Page:The grammar of English grammars.djvu/865

 Example IV.&mdash;Lyric Stanzas. "Descend, \ celes\-tial fire,     And seize \ me from \ above,    Melt me \ in flames \ of pure \ desire,      A sac\-rifice \ to love.

Let joy \ and wor\-ship spend The rem\-nant of \ my days, And to \ my God, \ my soul \ ascend, In sweet \ perfumes \ of praise."       WATTS: Poems sacred to Devotion, p. 50. Example V.&mdash;Lyric Stanzas.   "I would \ begin \ the mu\-sic here, And so \ my soul \ should rise: O for \ some heav'n\-ly notes \ to bear My spir\-it to \ the skies!

There, ye \ that love \ my say\-iour, sit, There I \ would fain \ have place Amongst \ your thrones \ or at \ your feet, So I \ might see \ his face."       WATTS: Same work, "Horæ Lyricæ," p. 71. Example VI.&mdash;England's Dead.   "The hur\-ricane \ hath might Along \ the In\-dian shore, And far, \ by Gan\-ges' banks \ at night, Is heard \ the ti\-ger's roar.

But let \ the sound \ roll on! It hath \ no tone \ of dread For those \ that from \ their toils \ are gone;&mdash; There slum\-ber Eng\-land's dead."       : Poetical Works, Vol. ii, p. 61. The following examples have some of the common diversifications already noticed under the longer measures:

Example I.&mdash;"Languedocian Air." "Lōve ĭs \ a hunt\-er boy,     Who makes \ young hearts \ his prey;    And in \ his nets \ of joy      Ensnares \ them night \ and day.

In vain \ conceal'd \ they lie, Love tracks \ them ev'\-ry where; In vain \ aloft \ they fly, Love shoots \ them fly\-ing there.

But 'tis \ his joy \ most sweet, At earl\-y dawn \ to trace The print \ of Beau\-ty's feet, And give \ the trem\-bler chase.

And most \ he loves \ through snow To track \ those foot\-steps fair, For then \ the boy \ doth know, None track'd \ before \ him there."       MOORE'S Melodies and National Airs, p. 274. Example II.&mdash;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.&mdash;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.&mdash;IAMBIC OF TWO FEET, OR DIMETER.
Example&mdash;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