The Grammar of English Grammars by Goold Brown (read books for money TXT) 📖

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 constitute 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 entitled "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 CXXXVI.

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

Example III.—Gloria Patri.

   "To God | 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 God | 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!

    XXX.
     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.

    XXXI.
     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."
       YOUNG'S "OCEAN:" British Poets, Vol. viii, p 277.

There is a line of five syllables and double rhyme, which is commonly regarded as iambic dimeter with a supernumerary short syllable; and which, though it is susceptible of two other divisions into two feet, we prefer to scan in this manner, because it usually alternates with pure iambics. Twelve such lines occur in the following extract:—

LOVE TRANSITORY

    "Could Love | for ev_er_
    Run like | a riv_er_,
    And Time's | endeav_our_
      Be tried | in vain,—
    No oth | -er pleas_ure_
    With this | could meas_ure_;
    And like | a treas_ure_
      We'd hug | the chain.

    But since | our sigh_ing_
    Ends not | in dy_ing_,
    And, formed | for fly_ing_,
      Love plumes | his wing;
    Then for | this rea_son_
    Let's love | a sea_son_;
    But let | that sea_son_
      Be on | -ly spring."
        LORD BYRON: See Everett's Versification, p. 19;
           Fowler's E. Gram., p. 650.

MEASURE VIII.—IAMBIC OF ONE FOOT, OR MONOMETER.

"The shortest form of the English Iambic," says Lindley Murray, "consists of an Iambus with an additional short syllable: as,

    Disdaining,
    Complaining,
    Consenting,
    Repenting.

We have no poem of this measure, but it may be met with in stanzas. The Iambus, with this addition, coincides with the Amphibrach."—Murray's Gram., 12mo, p. 204; 8vo, p. 254. This, or the substance of it, has been repeated by many other authors. Everett varies the language and illustration, but teaches the same doctrine. See E. Versif., p. 15.

Now there are sundry examples which may be cited to show, that the iambus, without any additional syllable, and without the liability of being confounded with an other foot, may, and sometimes does, stand as a line, and sustain a regular rhyme. The following pieces contain instances of this sort:—

Example I.—"How to Keep Lent."

    "Is this | a Fast, | to keep
      The lard | -er lean
        And clean
    From fat | of neats | and sheep?

    Is it | to quit | the dish
      Of flesh, | yet still
        To fill
    The plat | -ter high | with fish?

    Is it | to fast | an hour,
      Or ragg'd | to go,
        Or show
    A down | -cast look | and sour?

    No:—'Tis | a Fast | to dole
      Thy sheaf | of wheat,
        And meat,
    Unto | the hun | -gry soul.

    It is | to fast | from strife,
      From old | debate,
        And hate;
    To cir | -cumcise | thy life;

    To show | a heart | grief-rent;
      To starve | thy sin,
        Not bin:
    Ay, that's | to keep | thy Lent."
        ROBERT HERRICK: Clapp's Pioneer, p. 48.

Example II.—"To Mary Ann."

[This singular arrangement of seventy-two separate iambic feet, I find without intermediate points, and leave it so. It seems intended to be read in three or more different ways, and the punctuation required by one mode of reading would not wholly suit an other.]

   "Your face Your tongue Your wit
      So fair So sweet So sharp
    First bent Then drew Then hit
      Mine eye Mine ear Mine heart

    Mine eye Mine ear Mine heart
      To like To learn To love
    Your face Your tongue Your wit
      Doth lead Doth teach Doth move

    Your face Your tongue Your wit
      With beams With sound With art
    Doth blind Doth charm Doth rule
      Mine eye Mine ear Mine heart

    Mine eye Mine ear Mine heart
      With life With hope With skill
    Your face Your tongue Your wit
      Doth feed Doth feast Doth fill

    O face O tongue O wit
      With frowns With cheek With smart
    Wrong not Vex not Wound not
      Mine eye Mine ear Mine heart

    This eye