The Grammar of English Grammars Part 194

_Example II.--From "a Portuguese Air_."

"Flow on, | thou shin | -ing _river_, But ere | thou reach | the sea, Seek El | -la's bower, | and _give her_ The wreaths | I fling | o'er thee.

But, if | in wand' | -ring _thither_, Thou find | she mocks | my pray'r, Then leave | those wreaths | to _wither_ Upon | the cold | bank there."

MOORE: _Same Volume_, p. 261.

_Example III.--Resignation_.

"O Res | -igna | -tion! yet | unsung, Untouch'd | by for | -mer strains; Though claim | -ing ev | -_ery mu_ | -se's smile, And ev | -_ery po_ | -et's pains!

All oth | -er du | -ties cres | -cents are Of vir | -tue faint | -ly bright; The glo | -_rious con_ | -summa | -tion, thou, Which fills | her orb | with light!"

YOUNG: _British Poets_, Vol. viii, p. 377.

MEASURE VII.--IAMBIC OF TWO FEET, OR DIMETER.

_Example--A Scolding Wife_.

1.

"There was | a man Whose name | was Dan, Who sel | -dom spoke; His part | -ner sweet He thus | did greet, Without | a joke;

2.

My love | -ly wife, Thou art | the life Of all | my joys; Without | thee, I Should sure | -ly die For want | of noise.

3.

O, prec | -ious one, Let thy | tongue run In a | sweet fret; And this | will give A chance | to live, A long | time yet.

4.

When thou | dost scold So loud | and bold, I'm kept | awake; But if | thou leave, It will | me grieve, Till life | forsake.

5.

Then said | his wife, I'll have | no strife With you, | sweet Dan; As 'tis | your mind, I'll let | you find I am | your man.

6.

And fret | I will, To keep | you still Enjoy | -ing life; So you | may be Content | with me, A scold | -ing wife."

ANONYMOUS: _Cincinnati Herald_, 1844.

Iambic dimeter, like the metre of three iambs, is much less frequently used alone than in stanzas with longer lines; but the preceding example is a refutation of the idea, that no piece is ever composed wholly of this measure, or that the two feet cannot const.i.tute a line. In Humphrey's English Prosody, on page 16th, is the following paragraph; which is not only defective in style, but erroneous in all its averments:--

"Poems are never composed of lines of two [-] feet metre, in succession: they [combinations of two feet] are only used occasionally in poems, hymns, odes, &c. to diversify the metre; and are, in no case, lines of poetry, or verses; but hemistics, [_hemistichs_,] or half lines. The shortest metre of which iambic verse is composed, in lines successively, is that of three feet; and this is the shortest metre _which_ can be denominated lines, or verses; and _this is not frequently used_."

In ballads, ditties, hymns, and versified psalms, scarcely any line is _more common_ than the iambic trimeter, here denied to be "frequently used;" of which species, there are about seventy lines among the examples above. Dr. Young's poem ent.i.tled "Resignation," has eight hundred and twenty such lines, and as many more of iambic tetrameter. His "Ocean" has one hundred and forty-five of the latter, and two hundred and ninety-two of the species now under consideration; i.e., iambic dimeter. But how can the metre which predominates by two to one, be called, in such a case, an occasional diversification of that which is less frequent?

Lines of two iambs are not very uncommon, even in psalmody; and, since we have some lines _yet shorter_, and the lengths of all are determined only by the act of measuring, there is, surely, no propriety in calling dimeters "hemistichs," merely because they are short. The following are some examples of this measure combined with longer ones:--

_Example I.--From Psalm CXLVIII_.

1, 2.

"Ye bound | -less realms | of joy, Exalt | your Ma | -ker's fame; His praise | your songs | employ Above | the star | -ry frame: Your voi | -ces raise, Ye Cher | -ubim, And Ser | -aphim, To sing | his praise.

3, 4.

Thou moon, | that rul'st | the night, And sun, | that guid'st | the day, Ye glitt' | -ring stars | of light, To him | your hom | -age pay: His praise | declare, Ye heavens | above, And clouds | that move In liq | -uid air."

_The Book of Psalms in Metre_, (_with Com. Prayer_,) 1819.

_Example II.--From Psalm Cx.x.xVI._

"To G.o.d | the might | -y Lord, your joy | -ful thanks | repeat; To him | due praise | afford, as good | as he | is great: For G.o.d | does prove Our con | -stant friend, His bound | -less love Shall nev | -er end."--_Ib._, p. 164.

_Example III.--Gloria Patri_.

"To G.o.d | the Fa | -ther, Son, And Spir | -it ev | -er bless'd, Eter | -nal Three | in One, All wor | -ship be | address'd; As here | -tofore It was, | is now, And shall | be so For ev | -ermore."--_Ib._, p. 179.

_Example IV.--Part of Psalm III_.

[O] "Lord, | how man | -y are | my foes!

How man | -y those That [now] | in arms | against | me rise!

_Many_ | are they That of | my life | distrust | -fully | thus say: 'No help | for him | in G.o.d | there lies.'

But thou, | Lord, art | my shield | my glo_ry_; Thee, through | my sto_ry_, Th' exalt | -er of | my head | I count; Aloud | I cried Unto | Jeho | -vah, he | full soon | replied, And heard | me from | his ho | -ly mount."

MILTON: _Psalms Versified, British Poets_, Vol. ii, p. 161.

_Example V.--Six Lines of an "Air."_

"As when | the dove Laments | her love All on | the na | -ked spray;

When he | returns, No more | she mourns, But loves | the live | -long day."

JOHN GAY: _British Poets_, Vol. vii, p. 377.

_Example VI.--Four Stanzas of an Ode_.

"XXVIII.

Gold pleas | -ure buys; But pleas | -ure dies", Too soon | the gross | fruiti | -on cloys: Though rapt | -ures court, The sense | is short; But vir | -tue kin | -dles liv | -ing joys:

XXIX.

Joys felt | alone!

Joys ask'd | of none!

Which Time's | and For | -tune's ar | -rows miss; Joys that | subsist, Though fates | resist, An un | -preca | -rious, end | -less bliss!

x.x.x.

The soul | refin'd Is most | inclin'd To ev | -_~er=y m=or_ | -al ex | -cellence; All vice | is dull, A knave's | a fool; And Vir | -tue is | the child | of Sense.

x.x.xI.

The vir | -_tuous mind_ Nor wave, | nor wind, Nor civ | -il rage, | nor ty | -rant's frown, The shak | -en ball, Nor plan | -ets' fall, From its | firm ba | -sis can | dethrone."