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 <r#Yknow what swiftness Is till he's tried the schnellest
train !
Eugene Field "The Schnellest Zug."
The use of a foreign word, however, merely for the sake
of rhyme, is entirely out of place and not to be indulged.
The beauty of rhyme is perfectness .; therefore, use such
rhymes only as are perfect to the ear when correctly pro-
nounced, to the eye when seen.
CHAPTER IX.
THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA.
THE manner or mode of constructing the stanza should be
closely observed by the writer of poetry. Form is essen-
tial to beauty, and form in all its details is looked after by the
master, (i) Verse which rhymes in alternate lines is always
indented. (2) Verse in couplets is never indented, but the
lines are all even. (3) Where the stanza is constructed with
four lines rhyming alternately and a couplet, the alternate
lines are indented and the couplet is usually even or flush
with the first and third lines of the stanza. (4) Where the
stanza is constructed with first a couplet, then a half-line or
bob-wheel, followed by another couplet, and that couplet
followed by another half line rhyming with the first half
line, the couplets are both even lines while the half lines are
indented. No matter whether the stanza is constructed of
four, six, eight, or any number of lines these rules hold
good. Symmetry always renders the stanza more perfect,
and a little observation will soon enable one to imitate a
perfect stanza. (5) When a stanza consists of a triplet and
a line or half line not rhyming, the latter is always indented.
(6) Where the stanza is constructed of a line that is followed
by a shorter, or half line, followed by a line rhyming with
the first line, followed by the same line used similarly as a
second and fourth line, followed by a triplet and an eighth
line, similar to the second and fourth line, these similar lines
63
64 THE AR T OF POE TR Y.
should be indented. More might be easily added, but
enough has been said to suggest the principle or art upon
which verse is constructed, and usually printed. As a further
illustration of what is intended, we give below an outline or
skeleton of the stanzas above mentioned, written in the sign
of the various measures :
G6d grant that when 6ur heads are gray,
When twilight blurs the page,
Thg musk of 6ur dawning day
May charm 6ur lonely age.
Burton W. Lockhart "The Retrospect."
Though I move with leaden feet,
Light itself is not so fleet ;
And before yoQ know me gone
fiternlty and I are one.
William Dean Howells "Time."
3-
True love n6t heedeth bolt nor bar,
But sad 't Is ev^r so ;
True love and fate d6 constant war,
And ne'er tGgethe'r go ;
What little" moments lovers smile
T6 the 16ng days between the while.
Isaac A', ffaxley "The Ballad of Sir Raymond."
4-
Th6 mossy marbles rest
On the lips that he has prest
In their bloom ;
And the names he loved t6 hear
Have been carved f6r many a year
On the tomb.
Oliver Wendell Holmes " The Last Leaf."
THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STANZA. 65
5-
Never 3 heart ttirns false 6r cold ;
Never & face gr6ws gray 6r old ;
Never 3 love w6 may n6t hold,
In th6 beautiful land 6f fancy.
Libbie C. JSaer" In the Land of Fancy."
6.
"-' ' >" ^ 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
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