Page:The grammar of English grammars.djvu/866

 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.&mdash;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.&mdash;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."&mdash;Ib., p. 164. Example III.&mdash;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."&mdash;Ib., p. 179. Example IV.&mdash;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 glory; Thee, through \ my story, 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.&mdash;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.&mdash;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\-ĕrȳ mōr\-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 divi-