Page:The grammar of English grammars.djvu/880



MEASURE VII.&mdash;TROCHAIC OF TWO FEET, OR DIMETER.
Example I.&mdash;Three Short Excerpts. 1.

"My flocks \ feed not,   My ewes \ breed not,    My rams \ speed not,      All is \ amiss:    Love's de\-nying,    Faith's de\-fying,    Heart's re\-nying,      Causer \ of this."

2.

"In black \ mourn I,   All fears \ scorn I,    Love hath \ lorn me,      Living \ in thrall:    Heart is \ bleeding,    All help \ needing.    (Cruel \ speeding,)      Fraughted \ with gall."

3.

"Clear wells \ spring not.   Sweet birds \ sing not,    Loud bells \ ring not      Cheerfully;    Herds stand \ weeping,    Flocks all \ sleeping,    Nymphs back \ creeping      Fearfully." : The Passionate Pilgrim. See Sec. xv. Example II.&mdash;Specimen with Single Rhyme.

"To Quinbus Flestrin, the Man-Mountain"

A LILLIPUTIAN ODE I.

"In a\-maze,   Lost, I \ gaze.    Can our \ eyes    Reach thy \ size?    May my \ lays    Swell with \ praise,    Worthy \ thee,    Worthy \ me!    Muse, in\-spire    All thy \ fire!    Bards of \ old    Of him \ told,    When they \ said    Atlas' \ head    Propp'd the \ skies:    See! and \ believe \ your eyes!

II.

"See him \ stride   Valleys \ wide:    Over \ woods,    Over \ floods,    When he \ treads,    Mountains' \ heads    Groan and \ shake:    Armies \ quake,    Lest his \ spurn    Over\-turn    Man and \ steed:    Troops, take \ heed!    Left and \ right    Speed your \ flight!    Lest an \ host    Beneath \ his foot \ be lost.

III.

"Turn'd a\-side   From his \ hide,    Safe from \ wound,    Darts re\-bound.    From his \ nose,    Clouds he \ blows;    When he \ speaks,    Thunder \ breaks!    When he \ eats,    Famine \ threats!    When he \ drinks,    Neptune \ shrinks!    Nigh thy \ ear,    In mid \ air,    On thy \ hand,    Let me \ stand.    So shall \ I    (Lofty \ poet!) touch the sky." JOHN GAY: Johnson's British Poets, Vol. vii, p. 376. Example III.&mdash;Two Feet with Four. "Oh, the \ pleasing, \ pleasing \ anguish,   When we \ love, and \ when we \ languish!        Wishes \ rising!        Thoughts sur\-prising!        Pleasure \ courting!        Charms trans\-porting!        Fancy \ viewing        Joys en\-suing!    Oh, the \ pleasing, \ pleasing \ anguish!" ADDISON'S Rosamond, Act i, Scene 6. Example IV.&mdash;Lines of Three Syllables with Longer Metres.

1. WITH TROCHAICS. "Or we \ sometimes \ pass an \ hour     Under \ a green \ willow,    That de\-fends us \ from the \ shower,      Making \ earth our \ pillow;        Where we \ may        Think and \ pray,        Bē'fore \ death        Stops our \ breath:        Other \ joys,        Are but \ toys,      And to \ be la\-mented." 2. WITH IAMBICS. "What sounds \ were heard,   What scenes \ appear'd,    O'er all \ the drear\-y coasts!        Dreadful \ gleams,        Dismal \ screams,        Fires that \ glow,        Shrieks of \ wo,        Sullen \ moans,        Hollow \ groans,      And cries \ of tor\-tur'd ghosts!" POPE: ''Johnson's Brit. Poets'', Vol. vi, p. 315. Example V.&mdash;"The Shower."&mdash;In Four Regular Stanzas. 1.

"In a \ valley \ that I \ know&mdash;       Happy \ scene!    There are \ meadows \ sloping \ low,    There the \ fairest \ flowers \ blow,    And the \ brightest \ waters \ flow.        All se\-rene;    But the \ sweetest \ thing to \ see,    If you \ ask the \ dripping \ tree,    Or the \ harvest\-hoping \ swain,        Is the \ Rain.