Page:Journal of American Folklore vol. 31.djvu/310

300 Aside from the general characteristics of this most popular, conventional type of octosyllabic décima, discussed in the foregoing pages, we must here mention the more detailed characteristics of this interesting poetic form. Although some of the earlier décimas of Spanish literature have no special form aside from the general arrangement already mentioned as regards the number of verses of each strophe (which in all cases must be ten), the rhyme-arrangements, etc., there seems to have been developed very early a scheme of verse repetitions which resulted in a more specialized form of the octosyllabic décima of type A. This scheme involved the repetition in the four regular strophes of the décima of the four verses of the quatrain. The last verse of the first strophe is the same as the first of the quatrain; the last verse of the second strophe is the second verse of the quatrain; the last of the third, the third verse; and the last of the fourth, the fourth. In this way the four verses of the quatrain, which give an introductory account, stating the subject of the décima, are repeated in the décimas. This additional characteristic of the décima of type A is a special sign of poetic skill, and the repetition adds force and coherence to the décima as a whole.

The New-Mexican décimas of type A all follow the scheme above mentioned. The Chilean décimas published by Lenz also are of the same type, excepting the learned ones; and the Porto-Rican décimas of type A are practically all composed according to this scheme of repetitions. Of the entire number of Porto-Rican décimas of type A, or 121, 98, or 81%, have this repetition scheme. In some cases we do not have a verbatim repetition on account of faulty copies, omissions, etc. These are in the majority of cases easy to correct; but it has been thought best to leave them uncorrected, in order to present the material in a popular form as much as possible. It is very clear, however, that the décima as a poetic form, with all its traditional, special, and conventional characteristics, is perfectly well known and understood in Porto Rico, and also in New Mexico and other places. In Nos. 109, 116, for example, we have the scheme followed perfectly, and these décimas are of purely local and recent character.

As for the older Spanish décimas of this type found in the literary works of the classic period, we find exactly the same scheme of repetition. The Porto-Rican octosyllabic décimas of type A, therefore, — an octosyllabic décima consisting of an introductory quatrain which states in general the subject of the composition, plus four regular décima strophes, and in each one of these four strophes the repetitions according to the scheme above discussed, — are the most popular, traditional, and conventional décimas of Spanish folk-poetry. This is the Spanish décima par excellence. Its lineage is very old. We have already stated that some such décimas are found in the popular