnd board ? Thy plot 6f grass is soft, ftnd green ;1s grass cftn be ; Rest, little young One, rest ; whftt is't that ailgth thee ? Wordsworth " The Pet Lamb." The iambic hexameter is seldom employed by our poets, except in combination with other measures. It is used to form the last line of the Spenserian stanza. Measure, Heptameter. Rhythm, Iambic. Formula, bA X 7. Sign, ^ X 7. This is our regular ballad meter. For greater conven- ience, owing to its length, it is generally written in alternate lines of four and three feet. It is a favorite measure, and perhaps more examples may be found in it than almost any other kind. Dr. Holmes, always a felicitous writer, has few better poems than the one from which we quote the first stanza. It is in ballad meter : EXAMPLE (i). for 6ne hour 6f youthfQl joy ! Give back my twentieth spring ! I'd rathCr laugh ft bright-h;1ired boy Th;ln reign ,1 gray-bfiard king ! "The Old Man Dreams " MEASURES EXEMPL rFIED. r , g EXAMPLE (2). The South-wind breathes, and 16 ! yoii throng This rugged land of ours: I fhink the pale blue clouds 5f May Drop down, and turn t6 flowers. Thomas Bailey Aldrich " The Bluebells of New England." EXAMPLE (3). As one wh6 cons at evening o'er an album all alone, And musfis on the faces of the friends that he has known, S6 I turn the leaves 6f fancy till, In shadowy design, I find the smiling features of an old sweetheart 6f mine. James Whitcomb Riley " An Old Sweetheart." EXAMPLE (4). The matron at her mirr6r, with her hand upon her brow, Sits gazing on her lovely face ay, lovely even now ; Why doth she lean upon her hand with such a look 6f care? Why steals that tear across her cheeks ? She sees her first gray hair. Thomas H. Bayly" The First Gray Hair." Measure, Iambic. Rhythm, Octometer. Formula, bA X 8. Sign, ^ X 8. Owing to the length of the lines we usually find this measure written in stanzas of four lines, rhyming alternately : EXAMPLE (i). ft was the time when lilies blow, And clouds are highest up In air, L6rd Ronald brought a lily-white doe T6 give his cousin, Lady Clare. Alfred Tennyson " Lady Clare." !6o THE ART OF POETK Y. EXAMPLE (2). The light of smiles shall fill again The 1 lids that overflow with tears ; And weary hours 6f woe and pain Are promises of happier years. Bryant "Blessed Are They That Mourn." DACTYLIC. Verse in dactylic rhythms is not so common as in other rhythms. It is, however, capable of great results. It is a stately rhythm, and one in which some of our best battle hymns are written. Love, pathos, grief and all the tender emotions are expressed in this rhythm with durable effect. Patriotism finds true expression in dactylic accents. Tetra- meter verse is the favorite measure of writers of this rhythm. Dactylic with single rhymes end with a caesura or single foot ; while double rhymes end with a trochee ; full dactylic usually form triple rhymes. Dactylic poetry is seldom pure and regular. Measure, Dimeter. Rhythm, Dactylic. Formula, Abb X 2. Sign, ^ ^ X 2. EXAMPLE (i). Little white Lily Sat by a Stone, Drooping and wilting Till the sQn shone. Little white Lily Sunshine has fed ; Little white Lily- Is lifting her head. George Mac Donald "The White Lily." MEASURES EXEMPLIFIED. l6r EXAMPLE (2). Make n6 deep scrutiny Int6 heY mutiny, Rash Snd unduttful : Past ail dishonor, Death has 16ft on h6r Only th6 beautiful. Thomas Hood " Bridge of Sighs." EXAMPLE (3). " Room f6r him intft the Ranks 6f humanity ; Give him a place in your Kingd6m 6f vanity ! Welc6me the stranger with Kindly affectiSn ; i Hopefully, trustfully, Not with dejection." "My Boy." EXAMPLE (4). Rising and leaping, Sinking and creeping, Swelling and sweeping, Showering and springing, Flying and flinging, Writhing and ringing, Eddying and whisking, Spouting and frisking, Turning and twisting, Around and around With endlgss rebound ! Robert Southey " The Cataract of Lodore." 6 2 THE ART OF POE TK V. EXAMPLE (5). Half a league, half a league, Haifa league onward, All in the valley 6T Death Rode th6 six hundred. " Forward, the Light Brigade ! Charge f6r the guns, ' ' he said : Int6 the valley 6f Death Rode the six hundred. Tennyson "The Charge of the Light Brigade." EXAMPLE (6). Bird 6f the wilderness, BlithesOme and cumberless, Sweet be thy matin, 6'er moorland and lea ! Emblem 6f happiness, Blest is thy dwelling place O, t6 abide in the desert with thee ! Wild is thy lay and loud Far In the downy cloud, Love gives it energy, love gave it birth. Where, tin thy dewy wing, Where art th6u journeying ? Thy lay is in heaven, thy love is on earth. O'er fell and fountain sheen O'er mo6r and mountain green, O'er the red streamer that heralds the day, Over the cloudlet dim, Over the rainb6w's rim, Musical cherOb, sSar, singing away ! Then, when the gloaming comes, Low in the heather blooms Sweet will thy welc6me and bed 6f I6ve be ! Emblem 6f happiness, Blest is thy dwelling place O, t6 abide in the desert with thee ! James Hogg "The Sky Lark." The above is dimeter, trimeter and tetrameter. MEASURES EXEMPLIFIED. 163 Measure, Tetrameter. Rhythm, Dactylic. Formula, Abb X 4. Sign, ^ ^ X 4. EXAMPLE (i). C6v6r th6m over with beautlftil flowers ; Deck them with garlands, those brothers 6f ours ; Lying sO silent, by night and by day, Sleeping the years 6f their manhoOd away : Years they had marked fOr the joys of the brave ; Years they must waste in the sloth 6f the grave. All the bright laurels they fought to make bloom Fell tO the earth when they went t6 the tomb. Give them the meed they have won in the past ; Give them the honors their merits forecast ; Give them the chaplets they won in the strife ; Give them the laurels they lost with their life. Cover them over yes, cover them over Parent, and husband, and brother, and lover : Crown in your heart these dead herOes Of ours, And cover them over with beautiful flowers. Will Carleton "Cover Them Over." EXAMPLE (2). Weary way-wanderer, languid and sick at heart, Traveling painfully over the rugged rOad, Wild-visaged wanderer ! God help thee, wretched One ! Robert Southey ' ' The Soldier's Wife. " EXAMPLE (3). Hail tO the Chief who in triumph advances ! HonOred and blessed be the evergreen pine ! Long may the tree, in his banner that glances Flourish, the shelter and grace Of Our line! Sir Walter Scott' 1 Boat Song." THE ART OF POETK V. EXAMPLE (4). Come 16 me, dear, ere I die 6f my sorrOw, Rise On my gloom like the sun Of tO-morrOw. Strong, swift and fond 3s the words that 1 speak, ISve With a song Sn your lip and 3 smile On your cheek, 16ve. Come, fOr my heart in your absence is weary Haste, fOr my spirit is sickened find dreary Come t6 the arms which alone should caress thee, Come t6 the heart which is throbbing tO press thee ! Joseph Brennan " Come to Me, Dearest.' Measure, Hexameter. Rhythm, Dactylic. Formula, Abb X 6. Sign, ^ ^-' X 6. EXAMPLE ( i). Beautiful was the night. Behind the black wall Of the forest, Tipping its summit with silver, arose the moon. On the river Fell here and there through the branches a tremulous gleam of the moonlight, Like the sweet thoughts Of love 6n a darkened and deviotis spirit. Nearer and round about her, the manifold flowers of the garden Poured Out their souls in odOrs, that were their prayers and cOnfessiOns UntO the night, a"s it went its way, like a silent Carthusian. Fuller Of fragrance than they, and as heavy with shadOws and night dews, Hung thS heart Of the maiden. The calm and the magical moon- light Seemed tO inundate her soul with indefinable longings, As, through the garden gate, and beneath the shade Of the oak tre6s Passed she along the path to the edge Of the measureless praries. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow " Evangeline on the Prairie." MEASURES EXEMPLIFIED. ,65 ANAPESTIC. Anapestic measure is growing in favor year by year, and the tumbling meter of King James is one of the beautiful rhythms of modern verse. It is interchangeable with the iambus, as well as other measures, especially the dactylic and amphibrach. An iambus is frequently the first foot of anapestic measure. Anapestic tetrameter is very smooth flowing, a rhythm some of our poets use with admirable effect, producing verse of both melody and vigor. It is well adapted to cheerful and humorous verse. Measure, Monometer. Rhythm, Anapestic. Formula, bbA. Sign, ^ ^ . Anapestic monometer is rarely met with except where it is used as a refrain or in combination with other measures of verse. It is so near akin to trochaic catalectic dimeter, that it is often extremely difficult to distinguish it from that meas- ure. Anapestic verse is very often mixed, and its measure can only be determined by a careful scansion, and, by the prevailing primary measure or foot. EXAMPLE (i). In the sleigh Mttsic-swells Hie Away! Of the bells Here we go In the night On th6 snow. Gtve delight. In a trance, In ft daze H5\v \v dance H6w we gaze Steeds Sway In a maze Oh h&w gay ' At th<5 sleighs ! r66 THE ART OF POETR Y. Now we ride, 'TIs a treat, N6w we glide, On the sleet Swift g6 by Wtth your Sweet H6w we fly ! T6 g6 sleighing ! "The Sleigh Ride." EXAMPLE (2). Then we go T6 and fro, With Our knacks At 6ur backs, T6 such streams As the Thames If we have the leisure. Chalkhill"1\\z Angler." "The Angler" is a trochaic poem, although these lines are readily scanned as anapestic monometer. Measure, Dimeter. Rhythm, Anapestic. Formula, bbA X 2. Sign, *~> **-* X 2. EXAMPLE (i). He is gone ! He is gone ! ,, Like the leaf fr6m the tree, Or the down that is blown By the wind 6'er the lea. He Ts fled, the light-hearted ! Yet a tear must have started T6 his eyes, when he parted Fr6m I6ve stricken me. Motherwe/t" He is Gone He is Gone." i6 7 MEASURES EXEMPLIFIED. The stanza below from the "Heathen Chinee" is an. pestic dimeter, trimeter and tetrameter : EXAMPLE (2). Which I wish 16 remark And m^ language is plain That f6r ways that are dark And for tricks that are vain, The heathen Chinee is peculiar : Which the same 1 wottld rise t6 Explain. Bret Harte " Plain Language from Truthful James." EXAMPLE (3). Th6 blessed 61d fire-place ! h5w bright it appears, As back t6 m$ boyho6d I gaze, O'er the des6late waste of the vanishing years, From thg gloom of these lone latter-days ; Its lips are as ruddy, its heart is as warm T6 m^ fancy t5night as 6f yore, When we cuddlfid around it and smiled at the storm, As it showed its white teeth at the door. James Newton Matthews "The Old Fireplace." This stanza is anapestic trimeter and tetrameter. Measure, Trimeter. Rhythm, Anapestic. Formula, bbA X 3. Sign, ^ ^ X 3. EXAMPLE (i). I am monarch 6f all 1 survey, My right there is none t5 dispute ; From the centre all round to the sea, I am lord of the fowl and the brute. 1 68 THE ART OF POETRY. SolitQde ! where are the charms That sages have seen in thy face ? Better dwell in the midst of alarms Than reign in this horrible place. William Cowper "Alexander Selkirk." EXAMPLE (2). Oh, Love is a wonderful wizard ! He can see by his own keen light, H6 laughs at the wrath 6f the tempest, He has never a fear 6f the night. Tw6 lives that are wedded leagues hold not apart, L&ve can hear, e'en through thunder, the beat of a heart. Lucy Larcom 'On the Misery Islands." This stanza is trimeter and tetrameter : Measure, Tetrameter. Rhythm, Anapestic. Formula, bbA X 4. Sign, ^ ^ - < 4. EXAMPLE (i). Mr. 'Liakim Smith was a hard-fisted farmer Of moderate wealth, And immoderate health, Wh6 fifty-odd years in a stub and twist armor Of callous and tan, had fought like a man His 6wn dogged progress through trials and cares, And log-heaps, and brush-heaps, and wild cats and bears, And agues and fevers, and thistles and briars, Poor kinsman, rich foeman, false saints, and true liars ; Who oft, like " the man in our town," overwise, Through the brambles 6f error had scratched 6ut his eyes, And when the unwelcome result he had seen, Had altered his notiGn, Reversing the motion MEASURES EXEMPLIFIED. X 6g And scratched them b&th in again, perfect and clean ; Wh6 had weathered s6me storms, as a sailor might say, And tacked t6 the left and the right of his way, Till he found himself anchSred, past tempests and breakers, Cpon a good farm 6f & hundred-5dd acres. Will Carleton "The Three Lovers." EXAMPLE (2). When the candles bttrn low, and the company's gone, In the silence Sf night &s 1 sit here alone 1 sit here alone, but we yet are a pair My Fanny 1 see in my cane-b6tt6med chair. William Makepeace Thackeray "The Cane- Bottomed Chair.' EXAMPLE (3). My heart's In the Highlands, my heart ts n6t here ; My heart's m the Highlands S-chasing the deer ; Chasing the wild deer, and foll6wing the roe, My heart's in the Highlands wherever I go. Farewell tS the Highlands, farewell t5 the North, The birth-place 6f val6r, the country 6f worth ; Wherever I wander, wherever I rove, The hills 6f the Highlands fSrever 1 love. Robert Burns " My Heart's in the Highlands EXAMPLE (4). 6 young LOchinvar ?s cdme out 6f the west; ThroQgh all the wide border, hts steed was the best ; And save his go6d broads \v6rd he weapdns had none, He rode all unarmed, and he rode all alone. So ffiithftil ni love and s6 dauntless in war, There never was knight iTke the yodng Lochinvar. Sir Walter Scott " Lochinvar. ! 70 THE ART OF POE TR Y. EXAMPLE (5). ThS go6d ship Arbella Is leading the fleet, Away t6 the westward through rain-st6rm and sleet ; Th6 white cliffs 6f England have dropped out 6f sight : As birds fr6m the warmth 6f their nests taking flight Int6 wid6r hSrizdns each fluttering sail F61l6ws fast where the Mayfl6wer fled 6n the gale With her resftlttte Pilgrims, 6n winters before ; And the fire 6f their faith lights the sea and the shore. Lucy Larcom "The Lady Arbella." Measure, Hexameter. Rhythm, Anapestic. Formula, bb A X 6. Sjgn, ^ ^ X 6. EXAMPLE (i). My sister '11 be down in a minGte, and says you're to wait, if you please, And says 1 might stay till she came, if I'd promise her never t6 tease N6r speak till yotl spoke t6 me first, but that's nonsense, for how would yott know What she told me t6 say if 1 didn't? DOn't you r^alT^ and truly think so? Bret Harte " Entertaining her Big Sister's Beau." M CHAPTER XI. IMITATION OF CLASSICAL MEASURES. ANY of our modern poets have experimented in the classical meters. Cowper, Southey, Kingsley, Swinburne, Longfellow and Tennyson, have all imitated classic measures. The results in most instances are not practical, and have furnished us only with curiosities in literature. There are said to be some twenty-nine Greek and Latin meters. As all Latin and Greek verse depended upon quantity, and English verse depends upon accent, we do not believe classical measures can be successfully adopted in English. In addition to Latin Pentameters and Hexameters, some English poets have imitated Greek Sapphics and Alcaics. Alkaios was a lyric poet born in Mitylene, the capital of Lesbos, who flourished B. C. 606 years. He was supposed to have been the inventor of the Alcaic Ode, an ode written in the Alcaic meter composed of several strophes, each consisting of four lines. An Alcaic strophe consisted of two Alcaic hendekasyllables, one Alcaic enneasyllable, and one Alcaic decasyllabic. The following imitation by the poet laureate of England is given : mighty mouthed Knvent6r of harm6nfes, 6 skilled t6 sing 6f Time 6r Eternity, G6d-glftd organ-voice 6f England, Miltftn, & name t6 resound f6r ag6s. Tennyson ' ' Milton. ' ' j-2 THE ART OF POETRY. The Sapphic meter is a kind ol verse said to have been invented by Sappho, a Greek poetess, nearly contempo- raneous with Alkaios, born at Mitylene, in the Island of Lesbos, B. C. 600. The Sapphic verse consisted of eleven syllables in five feet, of which the first, fourth and fifth are trochees, the second a spondee, and the third a dactyl. This verse, or line, is thrice repeated and followed by an Adonic. The following lines imitate the Sapphic : Cold was the night-wind, drifting fast the snow fell, Wide were the downs, and shelterless and naked, When a po6r Wanderer struggled on her journey, Weary and way-s6re. Southey "The Widow.' Here is still another imitation of this measure : All the night sleep came not upon my eyelids, Shed n&t dew, nor shoSk nor unclosed & feather. Yet with lips shut cl6se and with eyes 6f ir&n Stood and beheld me. Swinburne ' ' Sapphics. ' ' Dr. Watts gives a vivid picture of the last day, in Sapphics : Tears the strong pillars of the vault 61 heaven, Breaks up 6ld marble, the repose 6f princes ; See the graves open, and the bones arising. Flames all around them ! Watts " The Day of Judgment." Hexameter verse was the heroic verse of the classics. It consists of six feet properly dactyls, the last of which is shortened by one syllable and so became a trochee, or, as IMITATION OF CLASSICAL MEASURES. 173 the final syllable is long by position, a spondee. This form was not always observed strictly, and the first four feet were indifferently dactyls or spondees, the former being used to produce the idea of rapid, the latter of slow, laborious movement. The fifth foot should always be a dactyl, sometimes, though rarely, it is replaced by a spon- dee, in which case the fourth foot must be a dactyl. Over th6 sea, past Crete, 6n the Syrian shore t6 the southward, Dwells in the well-Wiled lowland a dark-haired JEtM6p people, SkillfQl with needle and loom, and the arts of the dyer and carver, Skillful, but feeble 6f heart ; for they know n6t the lords 6f Olympus. Lovers 6f men ; neither broad-br5wed Zeus, n5r Pallas Athene, Teacher 6f wisdSm t6 her6es, bestower 6f might in the battle ; Share n6t the cunning 6f Hermes, n6r list t6 the songs 6f Ap6116. Kingsley "Andromeda." These lame hexameters the strong-winged music 6f Homer ! No but a most burlesque barbarous experiment. When was a harsher sound ever heard, ye Muses 6f England ? When did a fr6g coarser croak upon our Helicon ? Hexameters n6 worse than daring Germany gave us, Barbarous experiment, barbarous hexameters. Tennyson " Hexameters and Pentameters." Art thou s6 near unt5 me, and yet 1 cann6t behold thee ? Art thou s6 near unt6 me, and yet thy voice d6es nSt reach me ? Ah ! h6w often thy feet have trod this path t6 the prairie ! Ah ! h6w often thine eyes have looked 6n the woodlands around me! Ah ! hSw often beneath this oak, returning frSm labor, Thou hast lain dSwn to rest and to dream 6f me In thy slumbers ! When shall these eyes behold, these arms be folded aboiit thee ? Loud and sudden and near the note 6f a whip-p6or-will sounded 174 THE ART OF POETRY. Like a flute In the woods ; and anon, through the neighboring thickets, Farther &nd farther away It floated and dropped IntO silence. " Patience ! " whispered the oaks frOm Oracular caverns 6f dark- ness ; And, fr5m the moonlit meadOw, a sigh responded," Tomorrow ! " Henry Wadsworth Longfellow " Evangeline." A Hendecasyllable is a verse of eleven syllables. It does not occur in Horace. In Catullus it sometimes has a trochee or an iambus in the first place. EXAMPLE (i) O you chorus Of indolent reviewers, Irresponsible, indolent reviewers, Look, I come tO the test, a tiny poem All cOmposed in a meter of Catullus, All In quantity, careful of my motion, Like the skater On ice that hardly bears him, Lest 1 fall unawares before the people, Waking laughter In indolent reviewers. Should I flounder awhile without a tumble Thro' this metrlflcatiOn of Catullus, They should speak tO me not without a welcome, All that chorus Of indolent reviewers. Hard, hard, hard Is It, only not tO tumble, So fantastical is the dainty meter. WherefOre slight me nOt wholly, nor believe me Too presumptuous, indolent reviewers. blatant Magazines, regard me rather Since 1 blush tO belaud myself a moment As some rare little rose, a piece Of inmOst Horticultural art, Or half cOquette-like Maiden, not tO be greeted unbenignly. Tennyson " Hendecasyllabics." IMITATION OF CLASSICAL MEASURES. 175 EXAMPLE (2. In the month 6f the long decline 6f roses, I, beholding the summer dead before md, Set my face t6 the sea, and journeyed silent, Gazing eagerly where, above the sea-mark, Flame as fierce as the fervid eyes 6f lions Half-divided the eyelids of the sunset ; Till 1 heard, as it were, a noise 6f waters Moving tremulous under feet 6f angels Multitudinous, out 6f all the heavens ; Knew the fluttering wind, the fluttered foliage, Shaken fitfully, full 6f sound and shad6w ; And saw, trodden upon by noiseless angels, Long mysterious reaches fed with moonlight, Sweet sad straits in a soft subsiding channel, Blown about by the lips 6f winds I knew n6t, Winds n6t born in the north n6r any quarter, Winds n6t warm with the south nSr any sunshine ; Heard between them a voice 6f exultatiftn, " Lo, the summer is dead, the sun is faded, Even like as a leaf the year is withered, All the fruits 6f the day fr6m all her branches Gathered, neither is any left t5 gather. Swinburne " Hendecasyllabics." What the ingenuity of man may yet invent is hard to tell. We may say therefore, look to the Greek and Latin measures still for models, some ingenious mortal may be richly rewarded. It is claimed Edgar Allan Poe caught the inspiration of the rhythm of his " The Raven," from Latin lines : Once upon a midnight dreary Lec-t6r cast-e cath-6-lic-e While I pondered weak and weary. At-que ob-ses ath-let-ic-e. I 7 6 THE AKT OF POETRY. This same great master of English rhythm in his " Rationale of Verse, " also stated, "That if he were per- mitted to use the Spondee, the Trochee, the Iambus, the Anapest and the Dactyl, together with the Caesura, he would engage to scan correctly any true rhythm human ingenuity could invent. ' ' His statement after years of time, who can gainsay ? CHAPTER XII. POETICAL LICENSES. Many are the peculiarities and licenses granted to the writers of poetry, not accorded to the writers of prose. These peculiarities add a charm and a freshness to our poetry and are employed freely by the best writers, and this free- dom is often necessary to meet the requirements of accent and rhythm, and to it we owe much of the beauty of poetry. There is nothing which adds more grace to our language than these peculiarities of speech, and every student of poetry should become thoroughly familiar with them. While they are recognized violations of the regular rules of speech, they are not so extensive but that they will admit of classification. These peculiarities are usually the conceptions of our master minds, who vary from the regular construction and become, so to speak, inventors of new usages, which afterwards become by common acceptance recognized licenses in our language. * (i) Poetry differs from prose in the fact that every verse or line always commences with a capital letter, as : Shall he lilone, whom rational w call, Be" blessed with nothing, if n5t blessed with all ? Pope " Essay on Man." '77 1 7 8 THE ART OF POETRY. (2) Fur the sake of brevity or meter the article is not infrequently omitted, as : What dreadful pleastire ! There tO stand sublime, Like ship-wrecked mariner On desert coast ! Beattie "The Minstrel." (3) Interjections are oftener employed in poetry than in prose, as : gray OblivioQs River ! sunset-kindled River ! D6 you remember ever The eyes and skies so blue 6n summer day that shone here, When we were all alone here, And the blue eyes were toO wise TO speak the love they knew ? John Hay "The River." (4) The noun " self" is introduced after another noun of the possessive case, as : Thoughtless 6f beauty, she was beauty's self. Thomson "The Seasons." (5) The use of a kind of compound adjective ending in " like," as : The proud dictator of the state-like wood 1 mean the sovereign of all plants, the oak Droops, dies, and falls without the cleaver's stroke. Herrick ''All Things Decay and Die." Who swims with virtue, he shall still be sure, tflysses-like, all tempests to endure, And 'midst a thousand gulfs tO be secure. Herrick " No Shipwreck of Virtue." POETICAL LICENSES. 179 Crowned with trailing plumes 6f sable, right S-front my standing- place Moved a swarthy ocean-steamer in her storm-resisting grace. Prophet-like, she clove the waters toward the ancient mother-land, And I heard her clamSrous engine and the ech6 of c6mmand, While the long Atlantic billdws to my feet cSme rolling on, With the multitudinous music of a thousand ages gone. Stedman ' ' Flood -Tide. ' ' (6) The comparative degree is used joined to the positive before a verb, as : " Near and more near the Intrepid beauty pressed " Merrick. (7) The conjunctions " or or," and "nor nor" are used as correspondents, as : Not all the autumn's rustling gold, N6r sun, n6r moon, n6r star shall bring The jocund spirit which 6f old Made it an easy joy t6 sing ! Aldrich" Song-Time." The hand 6f God came to him, and he rose : " G6 trench the valley ; though yoti may not feel Or wind 6r rain, the waters shall be poured ThroQghout the camps In streams. N6r heed the foes, F6r M6ab shall be given to your steel, The choicest cities spoiled, the fruit trees scored, The wells chSked up, the gardens marred with stones ! " tn awe they heard the potent words. Alas, F6r homes foredoomed 16 fall with evil thrones, F6r, as he had foretold, It came t6 pass ! Joseph O' Conner " Bring Me a Minister." (8) The use of " and and " for " both and," as : " And the starlight and moonlight." ! go THE AR T Vf P E TR Y. (9) The preposition is placed after the object, as : 1 lounge in the ilex shad6ws, I see the lady lean, tTnclasping her silken girdle, The curtain's folds between. Aldrich "Nocturne." (10) Prepositions and their adjuncts are not unfrequemly placed before the words on which they depend, as : Against your fame with fondness hatecSmbines; The rival batters and the lover mines. Samuel Johnson. (n) Compound epithets are frequently used, as : Hebe's here, May is here ! The air is fresh and sunny ; And the mls~er-bees are busy Hoarding golden honey. Aldrich " May . " "Blue-tyed, strange-voiced^ sharp-beaked, lll-dtnened fowl What art thou ? ' What I Sught t6 be, Sn owl.' " (12) Inversions are very common in poetry, as: Few and short were the prayers we said, And we spoke n6t a word 6f sorr6w; But we steadfastly gazed 6n the face 6f the dead, And we bitterly thought 6f the morrow. Charles Wolfe " Burial of Sir John Moore." (13) Superfluous pronouns are freely used, as: There came a burst oT thunder sound ; The boy, 6h ! where w3s he ? Ask 6f the winds, that far around With fragments strewed the sea. Felicia Hemans " Casabianca." POETICAL LICENSES. jgj (14) Foreign idioms are not unfrequently used, as : " F6r not t6 have been dipped In Lethe lake Could save the" son 6f Thetis from ft) die.' 1 (15) The adjective is placed after the noun, as : "Across th6 meadftws bare Snd brown." (16) The adjective is placed before the verb " to be, " as: " Sweet its the breath 6f vernal showers." (17) The antecedent is not infrequently omitted, as : Wh6 never fasts, n6 banquet e'er enjoys, Who never toils 6r watches, never sleeps. Armstrong. (18) The relative is omitted, as : " 'Tls Fancy In her fiery car, Transports me to the thickest war." (19) The verb precedes the nominative, as : Then shook the hills with thunder riven, Then rushed the steeds t6 battle driven, And louder than the bolts 6f heaven, FSr flashed the red artillery. Thomas Campbell " Hohenlinden." (20) The verb follows the accusative, as : His prayer he saith, this holy man. Keats. : 8 2 THE AR T OF POE TK Y. (21) The infinitive is placed before the word on which it depends, as : When first thy sire, id send 6n earth Virttie, his darling child, designed. Thomas Gray. (22) The use of the first and third persons in the impera- tive mood, as : E2 man's peculiar ivork his sole delight. Beattie. Ttirn we & moment fancy's rapid flight. Thomson. (23) The pronoun is expressed with the imperative, as : " HSpe ihou in God." (24) The object precedes the verb, as : Lands he could measure, times and tides presage. Goldsmith" Deserted Village. ' ' (25) Adverbs are placed before the words which they modify, as : The plowman homeward plods his weary way. Gray's Elegy. (26) The introductory adverb is not unfrequently omitted, as : Was naught Sround but images 6f rest. Thomson. POETICAL LICENSES. 183 (27) The use of personal pronouns and afterwards intro- ducing their nouns, as : It curled n6t Tweed Slone, that breeze. Scott. (28) The use of the second person singular oftener than prose writers, as : Btit thou, 6f temple's old, 6r alt&rs new, Standest Slone with nothing like t6 thee. Lord Byron. Lucifer, th6u son 6f morn, Alike 6f Heaven Snd man the 1 foe; Heaven, mSn, Snd all, N6w press thy fall, And sink th lowest of thg low. Oliver Goldsmith " The Captivity." (29) The use of antiquated words and modes of expres- sion, as : J6hn Gilpm was citizen Of credit and renown, A train-band captain eke w&s he Of famous L6nd6n town. Cowper "The Diverting History of John Gilpin.'' (30) The use of many words not used by prose writers or that are used but rarely : (i) Nouns, as benison, boon, emprise, fane, guerdon, guise, ire, ken, lore, meed, sire, steed, welkin, yore. (ii) Adjectives, as azure, blithe, boon, dank, darkling, dark- some, doughty, dun, fell, rife, rapt, rueful, sear, sylvan, twain, wan. 1 84 THE ART OF POETRY. (iii) Verbs, as appall, astound, brook, cower, doff, ken, wend, ween, trow. (iv) Adverbs, as oft, haply, inly, blithely, cheerily, deftly, felly, rifely, starkly. (v) Prepositions, as adown, aloft, aloof, anear, aneath, askant, aslant, aslope, atween, atwixt, besouth, traverse, thorough, sans. (34) The formation of many adjectives in y, not common, as : Dimply, dusky, gleamy, heapy, moony, paly, sheety, stilly, spiry, sleepy, towery, vasty, writhy. PART SECOND. CHAPTER I. FIGURES OF SPEECH COMMON TO POETRY. FIGURES OF ETYMOLOGY. APHERESIS. The cutting off of one or more letters from the beginning of a word, as : 'Neath for beneath, 'gan for began, 'gainst for against 'thout for without, 'ghast for aghast, 'mazed for amazed, 'fore for before, 'feeble for enfeeble, 'dure for endure, 'venge for avenge, 'Nelope for Penelope, 'sdained for disdained, 'Frisco for San Francisco, woe's for woe is, he's for he is, what's for what is, 'twas for it was, I'll for I will, she's gone for she is gone, devil's for devil is, she'll for she will, world's for world is, I'm for I am, you're for you are, there's for there is, I'd for I would, soul's for soul is. The glow-w6rm shows the matin to be near, And 'gins t& pale his IneftectQSl fire. Shakespeare "Hamlet, "Act 5." The moon's the earth's enamoured bride ; True t5 him in her very changes, T6 other stars she never ranges : Though, crossed by him, s6metimes she dips Her light in short, Offended pride, And faints t6 an eclipse. Campbell" Moonlight." 187 l8 g THE ART OF POETRY. APOCOPE Is the elision of a letter or letters at the end of a word, as: Tho' for though, th' for the, t'other for the other, thro' for through, Pont' for Pontus, Lucrece for Lucretia, obstruct for obstruction, Per for Persia, Ind for India, Adon for Adonis, conduct for conductor, amaze for amazement, Moroc for Morocco, addict for addicted, Pat for Patrick, wretch for wretched, sads forsaddens, suit for sultry, swelt for swelter, potates for potatoes, after for afterwards. \V6e ! woe ! each heart shall bleed shall break ! She" would have hung upon his neck, Had h come but yest&r-even ; And he had clasped th6se peerless charms That shall never, never fill his arms, Or meet him but in heaven. Campbell " The Brave Roland." But time will teach the Russ, e"v'n conquering War Has handmaid arts. Campbell "The Power of Russia." EPENTHESIS. Is the inserting of a letter or letters in the middle of a word, ns : The wearied sentinel At eve may overlook the crouching foe, Till, ere his hand can sound the alarum bell, H sinks beneath the unexpected blow; Before thS whisker of grimalkin fell, \Vhen slumbering on her post, the mouse may go ; But womftn, wakeful woman's never weary ; Above all, when she waits to thump her deary. /?. H. Bat ham. FIGURES OF SPEECH. i$g "U" is inserted in "alarum." The "y" at the end of the word " dear-y " furnishes also a fine example of Annexation or Paragoge. PARAGOGE. Is the annexing of an expletive syllable to a word. A satire on Sir John Suckling furnishes us a fine example of this figure. Sir John Suckling was a courtier and poet at the court at the time of King Charles I, in the seventeenth century. He was well educated and refined in his taste for that day, writing the purest and brightest poetry of his time. Sir John, in response to a call from his majesty, the King, raised a troop of one hundred men and equipped them at a cost of sixty thousand dollars. Gaily caparisoned as were his troops, they ran off the field at the first approach of the Scotch covenanters in their first and only skirmish. Some one given to satire thus describes Sir John. It will be noticed annexation assists the ridicule intended with pleasing effect : "Sir John, he" got him an ambling nag, T5 Scotland for to ride-a, With S hiindr6d hftrse more, ail his own he" swore, T6 guard him 6n every side-a." Another stanza runs thus : "Th6 ladies ran all t6 thS windftws to see S6 gallant and warlike his sight-a, And as he pressed by th^y cried with a sigh, ' Sir John why will you go fight-a ? ' ' 190 THE ART OF POE TR } . PROSTHESIS The prefixing of one or more letters to the beginning of a word, as : Amid for mid, yclept, yclad, ypowdered. Let fall adown his silver beard some tears. Thomson. The ground wfts green, ypowered with the daisy. Chanct't . SYNCOPE. Is the elision of a letter or letters from the middle of a word, as : Ca't for called, r'ally for really, med'cine for medicine, e'en for even or evening, o'er for over, conq'ring for conquering, s'en night for seven night, ha' penny for half penny, de'il for devil. First, then, a woman will, 6r won't, depend on't ; If she will do't, she will ; and there's an end 6n't. But If she won't, since safe and sound your trust is, Fear is affront, 3nd jealoiVy unjust is. /////"Woman." SYNAERESIS. Is the joining together of two syllables with one, as : I'll for I will, 'tis for it is, spok'st for spokest. Only ft little more I have to write, Then I'll give o'er, And bid the world good-night. FIGURES OF SPEECH. Igl 'Tfe but a flying minute ThSt I must stay, Or linger in ft ; And then 1 must Sway. Herrick. TMESIS. The inserting of a word between the parts of a compound or between two words which should be united if they stood together, as: You say t6 me-wSrds your affection's strong ; PrSy love mfi & little, so you love m long. Slowly g6es f arre ; the" meane is best ; dSsire Gr6wn viSlent, d6's either die, 5r tire. Herrick. FIGURES OF SYNTAX. ELLIPSIS. An omission ; a figure by which one or more words are omitted, which the hearer or reader can supply, and which are necessary to a full construction of a sentence. Words thus omitted are said to be understood. It is a figure very common in the language, and serves to avoid repetitions. When, however, the ellipsis would have a tendency to obscure the meaning or weaken the force of the sentence it should be avoided. The ellipsis may be of the substantive, adjective, article, pronoun, verb, adverb, preposition or conjunction. The following is an excellent illustration of this figure : One m6re unfortunate, Weary 6f breath ; Rashly importnna'te, Gone t6 hr death. I food " Bridge of Sighs." 192 THE ART OF POETRY. In the following couplet the antecedent pronoun is omitted, as : Who has n6 Inward beauty, none perceives, Th6ugh all around be beautiful. Richard Henry Dana. One of our greatest American poets in his conception of the wild mystic, furnishes in the stanza following an instance of the omission of the verb : Once upon & midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore, \Yhile I nodded nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, As 6f some One gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door ; Only this and nothing more. Edgar Allan foe "The Raven." The subject of the verb is often omitted, as in the follow- ing stanza : Did the green isles Detain thee long? Or 'mid the palmy groves Of the bright South, where Nature ever smiles, Didst sing thy loves Pickering. The following will serve as an example of the omission of the participle : His knowledge measured to his state and place, His time a moment, and a point his space. Alexander Pope. An Ellipsis of the adverb : She shows a body rather than a life ; A statOe than a brother. Shakespeare " Anthony and Cleopatra." FIGURES OF SPEECH. IO/3 ENALLAGE Is the use of one part of speech, or of one modification for another. 1 i ) Substituting a noun for an adjective : From thy Glory-throne. Palgrave. Glory-throne used instead of glorious throne, Seraph- sound for Seraphic sound, Carthage- queen for Carthagenian queen. (2) A phrase for a noun : C6me, cuddle your head tin my shoulder, dear, Yottr head like the golden-rod, And we will g5 sailing Sway fr6m here T6 thg beautiful Land 6f Nod. Away fr6m life's hurry, and flurry, and worry, Away frSm garth's shadftws and gloom, T6 & world 6f fair weather we'll float off tOgetheY, Where rosfis Sre always in bloom. Ella Wheeler Wilcox"1te Beautiful Land of Nod." ' ' Land of Nod ' ' is here substituted for the noun ' 'sleep. ' ' Had shg told m& fifty shillings, I might (find wouldn't you? ) HaVe referred t6 that dress In a way fSlks Express By an eloquent dash 6r two ; But th6 guilefnl littlg creatQre Knfiw well h6r tactics when Sh6 casually said that that dream In red Had cost bttt two p6unds ten. Eugene Meld 11 The Tea-Gown." 1 94 THE ART OF POE TR Y. (3) The use of an adverb for a noun : To the land 6f the hereafter. Longfellow " Hiawatha." The adverb " hereafter " used as a noun, viz : to heaven. A better Where t& find. Shakespeare. Where instead of place or home. (4) Noun for a verb : " I'll queen it no inch farther." Viz : I'll walk or go no inch farther. Bedawn Our sky. Shakespeare. Dawn, a noun, changed to a verb by prefix be-dawn. Noun for a verb : Crims6ned with flowers and dark with leafy shade. Vaughan. (5) An adjective for a noun : Thy path is high up in heaven ; we cannot gaze On the Intense df light that girds thy car. Percival " Apostrophe to the Sun." Viz : the sun. (6) An adjective for a verb : It lanks the cheek and pales the freshest sight. Giles Fletcher, This day will gent& his c6nditi6n. Shakespeare. FIGURES OF SPEECH. l g^ > (7) An eighth variety is to compare with -er and -est adjec- tives that are compared by more and most, or vice versa. T6 hear your most sweet music miracle. Mrs. E. B. Browning "Seraphim." (8) An adjective for an adverb : But soft ! methlnks I scent the morning's air. Shakespeare " Hamlet, Act i, Scene 5." When soft was the sun. " Piers Plowman." Soft for softly. (9) A noun and a preposition for an adjective. A thing of beauty is 3 joy fSrever. Keats. Of beauty for a beauteous thing. (10) A preposition for an adjective : With the spleen Of all the under fiends. Shakespeare. (i i ) An adverb for a pronoun : Where against My grained ash a hundred times hath broke. Shakespeare. (12) A preposition is used for a noun : not like me F6r mme's beyond Beyond. Shakespeare. ! g6 THE AR T OF POE TR ) '. ( 1 3) Adverb and a preposition in place of a preposition : FOrthatI am some twelve 6r fourteen moonshines Lag of & brother. Shakespeare. (14) A verb is used as a noun : With every gale Snd vary of their masters. Shakespeare. (15) An adjective used as a participle : LSt the bl6at king tempt you. Shakespeare. (16) Usages similar to " Meseems : " Methinks her patient sons before me stand. Goldsmith ' ' Traveler. ' ' (17) Change of prepositions. Using "of" instead of "by:" I am so wrapt, flnd thoroughly lapt 6f jolly go6d ale ftnd old. John Still. (18) Participles are turned into adjectives and actions ascribed to them which do not belong to them, as : Where smiling spring its earliest visit paid, And parting summer's lingering blooms delayed. Goldsmith " Deserted Village." And passing rich with forty pounds <1 year. Goldsmith " Deserted Village." FIGURES OF SPEECH. 197 (19) The use of transitive verbs as intransitive, as : This minstrel-god, well-pleased, Smid the choir Sto6d proud to hymn, nd tune his youthful lyre. Pope. (20) The use of intransitive verbs as transitive, as : LSng aftfir kenned 5n Carrfck shore ; F6r mony a beast t6 dead she shot, And perished mony bonnie boat. Burns "Tarn O'Shanter." Still In hSrmonTotis intercourse, they lived The rurSl day, ftnd talked the flowing heart. Thomson. (21) The use of the auxiliary after its principal, as : The man wh6 suffers, loudly may cGmplain; And rage he may, but he shall rage m vain. Pope. (22) The use of can, could and would as principal verbs transitive, as : What would 'this man ? Now upw&rd will he soar, And, little less thiln angel, would be more. Fope. HYPERBATON OR INVERSION. A figurative construction inverting the natural and proper order from words and sentences. The following stanza furnishes us with a fine example : ! 98 THE ART OF POE TR \ '. In England riv6rs all are males, F6r instance, Father Thames ; Wh6ev6r in C61umbia sails Finds them mftmselles and dames. Yes, there the softer sex presides Aquatic, I assure you ; And Mrs. Sippy rolls her tides Responsive to Miss Souri. James Smith. Milton furnishes us a fine example of an inversion at the very commencement of his great epic : Of man's first disftbedience and the fruit Of that fSrbidden tree, wh6se mortal taste Br6ught death into the world and all 6ur woe, Sing, heavenly Muse. " Paradise Lost." PLEONASM. The use in speaking or writing of more words than are necessary to express the thought. From Thomas Hood we have the following, in the second line Pleonasm can be detected: And when I speak, my voice is weak ; But hers, she makes gong of it ; F6r I Sm small and she is tall, And that's the short and long of it SYLLEPSIS. A figure of speech by which we conceive the sense of words otherwise than the words import, and construe them FIGURES OF SPEECH. 199 according to the intention of the author the taking ol words in two senses at once, the literal and the metaphorical. The following is an example of this figure : While Providence supports, Lfit saints securely dwell ; That hand which bears all Nature up, Shall guide his children well. Philip Doddridge. FIGURES OF RHETORIC. ALLEGORY. Is the narration of fictitious events, designed to represent and illustrate important realities. It is continued metaphor, representing objects and events that are intened to be sym- bolical of other objects and events having usually moral and spiritual character. The following beautiful allegory by Longfellow, starting with the metaphorical representation of the state as a ship, expands the metaphor into a complete description : Th6u too, sail on, 6 Ship 6f State ! Sail on, 6 UNi6N, strong and great ! Humanity, with all its fears, With all its hopes 6f future years, Is hanging breathless on thy fate ! We know what Master laid thy keel, What Workmen wrought thy ribs 6f steel, Wh6 made each mast, and sail, and rope, What anvils rang, what hammers beat, In what a forge and what a heat Were shaped the anch6rs of thy hope ! Fear not each sudden sound and shock 'Tis of the wave and not the rock ; 200 THE ART OF FOE TR Y. 'Tifs but the flapping of the sail, And not & rent made by the gale ! In spite 6f rock and tempest's roar, In spite 6f false lights on the shore, Sail on, nor fear t6 breast the sea ! Our hearts, our hopes, are all with thee, 6ur hearts, 6ur hopes, 6ur prayers, our tears, 6ur faith triumphant o'er 6ur fears, Are all with thee ! are all with thee ! APOSTROPHE. Literally a turning away from the natural course of one's thoughts or ideas to address the absent or dead as if present, former ages, future ages, some person or thing. It is closely allied to Personification with which it is often com- bined. Objects personified, however, are not addressed ; objects apostrophized are addressed. R611 on, th5u deep and dark blue ocean, roll ! T6n thousand fleets sweep over thee In vain ; Man marks the" earth with ruin, his control St6ps with the shore; Qpon the watery plain The" wrecks are all thy deed, n6r doth remain A shadSw of man's ravage, save his own, When, for a moment, like a drop 6f rain, He sinks into th^ depths with bubbling groan, Without a grave, unknelled, uncofFfned, and unknown. Byron " Childe Harold. R611 on, ye stars ! Exult in youthfQl prime ; Mark with bright curves the printless steps 6f Time. N6ar and m6re near your beamy cars approach, And lessening orbs 6n lessening orbs Encroach. Flowers 6f the sky ! ye too t6 age must yield, Frail as your silken sisters of the field ! FIGURES OF SPEECH. 2OI Star afte'r star fr6m heaven's high arch shall rush, Suns sink 6n suns, and systems systems crush, Till o'er the wreck, Emerging from the storm, Immortal nature lifts her changeful form ; M6unts from her funeral pyre 6n wings 6f flame, And soars and shines, another and the same. Erasmus Darwin. Ay, tear her tattered ensign down ! L6ng has it waved 6n high, And 'many an eye has danced t6 see That banngr in the 7 sky ; Beneath it rung the battle-shout, And burst the cannftn's roar ; The meteor of the ocean air Shall sweep the clouds n6 more ! Holmes " Old Ironsides.' Hail, holy Light, offspring 6T Heaven first-born ! Or of the Eternal co-eternal beam May I express thee nnblamed ? since God is light, And never but in unapproached light Dwelt from eternity, dwelt then in thee, Bright effluence 6f bright essence increate ! Or hear'st th6u rather pure ethereal stream, Wh6se fountain who shall tell ? Milton (i Paradise Lost. ANAPHORA. Is the repetition of a word at the beginning of several clauses of a sentence. It is thus repeated that the mind may be more distinctly impressed with the idea or thought, as : 202 THE AR T OF POE TR V. (I). All nature is bttt art, Unknown 15 thee ; All chance, directiSn, which th6u canst not see ; All discSrd, harmony n6t understood ; All partial evil, universal good ; And spite 6f pride, in erring reasSn's spite, One truth is clear, Whatever is, is right. Pope " Essay on Man." (2)- S6rnetimes the linnet piped his song ; SSmetlmes the" throstle whistled strong ; S6metlmes the sparhSwk, wheeled along, Htished all the groves fr6m fear 6f wrong. Tennyson "Sir Launcelot and Queen Guinevere." (3). ThSre Is & rest fSr all things. On still nights There is a folding of & milH6n wings ThS swarming honey-bees in unknown woods, The speckled butterflies, and downy broods In dizzy poplar heights ; Rest for innumerable nameless things, Rest for the creatures underneath the Sea, And In the Earth, and in the starry Air Why will it not unburden me 6f care ? It comes t6 meaner things than my despair. weary^ weary night, that brings n6 rest 16 me ! Aldrich "Invocation to Sleep." ANTITHESIS. A contrast by which each of the contrasted things is rendered more striking : FIGURES OF SPEECH. 203 On parent knees, a naked new-b6rn child, Weeping thSu sat'st, while all around the6 smiled ; S6 live, that sinking in thy last, 16ng sleep, Thoii then may'st smile, while all around thee weep. Sir William Jones. EPANALEPSIS. Is a figure by which a sentence ends with the same word with which it begins : (i). Fare thee well, and if forever, Still fGrever fare thee well ; Even though unf6rgiving never 'Gainst thee shall my heart rebel. Byron" To His Wife." (2). They questi6ned each the other What Brahma's answer meant. Said Viv6chumu, " Brother, ThroQgh Brahma the great Mother Hath spoken her intent : "M&n ends as he bggan, The shadow on the water is all there is 6f man! " Richard Henry Stoddard. " Brahma's Answer." EPIGRAM. It is a statement in which there is an apparent contradic- tion between the form of the expression and the meaning really intended. The force of the epigram lies in the pleasant surprise attendant upon the perception of the real meaning : THE ART OF POETRY. (I). My wonder is really boundless, That Smong the queer cases w6 try, A land case shSuld often be groundless, -And a water-case always be dry ! Saxe " On a Famous Water-Suit." (2)- Swans sing before they die, 'twere no bid thing Did certain pers6ns die before they sing. S. T. Coleridge. EPIZEUXIS. The repetition of a word or words for the sake of em 1 phasis : (i). The Isles 6f Greece, the ISLES OF GREECE, Where burning SapphS loved and sung, Where grew the arts 6f war and peace, Where DelSs rose and Phoebus sprung Eternal summer gilds them yet, BQt all except their sun is set. Byron. (2). An example of double affirmation : " Falsely, falsely have ye done, mother," she said, " if this be true T6 keep the best man under the sun S6 many years fr6m his due." Tennyson "Lady Clare." FIGURES OF SPEECH. 2O5 (3)- Laugh, and the world laughs with you, Weep, and yoQ weep alone; F6r th6 sad 61d earth mflst borr6w its mirth, BQt has trouble enough 6f its own. Sing, and the hills will answer, Sigh, it is lost 6n the air ; The ech6es bound t6 a joyftil sound, But shrink fr6m voicing care. Ella Wheeler Wilcox ' ' Solitude. ' ' (4). " The fault was mine, the fault was mine " Why am I sitting here s5 stunned and still, Plucking the harmless wild-fl6wer on the hill ? It is this guilty hand ! Tennyson ' ' Maud. ' ' (5). Mfist ye wait ? MQst ye wait ? Till they ravage her gardens 6f orange and palm, Till her heart is dust, till her strength is water ? Must ye see them trample her, and be calm As priests when a virgin Is led t6 slaughter ? Shall they smite the marvel of all lands, The NatiSn's longing, the earth's c6mpleteness, On her red mouth dropping myrrh, her hands Filled with fruitage and spice and sweetness ? Must ye wait ? Stedman ' ' Cuba. ' ' EROTESIS OR INTERROGATION. Is an animated or passionate interrogation. Interrogation in its primary sense is the asking of a question, and an 20 g THE ART OF POE TR Y. answer would be expected. When declarative sentences are expressed in the interrogative lorm, no answer is expected ; for the statement is made thereby more emphatic and convincing. The negative interrogation affirms an affirmative denies. An interrogative sentence should always be followed by a question mark. CSn storied urn, 6r animated bust, Back to its mansiftn call the fleeting breath ? Can honSr's voice pr6voke the silent dust, 6r flattefy soothe the dull cold ear 6f death ? Gray "Elegy." ECPHONESIS. Is an animated or passionate exclamation, generally indi- cated by such interjections as O ! oh ! ah ! alas ! (i). 6 my sSul's joy, If after every tempest comes such calms, May the winds blow till they have wakened death ! Shakespeare "Othello." Pope illustrates well one of the ruling passions that con- tinue not only throughout life but even unto death : (2). " Odiohs ! In woolen ! 'Twould a saint prGvoke ! " Were the last words that poor Narcissa spoke. " N6, let a charming chintz and Brussels lace Wrap my cSld limbs, and shade my lifeless face. 6ne would n6t, sure, be frightftil when 6ne's dead ; And, Betty, give this cheek a little red." FIGURES OF SPEECH. 2G ~ " I give find I devise," 61d Eucli6 said And sighed, "my lands Snd tenements t& Ned." ' ' Your money, sir ? " " My money, sir ? What ! all ? Why, if I must (then wept), 1 give 16 Paul " ' ' Th6 manor, sir ? " " Th man6r ? H old ! " h 6 cried ; " N6t that I cann6t part with that ! " and died. (3)- A horse ! a horse ! My klngdSm for a horse ! Shakespeare " King Richard III." EUPHEMISM. Is the suppression of a harsh or obnoxious word or phrase, by substituting a word or phrase in its place that is delicate, yet expressing the same meaning : (i). Worn 6ut with anguish, toil, and cold, and hunger, Down sunk the wanderer; sleep had seized her sense's. There did the traveler find her in the morning : God had released her. Southey" The Widow." From Burns we have the following : (2)- An honest wabster to his trade, Whase wife's twa neives were scarce weei-bred. (3V 0, fear n6t In a world like this, And thou shalt know ere long, Kn5w how sublime a tiling it is T6 suffer and be strong. Longfellow "The Light of the Stars." 20 g THE ART OF POETRY. HEARING. Is. a figure akin to vision. The speaking doubtfully of some sound that has been heard at the present or just before apparently indistinct, but which proves to be the distant roar of cannon, of thunder, or something real. Byron's Waterloo, taken from Childe Harold, is one of the finest examples of the figure : Did ye n6t hear it? No ! 'twas but the wind, Or the car rattling o'er the stony street ; On with the dance ! Let joy be uncftnfined ; N5 sleep till morn, when Youth Snd Pleasure meet T6 chase the glowing hours with flying feet. But hark ! That heavy sound breaks in Snce more, As if the clouds its ech6 would repeat ; And nearer, clearer, deadlier than before ! Arm ! arm ! ft is, it is the cannOn's opening roar ! Canto III, Stanza XXII. HYPERBOLE. Is inflated or exaggerated speech ; so great is the exag- geration that it cannot be expected to be believed by the reader or hearer. It is an expression of strong passion, and is often made use of by the poet and the orator. Im- pulsive natures make great use of this figure of speech. Everything with them is magnificent ! splendid ! sublime ! awful ! Abraham Cowley has translated from the Greek poet Anacreon, this beautiful hyperbole entitled, " The Grasshopper" : Happy insect ! what c<1n be In happiness cdmpared t6 thee ? Fed with nourishment divine, The dewy morning's gentle wine ! Nature waits Qpon thee still, And thy verdSnt cup d6es fill ; FIGURES OF SPEECH. 2O 'TJs filled wherever thou d6st tread, Nature's self's thy Ganymede. Thou d6st drink, and dance and sing, Happier than the happiest king ! All thg fields which thou d6st see, All thg plants belong t6 thee ; All thS summer hours pr6duce, Fertile made with early juice. Man f6r thee d6es sow and plough, Farmer he, and landlSrd thou ! Thou d6st innScently joy, N6r does thy luxury destroy. The shepherd gladly heareth thee, More harmonious than he. The country hinds with gladness hear, Prophet of the ripened year ! Thee Phoebus loves and does inspire ; Phoebtis is himself thy sire, T6 thee, 6f all things Qpon the earth, Life is n6 longer than thy mirth. Happy insect ! happy thou D&st neither age n6r winter know ; Bttt when thSu'st drunk and danced find sung Thy fill, the flowery leaves among, (Voluptuous and wise withal, Epicurean animal ! ) Sated with thy summer feast, Thou retir'st t6 endless rest. " Ye stars ! which are the poetry 6f heaven ! If in your bright leaves we would read the fate 6f men and empires, 'tis t6 be forgiven, That in Our aspirati6ns to be great, Our destinies 6'erleap their mortal state, And claim a kindred with you ; for ye are A beauty and a mystery, and create In us sQch love and reverence tr6m afar, That fort&ne, lame, p6wer, life, have named themselves a star." Byron "Childe Harold." 2io THE ART OF POETRY. IRONY. A figure ol telling effect when properly used. It is used to express directly the opposite of what it is intended shall be understood. It is used effectively in Whittier's "The Prisoner for Debt, ' ' a poem of great merit : What has th6 gray-haired prisoner done ? Has murder stained his hands with gore ? N6t so ; his crime's & fouler one ; GOD MADE THE OLD MAN POOR ! FOr this he shares a felOn's cell, The fittest earthly type Of hell ! For this, the boon fOr which he poured His young bloOd on the invader's sword, And counted light the fearful cost, His blood-gained liberty Is lost ! And so, for such a place Of rest. Old prisoner, dropped thy blood 3s rain On Concord's field, find Bunker's crest, And Saratoga's plain ? Lo6k forth, thOu man Of many scars, Through thy dim dungeOn's ir6n bars ; It must be joy, in sooth t6 see Y6n monument upreared tO thee, Piled granite and & prisOn cell, The land repays thy service well ! G6, ring the bells And fire the guns, And fling the starry banners out ; Sh6ut "Freedom ! " till your lisping ones Give back their cradle-shout ; Let boastful eloquence declaim Of honOr, liberty and fame ; Still let the poet's strain be heard, With glory for each secOnd word, And everything with breath agree TO praise "Our glorious liberty ! " FIGURES OF SPEECH. But when the patrcm cann6n jars That prlsdn's cold and gloomy wall, And through its gates the stripes and stars Rise on the wind, and fall, Think ye that prisoner's aged ear Rejoices In the general cheer ? Think ye his dim and failing eye Is kindled at your pagentry ? S6rr6wing 6f soul, and chained 6f limb, What Is yottr carnival t6 him ? D6wn with the LAW that binds him thus ! tTnworthy freemen, let it find N6 refuge from the withering curse Of God and human kind ! Open the prls5n's living tomb, And usher from its brooding gloom The victims of yoGr savage code T6 the free sun and air 6f God ; N6 longer dare as crime t6 brand The chastening of the Almighty's hand. LITOTES. A diminution or softening of statement, for the purpose of avoiding censure, or of expressing more strongly what is intended ; a figure in which the affirmative is expressed by the negative of the contrary ; thus, "a citizen of no mean city" means " of an illustrious or important city." It is the opposite of hyperbole. The following from one who was unsurpassed as a prose writer, and who was a very clever poet, illustrates this figure. 2I2 THE ART OF POETRY. The Mountain and the Squirrel Had a quarrel ; And th6 Mountain called th6 Squirrel "Little Prig." Bun replied, " You are doubtless very big ; But all sorts 6f things and weather Must be taken In tbgether T6 make up a year And a sphere ; And 1 think It no disgrace T6 occupy my place. If I'm n6t so large 3s you, You are not sS small as I, And n&t half s6 spry. I'll n6t deny yoti make A very pretty squirrel track : Talents differ ; all is wisely put, If I cann6t carry forests on my back, Neither can you crack a nut." Emerson " A Fable." METONYMY. A change of noun or substantive, is a figure in which the name of one object is put for some other object. The rela- tion is ahvays that of causes, effects, or adjuncts. ( i ) Substituting a noun that expresses the cause, for tha noun that expresses the effect : A time there was, ere England's griefs began When every rood 6f ground maintained its man. Goldsmith "The Deserted Village." " Ground" is here used for what the ground produces, viz : food. for a beaker full Of the warm South ! Keats " Lines to the Nightingale." FIGURES OF SPEECH. 213 "South" is here used for the rich wines produced in sunny lands. R6bed In the" I6ng night 6f her deep hair. Tennyson. " Night," the cause of darkness, is put for " darkness," the effect. (2) Substituting the noun expressing the effect for the noun used to express the cause, being the converse of the first proposition : Swift as an arr6w flies the leaden death. James Harvey "Thereon and Aspasia." ' ' Death, ' ' the effect of the bullet, is put for the bullet itself. (3) A substantive denoting the place is substituted for a substantive denoting the inhabitants : At length th6 world, renewed by calm repose, WSs strong f6r toil ; the dappled morn arose. Parnell ' ' The Hermit. ' ' " World" is used for " inhabitant." " What land is s6 barbarous injustice to allow ? " ' ' Land ' ' is used to express ' ' race " or " people. ' ' (4) The sign is used for that of which it is the symbol or signifies : His banner leads the spears n6 more amid the hills 6f Spain. Felicia Hemans. ' ' Spears ' ' is used for ' ' soldiers. ' ' 214 THE ART OF POETRY. As, too, "the olive branch," instead of "peace;" the "throne," the "purple," the "scepter" instead of " kingly power." The path by which w twain did go, Which led by tracks that pleased Os well, Through four sweet years arose Snd fell, Fr6m flower t6 flower^ fr6m snow t& snow. But where the path we walked began T6 slant the fifth autumnal slope, As we descended, following Hope, There sat the Shad6w feared 6f man. Tennyson. ' ' Flower, " " snow ' ' and ' ' shadow ' ' as used here are emblematic of " Summer," " Winter" and " Death." (5) Substituting the abstract for the concrete term, and vice versa : There Honor comes, a pilgrim gray, T6 deck the turf that wraps their clay ; And Freedom shall a while repair T6 dwell a weeping hermit there. Collins. " Honor " is used to denote an individual of merit. A man of honor full of ripe years. 1 have found Cut a gift f6r my fair ; 1 have found where the wood-pige6ns breed ; But let me the plunder f6rbear She would say 'twas a barbarous deed, F6r he ne'er could be true, she averred, Wh6 could rob a po6r bird 6f Its young : And I loved her the more when I heard Such tendZrnZss fall frCm her tongue. Shenstone " A Pastoral. " FIGURES OF SPEECh. 215 Here the word " tenderness" is used to express " kind feelings. ' ' (6) Substituting the container for what is contained. "Our ships next opened fire." -Here the word "ships" is used to designate "sailors." " He Is fond 6f the bottK." Viz : he is fond of ' ' drink. ' ' "Your purse 6r your life." Viz : your money. " Where will you find another breast like his ? " ' ' Breast ' ' is here used for the spirit that animated it. (7) Substituting the substantive that denotes the thing supporting for the substantive that denotes the thing sup- ported, as: Field for battle, table for eatables on it, altar for sacrifice. (8) Substituting the name of the thing possessed for the possessor, as : "The war-who6p shall wake the sleep 5f the cradle." Viz : the voice of men en route to battle. Drove the bristled lips before him." Shakespeare " Coriolanus." Viz : Drove indetermined men. 21 6 THE ART OF POETRY. (9) Substituting the possessor for the possessed : "Let Os browse 6n th6 fields co51 with dew." Virgil ' ' Georgics. ' ' " Us " is used here for ' ' our flocks. ' ' (10) Substituting the instrument for the user : " Light has spread, and even bayonets think " "Bayonets," the instrument or thing used is here substi- tuted for " soldiers " or men who use bayonets. "Fflll fifty thousand muskets bright, Led by 61d warriSrs trained in fight." " Muskets oright " used for "soldiers." (n) Substituting the noun denoting the material for the thing made of that material : Like a tempest down the ridges Swept the hurricane 6f steel ; Rose the slogan of MacDonald, Flashed the broad sw6rd of L6chiel. Aytoun " Battle of Killiecrankie." ' ' Steel ' ' here means ' ' swords. ' ' The wind is piping loud, my boys, The lightening flashes free ; While the hollOw oak 6ur palace is, Our heritage the sea. Allan Cunningham " The hollow oak " is here used to represent " a ship." FIGURES OF SPEECH. 217 Hood has also given us a fine example similar to the one above, in the following : The oaken cell Shall lodge him well Whtise sceptre 1 ruled & realm. " A Dream in the Woods." It is very easy for one to guess the meaning of the word " oaken cell " in the above quotation. (12) Substituting the noun for the period of time during which certain events occured for the events : Sti have 1 worn 6ut many sleepless nights, And waded deep through many & bloody day. Homer. " ' Nights ' ' here is used to designate a period of time, viz : ' ' many sleepless nights ' ' in place of ' ' a given number of days. ' ' The same is true of day in the next verse or line ; it is a noun used to express a fact, viz : waded through a bloody battle or through war. (13) Substituting the place for the occurrence that hap- pened there : But Linden saw another sight, When the drum beat, &t dead 6f night, C6mmanding fires 6f death tS light The darkness of her scenery. Thomas Campbell " Hohenlinden." Here Linden, the place, is used for the occurrence that happened there, viz : The Battle of Hohenlinden. 2I g THE ART OF POETRY. Agincourt, Agincourt! Know ye n6t Agincourt, Where we w6n field Snd fort ? French fled like women By hind Snd eke by water ; Nev^r \vs seen such slaughter Made by 6ur bowman. Dray ton " Agincourt." Here " Agincourt," the place, is used for the occurrence that happened there, viz : The Battle of Agincourt in 1415. ECHO. A returning of what has already been uttered ; is another form of repetition : But th6 Past and all its beauty, Whither has it fled Sway ? Hark ! the mournful ech6es say "Fled Sway !" Adelaide Anne Procter. (2) But the drum Ech6ed "Come ! " Brete Harte. ONOMATOPOEIA. Is the use of a word or a phrase formed to imitate the sound of the thing signified, as : The moan 6f doves in Immemorial elms And mufmuring of innumerable bees. Tennyson. FIG URES OF SPEE CH. 2 r g The breezy call 6f incense-breathing morn, The swall6w twittering from the straw-built shed, The cock's shrill clariOn, or the echoing horn, N6 more shall rouse them from their lowly bed. Gray "Elegy " Btit soon Obscured with smoke, all heaven Appeared, Fr6m those deep-throated engines belched, wh6se roar Emboweiled with Outrageous noise the air, And all her entrails tore, disgorging foul ThSir devilish glut, chained thunderbolts Snd hail Of ir6n globes. Milton"' Paradise Lost.' Here it c6mes sparkling, And there it lies darkling; Here smoking &nd frothing, Its tumult and wrath In, It hastens along, conflicting strong ; N6w striking and raging, As if a war waging, Its caverns and rocks among, Rising and leaping, Sinking and creeping, Swelling and flinging, Showering and springing, Eddying and whisking, Spouting and frisking, Turning and twisting Around and around ; CSllectlng, disjecting, With endless rebound ; Smiting and fighting, A sight 16 delight In, C6nfounding, astounding, Dizzying and deafening the ear with Its sound. Robert Southey " The Cataract of Lodore.' ; 22O THE ART OF POETRY. PARALEIPSIS. A pretended or apparent omission ; a figure by which a speaker pretends to pass by what at the same time he really mentions, as : Her kindness and her worth 16 spy, You need bat gaze on Ellen's eye ; N6t Katrine, In her mlrr6r blue, Gives back the" shaggy banks mOre true, Than every free-b6rn glance confessed Th6 guileless movements of her breast ; Whether j6y danced in her dark eye, Or woe 6r pity claimed & sigh, Or filidl love was glowing there, Or meek devotion poured & prayer, Or tale 6f injury called forth, The indignant spirit of the North, One only passi6n unrevealed, With maiden pride the maid cdncealed, Yet not less purely felt the flame need I tell that passi6n's name ? Scott " The Lady of the Lake." PERSONIFICATION. Is a figure by which the absent are introduced as present and by which inanimate objects and abstract ideas are rep- resented as living. Personification is a species of Metaphor: There Is a Reaper wh5se name is Death, And, with his sickle keen, He reaps the bearded grain at a breath, And the flowers that grow between. Longfellow "The Reaper and the Flowers." FIG URES OF SPEECH. 2 2 I T6 you, fair phant6ms in the sun, Wh6m merry Spring discovers, With blue-birds for your laureates, And honey-bees f6r lovers. Aldrich " The Blue-Bells of New England." His was th6 spell 6'er hearts Which only acting lends, Thg youngest of the sister Arts, WhSre all their beauty blends; F6r Til can Poetry Express Full many a tone 6T thought sublime, And Painting, mute and motidnless, Steals but & glance 5f time. But by the mighty act6r brought, Illusion's perfect triumphs come, Verse ceases to be airy thought, And Sculpture to be dumb. Campbell "ToJ. P. Kemble." REFRAIN, OR CHANT. A kind of musical repetition. Hast thou a golden day, a starlit night, Mirth, and music, and love without alloy? Leave n6 drop undrunken 6f thy delight : S6rr6w and shad6w fol!6w on thy joy, 'Tis all in a lifetime. Edmund Clarence Stedman "All In a Lifetime." John Gibson Lockhart also furnishes in his translations of Spanish ballads, another fine illustration : The Moorish king rides up and down Through Grenada's royal town ; From filvira's gates t6 those Of Bivarambia on he goes : Woe Is me, Alhama ! " 222 THE ART OF POETRY. SIMILE. Is an express comparison ; usually introduced by like, as, and so : (i). Life is like a tale Ended ere 'tis told. Aldrich " Dirge. ' ' (2). Man, like the generotis vine, supported lives ; The strength he gains is from the embrace he gives. Pope. (3). But pleasures are like poppies spread, Yoti seize the flower, its bloom is shed ; (5r like the snowfall in the river, A moment white then melts fiSreve'r ; >r like the borealis race, That flit ere you can point their place ; 6r like the rainbow's lovely form, Evanishing amid the storm. Burns " Tam O'Shanter. (4). The day is done, and the darkness Falls from the wings 6f Night, As a feather is wafted downward Fr6m an eagle in his flight. Longfellow " The Day is Done.' FIGURES OF SPEECH. SYNECDOCHE. 223 Is the figure by which the whole of a thing is taken for the part, or a part for the whole, as, the genus for the species, or the species for the genus. It comprehends more or less in the expression than the word which is employed literally signifies. The noun ' ' sail ' ' is used instead of the noun ' ' ship ' ' a part of the ship for the whole : A sail! & sail! promised prize t6 hope, Her nation's flag h&w speaks the telescope? N6 prize, alas ! bOt yet ft welcdme sail. Byron. The force of this figure consists of the greater vividness with which the part or species is realized. In Pickering's ballad we have the following lines where this figure of speech is found, where one wreath is put for the many, that make the whirl, or storm : " C6me In, aiild Carl, I'll steer my fire, I'll make it bleeze bonnie flame ; Yoftr bluid is thin, y've tint the gate, Ye shouldnS stray sSe farfrae hame." " NSe hame have I," the minstrel said ; ' Sad party strife 6'erturned my ha' ; And weeping at the close 6f life, 1 wander through wreath Sfsndw." TROPE. An important figure defined as a figurative use ol a word ; a word or expression used in a different sense from that which it properly possesses, or a word changed from its 2 24 THE ART OF POETRY. original signification to another for the sake of life or em- phasis to an idea, as when we call a shrewd man a fox. Tropes are chiefly of four kinds : Metaphor, Metonymy, Synecdoche, and Irony, but to these may be added Allegory, Prosopopoeia, Antonomasia, and perhaps some others. The word Trope comes from the Greek word tropos, which means a turning. A change of noun is termed a Metonymy, a change of adjective is termed a Trope. The following are illustrations : (i). N6w fades the glimmering landscape on the sight, And all the air a solemn stillness holds, Save where the beetle wheels his droning flight, And drowsy tinkling s lull the distant folds. Gray' s Elegy. (2). Away ! away ! t6 Athunree ! Where, downward when the sun shall fall The raven's wing shall be your pall ! 'And not a vassal shall unlace The vis6r from your dying face. \ Campbell "Curse of O'Connor's Child." (3). She wept t6 leave \.\\&fond ro6f where She had been loved s6 long ; Though glad the peal upon the air, And gay the bridal throng. Miss Landon "Adieu to a Bride." FIG URES O F SPEE CH. 22 (4). At last thg closing seas5n browns the plain, And ripe October gathers in the grain. Joel Barlow " The Hasty Pudding." (5). Fountain-heads and pathless groves Places which pale passion loves. Francis Beaumont. (6). When the humid shadows hovSr Ov6r all the starry spheres, And the melancholy darkness Gently weeps in rainy tears, What a bliss t6 press the pill6w Of a cottage chamber-bed, And t& listen to the patter Of the soft rain overhead. Coates Kinney " Rain on the Roof." (7)- 'Tis pleasant, by the cheerful hearth, to hear Of tempests and the dangers of the deep ; And pause at times and feel that we are safe, Then listen to the perilous tale again. Southey " Modoc. ' ' (8). Mother, thy child is blessed ; And though his presence may be lost t6 thee, And vacant leave thy breast, And missed a sweet load from thy parent knee ; Th6ugh tones familiar from thine ear have passed, Th6u'lt meet thy first-born with the Lord at last. Willis G. Clark. 2 2 5 THE ART OF POETR Y. (9). She hears the cannOn's deadly rattle. Washington Allston ' ' Spanish Maid . ' ' (10). PiirpK dresses, the wearing 6f which is brighter than any star. Horace " Odes." (11). Th6 dogs far kinder than their purptt master. " Lazarus and Dives." (12) Others from the dawning hills Looked around. Milton " Paradise Lost." The "hills" are but the receivers of the light they are not "dawning hills" save when the "dawning light" shines upon them. VISION. Is the expression of powerful emotion, akin to Apostro- phe. It is a figure in which the past or future is conceived for the present. It is appropriate to animated description, as it produces the effect of an ideal presence. Thomas Campbell's " Lochiel's Warning" illustrates this figure : Lochiei, Lochiei ! beware 6f the day When the Lowlands shall meet thee in battle array ! F6r a field 5f the dead rushes red Sn my sight, And the clans 6f Culloden are scattered in fight. They rally, they bleed, f6r their kingdom and crown; W6e, woe t5 the riders that trample them down ! Pr6ud Cumberland prances, insulting the slain, And their hoof-bCaten bosoms are trod tft the plfiin. PART THIRD. CHAPTER I. OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY. WE cannot better introduce our chapter "On the Various Kinds of Poetry " than by giving Fonte- nelle's celebrated allegory on " The Empire of Poetry. " It is professedly one of the finest metaphorical descriptions that has ever been written. THE EMPIRE OF POETRY. This Empire is a very large and populous country. It is divided, like some of the countries of the Continent, into the Higher and Lower Regions. The Upper Region is inhabited by grave, melancholy and sullen people, who, like other mountaineers, speak a language very different from that of the inhabitants of the valleys. The trees in this part of the country are very tall, having their tops in the clouds. Their horses are superior to those of Barbary, being fleeter than the winds. Their women are so beautiful as to eclipse the star of day. The great city which you see in the maps, beyond the lofty mountains, is the capital of this province, and is called Epic. It is built on a sandy and ungrateful soil, which few take the pains to cultivate. The length of the city is many days' journey, and it is otherwise of a tiresome extent. On leaving its gate, we always meet with men who are killing one another ; whereas, when we pass through Romance, which forms the suburbs of Epic, and 2 , THE ART OF FOE TK Y. o which is larger than the city itself, we meet with groups of happy people, who are hastening to the shrine of Hymen. The mountains of Tragedy are also in the province of Upper Poetry. They are very steep, with dangerous preci- pices ; and, in consequence, many of its people build their habitations at the bottom of the hills, and imagine themselves high enough. There have been found on these mountains some very beautiful ruins of ancient cities, and from time to time, the materials are carried lower to build new cities ; for they are now never built nearly so high as they seem to have been in former times. The Lower Poetry is very similar to the swamps of Holland. Burlesque is the capital, which is situated amid stagnant pools. Princes speak there as if they had sprung from the dung-hill, and all the inhabitants are buffoons from their birth. Comedy is a city which is built on a pleasant spot ; but it is too near to Burlesque, and its trade with this place has injured the manners of the inhabitants. I beg you will notice, in the map, those vast solitudes which lie between High and Low Poetry. They are called the Deserts of Common Sense. There is not a single city in the whole of this extensive country, and only a few cottages scattered at a distance from one another. The interior of the country is beautiful and fertile, but you need not wonder that there are so few that choose to reside in it ; for the entrance is very rugged on all sides, the roads are narrow and difficult, and there are seldom any guides to be found capable of conducting strangers. Besides, this country borders on a province where every person prefers to remain, because it appears to be very agreeable, and saves the trouble of penetrating into the Deserts of Common Sense. It is the province of False OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY. 23I Thoughts. Here we always tread on flowers ; everything seems enchanting. But its general inconvenience is, that the ground is not solid ; the foot is always sinking in the mire, however careful one may be. Elegy is the capital. Here the people do nothing but complain ; but it is said that they find a pleasure in their complaints. The city is surrounded with woods and rocks, where the inhabitant walks alone, making them the confidants of his secrets, of the discovery of which he is so much afraid that he often conjures those woods and rocks never to betray them. The Empire of Poetry is watered by two rivers : One is the River of Rhyme, which has its source at the foot of the Mountains of Reverie. The tops of some of these mountains are so elevated that they pierce the clouds. Those are called the Points of Sublime Thoughts Many climb thereby extraordinary efforts ; but almost the whole tumble down again, and excite, by their fall, the ridicule of those who admired them at first without knowing why. There are large platforms almost at the bottom of these mountains, which are called the Terraces of Low Thoughts. There are always a great number of people walking on them. At the end of these terraces are the Caverns of Deep Rev- erie. Those who descend into them do so insensibly, being so much enwrapt in their meditations that they enter the cavern before they are aware. These Caverns are perfect labyrinths, and the difficulty of getting out again could scarcely be believed by those who have not been there. Above the terraces we sometimes meet with men walking in easy paths, which are called the Paths of Natural Thoughts; and these gentlemen ridicule equally those who try to scale the Points of Sublime Thoughts as well as those who grovel on the terraces below. They would be in the right if they 232 THE ART OF POETRY. could keep undeviatingly in the Paths of Natural Thoughts, but they fall almost instantly into a snare by entering into a splendid palace which is at a very little distance. It is the Palace of Badinage. Scarely have they entered it, when, in place of the natural thoughts which they formerly had, they dwell upon such only as are mean and vulgar. Those, however, who never abandon the Paths of Natural Thoughts are the most rational of all. They aspire no higher than they ought, and their thoughts are never at variance with sound judgment. Besides the River Rhyme, which I have described as issuing from the foot of the mountains, there is another called the River of Reason. These two rivers are at a great distance from one another, and, as they have different courses, they could not be made to communicate except by canals, which cost a great deal of labor ; for these canals of communication could not be formed at all places, because there is only one part of the River Rhyme which is in the neighborhood of the River Reason ; and hence many cities situated on the Rhyme, such as Roundelay and Ballad, could have no commerce with the Reason, whatever pains might be taken for the purpose. Further, it would be necessary that these canals should cross the Deserts of Common Sense, as you will see by the map, and that is almost an unknown country. The Rhyme is a large river, whose course is crooked and unequal, and. on account of its numerous falls, it is extremely difficult to navigate. On the contrary, the Reason is very straight and regular, but does not carry vessels of every burden. There is in the Land of Poetry a very obscure forest, where the rays of the sun never enter. It is the Forest of Bom- bast. The trees are close, spreading, and twined into each OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY. 233 other. The forest is so ancient that it has become a sort of sacrilege to prune its trees, and there is no probability that the ground will ever be cleared. A few steps into this forest and we lose our road, without dreaming that we have gone astray. It is full of imperceptible labyrinths, from which no one ever returns. The Reason is lost in the forest. The extensive province of Imitation is very sterile. It produces nothing. The inhabitants are extremely poor, and are obliged to glean in the richer fields of the neighbor- ing provinces ; and some even make fortunes by this beggarly occupation. The Empire of Poetry is very cold toward the north, and consequently this quarter is the most populous. There are the cities of Anagram and Acrostic, with several others of a similar description. Finally, in that sea which bounds the States of Poetry, there is the Island of Satire, surrounded by bitter waves. The salt from the water is very strong and dark-colored. The greater part of the brooks of this island resemble the Nile in this, that their sources are unknown ; but it is par- ticularly remarkable that there is not one of them whose waters are fresh. A part of the same sea is called the Archipelago of Trifles. The French term is 1' Archipel des Bagatelles, and their voyagers are well acquainted with those islands. Nature seems to have thrown them up in sport, as she did those of the Egean Sea. The principal islands are the Madrigal, the Song, and the Impromptu. No lands can be lighter than those islands, for they float upon the waters. FONTENELLE. The painter gives color to his study, and his tints and tone colors are varied according as the master possesses THE ART OF POETRY. science in his art, and as genius has given him ability and industry necessary to great effort. The poet paints with another brush. Figures of Rhetoric are his colors, and nature furnishes him with similes, metaphors, and personifi- cations. He should abound in imagery, and his words should be descriptive of external objects which are on every side. His efforts should be to please, and he is allowed greater freedom than any other writer. Man is always interested in his fellow man ; hence, character, fortitude, devotion, affection, aspiration, and passion, are all elements that may enter into the poem. From the earliest ages down to the present, poetry has held a place in the human heart. Rude songs descriptive of w^ar and peace, love and affection, hymns to the gods, and poems celebrating the achievements of heroes are among the first productions of all nations. Traditional odes are found among the rudest tribes. Poetry has always been a pleasing form of literature, and has been assiduously cultivated at all times. The higher the grade of civilization the greater has been the appreciation of the poet's efforts. His efforts should always be to attain the ideal. He has the whole world of reality to select from. He should seek to surpass nature in his creative imagination. The true poet is a creator, sensitive to all the scenes and impressions around him ; his eye should catch that which the ordinary observer passes by ; and his ear should be attuned to every sound about him. The picturesque, the ideal, and the real are all his. To fancy he gives form and color, and his expressions should contain a delicacy, rich- ness and warmth of feeling and beauty, that should ever be a pleasure to mankind. His ideas, figures, characters, scenes, and language should all harmonize. His lines should carry the reader throughout the poem without a jar or inter- OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY. 235 ruption. Words should be selected for their beauty of sound and association ; and the effort should alone be to attain the highest form of expression known to elevated thought and diction. CLASSIFICATION OF POETRY. It is very difficult to classify all poems. Poems may be found that are susceptible of various classification ; others will be found that will hardly take their places in any list. Poetry may be divided, however, into six general heads : 1. Lyrical. 4. Epic. 2. Pastoral. 5. Dramatic. 3. Didactic. 6. Satirical. These six species may be again subdivided as follows : THE LYRIC. 1. Songs, ecuar. * Elegy, (Epitaph). 2. Odes. 5. Sonnet. 3. Ballads. 6. Epigram. THE PASTORAL. i. Eclogue. 2. Idyl. THE DIDACTIC. i. Philosophical. 2. Meditative. THE EPIC. 1. Grand Epic. 3. Metrical Romance. 2. Mock Epic. 4. Metrical Tale. 23 6 THE ART OF POETRY. THE DRAMA. 1. Tragedy, (Prologue). 2. Comedy, (Epilogue, Envoy). 3. Farce. 4. Mask, Travesty or Mock Heroic. 5. Melodrama. 6. Burletta. THE SATIRE. i. Moral. 3. Political. 2. Personal. To the above classification we may be allowed to add some other heads which properly speaking belong to some of the classes above enumerated. They are, however, figures and forms different from the ordinary : 1. Dialectic. 3. Yersicles. 2. Nonsensical. OBJECTIVE AND SUBJECTIVE POETRY. We should ask ourselves when we begin to write poetry whether what we write should be objective or subjective. The mental forces at work in writing Cowper's " Task " or Wordsworth's " Excursion," both eminently subjective, are different from the mental forces at work irl writing Long- fellow's " Psalm of Life " or "The Day is Done," or Brennan's " Come to Me, Dearest," which are objective poems. In objective poetry the structure is light and airy, lit up as by the gay light of electricity, and the teachings merely suggestive ; the other structure subjective poetry is strong and ponderous, grave and staid, and its writers OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY. 237 may be termed teachers of their own experiences, thoughts and feelings. Subjective poetry is mostly written in the iambic rhythm and comprises not only poems of beauty, but poems of strength and grandeur. Objective poetry is more frequently written in the trochaic, anapestic and dactylic rhythms, light, tripping, airy, suggestive, and yet possessed of more outward beauty than any other class of poetry. Objective poetry expresses not facts, but fancies ; yet these fancies must have facts for a basis. Conciseness in poetry is a virtue often a necessity, and the writer of anapestic and dactylic verse cannot cram his lines like the writer of iambic verse, or they would be harsh and rugged. Then again, consonants dominate the vowels in our language, and the writer of anapestic and dactylic verse should make it unob- trusively alliterative, and thus artfully bevel the corners by the smoothing process of alliteration. Bring the liquids into use. THE LYRIC. The lyric poets form the largest class of singers. They are a kingdom unto themselves, and often they are too much engaged with their own feelings and emotions to have sym- pathy with the world about them. The lyric poet loves his muse, however, and feels that the muse loves him, and, like the bird, he warbles his joys and sorrows, his fears and aspirations, and the world is made better and brighter by his song. Lyric poetry is gaining rapidly in popular favor ; it today has more worshippers at its shrine than either the dramatic or epic, and goes hand in hand with the metrical romance. 2^g THE ART OF POE TR \ '. SECULAR SONGS. Secular songs that have endured for all time claim some notice. The poets of every age and clime have sung and will continue to sing of the beauties about them. Especially do they sing of love, that mightiest of all the passions. Facts and fancies, love and romances, sentiment and reflection, have all been food for the poet's imagination. What a world of melody and rhythm today delights human kind, written for us by the singers of all ages. Today -\ve are delighted constantly by some new words set to popular music. Today our song writers are as sentimental, as true to nature and as skilled as the writers of any other age. It is, however, the old songs, the songs of days gone by of the long ago, that we naturally go back to and inquire after. Burns, Bayly, Byron, Lover, Moore, Caroline Norton, Whittier, Longfellow, Holmes, and Tennyson have all written words that will be ever enduring. Bishop, Balfe, Claribel, Foster, Sullivan, and Winner have written music that have immortalized not only the words but the authors of both words and music. Ever have music and poetry been twin sisters. The world would be not beautiful without them. They are both a passion burn- ing in the human soul that makes the cold, bleak world warm with their inspirations. All peoples love songs. The rudest savages have songs of love and of war, of home and of country, of peace and of religion. The wild Cossack delights in his songs and sings of and to his love, with the same tenderness as the cultivated European. Ireland has ever been famous for her song writers. The Welsh and Scots have given to the world the sweetest of music. Germany has contributed her part. The singers OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY. 239 of all kindreds and of every clime have produced words and music which solace mankind. Let it not be supposed, however, that the popular song that has frequently handed the name of the author down to posterity is but the work of an idle moment. Thomas Moore's " Last Rose of Summer " is one of the most widely popular songs. Its sale in this country alone is estimated at over two million copies. It cost Moore deep meditation. He wrote the song for an old air, "The Groves of Blarney. " He tells us he was weeks composing just one of its lines before he succeeded in obtaining words that were suitable. Moore's Irish Melodies are full of the sweetest of songs songs that will be more and more appreciated in the future by a refined and cultivated public. None can, however, touch the popular heart more than the one we have just alluded to, a song of but three stanzas of eight lines each, written in anapestic rhythm. "The Last Rose of Summer " will be as popular with future genera- tions as it has been with past on2s, and had Moore never written anything else his name would be immortalized. We select the last stanza : S6 soon nifty I foll6\v, WhSn friendships dScay, As fr6m love's shining circle 1 The" gems drop Sway ! Wh6n trtte hearts &re withered, And fond ones Sre flown, 6h ! who would inhabit This bleak w6rld <116ne? Many accounts are given of how " Home, Sweet Home " came to be written. John Howard Payne, its author, was 240 THE ART OF POE TR Y. an American poet and playwright who had received a fair education and who made his living by his pen and on the stage. Like many actors, as well as writers, he was a spend- thrift and became stranded in Paris, France, the world's gay capitol. While all the world below was gayety and pleasure, he was the occupant of a poorly furnished room in the topmost story of a house in the Palais-Royale. Without friends, and temporarily without money, naturally enough these words suggested themselves to him : 'Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam, Be it ever s6 humble there's no place like home ; A charm frtim the skies seems t6 hal!5w Gs there, Which, seek throQgh the world, is ne'er met with elsewhere. H6me ! Home ! sweet, sweet home ! There's no place like home ! Oh, there's no place like home ! The words found a response in every heart. Over one hundred thousand copies of the song were sold the first year of its publication. Although Payne was never benefitted a penny thereby, it immortalized him. Its music is an old Calabrian air familiar to the peasant folk of Sicily. Sir Henry Bishop, who arranged the music, tells us that he obtained the air from an old army officer who served in Sicily. The rhythm of the poem is anapestic tetrameter. Stephen Collins Foster,* author of "The Old Kentucky * Stephen Collins Foster was born July 4, 1826, in Pennsylvania. He was a delicate child, and throughout life was of a quiet and retiring disposition. At the early age of thirteen he composed, "Sadly to My Heart Appealing," and at six- teen years of age, "Open Thy Lattice, Love." In after years he gave to the world, " Old Uncle Ned," "O Susanna," " Massa's in the Cold Ground," "Old Dog Tray," "Gentle Annie," and ' Come Where My Love Lies Dreaming." Foster not only composed the words, but the music to most of his songs. His was a peculiar musical talent, which has been recognized by musical celebrities, and his airs have been incorporated by many into concert fantasias. He died as he had lived, in neglect and poverty, at the early ageof thirty-seven, in 1864, in New York City. It is a sad commentary upon life to know the songs of this gifted writer are daily sung in almost every household, and still continue to delight the public on both sides of the Atlantic, and yet, no monument marks the last resting place of the author of " The Old Folks at Home." OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY. 241 Home," was a writer of still another class of songs indigen- ous to the United States. They are negro melodies, sad and quaint, and many of them will last forever. ' ' The Old Folks at Home ' ' in both words and air cannot be surpassed. Its rhythm is iambic : WSy down upon de Swaneg Ribber, Far, far away Dare's wha my heart is turning ebbe'r- Dare's wha de old f61ks stay. All up find down de whole creation, Sadly I roam ; Still longing for de old plantation, And for de 61d folks at home. All de world am sad and dreary, Eb'rywhere I roam ; Oh, darkeys, how my heart gr6ws wear^, Far from de 61 d folks at home. All round de little farm I wandered, When I was young ; Den many happy days 1 squandered; Many de songs 1 sung. When I was playing wid my brudder, Happy was I ; Oh ! take me to my kind 61d mudder ! Dare let me live and die ! One little hut among d6 bushes One dat I love Still sadly to my memory rushes, N6 matter where 1 rove. When will I see de bees a-hummmg, All round de comb ? When will I hear de banjo tiimmmg DOvvn in my good 6ld home ? 242 THE ART OF POETRY. Henry Russell is the author of " A Life on the Ocean Wave. " It is one of the most popular of the many beautiful songs of the sea. The British Admiralty adopted it as the march of the Royal Marines. It is iambic trimeter. We select the first stanza : A life 6n the ocean wave, A home 6n the rolling deep, Whgre the scattered waters rave, And the winds their revels keep ! Like an eagle caged, I pine, (5n this dull, tinchanging shore ; <5h ! give me the flashing brine, The spray &nd the tempest roar ! " The Bay of Biscay," by John Davy, and " Black-Eyed Susan," by John Gay, both favorites in their day, are still popular sea songs. A little romance is attached to one the prettiest of the old Scotch songs. Annie Laurie was no myth. She was born on the 1 6th day of December, 1682. Her father was Sir Rob- ert Laurie of Maxwelton, who lived on the opposite side of the river Nith, from Dumfries, Scotland. William Douglass wooed, but never won her. His song describing her beauty and his passion for her will render her name immortal. The fickle Annie preferred, however, to become the wife of Sir Robert Ferguson, who possessed riches as well as a name. The music of the song was composed by Lady Jane Scott, and both words and music will live for generations to come. We give the original words as they were first written, as numerous changes have been made to them since that time. The rhythm is iambic. OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY. 2 ^~ MaxweltOn banks are bonnie. Wh6re early fa's the dew ; Where me and Annie Laurie Made up the promise true; Made up th6 promise true, And never f<5rget will I ; And f6r bonnte Annie Laurie I'll lay me down and die. She's backlt like the peac6ck, She's breistit like the swan, She's jimp about the middle, Her waist ye weel micht span ; Her waist ye weel micht span, And she has a rolling eye ; And f6r bonnie Annie Laurie I'lMay me down and die. The poets of the Emerald Isle will ever be held in high esteem in the memories and hearts of all nations. The songs of her writers have a fervency and pathos that are unsurpassable. The old song from which we select the second stanza is ever dear to the heart of her countryman. This song is selected not only on account of the admirable words but also for the reason they are written in dactylic rhythm dactylic tetrameter: Over the green sea, Mavofirneen, MavoGrneen, Long sh6ne the white sail that bore thee away, Riding the white waves that fair summer mor-m', Just like a MayflSwer afloat 6n the bay. Oh, but my heart sank when clouds came between tts, Like a grey curtain 6f rain falling down, Hid fr6m my sad eyes the path 6'er the oceSn, Far, far away where my colleen had flown, THE ART OF POETRY. Then c6me back t6 Erin, Mavourneen, Mavourneen, Come bSck again t6 the land 6f thy birth ; Come back t6 Erin, Mavourneen, Mavourneen, And it's KJllarney shall ring with 6ur mirth. Claribel " Come Back to Erin." It requires only true manhood which is born of cultivation and civilization to appreciate anything which is beautiful, either of art or nature. And even the careless, the indiffer- ent, and the impatient lover of business will frequently turn aside and listen to such delicious songs of love as ' ' Ever of Thee I'm Fondly Dreaming," by Linley, "Her Bright Smile Haunts Me Still," by Carpenter, or " Love Not," by Caroline Norton. The field of song is one of the finest, and every poet has entered it, and many have told in song their tales of joy or woe that will never die. Burns sang of his ' ' Highland Mary," and nothing in afl of his wondertul productions is superior to it. "Mary of Argyle" by Nelson, is a beautiful song. It is mixed iambic and anapestic meter, but the pre- vailing foot is iambic. We select the first stanza : I have heard the mavis singing His love-sSng to the morn ; I have seen the dew-drSps clinging T6 the rose just newly born ; Btit a sweeter song has cheered me At the evetiing'is gentle close, And I've seen an eye still brighter Than the dew-dr6p on the rose ; 'Twas thy voice, my gentle Mary, And thine artless, winning smile, That made this world an Ed6n, Bonny Mary 6f Argyle. OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY. 245 " Only Friends and Nothing More," by Septimus Win- ner, one of the famous song writers of the New World, is a very pretty song. Alice Hawthorne who is accredited with the words was Winner's mother Hawthorne being her maiden name. Out of respect for his mother, her talented and gifted son has named her as the authoress of some of the most charming and delightful of songs. One, ' ' The Mocking-Bird," is world renowned, on account of the delicious melody of the music, and also the words of the song. The stanza selected from " Only Friends and Nofliing More," is iambic rhythm. We met Ss many have before N6r wished n6r hoped 16 meet again ; Ne'er dreaming of 6ur fate in store With days 6f pleasure or 6f pain. We met again with right g6od will Y6t paused when parting at the door ; We lingered with a sigh, btit still As only friends and nothing more. We lingered with a sigh, bflt still As only friends Snd nothing more. Old songs that still live and are in touch with the popular heart are many, but the quaint ones, the expressive ones, those that possess a distinctiveness of their own, are not so numerous as one would suppose. An old English song, a war song, entitled ' ' I Will Hang My Harp on a Willow Tree," is such an one. The measure is mixed, but the iambus is the prevailing foot. The anapest, however, is also found in almost every line. We select the first stanza : 246 THE ART OF POETRY. I'll hang my harp on a will6w tree, I'll off t6 the wars again ; My peaceful home his n6 charm for me, Th6 battlefield n6 pain ; Th6 Lady 1 love will soon be S bride, With a diadem 6n her brow. 6h ! why did she flatter my boyish pride, She's going t6 leave me now, Oh ! why did she flatter my boyish pride, She's going t6 leave me now. Tne four stanzas composing this grand old song are all first-class, although a little different from the war music of the present time. There is, however, something about the air that is fine, and music and words will still continue to find old as well as young admirers. The Civil War of the United States produced many great songs songs that stir the souls of men. Charles S. Hall's "John Brown's Body" will still go marching on. It caught the public feeling of the North the public sentiment. "Dixie," the great song of the South was composed by Gen. Albert N. Pike, the music by Dan D. Emmett. The music found a general response, not only in the South, but also in the North, and every school boy sang the song. The words are iambic rhythm, and there is genuine music in every word, as well as every note. ' ' Bonnie Blue Flag ' ' was also one of the great songs of the South, and was written by H. McCarthy. It is mixed iambic and anapestic measure, the iambic foot prevailing. No song of the South was, however, greater in words and music than " My Maryland," written in 1861 by James R. Randall. We select the third stanza : OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY. Th6u wilt not cowr in the dust, Maryland, my Maryland ! Thy gleaming sword shall nevgr rust, Maryland, my Maryland ! Remember Carr6ll's sacred trust, Remember Howard's warlike thrust, And all thy slumbere'rs with the just, Maryland, my Maryland ! We remember while a boy in college hearing Chaplain Charles C. McCabe, who had just been released from a Southern prison and was visiting at the home of that great and good uncle of his, Prof. L. D. McCabe, of the Ohio Wesleyan University, sing the ' ' Battle Hymn of the Republic." The song is by one of the grandest of woman- kind, Julia Ward Howe. Nothing we have ever heard found a greater response. As Chaplain McCabe' s voice went up it thrilled the very soul. The chorus was caught by all present, and men and women sang in the old William Street Church upon that occasion who never sang before. The song is in the iambic rhythm. We select the first stanza. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord ; He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes 6f wrath are stored : H6 hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword. His truth is marching on. Song writing, while it may not be the greatest conception of the poet's mind, is one that may serve to keep his mem- ory green. It requires feeling, tenderness and sympathy to write the sweet songs that must endure forever. 2 4 g THE A R T OF POE TK \ ' SACRED SONGS. How often have we listened in former days to good old hymns, designated by the minister as Long Meter, Short Meter, or Particular Meter. We did not then understand, or could we tell just what was meant by it. When, however, some good brother would start the tune, we could distin- guish and recognize the old familiar sound ; for in those days tunes were scarce. When we heard the following iambic stanza: 6 where shall rest be found, Rfist for the weary soul ? 'Twere vain the ocean's depths to sound, Or pierce t6 either pole. Montgomery. it was not difficult for us to distinguish the tune from the following, which the same brother, who always led the singing, would start, written in trochaic rhythm : 8s 73. Come, thou Fount 6f every blessing, Tune my heart t> sing thy grace. Streams Sf mercy never ceasing, Call f6r songs Sf loudest praise. Teach me some melodious sonnet, Sung by naming tongues above : Praise the mount I'm fixed tipon it ; Mount 6f thy redeeming love ! Robinson. Our ear soon taught us that this was Particular or Odd Meter. We could distinguish it from the first, known as OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY. short measure, or from this stanza in iambics, when the same good brother would start the tune again, and drawl its slow length on to the end : De^m not that they are blest alone WhSse days peaceful ten6r keep ; The 1 anointed Son 6f God makes known A blessing for the" eyes that weep. Bryant. This hymn was designated as Long Meter. These meas- ures were also to be distinguished from the following stanza in iambics, as I love t6 steal awhile away Fr6m every cumbering care, And spend the hours 6f setting day In humble, grateftil prayer. Mrs. Brown. This was known as common measure. The Wesleys, John and Charles, and Dr. Watts, have made these meas- ures familiar, and all remember the old hymns we learned at church, and are thankful for what they taught us. A stanza of four iambic lines, the first, second and fourth being trimeters ; the third line, tetrameter, is designated as Short Meter. A stanza of four iambic lines, the first and third being tetrameter, the second and fourth trimeter, is known as Common Meter. A stanza of four lines, rhyming in couplets, or alternately, in iambic tetrameter, is Long Meter. Particular or Odd Meter was formerly used to denote all other kinds of meter, as distinguishable from L. M. , S. M., C. M., etc. We have 250 THE ART OF POETRY. also what is known as the Hallelujah Meter, a stanza of six iambic lines, the first four being trimeter ; the last two tetrameter, or the last two lines may be separated into four lines, containing two iambics each, as All hail ! the glorious morn, That saw 6ur Saviour rise, With victory bright adorned, And triumph in his eyes ; Y6 saints, extol your risen Lord, And sing his praise with sweet accord. " Psalms and Hymns." Long Particular Meter is still another form of the stanza in which some of our hymns are written. The stanza is iambic. The six lines are tetrameter, the third and sixth rhyming together, the others rhyming in couplets, as Let mortals tremble and adore A God Sf such resistless power, N6r dare indulge their feeble rage ; Vain are your thoughts, and weak your hands, But his eternal counsel stands, And rules the world fr5m age 16 age. " Psalms and Hymns." All the above stanzas but one are written in iambics. The second stanza is in trochaic measure. The iambic is a favorite measure for hymns. OTHER METERS. But we have many beautiful hymns in other measures. Many hymns are designated as 8s and js, ys, 6s and 8s, 8s OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY. 25I and ys and 45, us, 123, etc. This simply has reference to the number of syllables contained in the line or verse of the stanza. A common form of our hymns is the trochaic tetrameter, lines of eight and seven syllables rhyming alternately. The line of seven syllables being catalectic. This form in our hymn books is denominated the 8s and ys. It would be much better were we to name it properly trochaic tetrameter. Hymns written in trochaic, dactylic, or anapestic meter are however, designated only by figures, giving us no clue to the rhythm. Were the name of the meter added, as, us, anapestic tetrameter, our hymns would be properly designated. The following stanza of an old hymn is in anapestic rhythm, 6s and QS : "6 h6w happy ftre they Wh6 the SavioQr 6bey, And have laid up their treasure above ! what tongue cSn express The sweet comf6rt and peace Of a soul in its earliest love ? " C. Wesley. The first, second, fourth and fifth lines are anapestic dimeter, the third and sixth anapestic tetrameter. Our hymns have been greatly improved in recent years ; not only have many new and beautiful ones been added, but the music has been vastly improved. We remember hear- ing an eminent divine once say, ' ' The church has all the good hymns, but the de'il has all the best tunes." This can no longer be said. Hymnology has kept pace with the 25 2 THE AR T OF POE TK Y. times. Such benefactors as Philip Phillips, Ira D. Sankey, P. P. Bliss and many others have revolutionized church hymns and church music. Some of our hymns are the most beautiful of songs. The slow and sorrowful iambics of the long, short and common meters are being replaced by sweet strains in trochaic, anapestic and dactylic rhythms. What can be more beautiful than the tender and pathetic hymn, written by Frances Laughton Mace. It is trochaic tetrameter. We give the first stanza : Only waiting till the shadSws Are a little longer grown ; Only waiting, till the glimmer Of the day's iSst beam hSs flown ; Till the night 6f earth is faded From the heart 6nce full 6f day ; Till the stars 6f heaven ftre breaking Through the twilight soft flnd gray. ''Only Waiting." Another woman, Sarah Flower Adams, has written for us another beautiful hymn. It is mixed measure, the iambic being the prevailing foot. The first, third, fifth and sixth lines are iambic trimeter ; the second, fourth and seventh lines, iambic dimeter. We give the first stanza : Nearer my God, t6 thee, Nearer t6 thee ! E'en though it be & cross That raiseth me ; Still all my song shall be Nearer my God, t6 thee Nearer to thee ! "Nearer My God to Thee." OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY. 253 Bishop Heber is the author of a beautiful hymn in dac- tylic rhythm. It is the us and IDS, dactylic tetrameter. We give the first stanza : Brightest and best 6f the sons 6f the morning, Dawn in 6ur darkness and lend us thine aid ; Star 6f th6 East, the h6riz6n adorning, Guide where 6ur Infant Redeemer is laid. " The Beautiful River " is still another of our hymns that will be sung until the children of earth are gathered on the other shore. It is trochaic tetrameter. We give the first stanza : Shall we gather at the river Where bright angel feet have trod ; With its crystal tide forever Flowing by the throne 6f God ? CHORUS Yes, we'll gather at the river, The beautiful, the beautiful river- Gather with the saints at the river, That fl6ws by the throne 6f God. Re v. Robert Loivry. The " Sweet By and By," a hymn in anapestic rhythm, is another of our popular hymns. We give the second stanza : We shall sing 6n that beautiful shore The melodious songs 6f the blest, And ftur spirits shall sorr6w n6 more N6t a sigh f6r the blessing 6f rest. 2 54 THE ART OF POETR Y. CHORUS In the sweet by-and-by, We shall meet 6n th<1t beaiitiftil shore, In the sweet by-and-by, We shall meet 6n th.1t beautiftil shore. 5". Filmore Bennett. While many beautiful hymns have been written, and old ones arranged to new music, there is a charm that lingers around many old ones, and they will never die. We mention " Old Hundred," written by Dr. Isaac Watts, it being a paraphrase of the one hundredth Psalm, the music by G. Franc, 1554 ; "Jesus, Lover of My Soul," Rev. Charles Wesley, 1740, the music by Simeon B. Marsh in 1798; "Rock of Ages," written by Rev. A. M. Toplady, 1776, and set to music 1830 by Dr. Thomas Hastings ; " Sweet Hour of Prayer," written in 1846 by Rev. W. H. Walford, arranged to music in 1859 by W. H. Bradbury. Many are the hymns that have survived for over one hundred years, and are fresh in the minds of the people today. THE ODE. Odes are of four kinds Sacred, Heroic, Moral and Amatory. The ode is one of the most elevated forms of lyric compositions. Ode, derived from the Greek, meaning song, originally meant any poem adapted to be sung. The ode is, however, to be distinguished from the song. It is the loftiest form of lyrical poetry, embodying as it does the most elevating thoughts and most intense emotions of the writer. It is usually written in an abrupt, concise and ener- OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY. 255 getic style. The meters are often irregular and are not arranged by any fixed stanzaic law, but by a deeper law that feeling which guides the soul of inspiration on and on, in rapt emotion, regardless of the demands of the stanza. Poetry may, however, lose immensely by not being governed by a fixed stanzaic law for much of its beauty depends upon the fixed regularity of its rhyme. Odes are, however, irreg- ular, and call forth the highest art of the poet in adapting the meters and cadences to the ever varying changes of sentiment and imaginative thought. THE SACRED ODE. Byron's Hebrew Melodies and Moore's Sacred Melodies contain fine specimens of lyrical beauty. Milton's ode on the " Nativity" is still another fine example: And on thSt cheek Snd o'er that brow S6 soft, s6 calm, sS e!6quent, ThS smiles thai win, the tints that glow, But tell 6f days Jn goodness spent, A mind St peace with all below, A heart wh6se love Ks Innftcent. Byron "She Walks in Beauty." THE MORAL ODE. Odes of this nature express sentiment suggested by friendship, humanity of heart, and patriotism. Lanier's " Ode to the Johns Hopkins University " is an example in iambic : 2 56 THE AR T V p POE TR Y. And here, finer Pallas, long remain, Stt on these Maryland hills, and fix thy reign, And frame a fairer Athens than of yore In these blest bounds 6f Baltimore, Hre, where the climates meet That each may make thS other's lack c6mplete, Where Florida's s6ft Fav6nian airs beguile The nipping North, where Nature's powers smile, WheYe Chesapeake h5lds frankly forth her hands Spread wide with invitation to all lands. Where now the eager people 1 yearn 15 find The" organizing hand that fast may bind Loose straws 6f aimless aspiration fain In sheaves 6f serviceable" grain, Here, old and new in one, Through nobler cycles round a richer sun 6'er-rule 6ur modern ways, blest Minerva of these larger days ! THE AMATORY ODE. It is better known as a love song. Most English and American poets have contributed to this great class of literature. Goethe, Schiller and Heine are the most cele- brated of the German writers who have contributed to this species of poetry. The Madrigal is a little amorous poem that may be properly classed under this head. Byron's "Maid of Athens," Tennyson's "Maud," and Burns' " Highland Mary" are among the finest specimens of our love songs, expressing refined sentiment and tender affection: 0, sad are they wh6 know not love, But, far fr6m passi6n's tears and smiles, Drift down a moonless sea and pass The" silver coasts of fairy" Isles. Thomas Bailey Aldrich " Sad Are They Who Know Not Love." OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY. 257 THE HEROIC ODE. Odes of this species celebrate and sing the praises of heroes and are mostly occupied with martial exploits. Lowell's " Commemoration Ode " and Coleridge's "Ode to France " are specimens of this species : Our fathers fought for Liberty, They struggled long and well, History of their deeds can tell Btit did thSy leave Os free ? Lowell "Fourth of July Ode." 'Twis at the royal feast, f6r Persia won By Philip's warlike son ; Aloft in awfQl state The Godlike her6 sate On his imperial throne ; His valiant peers were placed around, Their brows with roses and with myrtles bound (S6 should desert in arms be crowned.) The lovely Thais, by his side, Sate like blooming Eastern bride In flower 6f youth and beauty's pride. Happy, happy, happy pair ! None bfit the brave, None but the brave, None btit the brave deserves the fair. CHORUS Happy, happy, happy pair ! None but the brave, None bttt the brave, None bttt the brave deserves the fair. John Dryden "Alexander's Feast ; or, the Power of Music." Thtts bright forever may she keep Her fires 6f tolerant Freedom burning, Till war's red eyes are charmed t6 sleep And bells ring home the boys returning. John Hay " Centennial, " 25 8 THE ART Ol- POETRY. THE BALLAD. It is only in very enlightened communities that books are readily accessible. Metrical composition, therefore, which, in a highly civilized nation, is a mere luxury, is, in nations imperfectly civilized, almost a necessary of life, and is valued less on account of the pleasure which it gives to the ear, than on account of the help which it gives to the memory. A man who can invent or embellish an interest ing story, and put it into a form which others may easily retain in their recollection, will be always highly esteemed by a people eager* for amusement and information, but destitute of libraries. Such is the origin of ballad-poetry, a species of composition which scarcely ever fails to spring up and flourish in every society, at a certain point in the progress towards refinement. Tacitus informs us that songs were the only memorials of the past which the ancient Germans possessed. We learn from Lucan and from Am- mianus Marcellinus that the brave actions of the ancient Gauls were commemorated in the verses of Bards. During many ages, and through many revolutions, minstrelsy re- tained its influence over both Teutonic and the Celtic race. The vengeance exacted by the spouse of Attila for the murder of Siegfried was celebrated in rhymes, of which Germany is still justly proud. The exploits of Athelstane were commemorated by the Anglo-Saxons, and those of Canute by the Danes, in rude poems, of which a few fragments have come down to us. The chants of the Welsh harpers, preserved, through ages of darkness, a faint and doubtful memory of Arthur. In the Highlands of Scotland may still be gleaned some relics of the old songs about Cuthullin and Fingal. The long OF THE VARIOUS KIXDS OF POETRY. 259 struggle of the Servians against the Ottoman power was recorded in lays full of martial spirit. We learn from Herrera that when a Peruvian Inca died, men of skill were appointed to celebrate him in verses, which all the people learned by heart and sang in public on days of festival. The feats of Kurroglou, the great freebooter of Turkistan, recounted in ballads composed by himself, are known in every village of Northern Persia. Captain Beechey heard the Bards of the Sandwich Islands recite the heroic achievements of Tamehameha, the most illustrious of their kings. Mungo Park found in the heart of Africa a class of singing men, the only annalists of their rude tribes, and heard them tell the story of the victory which Darnel, the negro prince of the Jaloffs, won over Ab- dulkader, the Musselman tyrant of Foota Torra. This species of poetry attained a high degree of excellence among the Castilians, before they began to copy Tuscan patterns. It attained a still higher degree of excellence among the English and the Lowland Scotch, during the fourteenth, fifteenth, and sixteenth centuries. But it reached its full perfection in ancient Greece ; for there can be no doubt that the great Homeric poems aregenerically ballads, though widely distinguished from all other ballads, and indeed from almost all other human compositions, by tran- scendent sublimity and beauty. LORD MACAULAY. Among the modern poets, Schiller, Goethe, Hood, Cow- per, Carleton, Tennyson, Lang and Dobson have written some of the finest ballads. William Cowper's " John Gil- pin's Ride," is a ballad known to almost every one. .?6o THE ART OF POETRY. Thomas Campbell ranks as one of the best of English writers, and few ballads have been more popular with the general reader than "Lord Ullin's Daughter." Thomas Hood was an inimitable writer, one who could spin puns and take even the bright side of life when adversity was his almost constant companion. His " Faithless Nelly Gray " is a ballad that will ever be remembered, and his work abounds with good things in this species of poetry. Oliver Wendell Holmes has also given to the world some excellent ballads. Our common English ballads record in easy verse incidents and adventures. Here is a stanza of one of the earlier ballads : CHEW CHASE. " The 1 drivers through the wo6ds went For t6 rouse the deer, BowmSn hovered upon the bent 1 With their br5ad arr6ws clear, Then the wild deer through the wo6ds went >n every side full shear, 2 Greyhounds through the grftve glent 3 For t6 kill these deer." 1 Upland. 2 Many. 3 Chased. The ballad of today is in higher favor than poems of a didactic character. The ballads of the present day are not merely simple narratives without any symbolical meaning ; they are artistic tales, in conception grand, and in execution perfect, and are frequently of an exceedingly high order. Schiller's ballads are among his best poems, and he, without doubt, was second to none of Germany's great poetic geniuses. "The Diver" is one of his most fascinating OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY. 2 6l ballads. With admirable art the poet has heightened the effect of one of the best German stories by ornamenting the poem with those graces of description which were ever at his command. He selects anapestic rhythm, which he uses with such metrical beauty that from the commencement until the conclusion the reader is carried along entranced by the simple style of recital of which Schiller was a master. We select three stanzas : Then outspake the daughter in tender emotiSn "Ah ! father, my father, what more can there rest? Enough 6f this sport with the pitiless ocean He has served thee as none would, thyself hast cOnfest. If nothing can slake thy wild thirst 6f desire, Let thy knights put t6 shame the exploit 6f the squire ! " The King seized the goblet, he swung it 6n high, And whirling, it fell in the roar 6f the tide ; " BQt bring back that goblet again t6 my eye, And I'll hold the6 the dearest that rides by my side ; And thine arms shall embrace as thy bride, I decree, The maiden whSse pity n5w pleadeth for thee." And heaven, as he listened, spoke out from the space, And the hope that makes heroes shot flame fr6m his eyes ; He gazed 6n the blush In that beautiful face It pales at the feet 6f her father she lies ! H5w priceless the guerdOn ! a moment, a breath, And headl6ng he plunges t6 life and t6 death. John Hay is the author of "Jim Bludsoe, " " Banty Tim," and "Little Breeches," three excellent ballads in dialect. Mr. Hay is a fascinating author of both prose and poetry, whose verse has an air of polished personality. We have selected the following stanza from " Banty Tim," originally published in Harper s Magazine. 262 THE ART OF POETRY. L6rd ! how the" hot sun went f6r us, And br'Iled and blistered and burned ! H6w th6 Rebgl bullets whizzed r6und us When a cuss in his death-grip turned ! Till along toward dusk I seen a thing I couldn't believe f6r a spell : That nigger that Tim was a crawlin' t6 me Through that fire-pro6f, gilt-edged hell ! Oliver Wendell Holmes has written a ballad of early New England life entitled, " Agnes," from which we have selected the following stanza : The old, 61d story, fair and young, And fond, and not toS wise, That matrSns tell with sharpened tongue T6 maids with downcast eyes. Of Tennyson's ballads, " Locksley's Hall," "Lady Clare" " The Lord of Burleigh," and " Edward Gray" are the finest. No prettier ballad adorns the English language than ' ' Lady Clare : ' ' It was the time when lilies blow, And clouds are highest up in air, Lord Ronald brought a lily-white doe T6 give his cousin, Lady Clare. THE ELEGY. To be able to move the affections should be the greatest aim and effort of the poet. To be able to touch the heart- strings of mankind is a rare gift and power, and he who succeeds in doing so is a benefactor of mankind. One of our most delightful writers, who has given to the world dialect poetry that has pleased all mankind, refused the offer OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY. 263 of a large sum in the lecture field, that he might continue to write poems and give to the world his book offerings. He said there was a little monitor within his breast that told him this was a duty he owed to mankind. It is not, however, altogether his poems in dialect that makes Riley one of the most lovable of poets. He owes a greater part of his popularity to his power to reach the human heart in depict- ing the scenes of daily life, which he seizes upon and makes the themes of his poetry. Brush away the dialect from Riley 's poems and you still have thoughts and expressions that glitter like polished diamonds, and which carry you entranced throughout the reading, on account of the deep feeling that pervades his every thought. His lines are full of tender sympathy, simple pathos, and emotion, that finds a ready response in the hearts of men who cannot write, but who feel and see and know well that which is written, and are ready critics, capable of pronouncing just verdicts. To this class of readers Riley owes his wide popularity. His poetry is not unlike Gray, Burns, Moore, and Cowper, of the past generation ; and it ranks with Longfellow, Tenny- son, Whittier, Bryant, Holmes, and Lowell, of the present generation in its elegiac character. The elegy combines simplicity and pathos; and a tenderness that frequently springs from an overpowering melancholy. Elegiac poetry must necessarily be begotten of the finest impulse of the human soul. It is always of the mournful and somewhat contemplative class of poetry. It appeals directly to the sympathies of mankind. It may or it may not express grief, yet a tone of melancholy always pervades the senti- ment, frequently born of the burning heart-throbs of despair that seizes upon the gifted sons of song, from whose wretch- edness, and sorrow, and intense feelings thousands of readers receive joy and delight. 264 THE ART OF POETRY. Elegiac poetry is various in character. The grief that one heart expresses another pours out in a manner entirely different, although both show and express the tenderness and pathos of a sensitive and fine nature. Let us make a few selections from James Whitcomb Riley : When Bessie died We writhed in prayer unsatisfied ; We begged 6f God, and He did smile In silence on tis all the while ; And we did see Him, through 6ur tears, Enfolding that fair form 6f hers, She laughing back against His love The kisses we had nothing of And death t6 us H6 still denied, When Bessie died. " When Bessie Died." What can be more expressive than the stanza selected from the poem entitled, "Little Mahala Ashcraft ? " We select the fourth stanza. Its lines are iambic heptameter : They's sorr6w in the wavin' leaves 6f all the apple-trees ; And sorr6w in the harvest-sheaves, and sorr6w in the breeze ; And sorr6w in the twitter of the swallers 'round the shed ; And all the song her red-bird sings is " Little Haly's dead ! " "A Leave Taking" is a poem full of that rare beauty peculiar to the writings of Riley human nature vividly portrayed : I kiss the eyes On either lid, Where her I6ve lies FSrever hid. I cease my weeping And smile and say : 1 will be sleeping Thus, s6me day ! OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETR Y. 265 How beautiful these lines. Every word comes from the depths of deep thought, sad and reflective : Then the face 6f a Mother Io6ks back, throtigh the mist Of th6 tears that are welling ; and, lucent with light, I see the dear smile 6f the lips I have kissed As she knelt by my cradle, at morning and night ; But my arms are 6utheld, with a yearning to6 wild F6r any btit God in His love t6 inspire, As she pleads at the foot 6f His throne f6r her child, As 1 sit in silence and gaze in the fire. Riley " Envoy." " In the Dark " is another pathetic poem from which we have selected two stanzas : And I think 6f the smiling faces That used tS watch and wait, Till the click 6f the clock was answered By the click 5f the opening gate They are not there now in the evening Morning 6r noon n6t there ; Yet 1 know that they keep their vigil, And wait f6r me S6mewhere. The poet Coleridge has defined an elegy to be that form of poetry natural to the reflective mind. It may treat of any subject, but must treat of no subject for itself, but, always and exclusively with reference to the poet himself. Riley 's peculiar genius is such that while he may have many imitators there can never be but one Riley. If we read his poems as the swallow skims the air, we might be led to say there is nothing but frivolity and fun in all his writings. This is not true, however. While many of his 266 ?// ART OF POETR Y. poems abound in the pleasantries oflife and are mirth-provok- ing, few writers deal more directly with the sad perversities of life : N6w sad perversity ! My theme Of rarest, purest joy Is when, in fancy blest, I dream 1 am ft little boy. Riley ' ' Envoy. ' ' From deep sorrow ofttimes comes great joy, for out of sorrow or sadness may come joy to the sons of song, after the teardrops have been wiped away from the soulful eye. The misfortunes that seemingly are the inheritance of some of our great men of letters, have given the staid old world an inheritance in the writings of these gifted sons that delights and benefits mankind, even though these treasures are frequently wrung from their very heart's blood. The blind- ness of Milton gave the world some of the rarest of poetic gems. The melancholy of Gray gave the world an elegy that has never been equaled. The great elegiac effort of Tennyson, "In Memoriam," at the death of his friend, Arthur Hallam, is the echoings of a sad and sorrowful heart. Tennyson who was afflicted from his infancy with a lack of good eyesight, never mingled with the gay festivous world or dealt with its frivolities. To him the death of a friend like Sir Arthur meant something, and he sorrowed over his loss, and sorrowing gave to the world " In Memoriam :" I sometimes hold it half & sin T6 put in words the grief I feel : For words, like Natflre, half reVeal And half c&nceal the Soul within. OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY. 2 6j Bfit, for the tinquie't heart and brain, A use in measured language lies ; The sad mechanic exercise, Like dull narcotics, numbing pain. In words, like weeds, I'll wrap me o'er, Like coarsest clothgs against the cold ; Bttt that large grief which these Enfold Is given in outline and nft more. Tennyson " In Memoriam." William Cullen Bryant wrote ' ' Thanatopsis ' ' at the age of eighteen years. His own version of how it came to be written is here given : ' ' Wandering in the primeval forest over the floor of which were scattered the gigantic trunks of fallen trees, mouldering for long years, and suggesting an indefinitely remote antiquity, and where silent rivulets swept along through the carpets of dead leaves, the spoil of thous- ands of summers, the poem 'Thanatopsis' was composed." Richard Henry Dana, who was then one of the brilliant young editors of the North American Review, and who was himself a gifted poet, saw beauty in the lines and gave the poem to the world, its author's fame was made. Many beautiful lines of the elegiac character have since come from his pen. In "October, 1866," Bryant tenderly embalms the memory of one to whom he once addressed ' ' Oh Fairest of the Rural Maids. ' ' Frances Fairchild was the person to whom he addressed his song, and whom he wedded and afterwards lived with for nearly half a century. We select the eighth stanza of "October, 1866 : " I gaze in sadness, It delights me 1 not T5 look 6n beauty which th6u canst n6t see ; And, wert thdu by my side, trig dreariest spot We're, O, hftw far m6re beautiful t6 me. 268 THE ART OF POETR Y. These lines of ' ' Thanatopsis, " from which we quote, are a vivid picture of man's destiny. C6mes a still voice : Yet a fw days, and thee The all-beholding sun shall see n6 more In all his course ; nSr yet in the c6ld ground, Wh^re thy pale form was laid, with many tears, N6r in the embrace 6f ocean, shall exist Thy image. Earth, that nourished thee, shall claim Thy growth, t6 be resolved t6 earth again ; And, losi each human trace, surrendering up Thine individual being, shalt th6u go T6 mix fSrever with the elements ; T6 be a brother to the insensible rock, And to the sluggish clod, which the rude swain Tttrns with his share, and treads upon. The oak Shall send his roots abroad, and pierce thy mold. Robert Burns was one of Nature's darlings. No poet, past or present, has so truly depicted the joys and sorrows, the needs and wrongs, the follies, as well as the passions and virtues of mankind. In Burns the people of Scotland found a true representative, especially that strong race of middle life, from whence have sprung many of the sturdiest and best men. Burns, however, owes much of his lasting popularity to elegiac verse. It is said of Burns that he was grave, serious, contemplative, possessing a thoughtful mind. While he was the poet of the lowly and espoused their cause on all occasions, it is a mistake to esteem Burns " The simple Bard, r6ugh at the rustic plough." He was reserved and dignified in his demeanor and commanded the greatest respect among the very best literary men of his time. He was fairly educated, having received good instruction in all the common branches, suffic- OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY. 269 ient to enable him to write, and write correctly. Is it a wonder then, that one possessed of his high qualities, could write such lines of ideal beauty, born of study, genius and inspiration ? Ye banks find braes 6' bonnie Doon, H6w can y6 bloom sae fresh and fair; H6w can ye chant, ye 1 little 1 birds, And I sae weary fu' 6' care ! Th6u'lt break my heart, th6u warbling bird, That wantSns through the flowering thorn ; Th6u minds me 6' departed joys, Departed never to return ! Aft hae 1 roved by bonny Doon, TO see the rose find woodbine twine ; And ilkS bird sang 6' its luve, And fondly sae did I 6' mine. Wi' Iights6me heart 1 pou'd a rose, Fu' sweet upon its thorny tree ; And my fause luvgr stole my rose, Btit ah ! he left the" thorn wi' me. Burns "The Banks of Doon." Burns tells us in no mistaken strain, how dearly his friend, Captain Matthew Henderson, was esteemed for his good fellowship. His elegy, to use his own language, " is a tribute to the memory of a man I loved much." We select the fifth stanza : M6urn, little harebells o'er the lea ! Ye stately f 6xgl6ves fair t6 see ! Ye woodbines, hanging bonnilie, In scented bowers ! Ye roses on your thorny tree, The first 6' flowers ! "Lines on M. Henderson." 270 THE AK T OF POE TR Y. Noble and pathetic are the lines in memory of Mary Campbell, one whom Burns had loved. The words are sweet music, penned by a sad heart three years after the death of his Mary, in October, 1789, on the anniversary of her death. Th6u lingering star, with lessening ray, That lovest t6 greet the early morn, Again th6u ushere'st In the day My Mary from my soul wSs torn. (3 Mary ! dear departed shade ! Whe"re Is thy place 6f blissful rest ? Segst thou i thy lover lowly laid ? HearesTthou the 1 groans that rend his breast? That sacred hour can I f Orget, Can I fSrget the hallbwed grove, Where by the winding Ayr w6 met, T6 live Sue day 6f parting love ! Eternity will not efface Th5se recSrds dear 5f transports past, Thy Image at 6ur last embrace, Ah ! little thought we 'twas 6ur last ! Ayr, gurgling, kissed his pebbled shore, O'erhung with wild woSds, thickening green ; The fragrant birch, and hawthOrn hoar, Twined amorotis round the raptQred scene ; The flowers sprang want5n to be prest, The birds sang love On every spray Till too, toS soon, the glowing west Pr6claimed the speed 6f winged d3y. Still o'er these scenes my memory wakes, And fondly broods with miser care ; Time but th' Kmpressi5n stronger makes, As streams their channels deeper wear. OF THE VAKIOUS KINDS OF POETRY. 271 Mary ! dear departed shade ! Where is thy place 6f blissf Ql rest ? SSest thou thy lovr lowly laid ? HSarest thou th groans that rend his breast? " To Mary in Heaven." We could multiply examples from Burns, but one more will suffice, a stanza in memory of " Highland Mary," Mary Campbell of Dunoon, on the Firth of Clyde. Thy crystal stream, Aft6n, h6w lovely it glides, And winds by the cot whgre my Mary resides ; H6w wantftn thy waters h6r snowy feet lave, As gathering sweet flowerets shg stems thy clar wave. " Flow Gently, Sweet Afton." Emerson, while he may not rank with our most celebrated poets, has left a volume of poetry that finds a high place in literature. He is universally conceded to be one of the first of prose writers ; and we may add, to him the world is also indebted for poetry that must always be held in high esteem for its elevated thoughts. Emerson was a thinker. His poetry, therefore, is not of that dreamy nature peculiar to many of our most gifted artists in song. His poetry is refined, elegant and subtle, calm and serene. His poems are not characterized by that peculiar fever-heat which belongs only to the masters. To Emerson, however, we must credit one of the best of elegies. It was in memory of his lost child his ' ' hyacinthine boy. ' ' It was born of the sorrow that brings mankind to tears. It was born of that sorrow only those can feel and realize who have lost one most near and dear. It was born of that sorrow where tear- drops cease to flow, and the sorrowing heart ceases to be comforted ; and torn and rent, gives voice to its feelings in elegiac verse, verse that beats time to the aching heart- throbs, and tells its story in an outburst of sorrow. 272 THE ART OF POETRY. 6 child 6f paradise, B6y who made dear his father's home, In whose de6p eyes Mn read the" welfare of the times t6 come, I am to6 much bereft : Th6 world dishonored thou hast left. 6 truth's and nature's costly lie ! (3 trusted broken prophecy ! (3 richest fortftne sourly crossed ! B6rn for the future, to thg future lost ! Emerson ' ' Threnody. ' ' It was Lord Macaulay, we believe, who said Gray would go down to posterity with a thinner volume of verse than any other one of our great poets. Gray was a timid youth, one so fearful seemingly of mankind, that he was almost a recluse. Gray had a fine sensitive nature ; his fiber was more of heaven than of earth, and he was ill fitted to cope with anything rude or boisterous. His fellow studrnts accused him of being over fastidious, but his nature and organization was higher and he could ill enjoy their vulgar sports. Though not a writer of a great number of poems Gray has written what might be termed the greatest of all poems, his "Elegy Written In a Country Churchyard," completed and published in 1751. The favor in which it was received surprised even its author, who said sarcastic- ally, that it was owing entirely to the subject, and that the public would have received it equally well in prose. There is no poem in the English language more decidedly popular. It appeals to a feeling all but universal, applicable to all ranks and classes of society. The poem exhibits the highest poetic sensibility and the most cultivated taste. No poem in the English language is more figurative, nor is there any of greater metrical beauty. The popularity which it first OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY. 273 attained, today continues unabated. The original manu- script bequeathed by the poet to his friend, Mr. Mason, is still in existence. It sold in 1845 f r fi ve hundred dollars ; in 1854 it was a g am placed upon the market, bringing the fabulous sum of six hundred and fifty-five dollars. The original manuscript was written with a crow-quill, a favorite pen of the author, on four sides of a double half sheet of yellow foolscap, in a neat, legible hand. Gray had but one enemy in life the gout, from which he died. He lived contentedly and in comparative ease, devoting his time to travel and books, of which he was ever fond. A delicate, handsome, effeminate soul, he lived and died one of the greatest of literary geniuses. The entire elegy is here given : The curfew tolls the knell of parting day, The lowing herd winds slowly o'er the lea, The ploughman homeward plods his weary way, And leaves the world t6 darkness and t6 me. N6\v fades the glimmering landscape on the sight, And all the air a solemn stillness holds, Save where the beetle wheels his droning flight, And drowsy tinklings lull the distant folds : SSve that, fr6m yonder ivy-mantled tower, The moping owl does to the moon c6mplain C")f such Ss, wandering near her secret bower, Molest her ancient solitary reign. Beneath th6se rugged elms, that yew-tree's shade, Where heaves the turf in many a mouldering heap, Each in his narr6w cell f6rever laid, The rude forefathers of the hamlet sleep. 274 THE ART OF POETK V. The breezy call Of Incense- breathing morn, The swallOw twittering from the" straw-built shed, The cock's shrill clarion, or the echoing horn, NO more shall rouse them from their lowly bed. F6r them n6 more the blazing hearth shall burn, Or busy housewife ply her evening care ; N6 children run t5 lisp their sire's return, Or climb his knees the envied kiss t6 share. Oft did the harvest to their sickle yield, Their f urrOw 6ft the stubborn glebe has broke ; H6w jocund did they drive their team afield ! HSw bowed the woods beneath their sturdy stroke ! Let not ambitiOn mock their useftil toil, Their homely joys, and destiny Obscure ; NOr grandetir hear with a dlsdainf ill smile The short and simple annals of the poor. The boast 6f heraldry, the pomp Of power, And all that beauty, all that wealth e'er gave, Await alike the inevitable hour ; The paths Of glory lead btit to the grave. NOr you, ye proud, impute tO these the fault, If memory o'er their tomb nO trophies raise, Where through the long-drawn aisle and fretted vault The pealing anthem swells the note Of praise. Can storied urn, Or animated bust, Back to Its mansion call the fleeting breath ? Can honOr's voice prOvoke the silent dust, Or flattery soothe the dull cOld ear Of death ? Perhaps In this neglected spot Is laid SOme heart Once pregnant with celestial fire ; Hands that the rod Of empire might have swfuvd, Or waked tO ecstasy the living lyre ; OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY. BUt Knowledge to their eyes her ample 1 page Rich with th6 spoils 6f time did ne'er finroll ; Chill pentiry repressed their noble rage, And froze the genial current of the soul. Fflll many a gem 6f purest ray serene The dark ftnfathomed caves 6f ocean bear ; Ftill many a flower is born t6 blush tinseen, And waste its sweetness on the desert air. S6me village Hampdfin, that, with dauntless breast, Th6 little tyrant of his fields withstood, S6me mute inglorious MiltSn here may rest, S6me Cromwell guiltless of his country's blood. The applause 6f listening senates to cOmmand, Th6 threats 6f pain and ruin to despise, T6 scatter plenty o'er a smiling land, And read thgir history in a natiSn's eyes, Their lot fOrbade: n5r circumscribed alone Their growing virtues, but their crimes cSnfined ; F6rbade t6 wade through slaughter to a throne, And shut the gates 6f mercy on mankind, The struggling pangs 6f consciotis truth t6 hide, T6 quench the blushes of ingenuofls shame, Cr heap the shrine 6f luxtiry and pride With incense kindled at the Muse's flame. Far from the madding crowd's ignoble strife, Their sober wishes never learned t6 stray ; Along the cool sequestered vale 6f life They kept the noiseless tenor of their way. Yet even these bSnes from insult t6 pr6tect, S6me frail memorial still, erected nigh, With uncotith rhymes and shapeless sculpture decked, Implores the passing tribute of a sigh. 275 2j6 THE ART OF POETRY. Their name, their years, spelt by th' unlettered Muse, The place 6f fame and elegy supply : And many a holy text around she strews, That teach the" rustic moralist t6 die. # F6r who, t6 dumb fftrgetf tilness a prey, This pleasing anxious being e'er resigned, Left the warm precincts of the cheerf ftl day, X6r cast 6ne longing, lingering look behind ? On some f 6nd breast the parting soul relies, S5me pious drops the closing eye requires ; fi'en from the tomb the voice 6f nature cries, 'en in 6ur ashes live their wonted fires. F6r thee, who, mindful of th' unhon6red dead, Dost in these lines their artless tale relate : If chance, by lonely contemplation led, S6me kindred spirit shall inquire thy fate, > Haply s6me hoary-headed swain may say : Oft have wS seen him at the peep 6f dawn Brushing with hasty steps the dews away, T6 meet the sun Opon the upland lawn. There at the foot 6f yonder nodding beech, That wreathes Its old fantastic roots s6 high, His listless length at noontide would he stretch, And pore upon the brook that babbles by. Hard by y6n wood, n6w smiling, as In scorn, Muttering his wayward fancies, he would rove ; N6vv drooping, woeful-wan, like one f6rlorn, Or crazed with care, or crossed In hopeless love. One morn 1 missed him on the 'custSmed hill, Along the heath, and near his favorite tree ; Another came ; n5r yet beside the rill, N6r up the lawn, n5r at the wood was he : OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY. 277 The next, with dirges due, in sad array, Sl5w through the church-way path we saw him borne: Approach and read (for thou canst read) the lay Graved 6n the" stone beneath y6n aged thorn. THE EPITAPH. Here rests his head upon the lap 6f earth A youth t6 fortune and t6 fame unknown : Fflir Science frowned not on his humble birth, And Melancholy marked him fdr her own. Large was his bounty, and his soul sincere ; Heaven did a rec6mpense &s largely send ; He gave t6 misery (all he had) tear, He gained fr&m Heaven ('twas all he wished) a friend. N6 farther seek his merits to disclose, Or draw his frailties from their dread abode, (There they alike in trembling hope repose\ The bos6m of his Father and his God. It was Wolfe, the hero of Quebec, on the eve of that decisive battle, gliding down the St. Lawrence in the dark- ness of midnight with his fellow officers in a boat, who re- peated the elegy to them. At the close of the recitation said he : " Now, gentlemen, I would rather be the author of that poem than take Quebec !" In a few hours after- wards Wolfe had taken Quebec. Yet the path of glory led but to the grave. The elegy properly speaking may be classed as lyric poetry. Many other beautiful elegies might be given. Shelley's " Adonais" on the death of his friend and brother bard, John Keats, is one of the finest in the English language. John Milton's "Lycidas," commemorative of the virtues of 2 7 8 THE AR T OF POE TR Y. his friend, Edmund King ; Collins' " Dirge in Cymbeline, " and Burns' " Man Was Made To Mourn," are all fine speci- mens of elegiac verse. The elegy is one of the grandest of all departments in the realm of poetical literature. THE EPITAPH. An Epitaph is an inscription on a monument in honor or memory of the dead. Many of these inscriptions were formerly written in quaint and curious verse. Our ancestors were given to epitaphic writing more than the writers of the present day. Another definition given is, a eulogy in prose or verse composed without any intent to be engraven on a monument ; hence an epitaph may be termed a brief de- scriptive poem commemorative of the virtues of the dead. An epitaphic stanza in iambics : fire sm cotild blight Sr sorr6w fade, Death came with friendly care ; The opening bud t6 Heaven conveyed, And bade it blosstim there. Samuel Taylor Coleridge "Epitaph On An Infant." The following epitaph is also in iambic rhythm : StSp, mortal ! Here thy brother lies Th6 P66t of the Poor. His books wfire rivers, woods, and skies, The meadSvv and the moor ; His teachers were the torn heart's wail, The tyrant and the slave, The street, the fact6ry, the gaol, The palSce and the grave ! Sin met thy brother everywhere ! And is thy brother blamed ? Frf>m passiSn, danger, doubt, and care, He no exempti6n claimed. Ebenezer Elliott "A Poet's Epitaph." OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY. 2 "jg The following is an elegant epitaph in trochaic rhythm : Underneath this marble 1 hearse Lies th6 subject of all verse, Sydney's sister, PembrSke's mother. Death, ere thou hist slain Another Fair and wise and good as she, Time shall throw a dart at thee ! Marble piles let no man raise To her name m after days ; Some kind woman, born as she, Reading this, like Ni6be Shall turn marble, and become Both her mourner and her tomb. Benjonson "Epitaph on the Countess of Pembroke." The stanzas following are in iambic rhythm : Is there a whim-Inspired fool, Owre fast for thought, 6wre hot for rule, Owre blate t6 seek, 6wre proud t6 snool ; Let him draw near, And owre this grassy heap sing dool, And drap a tear. Is there a bard 6f rustic song, Wh6, noteless, steals the crowd among, ' That weekly this area throng ; 6, pass n6t by ; But, with a frater-feeling strong, Here heave a sigh ! Is there a man whSse judgment clear Can others teach the course t6 steer, Yet runs himself life's mad career, Wild as the wave ; Here pause, and, through the starting tear, Survey this grave. 2 8o THE AR T OF POE TK Y. The poor inhabitant below Was quick t6 learn &nd wise to know, And keenly felt the friendly glow, And sober flame ; But thoughtless follies laid him low, And stained his name ! Reader, attend, whether thy soul S&ars fancy's flights beyond the pole, Or darkly grubs this earthly hole, In low pursuit ; Kn6w, prudent, cautious self-cSntrol Is wisdSm's root. Robert Burns " A Bard's Epitaph. The lines following, in iambic rhythm, were written August aoth, 1755 : Beneath the stone brave BraddOck lies, Wh6 always hated cowardice, But fell a savage sacrifice ; Amidst his Indian foes. I charge you, heroes, of the ground, T5 guard his dark paviliOn round, And keep Off all Obtruding sound, And cherish his repose. Sleep, sleep, I say, brave, valiant man, B6ld death, at last, has bid thee stand, And to resign thy great cOmmand, And cancel thy cOmmissiOn ; Although thOu didst nOt much incline, Thy post and honOrs to resign, NOw irOn slumber doth c6nfine ; None envies thy c5nditi6n. Tilden "An Epitaph for Braddock." OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY. 2 8l *THE PASTORAL. Pastoral poetry, strictly speaking, is that which celebrates rustic or rural life or deals with the objects of external nature. In times gone by pastoral poetry was used to depict shepherd life by means of narratives, songs and dia- logues. The pastoral poems of Virgil were called Ec- logues. An Eclogue is a pastoral in which shepherds are represented as conversing. Theocritus wrote pastoral poems termed Idyls. An Idyl is a short descriptive pastoral. The term Idyllic poetry is now applied to the pastoral. This variety of poetry is very popular, and meets with a just appreciation by the public. Pastoral poetry depicts all the beauties of rural life, mountain scenery, lowland vales, majestic rivers, expansive lakes, rifting clouds, birds, beasts, insects, flowers, and rural scenes ; and rural sports in all their various phases, are subjects of this kind of poetry. Poems of nature are classed under this head, as the following iambic lines : (i). H6w beautiful is the rain ! After th6 dust and heat, In th6 broad &nd fiery street, In the narr6w lane, H6w beauttftil is the rain ! H6w ft clatters along the roofs, Like thg tramp 6f hoofs ! H6w it gushes and struggles out Fr6m the throat 6f the overflowing spout ! *For THE SONNET, see page 107. THE EPIGRAM, see page 203. 282 THE ART OF POETRY. Across the wind6w-pane It pours find pours ; And swift and wide, With a muddy tide, Like a river down the gutt&r roars The rain, the welcOme rain ! The sick man fr6m his chamber looks At the twisted brooks ; He can feel the cool Breath 6f each little pool ; His fevered brain GrOws calm again, And he breathes a blessing on the rain. Henry Wadsworth Lon&fellow " Rain in Summer. (2). G6ne, gone, s6 soon ! N6 more my half-crazed fancy there Can shape a giant in the air, N6 more 1 see his streaming hair, The writhing portent of his form ; The pale and quiet moon Makes her calm forehead bare, And the last fragments of the storm, Like shattered rigging from a fight at sea, Silent and few, are drifting over me. James Russell Lowell " Summer Storm. (3). H6w sweet, at set 6f sun, t6 view Thy golden mirr6r spreading wide, And see the mist 6f mantling blue F16at round the distant mountain's side. James Gales Percival "To Seneca Lake. OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY. 283 (4). Which is the wind that brings the flowers ? The west-wind, Bessie ; and soft and low The birdies sing in the summer hours When the west begins t6 blow. Edmund Clarence Stedman "What the Winds Bring." (5). Lithe and long as the serpent train, Springing and clinging fr6m tree t6 tree, N6w darting upward, n6w down again, With a twist and a twirl that are strange t6 see ; Never to6k serpent a deadlier hold, Never the cougar a wilder spring, Strangling the oak with the boa's fold, Spanning the beach with the cond6r's wing. William Gilmore Simms "The Grape- Vine Swing." (6). " Wh6 planted this 61d apple-tree ? " The children of that distant day Thus to s6me aged man shall say ; And, gazing on its mossy stem, The gray-haired man shall answer them : "A poet of the land was he, B6rn in the rude but good Sid times ; 'Tis said he made s6me quaint old rhymes On planting the apple-tree." William Cullen Bryant "The Planting of the Apple-Tree." (7)- A song f&r the plant 6f my 6wn native West, Where nature and freedom reside. By plenty still crowned, and by peace ever blest, T6 the corn ! the green corn 6f her pride ! 284 THE ART OF POETRY. In climes Of the East has the olive been sung, And the grape been the theme Sf their lays ; But fOr thee shall & harp Of the backwoOds be strung, Thou bright, ever beautiful maize ! William W. Fosdick"1\\z Maize." (8), But look ! 6'er the fall see the angler stand, Swinging his rod with skillful hand ; The fly at the end Of his gossamer line Swims through the sun like & summer moth, Till, dropt with & careful precision fine, It touches the pool beyond the froth. A-sudden, the speckled hawk Of the brook DSrts from his covert and seizes the hook. Swift spins the reel ; with easy slip The line pays out, and the rod, like a whip, Lithe and arrOwy, tapering, slim, Is bent tO a bow O'er the brooklet's brim, Till the trout leaps up in the sun, and flings The spray frOm the flash Of his finny wings ; Then falls On his side, and, drunken with fright, Is towed tO the shore like a staggering barge, Till beached at last On the sandy marge, Where he dies with the hues Of the morning light, While his sides with a cluster Of stars are bright. The angler in his basket lays The constellation, and goes his ways. Thomas Buchanan Read "The Angler." (9)- 6, fruit lOved of boyhoOd ! the Old days recalling ; When wood-grapes were purpling and brown nuts were falling ! When wild, ugly faces we carved in its skin, Glaring out throtigh the dark with a candle within ! When we laughed rOund the corn-heap, with hearts all in tune, Our chair a brOad pumpkin, our lantern the moon, OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY. 285 Telling tales 6f the fairy wh6 traveled like steam In a pumpkin-shell coach, with tw6 rats for her team ! Then thanks f5r thy present ! n6ne sweeter 6r better E'er smoked fr6m Sn oven 6r circled & platter ! Fairer hands never wrought at & pastry m6re fine, Brighter eyes never watched S'er its baking, than thine ! And the prayer, which my mouth is to6 full t& express, Swells my heart that thy shadow may never be less, That the days 6f thy lot may be lengthened below, And the fame 6f thy worth like a pumpkin-vine grow, And thy life be as sweet, and its last sunset sky Golden-tinted 3nd fair as thy own pumpkin-pie ! John Greenleaf Whittier "The Pumpkin." Tennyson's " Idyls of the King, " Burns' s "Cotter's Satur- day Night," Allan Ramsay's "Gentle Shepherd," Shen- stone's "Pastoral Ballads," are fine examples of pastoral poetry ; while Wordsworth, Cowper, and Swinburne abound in this excellent verse. Of our American poets, Longfellow, Whittier, Bryant, John Hay, James Whitcomb Riley, Bret Harte, and Joaquin Miller have poems that will rank with the best of English productions. THE DIDACTIC. It has been said no subject is so unpromising it has not been selected by some one as a beautiful theme. Didactic poetry ha c been oftenest employed in the presentation of the various themes thus selected ; for, differing from other poetry, its chief aim and object is instruction. Poetry of this species is accompanied with poetic reflection, illustrations and episodes. Didactic poems are often seemingly dry and prosaic ; they are, however, many of them full of interest, filled with noble thoughts, and when considered as poetical essays, 286 THE ART OF POETR V. may be classed among our finest literature considered from a purely moral and didactic standpoint. Many didactic poems, however, are highly ornamental in figurative language and metrical beauty : The "Essay on Criticism" and "Essay on Man" by Alexander Pope, Cowper's "Task," Wordsworth's "Ex- cursion," Dryden's "Hind and Panther," Campbell's "Pleasures of Hope." PHILOSOPHICAL. FSr from my dearest friend, 'tis mine t6 rove Through bare grey dell, high wood, and pastoral cove, ' His wizard course where hoary Derwfint takes, Thr6' crags, and forest glooms and opening lakes, Staying his silent waves, t6 hear the roar That stuns the tremulous cliffs 6f high L6dore, Where peace t6 Grasme're's lonely island leads T6 willowy hedgr6ws, and to emerald meads ; Leads to her bridge, rude church, and cottaged grounds, Kgr rocky sheepwalks, and her woodland bounds ; Where, bos&m'd deep, the shy Winander peeps 'Mid clustering isles, and holy sprinkled steeps ; Where twilight glens endear my Esthwaite's shore, And memory of departed pleasures, more. Fair scenes ! erewhile I taught, a happy child, The echSes of your rocks my carOls wild ; Then did n& ebb 6f cheerfulness demand Sad tides 6T joy fr6m Melancholy's hand ; In youth's wild eye the Iivel6ng day was bright, The sun at morning, and the stars at night, Alike, when first the valves the bittern fills Or the first woodc6cks roamed the moonlight hills. In thoughtless gayety I course the plain, And hope itself was all I knew 6f pain ; For then, even then, the little heart would beat At times, while young C6ntent f6rsook her seat, OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY. 287 And wild Impatience, pointing upward, showed, Where, tipped with gold, the mountain summits glowed. Alas ! the idle tale Of man is found Depicted in the dial's moral round ; With hope Reflection blends her social rays TO gild the total tablet of his days ; Yet still, the sport Of some malignant power, He knows but from its shade the present hour. Wordsworth " An Evening Walk. " Six years had passed, and forty ere the six, When Time began tO play his usual tricks : The locks Once comely in a virgin's sight, Locks Of pure brown, displayed th' encroaching white ; The blood, Once fervid, now tO cool began, And Time's strOng pressure to subdue the man. I rode Or walked as I was wont before, But now the bounding spirit was nO more ; A moderate pace would now my body heat, A walk Of moderate length distress my feet. I showed my stranger guest thOse hills sublime, But said, "The view is poor, we need not climb." At a friend's mansion I began tO dread The cold neat parlOr and the gay glazed bed ; At home I felt a more decided taste, And must have all things In my order placed. I ceased tO hunt ; my horses pleased me less, My dinner more ; 1 learned tO play at chess. I took my dog and gun, but saw the brute Was disappointed that 1 did nOt shoot. My morning walks 1 now could bear tO lose, And blessed the shower that gave me not tO choose. In fact, I felt a languOr stealing on ; The active arm, the agile hand, were gone ; Small daily actions into habits grew, And new dislike tO forms and fashions new. I loved my trees in order to dispose ; I numbered peaches, looked hOw stocks arose ; Told the same story 6ft, in short, began tO prose. George Crabbe "Tales of the Hall." 2 88 Till-: ART OF POETK Y. MEDITATIVE. 1 was a stricken deer, that left the herd L6ng since ; with many an arr6w deep infixed My panting side was charged, when I withdrew, T6 seek & tranquil death in distant shades. There was 1 found by one who had himself Been hurt by the archers. In his side he bore, And in his hands and feet, the cruel scars. With gentle force soliciting the darts, He drew them forth, and healed, and bade me live. Since then, with few associates, in remote And silent woods I wander, far from those My former partners of the peopled scene ; With few associates, and n6t wishing more. Here much I ruminate, as much I may, With other views 6f men and manners now Than once, and others of a life t6 come. 1 see that all are wanderers, gone astray Each in his own delusi6ns ; they are lost In chase 6f fancied happiness, still wooed And never won. Dream after dream ensues ; And still they dream, that they shall still succeed ; And still are disappointed. Rings the world With the vain stir. I sum ftp half mankind, And add tw6-thirds 6f the remaining half, And find the total of their hopes and fears Dreams, empty dreams. William Cowper "The Task." THE EPIC. The epic or heroic poem is the longest of all poetical compositions, consisting of a recital of great and heroic events. These events are represented as being told by the hero or some participant in the scenes. There should be a plot of interest and many actors therein; added to which are numerous episodes, incidents, stories, scenes, pomp and OF THE VARIOUS A'/XDS OF POETK Y. 289 machinery. This latter term signifies the introduction of supernatural beings, or, as Mr. Pope said, " a term invented by the critics to signify that part which the deities, angels or demons are made to act in a poem, without which no poem can be admitted as an epic." Fiction, invention and imagination are all used to an unlimited extent, and all re- counted in the most elevated style and language. Epic poetry is subdivided into two classes, the Great Epic and the Mock Epic. The Great Epic poem has for its subject some grand heroic action. English literature possesses the greatest of all epics Milton's ''Paradise Lost;" the Greek literature furnishes the " Iliad " of Homer, while Roman literature gives us the "^neid" of Virgil, and modern Italian literature gives us Dante's " Divine Comedy." None of our poets of late years have attempted a great epic poem, and few civilized races have produced more than one. Milton's " Paradise Lost," by many of our men of letters, is considered noble in style, unrivaled in language, artistic in construction. Ages have come and gone, yet Milton's grand epic is still considered a work of consummate art. All was false and holl6w; though his tongue I>r6pped manna, and could make the worse appear The" better reas6n, to perplex and dash Matures! counsels ; for his thoughts were low ; T6 vice industrious, but t6 nobler deeds Timorous and slothful : yet he" pleased the ear, And with persuasive accent thus began. Milton " Paradise Lost." THE MOCK EPIC. , The Mock Epic is a caricature of the Great Epic. Pope's "Rape of the Lock," and " The Battle of the Frogs and Mice," from an unknown Greek original, attributed to Homer, 2QO THE ART OF POETRY. are notable examples familiar to the reader. Mr. Pope says of the ' ' Rape of the Lock. ' ' "It will be in vain to deny that I have some regard for this piece, yet you may bear me witness it was intended only to divert a few young ladies who have good sense and good humor enough to laugh not only at their sex's little, unguarded follies, but at their own." And now, unveiled, the toilet stands displayed, Each silver vase in mystic order laid . First, robed in white, the nymph intent, adores, With head Uncovered, the c6smetic powers. A heavenly image in the glass Appears, T6 that she bends, t6 that her eyes she rears ; Th' inferior priestess, at her altar's side, Trembling begins the sacred rites 6f pride, tjnnumbered treasures ope at once, and here The various offerings of the world appear ; Fr6m each she nicely culls with curious toil, And decks the goddess with the glittering spoil. This casket India's glowing gems unlocks, And all Arabia breathes fr6m yonder box. The tortoise here arid elephant unite, Transformed t5 combs, the speckled and the white. Here files 6f pins extend their sinning rows, Puffs, powders, patches, Bibles, billet-doux. N6w awful beauty puts 6n all its arms ; The fair each moment rises in her charms, Repairs her smiles, awakens every grace, And calls f5rth all the wonders of her face ; Sees by degrees a purer blush arise, And keener lightnings quicken in her eyes. The busy sylphs surround their darling care, These set the head, and those divide the hair, Some fold the sleeve, whilst others plfiit the gown ; And Betty 's praised f6r labors not hCr own. Pope " The Rape of the Lock. OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY. METRICAL ROMANCE. 291 The Romance is a narrative of love and heroic adventure. It possesses many of the qualities of the Epic poem and ranks next in the order of poetry. It is a tale in verse but little less elevated than the Epic. The passion of love which does not appear in the Grand Epic is usually the lead- ing feature of the Romance, and instead of the machinery of the Epic we have ghosts, witches, elves, fairies, fire worship- ers, veiled prophets, and the peri. Metrical romances, for the mere pleasure of reading, give greater delight than any other species. We have many romances in rhyme, both ancient and modern, and it is not difficult to find examples. The " Fairy Queen " by Spenser, written in that peculiar stanza which now bears his name the Spenserian is an elegant romance, the ' ' Canterbury Tales ' ' by Geoffrey Chaucer, Scott's "Lady of the Lake" and "Marmion," Keats' "Eve of St. Agnes," Thomas Moore's " Lalla Rookh," Lord Lytton's " Lucile," and Longfellow's " Evangeline " are among the best romances and metrical tales. They glide, like phantdms, Int6 the wide hall ! Like phantOms to the ir6n porch they glide, Where lay the porter in Qneasy sprawl, With a hQge empty flag6n by his side : The wakefQl bloodhotind rose and shook his hide, BOt his sSgaciotts eye an inmate owns ; By one, and one, the bolts fflll easy slide ; The chains lie silent on the footwfirn stones ; The key ttirns, and the door Qpon its hinges groans. Keats "The Eve of St. Agnes." 292 THE ART OF POETRY. A metrical tale of exquisite beauty is one of Mr. Charles Algernon Swinburne's latest productions a story of Ar- thurian days, entitled "Tale of Balen." It is preeminently melodious, being wonderful in musical expressions, and harmonious in words, and withal a singular grace and rare simplicity of style. Notice the beautiful rhythm of the follow- ing stanza: Swift from his place leapt Balen, smote The liar across his face, and wrote His wrath in blood upon the bloat Brute cheek that challenged shame f6r note H6w vile a king born knave may be. F6rth sprang their swords, and Balen slew The knave ere well 6ne witness drew 6f all that round them stood, 6r knew What sight w3s there t6 see. The following is another beautiful stanza from the poem. It. is a nine line stanza, composed of a quatrain and a five line stanza. The first four lines of the stanza are fourfold rhymes, the fifth and ninth lines rhyme, while the sixth, seventh and eighth lines of the stanza are threefold or triple rhymes. It is an elegant stanza, brisk and spirited in style iambic measure : As thought frOm thought takes wing and flies, As month 6n month with sunlit eyes Tramples and triQmphs in its rise, As wave smites wave t5 death and dies, SO chance 6n hurtling chance like steel Strikes, flashes, and is quenched, ere fear Can whisper hope, Or hope can hear, If sorrOw 5r joy be far or near For time to hurt 6r heal. OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY. 293 METRICAL HISTORY. The Historical poem is a narrative of public events. Dryden's "Annus Mirabilis " is a noble example. Macau- lay's " Lays of Ancient Rome" may also be classed under this head ; so, too, ballads descriptive of battles may be classed as metrical history. THE DRAMA. It is to Greece we must give praise for the invention of the Drama. It was first invented and exhibited at the festi- vals of the god Dionysus. The ancient Greek writers tell us that the drama originated in the choral song. Aristotle tells us it had its origin in the singers of dithyramb. While the drama had its origin in pantomimic dances and choral singing, it was slowly purified from its extraneous mixtures. While lyric poetry by means of musical expression by language of mental emotions aims to represent human actions, the drama consists of an impersonal representation by the dramatist or an animated conversation of various individuals from whose speech the movements of the story is to be gathered ; thus it is constructed on the one hand with dialogue, and on the other with every other species of poetry. The movements and thoughts of the drama are so lively and the expectation of the issue so vivid that this class of poetry surpasses all others in interest and intensity. The drama from Greece was introduced into Rome and from there into other parts of Europe, where after years of decline, change, and struggle, with the vicissitudes of the age, about the middle of the sixteenth century it extricated itself from its ancient fetters. In the early years of Christianity actors were denied baptism, and the decree of the church was 294 THE ART OF POETRY. followed by an edict of the Emperor Julian. The drama, however, was finally appropriated by the clergy, and plays known as Miracle Plays and Moralities followed as a result. The Passion Plays of Germany had their origin in this manner. "The Passion of Our Saviour" is still in exist- ence and played at Ammergau and is said to be the only miracle play which has survived. It is played by about five hundred peasants instructed by the village priest, who con- ducts it morally and reverently, and it is largely attended by the peasants of Bavaria and all parts of Tyrol. These plays originated in Europe about the beginning of the elev- enth century and most of them had their ending about the middle of the fifteenth century, and with their decline the drama proper began to flourish. The drama is divided into two classes, the Tragedy, and Comedy. The first known tragedy of England was the joint production of Mrs. Norton and Lord Buckhurst, and was known variously as ' ' Ferrex and Porrex " or as " Gor- budoc." It was written about 1562. The first comedy was written about the middle of the sixteenth century, 1551, by Nicholas Udall, and was entitled " Ralph Roister Doister." Blank verse was first introduced into dramatic composition in " Ferrex and Porrex," but the play was dull and heavy and not a success. Between this time and the advent of Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe was the best-known writer of the drama. The plays of ' ' Edward II. " and ' ' Dr. Faustus " were said to contain passages unsurpassed by even Shakespeare, It was Marlowe who first introduced blank verse upon the public stage. We pass Shakespeare's prede- cessors, Lyle, Kyd, Marlowe, Peele, Greene, Lodge, Nash, Chettle and Munday, who were all writers of more or less note in their day and time ; the drama in their time, though OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY. 295 far from being in a crude state, lacked much of being in a state of full development. Shakespeare was a man of broad vision ; his genius as the poet of the drama was then, as it has remained since, unsurpassed. At first he began to retouch and rewrite some of the old plays of his prede- cessors. Described as an actor and unknown as a writer, with times and conditions favorable to the development of the English drama he was quick to discover the material at hand, which soon made his fame a fame that still shines brighter than that of any other poet living or dead. He devoted himself to English and Roman history, and as a result his historic dramas reached a perfection that has never before nor since been attained. Shakespeare was a great poetical genius ; he used blank verse with the skill of the consummate master that he was, and his tragedies and his comedies established themselves for all time to come as ex- amples of the highest type. His historic themes became the perennial models of the modern historic drama. The influence of the diction and versification of Shakespeare can- not be overrated ; in his characterizations he has never been equaled, while his plays furnish models in every phase of human life and are a mirror of humanity. Goethe and Schiller contributed to the German drama. Goethe's "Faust," " Ipigenia " and " Tasso " are masterpieces of the art of dramatic poetry. Schiller contributed "Don Carlos," " Wallenstein " and "William Tell" as master- pieces of his genius, a genius bright as electric light, illumin- ating the pathway of those to follow who seek the field of literature. Sir Edward Bulwer-Lytton contributed to the modern English drama the " Lady of Lyons" and "Rich- elieu," both of which found great favor. Sheridan gave an impulse to the genteel comedy that is felt to the present day. 296 THE ART OF POETR Y. THE TRAGEDY. Tragedy is earnest and serious, and deals with the great and sublime actions oflife. It is generally written in blank heroic verse. Its diction should be elevated. The calam- itous side of life with tragic events is placed before the public gaze with a view to arouse pity, fear, or indignation, or it may be of noble deeds in connection with life's events. The subjects of tragedy are various. Shakespeare has given to the world ' ' King Lear, ' ' ' 'Othello, " " Macbeth, " " Hamlet, ' ' "Julius Caesar," "Romeo and Juliet," and many other plays of great merit which the reader may well refer to with profit. "Virginius" is a fine example of the tragedy. THE COMEDY. Directly the opposite of tragedy is comedy, which seeks to represent all the follies and foibles of human life, and has only an eye to the ridiculous and ludicrous. Its humor, however, should always be refined and its ending be ever happy. Comedy deals largely in satire, and its caricatures are often grotesque. THE DIVISIONS OF THE DRAMA. These constitute acts, which are in turn subdivided into scenes. The regular drama is limited to five acts. The first should present the intrigue, the second should develop it, the third should be filled with incidents forming its com- plication, the fourth should prepare the means of unraveling, the fifth should unravel the plot. OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY. 2 gj THE FARCE. It is a short play in which ridiculous qualities and actions are greatly exaggerated for the purpose of exciting laughter. The dialogues and characters are usually taken from inferior ranks. THE TRAVESTY, OR BURLESQUE. It is a humorous dramatic composition where things high and low are commingled. Common thoughts and topics are invested with artificial dignity, and the forms and express- ions of serious drama are imitated in language of a ludicrous character. THE MELODRAMA. The melodrama is a combination of the tragic and comic interspersed with song and music and gorgeous scenery. Its drama is genteel comedy and is perhaps more popular with the theater-going world than any other species of drama. Oliver Goldsmith's "She Stoops to Conquer," Sheridan's "Critic" and Jefferson's " Rip Van Winkle" are excellent illustrations. THE BURLETTA. It is a musical drama of a comic nature. THE PROLOGUE. An introduction in verse to be recited before the represen- tation of the drama. 298 THE ART OF POE TR Y. Imagine yourself then, good Sir, in a wig, Either grizzle 6r bob never mind, yoti Io6k big. You've a sword at your side, in your shoes there are buckles, And the folds 6f fine linen flap over your knuckles. Vofi have come with light heart, find with eyes that are brighter, Fr6m a pint 6f red Port, and a steak at the Mitre ; Yoti h^ve strolled from the Bar and the purlieus 6f Fleet, And you turn frSm the Strand mt6 Catherine Street ; Thence climb t6 the Iaw-I6virig summits 6f Bow, Till you stand at the Portal all play-g6ers know. See, here are the 'prentice Lids laughing And pushing, And here are the seamstresses shrinking and blushing, And here are the urchins wh5, just as to-day, Sir, Btizz at you like flies with their "Bill 6' the Play, Sir ? " Yet you take 6ne, n6 less, and yofl squeeze by the chairs, With their freights 6f fine ladies, and mount tip the stairs ; SO issue at last 6n the House in its pride, And pack yourself snug in a box at the side. Austin Dobson Prologue to Abbey's Edition of "She Stoops to Conquer." THE EPILOGUE. An address in verse to the audience at the conclusion of the drama. It is usually intended to recapitulate the chief incidents, and draws a moral from them. THE ENVOY. It is a sort of postscript appended to poetical compositions to enforce or recommend them. Go6d-bye 16 you, Kelley, your fetters are broken Good-bye t6 you, Cumberland, Goldsmith has spoken ! Good-bye t5 sham Sentiment, moping and mumming, For Goldsmith has spoken and Sheridan's coming ; And the frank Muse 6f Comedy laughs in free air As she laughed with the Great Ones, with Shakespeare, M5liere ! Austin Dobson Envoy to Abbey's Edition of "She Stoops to Conquer." OF THE VAX IOCS KINDS OF POETRY. THE SUBJECTIVE DRAMA. 299 The drama of the human soul, teaching the lessons of human struggle to the higher stages of life. Goethe's mas- terpiece, "Faust," is a high type of this species of the drama. Life is made up of incessant toils and struggles to nobler ends. This poem is grand, bringing together as it does, the tragedies and the comedies of human life into a perfect state of reconciliation. THE OPERA. The opera is a dramatic composition set to music and sung on the stage, accompanied with musical instruments and enriched with magnificent dresses, machinery, dancing, and songs. Thus made up of music, dancing, decoration, and poetry, it is intended to please the sight, and must be judged more from the standpoint of its being able to secure popular applause and favor than from any real intrinsic literary merit. To the opera of the present day more of its success frequently lies in its decorations and pantomimic character than to the parts sung or spoken. The opera of today is patterned after the French, Italian, and German. THE SATIRE. The satire in character is allied to the didactic, and is intended to reform the abuses it attacks. The satirical poem is a composition in which wickedness or folly is ridi- culed, censured, and held up to reprobation ; hence it is an invective poem. Satirical poetry is divisible into three classes, Moral, Personal and Political. Of the first class, Pope's " Moral Essays" and the satires of Horace furnish fine examples. THE ART OF POE TR Y. TO rest, the cushion and s6ft dean tnvlte, WhO never mentions hell to" ears pOlite. Pope "Moral Essays. 'Tis education forms the comniOn mind ; Just as the twig ifs bent the tree's inclined. Idem. Satirical poetry is also used for the purpose of exposing the weaknesses, the absurdities or vices of men. Derision, irony, mockery, sarcasm, or burlesque may be employed. Of these personal satires, excellent examples may be found in Dryden's " MacFlecknoe, " it being a personal attack on a rival dramatist. ' ' English Bards and Scotch Reviewers, ' ' by Lord Byron, is perhaps the greatest of all personal satires. Being attacked by critics and held up to ridicule, he replied in a way that gave evidence of his mighty genius and in turn ridiculed nearly all critics and poets of the author's day and time. Still must I hear ? shall hoarse Fitzgerald bawl Hts creeklng couplets in & tavern hall, And I n6t sing, lest, haply, Scotch reviews Should dub me scribbler, and denounce my muse? Prepare fOr rhyme I'll publish, right Or wrong : FoOls are my theme, let satire be my song. Byron "English Bards and Scotch Reviewers." SO the struck eagle, stretched upon the plain, NO more through rolling clouds to soar again, Viewed his Own feather on the fatal dart, And winged the shaft that quivered in his heart. Idem. OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY. 301 As soon Sefik roses in December, Ice in June ; H6pe constancy in wind, 6r corn in chaff. Believe woman, or &n epitaph, Or any other thing that's false, before YoQ trust in critics. Idem. The " Dunciad," by Alexander Pope, is an excellent satire of this kind, one in which he vilifies all writers by whom he had been vilified. Under the same head we may be allowed to class James Russell Lowell's "A Fable for the Critics," one of the finest productions of its kind in the English language, of a very different nature, however, from the satires of Dryden, Byron and Pope. Lowell's satire was written for the purpose of provoking friendly rivalry, and not for the purpose of giving offense. His portraits and caricatures were, however, droll, and the colors were laid on with no sparing hand ; yet the tone of " A Fable for the Critics " was so good-natured that no one ought to have taken offense, although some of his thrusts left embittered memories. There c6mes Poe with his Raven, like Barnaby Rudge, Three-fifths 6f him genius and two-fifths sheer fudge, Wh6 talks like a book Of iambs and pentameters, In a way t6 make people 6f commSn sense damn meters, Wh6 has written s6me things quite the best 6f their kind, But the heart s6meh6w seems ail squeezed out by the mind, Wh6 but hey-day ! What's this ? Messieurs Matthews and Poe, You must n5t fling mud-balls at LongfellOw so, D6es it make a man worse that his character's such As t6 make his friends love him (as you think) to6 much? Why, there is n6t a bard at this moment alive M6re willing than he that his fellSws should thrive ; While you are abusing him thus, even now HS would help either one 6f yott out 6f a slough ; 302 '1'ffE AR T OF POE TR > . YoQ may say that he's smooth and all that till yoQ're hoarse, Bat remember that elegance alsS is force ; After polishing granite as much as you will, The heart keeps its tough 61d persistency still ; Deduct all you can that still keeps you at bay, Why, he'll live till men weary 6f Collins and Gray. I'm not 6ver-fond 6f Greek meters in English, T6 me rhyme's a gain, s6 it be n6t to6 jinglish, And your modern hexameter verses are no more Like Greek 6nes than sleek Mr. Pope is like HomeY ; As the roar 6f the sea t& the coo 6f a plgetin is, S6, cftmpared t6 yottr moderns, sotinds old 1 may be toft partial, the reas6n, perhaps, 6't is That I've heard the 5ld blind man recite his 6\vn rhaps6dies, And my ear with that music impregnate may be, Like the poor exiled shell with the soul 6f the sea, Or as one can't bear Strauss when his nature is cloven T6 Its deeps within deeps by the stroke 6f Beethoven ; But, set that aside, and 'tis truth that I speak, Had Theocritus written in English, n6t Greek, I believe that hjs exquisite sense would scarce change a line In that rare, tender, virgin-like pastoral, Evangeline. Lowell " A Fable for the Critics Satires of a political nature are written in the interest of some great political party, or its candidates. Dryden's "Absalom Achitophel," Butler's" Hudibras," and Lowell's "What Mr. Robinson Thinks," are all first-class political satires. The satire of Lowell is from his " Bigelow Papers." It was not an ephemeral production, as such satires usually are, but was well received then and has ever since been appreciated by a reading public. Mr. Lowell has written this satire in the Yankee dialect, and has thus helped to preserve this quaint type of New England speech. OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY. 303 Guvener B. is 3. sensible man ; He stays t6 his home 3n' looks artgr his folks ; H draws his furrr &z strait 6z he can, And intfer n&body's tateY-patch pokes ; Btit J6hn F. R6bins6n he Sgz he wQnt vote fer GiiveneY B. James Russell Lowell " What Mr. Robinson Thinks." THE DIALECTIC People of the same country do not always speak the same language. In our own country we have many varieties or peculiar forms of the English. These peculiarities of speech may be termed dialectics. America having a more diversiloquent population than any other race on the globe, there are necessarily more dialectics. These varieties are found in all parts of the country. In New England we have the Yankee dialect ; in the South we have the Negro dialect ; on the Western plains we have a dialect peculiar to the cow- boy, the mountaineer and the miner ; in the interior we have a dialect peculiar to a large class of Westerners which has received the euphonious name of the Hoosier dialect. " Unzer Fritz" in America has produced what is known as the German dialect, while Patrick has given to us a mixture of his brogue, which is known as the Irish dialect ; on our western coast John Chinaman has given us a mixture of his tongue, and we have what is known as the Chinese dialect. Is it a wonder America is a land where dialectic poetry flourishes? England has dialects peculiar to her own province. So, too, the W'elsh and the Scotch. The Scotch dialect Burns has immortalized, and beauty teems in every line of his Lowland Scotch. The peculiar charm which attaches to the dialect of the Irish-American, and the 304 THE ART OF POETRY. native talent and wit possessed by the Irish people, together with the "bulls" and mistakes that necessarily happen in conversations, has made the Irish dialect quite a favorite in this country, and much excellent as well as amusing poetry is the result. Our German cousin has ever furnished amuse- ment for men like Charles Pollen Adams, a Massachusetts poet, who has made a decided success with his favorite dialect the German. Riley's poems in Hoosier dialect are inimitable, unsurpassable and never-dying. The provincial- isms of our Western folk are as indelibly fixed by Riley as was the Scottish by Burns. James Russell Lowell was the author of good dialectic poetry, and many others' of our bright- est and best authors have indulged in the temptation. Bret Harte is still another one of those peculiar geniuses that have touched the chord-strings of the human heart ; and his dialectic poems are the best of their kind, describing the dialect of the far West and the peculiarities of its multigen- erous inhabitants. Dialectic poetry has gained so great a prominence in the literature of today that we have con- cluded to classify it under a distinct head, although it em- braces many species or varieties of poetry. GERMAN DIALECT. Charles Pollen Adams has furnished some Anglo-Teutonic verse that will ever be appreciated by the reading public. Adams is a Boston business man who has, during his leisure moments, for recreation and pastime, written of the troubles and trials of the Strauss family. He has demonstrated himself a master of the art. I don'd vSs preaching vomSn's righdts, (*)r anydlng like dot, tTnd 1 likes t6 see all beoplgs Shust g6ndentd mlt dhelr lot ; Of- THE VARIOL'S KINDS OF POETRY. 305 Budt I vants t6 g6ndradict d&t shap D6t made dis leedle shoke : "A vomSn vas der glinging vine, tTnd man der shturdy oak." Adams "Der Oak und der Vine." You vouldn't dink mine frau, If you shtist look at her now, Vhere der wrinkles on her prow Long haf been, Vas der fraulein bliimp und fair, Mit der wafy flaxen hair, Wh6 did vonce mine heart enshniire Mine Katrine. Adams "Mine Katrine. Dhere vas many qveer dings, in dis land 6ffder free, t neffer could qvite understand ; D6r beoples dhey all seem s6 deefrent t6 me As dhose in mine own faderland. Dhey gets blendy droubles, find ind6 mishaps, Mltoudt der least bit Off a cause ; tTnd, vould you peiief id? dh6se mean Yangee chaps, Dhey fights mit dheir moder-m-laws ! Adams "Mine Moder-in-Law." I'm a proken-hearted Deutscher, V6t's vill'd mit crief und shame. I dells you vot der drouple ish : I doosn't know my name. You dinks dis fery vunny, eh ? Ven you der schtory hear, You vill n6t vonder den s6 mooch, It vas s6 schtrange find queer. Mine moder had dwd leedle twins ; Dey vas me find mine broder : Ye lookt s6 fery mooch alike, N5 von knew vich vr6m t6de"r. 306 THE ART OF POETR Y. V&n off der poys was " Yawcob," tTnd " Hans " der oder's name : But den it made n& tifferent ; Ve both g6t called der same. Veil ! von 6ff us g6t tead, Yaw, Mynheer, dot ish so ! But vedder Hans 6r Yawc6b, Mine moder she d6n'd know. fjnd so I am in drouples : I gan't kit droo mine hed Vedder I'm Hans v6t's lifing, Or Yawcob vot is lead ! Adams "The Puzzled Dutchman." IRISH DIALECT. Poems in this dialect are very popular with the reading world. They are usually very droll, yet full of pith and point. One by Charles Pollen Adams will serve to illus- trate our meaning. "The greatest burd to folght," says Pat, " Barring the agle, is the duck ; He has 3 foine large bill to peck, And plinty of rflle Irish pluck. "And, thin, d'ye moind the fut he has? Full as broad over as H cup ; Sh6w me the fowl upon two ligs That's able fer to thrip him up ! " " Pat's Logic." " Arrah, boys, it's meself that will tell ye, And that I can do pretty soon, Of the incidents strange that befell me, When t traveled up tft the moon. 307 OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY. I heard that qu&re sowls did reside there, S6 1 in a balloon wint 6ne day, And as swift as & race-h&rse did ride there, Fr6m earth disappearing away. CHORUS. " I tell yott th6 truth 6n my honftr, H6w I traveled tip in a balloon ; F6r sure it's meself, Paddy C6nn6r, That journeyed smack up t6 the moon." Anonymous " Paddy's Balloon Ascension." "Oh, 'twas Norah M'Frisky I met 6n the road T6 the Fair 6f Traiee, as I trotted away ; C*>n her breast, a gossoon, a mSst beautiftil load, And the Image of Paddy, each gossip did say. "Arrah, Norah, my honey, is it you I see there? " " 'Tis, MiirtOch, avic, I'm off t6 the Fair." " If that's what yoQ're at, N6rah, faith its all right ; We'll set 6ff together, we'll be there at night. And we'll drink t6 the Lynches, The beautiful Clinches, The Murphys, 6'Ryans, The Duffys, the Brians, The Careys and Learys, , The Laughlins, 6'Shaughlins, The Wheians, the Phelans, 6'Conneils, 6'D6nnells, The Fogartys, Doughertys, The Burkes and M'Gurks, The Nolans and Folans, The Kiernans and Tiernans, The Rogans and Brogans, The Lacys and Caseys, That keep op the fun and the frolick galore." " The Fun at the Fair." 3 08 THE ART <;/ POETR V. " Wid all c6nd6sclnshin, I'd turn your attmshin T6 what I would minshun 6v Erin s5 green ; An' widout hesitashin I'd show h5w that nashin Became 6v crSashin the gem and the queen." "The Origin of Ireland." Oh ! Erin, my country, thOugh strangers may roam The" hills and the 1 valleys I once called my home, Thy lakes and thy mountains n6 longer 1 see, Yet warmly as ever my heart bSats f6r thee, Oh ! coush la machree ! my heart b6ats f5r thee, Erin, Erin, my heart beats f6r thee. Charles Jeffreys "Oh ! Erin, My Country." Tr6th, Nora! I'm wadin' Thg grass an' paradin' ThS dews at your dure, wid my swate sSrenadin', Alone and fSrsakSn, Whilst you're nev6r wakin' T6 tell m& you're wid mS an' I am mistaken ! James Whitcomb Riley "Serenade To Nora." WESTERN DIALECT. Some very excellent poems have been written in this dialect by Francis Bret Harte. Mr. Harte is a master of the art of versification. It w;ls August th6 third, And quite soft was the skies ; Which it might bS inferred That Ah Sin was likewise ; Yet he played it that day tip6n William And me in a way I despise. Bret Harte " Plain Language from Truthful |ann-s. " OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY. 309 t Say there ! P'r'aps S6me on you chaps Might know Jim Wild ? Wgll, no Offense : Thar ain't n6 sense In gittin' riled ! Bret Harte " Jim. ' ' I've seen & grizzly show his teeth ; I've seen Kentucky Pete Dr&w out his shooter 'n' advise A "tenderfoot " ter treat ; But nuthin' ever tuk m& down, 'N' made my benders shake, Like that sign about the doughnuts Like my mother used ter make. Charles Pollen Adams " Mother's Doughnuts." Western dialect is still further exemplified by what is termed Hoosier dialect, a speech peculiar to the people of some of the western states, yet of a little different type from those beyond the Rockies. Many excellent poems are written in this dialect. We have made a few selections : " 'Scurious-like," said the tree-t6ad, "I've twittered fer rain all day ; And I g6t tip soon, And hollered till noon But the sun, hit blazed away, Till I jest cltimb down in a crawfish-hole, Weary at heart, and sick at soul ! James Whitcomb Riley "The Tree-Toad." A thing 'at's 'bout as tryin' as a healthy man kin meet Is some po6r feller's funeral a-joggin' 'long the street : The slow hearse and the hosses slow enough, 16 say the least, Fer tft even tax the patience of the gentleman deceased ! 3io THE ART OF POETRY. The slow scrunch of the gravel and the slow grind of the wheels, The slow.'Slow go 6f ev'ry woe 'at ev'rybody feels ! S6 I ruther like the contrast when I hear the whiplash crack A quickstep fer the hosses, When the Hearse C6mes Back! James Whitcomb Riley "When the Hearse Comes Back." " P6ur us out another, Daddy," says the feller, warmin' up, A-speakin' 'crost & saucerful, as Uncle tuck his cup, " When I seed yr sign 6ut yander," he went on, t6 Uncle Jake, - " 'C6me in find git s6me coffee like yer mother used t6 make '- t thought 6f my 6ld mother, and the Posey county farm, And me a little kid agin, a-hangin' in her arm, As she set the pot a-bilin', broke the eggs and poured 'em in '' And the feller kind 5' halted, with a trimble in his chin. James Whitcomb Riley " Like His Mother Used to Make." He's fer the pore man ever' time ! And in the last campaign He stumped 61d Morgan County, through the sunshine and the rain, And belt the banner up'ards from a-trailin' in the dust, And cut Io6se on monopSlies and cuss'd and cuss'd and cuss'd ! He'd tell s6me funny story ever' now and then, you know, Tel, blame it ! it waz better 'n a jack-6'-lantern show ! And I'd g6 furder, yit, t6-day, to hear 51d Jap n6rate Than any high-tSned orator 'at ever stumped the State ! James Whitcomb Riley "Jap Miller." Nothin' ever .made we madder Than fer Pap t6 stomp in, layin' On a' extra fore-stick, sayin' "Groun'hog's out and seed his shadder ! " James Whitcomb Riley "Old Winters on the Farm." OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY 3*1 Rec'lect th6 worter drappm' In the troff s6 still 'nd clair, 'Nd we'd hunker down 'nd drink ft, Still a drappm' in 6ur hair ; Rec'lect ytt how it tasted, S6rter sootMn' like 'nd sweet, f a feller jest could buy ft You could tap me fer & treat. Joe S. Reed " Stirrin' Off." CHINESE DIALECT. Mr. Harte has given us a specimen of this dialect in "The Latest Chinese Outrage," a poem in anapestic rhythm of unusual merit in descriptive resources, metrical beauty and amusing incidents. We select the fourth stanza. Then we axed f6r parley. When out 5f the din T6 the front c6mes a-rockin' that heathen, Ah Sin ! " Yott owe flOwty dollee me washee you camp, YoQ catchee my washee me catchee n6 stamp ; One dollar hap dozen, me n6 catchee yet, N6w that flSwty dollee n6 hab? h6w can get? Me catchee yoti piggee me sellee f6r cash, It catchee me licee you catchee no ' hash ' ; Me belly goSd Sheliff me lebbee when can, Me allee same halp pin as Meltean man ! Btit Melican man, He washee him pan On bott6m side hillee And catchee h6w can ? " SOUTHERN DIALECT. The dialect peculiar to the South is known as the Negro dialect. Many excellent poems are written in this dialect, 3 I2 THE ART OF POETRY. many of them quaint and laughable. We have selected an admirable poem and give it entire, entitled " De 'Speri- ence of de Reb'rend Quacko Strong " : Swing dat gate wide, 'Postle Peter, Ring de big bell, beat de gong, Saints find martyrs den will meet dSr Brudder, Reb'rend Quack6 Strong ! Sound dat bugle, Angel Gabr'el ! Tell de elders loud an' long, Cl'ar 6ut dem high seats 6b heaben, Here c6mes Reb'rend Quack6 Strong ! Turn de guard 6ut, Gen'ral Michael, Arms present, d6 line along, Let de band play "Conk'rm Her6 " For de Reb'rend Quack6 Strong. Den bid Moses bring de crown, &n' Palms, Sn' weddin' gown along ! Wid pr6cessi6n to de landin', Here's de Reb'rend Quacko Strong. Joseph, march d6wn wid yotir bred'ren, Tribes, an' banners musterin' strong ; Speech 6f welcome from 61e Abram, Answer, Reb'rend Quack6 Strong. Tune your harp-strings tight, King David, Sing your good (3le Hundred song, Let de ser6phs dance wid cymbals 'Round de Reb'rend Quack6 Strong. Angels hear me yell HSsanner, Hear my dulcem speritobl song ; HalleluyCr ! I'ma-comin', I'm de Reb'rend Quack6 Strong. Ob' THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY. Make dat white r6be raddr spacious, And the waist belt strordn'ry long, 'Cause 'twill take s6me room in glory For de Reb'rend Quack6 Strong. What ! No 6ne at de landm' ! 'Pears like sufFn' 'nudder's wrong ; Guess I'll gib dat sleepy Peter Fits fr5m Reb'rend Quack6 Strong. What a narrar little gatewSy ! My ! dat gate Sm hard t6 move, " Who Sm dat? " says 'Postlg Peter From dS parapet above. Unclg Petfer, don't yofl know me 1 Me a shinin' light s6 long ? Why de" berry niggSrs call m& Good 61e Reb'rfind Quack6 Strong. Dun'n6 me ! why ! I've cftnvarted Hundreds 6' darkies in a song, Dun'n6 me ! n6r yet my massa ! I'm dg Reb'rgnd Quack6 Strong ! Ole Nick's comin' ! I can feel it Gettin' warmer all about. Oh, my good, kind Kernel PetSr, Let trig in, I'm all to6 stout To g6 'long wid Maj5r Satan Int6 dat warm climate 'mong Fire an' brimstone. Hear m knockin', Ole church member, QuackS Strong. Dat loud noise am comin' nearer, Dreffle smell like powder smoke ; "Nudder screech ! Go6d heaben help me Lord, f6rgib dis poor 61e moke. 313 THE ART OF POETRY. Allers was sS berry holy. Singin' and prayin' extra long ; Now de debblg's gwine t6 catch me, Poor 61e nigger, QuackO Strong. HI ! dat gate swings back a little, Mighty squeezin' to get froo ! Ole Apolly6n howlin' louder, Everything around am blue. Bang de gate goes ! an' Beelzebub, Bunch 6b wool tipon his prong, Goes along widout de soul ob Missabtil sinner, name 6b Strong Anonymous. Few prettier selections can be made than the following : A PLANTATION LULLABY. Mammy's little pickaninny gwine 16 go t6 sleep Hush a by-by, hush a by. Doan' yo' hear de coon-d6g bayin' loud an' deep ? Hush a by-by, hush a by. Mock-birds' notes a-callin', doan' y6' hear 'em sing? Pappy's gone a hiintin', an' a possfim home'll bring. There's w6termel6ns coolin' In the shadders 6' de spring. Hush a pickaninny, an' a by-by. There's sweet pertaters bilin' an' a ham bone t6 boot, Hush a by-by, hush a by. Pappy's got a graveyard rabbit's left hind foot, Hush a by-by, hush ft by. S6 hush a pickaninny while de soiit' winds moan, Go t6 sleep s6 mammy can g6 lieb y6' all alone, Fer she's goin' t6 make y6'r pappy a big c6'n pone. Hush a pickaninny, an a by-by. Roy Farrell Greene. OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY. YANKEE DIALECT. 315 The Yankee dialect is peculiar to our New England States. It has a quaintness about it that makes it very pleasant read- ing. James Russell Lowell has given to the world the finest specimens of this dialect. We select a poem entitled " The Courtin'," which in the excellence of its description is not exceeded : G6d makes sSch nights, all white an' still Ftir'z you can look 6r listen, Moonshine an' snow 6n field an' hill, All silence an' all glisten. Zekle crep' up quite unbeknown, An' peeked in thru' the winder, An' there s6t Huldy all alone, 'Ith no 6ne nigh t6 hende'r. A fireplace filled the room's 6ne side With half a cord 6' wood in, There warn't n6 stoves (tell comfSrt died) T6 bake ye to a puddin'. The wa'nut logs shot sparkles out Towards the pootiest, bless her ! An' leetle flames danced all about The chiny on the Agin the chimbley crook-necks hung, An' in amongst 'em rusted The ole queen's arm thet Gran'ther Young Fetched back ft 6m C6nc6rd busted. The very room, c6z she was in, Seemed warm fr6m floor to ceilin'. An' she Io6ked full as rosy agin Ez the apples she was peelm'. 3 1 6 THE AR T OF POE TK \ '. 'Twas kin' 6' kmgdOm-come to look On sech a blessed cre'tttr', A dogrOse blushin' to Si brook Ain't modester nor sweeter. He was a sijc foot 6' man, A I, Clean grit an' human natur'; None couldn't quicker pitch & ton NOr dror a furrer straighten He'd sparked it with full twenty gals, He'd squired 'em, danced 'em, druv 'em, Fust this One, an' then thet, by spells, All is, he couldn't love 'em. But 'long 0' her his veins 'ould run All crinkly like curled maple, The side she breshed felt full 6' sun Ez a south slope in Ap'il. She thought 116 v'ice hed sech a swing Ez his'n in the choir ; My ! when he made Ole Hundred ring She knowed the Lord was nigher. An' she'd blQsh scarlit, right in prayer, When her new meetin'-bunnet Felt somehOw thru' its crown a pair 0' blue eyes sot upon it. Thet night ; I tell ye, she looked some ! She seemed tO've gut a new s6ul, F6r she felt sartin-sure he'd come, Down to her very shoe-s61e. She heered a foot, an' knowed it, tii, A-raspin' on the scraper, All ways t5 once her feelln's flew Like sparks In- burnt-tip paper. OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY. He kin' 6' 1'itered on the mat, S6me doubtfle 6' the sekie ; His heart kp' goin' pity-pat, But her'n went pity Zekie. An' yit she gin her cheer a jerk z though she wished him f urder, An' on her apples kep' 16 work, Parin' away like murder. " You want t6 see my Pa, 1 s'pose ? " " Wai no I come dSsignin' " " T6 see my Ma ? She's sprinklm' clo'es Agin tS-morrer'si'nm'." T6 say why gals Set so 6r so, Or don't, 'oftld be presumTn'; Mebby t6 meanyPs an' s3y no C6mes nateral t6 women. He stood fl spell 6n one fo6t fiist, Then stood a spell on t'other, An' on which one he felt the wiist He couldn't hS' told ye, niither. SSys he, "I'd better call agin "; Says she, " Think likely Mister " : Thet last w6rd pricked him like a pin, An' wal, he tip an' kist her. When Ma bimeby upon 'em slips, Huldy s6t pale 6z ashes, All kin' 6' smily roun' the lips An" teary roun' the lashes. F6r she was jes' the quiet kind Whose naturs never vary, Like streams that keep a summer mind Snow-hid in Jeno6ary. 317 THE ART OF POETRY. The blood cl6st roun' her heart felt glued Too tight for all expressm', Tell mother see h&w metiers stood, An' gin 'em both her blessm'. Then her red come back like the tide D6wn to the Bay 6' Fundy, An' all 1 know Is, they was cried In meetm' come n6x' Sunday. James Russell Lowell. THE SCOTCH DIALECT. The Scotch is a very popular dialect. From the time it was first brought into general notice and rendered ever- enduring by the sweetest of Scotland's singers, Robert Burns, it has always been read with delight by the public. We give the following selections. ThoQ hast sworn by thy God, my Jeanie, By that pretty white hand 5' thine, And by a' the lowing stars in heaven, That Ihou wad aye be mine ! And I hae sworn by my God, my Jeanie, And by that kind heart 6' thine, By a' the stars s6wn thick 6wre heaven, That thou shall aye be mine ! Allan Cunningham " Thou Hast Sworn by Thy God, My Jeanie." He was a gash and faithful tyke, As ever lap a sheugh 6r dike. His honest, sonsie, baws'nt face, Aye gat him friends in ilka place. His breast was white, his touzie back \Veel clad wi' coat 6' glossy black ; His gaucy tail, wi' upward curl, Hting o'er his hurdles wi' a swirl. Burns " Twa Dogs." OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY. My heid is like to rend, Willie, My heart is like t6 break ; I'm wearin' aflf my feet, Willie, I'm dyin' for yotir sake ! 6, lay yotir cheek t6 mine, Willie, Yotir hand 6n my bri fist-bane, 6, say ye'll think 6n me, Willie, When I 3m deid and gane ! William Motherwell" My Heid is Like to Rend, Willie." Shotild auld acquaintance be fOrgot, And never brought t& min' ? Shotild auld acquaintance be f6rgot, And days 5' lang syne ? For auld lang syne, my dear, F6r auld lang syne, We'll tak a cup 6' klndnfess yet, F6r auld lang syne. Robert Burns "Auld Lang Syne." CHILD DIALECT. Listening to the dialect of children has ever furnished us some of our happiest hours, as well as most pleasing affec- tions. Simple and artless, it is nevertheless engaging to both old and young. Mr. Riley's "Rhymes of Child- hood" and "A Child World" are rare, grand gifts to mankind. A selection from "Maymie's Story of Red Riding Hood " is here given : An' nfin Riding Hood She say " Oh-me-6h-my ! Dran'ma ! what big White long sharp teeth yoQ dot! " N6n old WSlfsays: " Y^s an' they're thataway " an' drovvled "They're thataway," he says, " t6 eat yott wiv ! " 3 20 THE ART OF POETRY. An' nen he 1st jump at her, But she scream' An' scream', she did s6's 'at the Man 'At wuz a-choppin' wood, yoii know, he hear, An' come S-runnin' In there wiv his ax ; An', 'fore the old W6lf know, what he 's about, He split his old brains out an' killed him s' quick It make' his head swim ! An' Red Riding Hood She wtizn't hurt at all ! An' the big Man He looked her all safe home, he did, an' tell H6r Ma she's all right an' ain't hurt at all An' old W&lfs dead an' killed and eveY'thing ! S6 her Ma wuz s6 tickled an' s6 proud, She glved him all the good things t' eat they wuz 'At's in the basket, an' she tell him 'at She 's much Sblige', an' say t6 "call adin." An' story's honest truth an' all s6, too ! James Whitcomb Riley. My Pa he ist fished an' fished ! An' my Ma she said she wished Me an' her was home ; an' Pa Said he wished s6 worse 'n Ma. James Whitcomb Riley "The Fishing Party. NONSENSE. " A little nonsense now and then Is relished by the wisest men." The writing of a nonsensical verse is a pleasure indulged in by some of our most excellent writers. The rhymes of our childhood Mother Goose's Melodies are familiar to almost every one, and it made very little difference what the wording of them was so that the measure and rhythm were perfect ; in fact, Mother Goose has some of the most com- OP' THE VARIOUS KIXDS OF POETRY. 321 plex lines to be found in poetry.* Where, however, the measure and rhythm are perfect, words make but very little difference in writing what are termed nursery rhymes, and nonsensical songs. " The Owl and the Pussy Cat," one of Lear's " Nonsense Songs," is one of the best of its kind extant. Lear has a book in which many good songs of this species may be found. They will repay the reading where one has any desire for the quaint. Billowy are the metrical waves of this nonsensical song ; leaping and bounding, billow upon billow, leaping higher on the middle or line rhymes, the waves surge and lash each other in beautiful sounds to the end of the stanza ; all nonsense, it is true, and yet pleasing in the highest degree to the ear. The owl and the pussy-cat went 6ut t6 sea In a beautiful pea-green boat ; They took s6me honey, and lots 6f money Wrapped up in a five-p&und note. The owl looked up t6 the moon above, And sang 16 his light guitar, "0 pussy, pussy, 6 pussy, my love, What a beautiftil pussy you are, you are ! What a beautiful pussy you are ! " Pussy said t& the owl, " You elegant fowl, H6w charmingly sweet you sing ! C5me, let tis be married to6 long we have tarried; BQt what shall we do f6r a ring? " S6 they sailed away f6r a year and a day, T6 the land where the bong-tree grows, And there in the wood a piggy-wig stood, With a ring in the end 6f his nose, his nose A ring in the end 6f his nose. * Mary Goose, wife of Isaac Goose, the author of " Mother Goose's Melodies," lived and died in Boston, Massachusetts, and was buried in Old Christ's Church Cemeterv. 322 THE ART OF POETRY. " D6ar pig, are you willing to sell f6r 6ne shilling Your ring ? " Said the piggy, "I will "; S6 they took it Sway, find were married next day, By the turkey wh6 lives 6n the hill. They dined tipSn mince, and slices 6f quince, Which they ate with a runcibie spoon, And hand in hand 6n the golden sand They danced by the light 6f the moon, the moon They danced by the light Of the moon. Edivard Lear "The Owl and the Pussy Cat. Jarnes Whitcomb Riley has some excellent verses of this species. Mr. Riley delights in amusing mankind, and few authors have been more prolific in writing poems that cause men to forget troubles and laugh heartily at the eccentricities of life. We make two selections : A little D6g-W6ggy Once walked round the World : S5 he shiit up his house ; and, f6rgetting His two puppy-children Lftcked In there, he curled tip his tail in pink bombazine netting, And set out T6 walk round The World. James Whitcomb Riley "The Little Dog-Woggy. " Dainty Baby Austin ! Your Daddy's gone t6 B6st6n T<3 see the King Of O6-RInktfim JIng And the whale he rode acrost on ! James Whitcomb I\iley "The King of Oo-Rinktiim-Jing." OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY. 323 THE VERSICLE. A little verse, a metrical toy. Poets of all ages past as well as present, have taken delight in writing these momen- tary thoughts suggested by the occasion of passing incidents. Many of them, however, are very bright and deserve a place in the household of poetry. Our magazines and news- papers furnish a never-ending amount of them. We make the following selections : WHAT SHE DIDN'T KNOW. " That darling girl knew everything, Kn6w Hebrew, Latin, Greek Yes, several other languages With fluency could speak. "Of music, art, embroidery, She had a thorough knowledge, And many other things besides That girls are taught at college. " The only thing she didn't know (N6r could the maid c6nceal Her ign6rance 6f that) was how T6 cook a decent meal. " But did that make the maiden less Desirable to me ? N6, she was rich, and could afford T6 hire 3 cook, you see." YOUTH AT CHRISTMAS. " Oh, would 1 were young," the old man sighs When the Christmas songs are sung. The did woman never a word replies She still claims she is young." 324 THE ART OF POETKY. TOMMIE'S GIRL. ' Sh6 is cheerful, warm-hearted and true, And is kind t5 her father and mother ; She studies how much she can do For her sweet little sister and brother. " If you want a c6mpani6n f6r life, T6 comfSrt, enliven, and bless, She is just the right sort 6f a wife, My girl with a calico dress." A SURPRISE. " I met her strolling on the street, We walked together up the hill, She was a maiden very neat, \Vh6 made my heart stand still, When in a manner hard t6 beat She shyly said, ' I know you're sweet.' " Such words 1 knew not how 15 meet, She was n5t wont t5 talk that way, But happiness I found was fleet F6r very soon I heard her say, ' I think it faces toward the street.' And then I knew she meant my suite." IN COLLEGE CAP AND GOWN. " My sweetheart is a student in a famous female college, And though I do n5t think she'll win particular renown In any special study, or be noted for her knowledge, I'm certain that she's charming in her college cap and gown. That the costume's fascinating there's n6 reasOn for concealing, f think my love m5st beautiful when in it she appears, But when I steal a kiss fr5m her, how funny is the feeling When the edges of the mortar board are tickling my Gars." OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY. 325 Jennie kissed me when we met, Jumping from the chair she" sat in ; Time, you thief, whs love tS get Secrets IntS your list, put that in. Say I'm weary, say I'm sad, Say that health and wealth have missed me ; Say I'm growing old, but add Jennie kissed me. Leigh Hunt. The law locks up the man 6r woman \Vh5 steals a goose fr6m off the commftn ; But lets the greater villian loose, Wh6 steals the common from the goose. E. Elliott. ** When first in Celia's ear I poured A yet unpracticed prayer, My trembling tongue sincere ignored The aids of "sweet " and "fair." I only said, as in me lay, I'd strive her " worth " 16 reach ; She frowned and turned her eyes away S6 much fSr truth in speech. Then Delia came. I changed my plan ; I praised her to her face ; I praised her features, praised her fan, H6r Iap-d6g and her lace ; I swore that not till Time were dead My passiSn should decay ; She, smiling, gave her hand, and said 'Twill last, then, for a Day. Austin Dobson "A Love Song." YoQ sleep upon your mother's breast. Your race begun, A welc6me, long a wished-f6r Guest, Wh6se age Is One. 326 THE ART Of- POETRY. A baby-boy, you wonder why You cannot run ; You try to talk h6Av hard you try ! You're only One. .fire long you won't b such a dunce ; You'll eat yotir bun, And fly your kite, like folk, who once Were only One. You'll rhyme and woo, and fight and joke, Perhaps you'll pun ! Such feats are never done by folk Before they're One. S6me day, too, you may hav^yofir joy, And envy none ; Yes, you, yourself, may own a Boy. Wh5 isn't One. Frederick Locker " A Rhyme of One. A MEAN LOVER. " I love to make my Mabel cry, By jealous taunts and jeers. F6r then I get a chance t6 try And kiss away her tears." LEGAL WHISKERS. "As o'er their wine and walnQts sat, Talking 6f this and then 6f that, Two wights well learned in the law That is, well skilled to find <1 flaw- Said one c6mpanion to the other, ' How is it, most respected brother, That you have shaven away Th6se whiskers which for many ft day 1 lave ornamented much yottr cheek ? Sure, 'twas an idle, silly freak.' OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF POETRY. 327 T6 whom the" othfir answer gave, With look half merry and half grave, ' Th6ugh others be by whiskers graced, A lawyer can't be" too barefaced.' " CONCLUSION. And now we bring to a close a subject full of never-ending interest to the student of general literature poetry, the art divine. Endeavoring to make its study practical, we have followed it step by step, exemplifying its measures by quo- tations from our great authors. It is a theme inexhaustible, and yet one may become familiar with its elements and science. Were you to ask how to excel, the answer would be : if nature has endowed you with the natural gift, cultivate it by a careful study of authors whose works are preeminent. Longfellow, Lowell, Holmes, Whittier, and Bryant are a galaxy of names that will ever adorn American literature, and whose works should be read and thoroughly analyzed by every student of literature and art. England and Scot- land have had a long line of poets whose works are gems of rare art. Every one would commend the works of Tennyson and Burns. They were poets who possessed the faculty divine. The world acknowledges them as two of the grandest of any age. Yet there are those of our own time who are liv- ing, toiling, struggling writers for fame, present as well as future, that are models of excellence and elegance. Dobson, Lang, Gosse, and Swinburne may be cited. Read, and you may find yourself in touch with some one or all of them. Of our present-day American authors, Stedman, Aldrich, Rilev, Harte, Hav, Carleton, and Stoddard, have each 328 THE ART OF POETRY. earned a well-deserved fame. But be not mere imitators, read and study the works of great authors, and then mold and fashion your talent after a style of your own. There is a peculiar something in the writings of our poets that has a distinctiveness of its own plainly perceptible. Spontaneity in writing maybe, and often is, genius assisting her own true children on and on, to nobler and greater deeds, giving them clearer vision a direct insight. But let it not be supposed that genius alone makes men great. The lives of the best authors reveal the fact that men of genius are men who are untiring workers. Great poems are not mere acci- dents of genius. The great beehive of poetry is not inhab- ited by drones. The honey gathered from every flower is the result of their toil and industry. Care, precision, and painstaking methods are the royal roads to success. How beautifully William Cullen Bryant has expressed in these lines the poet's art : The secret wouldst th&u know T6 touch the heart 6r fire the blood at will ? Let thine 6wn eyes 6'erflow ; Let thy lips quiver with the passionate thrill ; Seize the great thought, ere yet its power be past, And bind, in words, the fleet emoti6n fast. "The Poet." INDEX OF AUTHORS. PAGE Adams, Charles Follen, . ... . 304, 305, 306, 309 Adams, John Quincy, . . . . . 153 Adams, Sarah Flower, ..... 252 Aldrich, Thomas Bailey, 140, 152, 153, 159, 179, 180, 202, 221, 222, 256 Alkaios, ....... 171 Allston, Washington, ..... 226 Armstrong, John, . . * . . . . 181 Arnold, Edwin, . . . . . . .12 Arnold, Matthew, ...... 90, 115 Aytoun, William Edmonstoune, ... . 216 Baer, Libbie C., ...... 65 Baillie, Joanna, ....... 97 Barham, Richard Harris, ______ . . . 188 Barlow, Joel, ....... 225 Baxley, Isaac R., . . . . . 64 Bayly, Thomas Haynes, ... 159 Beaumont, Francis, ' . . . . . . 225 Beattie, James, . ... 99,178,182 Beddoes, Thomas Lovell, ..... 84 Bennett, S. Filmore, ..... 253 Bennett, William Cox, . . . . . 72 Bethune, George Washington, ..... 25 Bible, ...... . 4 Bishop, Sir Henry, .... . 240 Blackstone, Sir William, . . . . . 155 Bowles, William Lisle, .... .114 Bradbury, W. H., . . . . . 254 Branch, Mary Bolles, . . . . . .71 Brennan, Joseph, . . . . . . 25, 164 Brooks, Maria Gowen, . . . . 82 330 INDEX OF AUTHORS. Brown, Frances, . . . 249 Browning, Elizabeth Barrett, . . 84, 195 Browning, Robert, . 55 Bruce, Michael, ... ... 135 Bryant, William Cullen, 16, 81, 100, 101, 134, 155, 157, 160, 249, 263, 267, 268, 283, 285, 328. Brydges, Samuel Egerton, . . . . in Buckingham, Duke of, (George Villiers), ... 82 Burns, Robert, 4, II, 16, 40, 45, 46, 48, 49, 50, 79, 96, 100, 169, 197, 207, 222, 256, 263, 268, 278, 279, 285, 318, 319. Butler, Samuel, ...... 148, 302 Byron, Lord, 13, 29, 48, 76, 98, IOI, 183, 203, 204, 208, 209, 223, 255. 256, 300. Carey, Henry, ....... 90 Gary, Alice, ....... 55 Gary, Phoebe, . . . . . . . 91 Campbell, Thomas, 6, 10, n, 15, 16, 19, 55, 156, 187, 188, 217, 221, 224, 226, 260, 286. Carleton, Will, . . . . 21, 22, 163, 168 Carpenter, J. E., ... . 244 Catullus, . . . 174 Chalkhill, John, (Izaac Walton), . 138,166 Chatterton, Thomas, ... . 86 Chaucer, Geoffrey, . . . . n, 42, 190, 291 " Chevy Chase." ...... 260 Churchill, Charles, ...... 156 Claribel, ....... 244 Clark, Willis G., 225 Cobb, Henry N., . 87 Coit, John O., .... 65 Coleridge, Samuel Taylor, . . 13, 27, 47, 55, 73, 204, 278 Collins, William, ..... 214, 278 Cooke, Philip Pendleton, . . 93 Cornwall, Barry, (B. W. Proctor), . . 55 Cotton, Charles, . . . 130 Cowley, Abraham, . .... 208 Cowper, William, 3, 1 68, 171, 183, 263, 285, 286, 288 Crabbe, George, . ... 287 INDEX OF AUTHORS. 33 1 117, 119, 122, 123, 125, 129, 132, 298, 325 3. !35> 2 57, 286, 293, 300, 302 Craik, Dinah Maria Mulock, Cunningham, Allan, Dana, Richard Henry, Daniel, Samuel, Dante, Darwin, Erasmus, Davies, Sir John, . Dickens, Charles, Dobson, Austin, Doddridge, Philip, Drayton, Michael, . Dryden, John, . Durbin, Charles, Eastman, Charles Gamage, Edwards, Amelia B., Elliot, Ebenezer, Emerson, Ralph Waldo, Emmett, Dan. D., Falconer, William, Field, Eugene, Fletcher, Giles, Fontenelle, Bernard le Bovier, Fosdick, William W., Foster, Stephen Collins, Franc, G., . Gates, Ellen N. H., . Gay, John, Gaylord, Willis, Gilder, Richard Watson, Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von, . 141, 150, 256, 295 Goldsmith, Oliver, . 156, 182, 183, 196, 212 Gosse, Edmund, . 128 Goose, Mary, . .... 321 Gray, Thomas, 106, 1-47, 182, 206, 219, 224, 263, 266, 273 Greene, Roy Farrell, . . 314 Hale, Sarah J., 105 Hall, Charles S., . . 246 Harte, Francis Bret, . 28, 87, 90, 167, 170, 218, 285, 308, 309, 311 332 INDEX OF AUTHORS. PAGE Harvey, James, . . . . . .213 Hastings, Thomas, . ... 254 Hay, John, . . . 11,178,257,261,285 Heber, Reginald, ...... 145, 253 Heine, Heinrich, ....... 256 Hemans, Felicia, ..... 12, 180, 213 Henryson, Robert, ...... 131 Herbert, George, ...... 50 Herrick, Robert, . . 15, 77, 148, 149, 151, 178, 190, 191 Hervey, Thomas Kibble, . . . 55 Heywood, Thomas, . .... 106 Hill, Thomas, ..... 190 Hogg, James, . ... 152, 162 Holmes, Oliver Wendell, . 51, 64, 147, 158, 201, 260, 262, 263 Homer, ....... 217, 289 Hood, Thomas, 10, 31, 54, 55, 77, 89, 93, 113, 161, 191, 198, 260 Horace, ....... 58, 226 Howe, Julia Ward, ...... 247 Howells, William Dean, ..... 64 Hoyt, Ralph, . ..... 55, 78 Hunt, Leigh, . ..... 325 Hunter, Anne, ....... 146 Hugo, Victor, ....... 149 Ingelow, Jean, . ..... 85 Jeffreys, Charles, . . . . . 308 'Johnson, Samuel, ....... 180 Jones, Sir William, ...... 203 Jonson, Ben, . . . . . . . 279 Josephus, ....... 4 Keats, John . . . 103,111,181,195,212,277,291 Keeling, Elsa D. E., . . . . 67 Kingsley, Charles, . . . 81, 86, 144, 171, 173 Kinney, Coates, . . . 25, 142, 225 Knox, William, . . . . 28 Korner, Charles Theodore, ..... 80 Larcom, Lucy, . . . 140, 143, 168, 170 Landon, Letitia Elizabeth, ..... 224 Lang, Andrew, . .116, 125, 130, 154 INDEX OF A UTHORS. 333 PAGE Lanier, Sidney, . . . 44, 255 Lear, Edward, . . . . .321 Linley, G., ... . 244 Locker-Lampson, Frederick, 112,325 Lockhart, Burton W., . .64 Lockhart, John Gibson, . ... 221 Logan, Margaret B., ... 122 Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth, 8, 12, 13, 14, 15, 35, 41, 44, 45, 55, 73 74,8l, I 10, 164, 171, 173, 194, 199,207, 220, 222, 263, 28l, 285, 291 Lowell, James Russell, . 257, 263, 282, 301, 302, 303, 315, 317 Lowry, Rev. Robert, ...... 253 Lytton, Sir Edward Bulwer, . 295 Lytton, Robert Bulwer, 291 Macaulay, Lord, . . . 258, 293 Macdonald, George, . . . n, i6c Mace, Frances Laughton, ...... 252 Mackay, Charles, .... 14, 104, 145 Manners, Lady Frances, ... 56 Marlowe, Christopher, . . . 294 Matthews, James Newton, . . . . . .167 McCabe, Charles C., . . . . ' . . 247 McCarthy, H., ... 246 Marsh, Simeon B., . 254 Merrick, James, . ... 179 Miller, Joaquin, ...... 285 Milton, John, . 48, 104, 109, 134, 198, 201, 219, 226, 266, 277, 289 Montgomery, James, . ... 79, 134, 248 Moore, Thomas, . . 72, 239, 263, 291 Morris, Ida G., . 53 Motherwell, William, . . 166, 319 Moultrie, John, ... . . 78 Nelson, S., . 244 Norton, Caroline E., . 96, 113 O'Conner, Joseph . 179 Osgood, Frances Sargent, . . 55, 68 Ossian, ..... . 3 Palgrave, Francis Turner, . . 193 Parnell, Thomas, . 213 334 1XDEX OF AUTHORS. PAGE Parsons, Thomas \V., . . 43 Patmore, Coventry, ...... 55 Payne, John Howard, . . . . . - 4, 240 Percival, James Gates, .... 194, 282 Perry, T. S., 55 " Piers Plowman," . . . . . 195 Pike, Albert N., . 246 Pickering, Henry, . . 192, 223 Pinkney, Edward Coate, . .... 93 Poe, Edgar Allan, . . 10, 18, 38, 68, 76, 146, 175, 192 Pope, Alexander, 2. 3, 27, 37. 5*. 59. 177, 192. 197, 202, 206, 222, 286, 290, 300. Powell, . 54 Procter, Adelaide Anne, 75, 95, 218 Proctor, Bryan W., ( Barry Cornwall ), . .104 Quarles, Francis, . n. 77 Ramsay, Allan, . . 285 Randall, James R., . . . 246 Read, Thomas Buchanan. . . . 4, 55, 87, 284 Reed, Joe S., . . . 311 Riley, James Whitcomb, 67, 159, 263, 264. 265, 266, 285, 308, 309, 310, 319, 320, 322. Roberts, Sarah, . 79 Robinson, Maria Durey. . . 248 Rogers, Alexander, .... .94 Rouget de Lisle, Claude Joseph, . . . 41 Russell, Henry, . . 242 Sappho, . . . . . 172 Saxe, John Godfrey, . . . 60, 70, 95, 97, 204 Schiller, J. C. F. von, . 256, 261, 295 Scott, Lady Jane, . . 242 Scott, Sir Walter, . . .51, 163. IOQ. 183. 220, 291 Sedley, Sir Charles, .... 99 Shakespeare, \Villiam, 48,78, 103, ill, 187, 192, 194. 195, 196, 206, 207, 215- Shelley, Percy Bysshe, . 70, 102 Shenstone, \Villiam, 214, 285 Shepherd, X d.. 14 INDEX OF AUTHORS. 335 PAGE Shillaber, P. B., . -75 Shirley, James, . . . 94 Sibley, Charles, ... 83 Sidney, Sir Philip, . , . 69 Sigourney, Lydia H., . . . .151 Simms, William Gilmore. . .... 283 Smith, Charlotte, . . .... 71 Smith, James, . . .... 198 Southey, Robert, . 153, 161, 163, 171, 172, 207, 219, 225 Spenser, Edmund, . ... 11,181,291 Stedman, Edmund Clarence, 73, 96, 143, 179, 205, 221, 283 Still, John, ... . . 196 Stoddard, Richard Henry, 55, 203 Stoddart, Thomas Tod, . 88 Suckling, Sir John, . . . . . 70, 189 Swinburne, Algernon Charles, 123, 124, 127, 142, 171, 172, 175, 285, 291, 292. Taylor, Bayard, ...... 55 Tennyson, Alfred, 12, 15, 28, 35, 38, 43, 47, 55, 59, 71, 76, 85, 90, 139, 146, 159, 162, 171, 173, 174, 202, 2O4, 2O5, 213, 214, 2l8, 256, 262, 263, 266, 285. Thackeray, William Makepeace, . . 169 Thomson, James, . . 178, 182, 190, 197 Toplady, Rev. A. M., . . . 254 Tusser, Thomas, .... . . 48, 49 Udall, Nicholas, ...... 294 Vaughan, Henry, ... ... 194 Virgil, . . . . . . 216, 289 Voiture, Vincent, . . . . . . .121 Waller, Edmund, ..... 74 Walford, Rev. W. H , ...... 254 Walton, Izaak, ..... 44 Watts, Isaac, . . . 26,157,172,254 Weir, Harrison, ... . 106 Wesley, Charles, . .251, 254 White, Joseph Blanco, . . . . 115 White, Henry Ki'ke, . . 74 Whitman, Walt, . . 3 336 INDEX OF AUTHORS. PAGE Whittier, John Greenleaf, 12, 14, 28, 35, 44, 72, 210, 2t>;, 2S4, 2X5 Wilcox, Ella Wheeler, . . . .16, [10,193,205 Willis, Nathaniel Parker, . 35 Winner, Septimus, . . . 245 Wither, George, . . 57 Wolfe, Charles, i8c Wolfe, James, ....... 277 Wordsworth, William, . . -37. 47. 54> 1 5&< 285, 286 INDEX OF SUBJECTS PAGK PAGE Accent, . 6, 19 Construction of the Stanza, 63 Acrostics. 56 Couplet, . II Alcaics, . 171 Cretic, 26 Allegory, 199 Dactyl, . 24 Alliteration, 42 Dactylic Dimeter, 10 Amatory Ode, 2 5 6 Dactylic Rhythm, 100 Amphibrach, 26 Dialect, 303 Amphimacer, . . 26 Didactic . . . 235 ,285 Anapest, 24 Dimeter Measure, 138, 150, 1 60, Anapestic Rhythm, . '65 166. Anapestic Tetrameter, 10 Drama, . . 236 . 293 Anaphora, . 2OI Echo, 218 Antithesis, 202 Ecphonesis . 206 Apheresis, . I8 7 Eight Line Stanza, 92 Apocope, 1 88 Elegy, 262 Apostrophe, . . 200 Ellipsis, . 191 Assonantal Rhyme, 44 Empire of Poetry, 229 Ballad, . 258 Enallage, 193 Ballade, The 116 Envoy, 298 Blank Verse, 'S3 Epanalepsis, 203 Burlesque, 297 Epenthesis, 1 88 Burletta, 297 Epic, . . . 235 , 288 Cento Verse, 54 Epigram, 203 Chant, . 221 Epilogue, 298 Chant Royal, 118 Epitaph, 278 Child Dialect, 319 Epizeuxis, 204 Chinese Dialect, 3" Erotesis, 205 Classification, 235 Farce, 297 Comedy, 296 Feminine Rhyme, 45 Consonantal Rhyme, . 45 Figures of Etymology, . 187 337 INDEX OF SUBJECTS. Figures of Rhetoric, Figures of Speech, Figures of Syntax, Five Line Stanza, Foreign Words and Expressions, 60 German Dialect, Hearing, Hendecasyllables, Heptameter Measure, Heroic Ode, . Hexameter Measure, 143, 157 170, 172. Hyperbaton, Hyperbole, . Iambic Pentameter, Iambic Rhythm, Iambus, . Imitation of Classical Measures Inverse Rhyme Inversion, Interrogation, Irish Dialect, Irony, Kinds of Poetry, Litotes, Lyric, Masculine Rhyme, Measures Exemplified, Melodrama, . Meter, Metonymy, . Metrical History, Metrical Romance, . Middle Rhyme, . Mock Epic, . Monometer Measure, 137, 148, 165 Moral Ode, Nine Line Stanza, I'Al.K ' PAGE 199 Nonsense, 320 I8 7 Objective Poetry, . 236 . I 9 I Octometer Measure, H6, 159 6 9 ( >dd Rhyme, . 50 ssions, 60 Ode, 254 34 Onomatopoeia, . 218 208 Opera, 299 174 Pantoum, 131 i 44, 158 Paragoge, 189 257 Paraleipsis, . . 220 157, 164, Pastoral, . 235, 28l Pentameter Measure, 142, 155 197 Personification, . 220 . 208 Pleonasm, 198 II Poetical Licenses, 177 - 147 Poetry as an Art, I 23 Poetic Pauses, 36 >ures, 171 Prologue, 297 . 49 Prosthesis, . 190 197 Quantity, - . 6 205 Quatrain, 12 306 Refrain, . 221 . 2IO Rhythm, 3 229 Rhythmic Combinations, 65 . 211 Rhyme, . 40 235, 237 Rondeau, . 120 45 Rondel, . I2 3 136 Roundel, 124 297 Sacred Ode, 255 18 Sacred Songs, . 248 . 212 Sapphics, 172 293 Satire, 236, 299 . 291 Scansion, 33 46 Secular Songs, . 238 . 289 Sectional Rhyme, 48 148, 165 Selection of Words . 58 255 Sestine, . 126 - 98 Seven Line Stanza, . . 82 INDEX OF SUBJECTS. 339 PAGE PAGE Scotch Dialect, . 3i8 Triolet, . 129 Simile, . 222 Triple Rhyme, . 46 Six Line Stanza, 75 Tragedy, 296 Sonnet, 107 Travesty, 297 Southern Dialect, 3" Trimeter Measure, 139, 151, 167 Spondee, . 26 Triplet, . 12 Stanza, . ii Trochaic Rhythm, 136 Subjective Poetry, . 236 Trochaic Tetrameter, 10 Subjective Drama, 299 Trope, . 223 Syllepsis, . 198 Trochee, 23 Synaeresis, 190 Verse, 10 Synecdoche, . 223 Versicle, . 323 Syncope, 190 Villanelle, . . 124 Task Rhyme, 50 Virelay, . 130 Ten Liue Stanza, 1 02 Vision, . 226 Tetrameter Measure, 140, 152, 163, Western Dialect, 308 168. Yankee Dialect, . 315 Tmesis, . 191 41567 A 000 671 696 3