Page:Poetry of the Magyars.djvu/27

Mars mord dühe a' mit ér, vág,
Bont, dört, tör, ront, dul, sujt, öl.^[1]

The voices of animals are also represented by characteristic words — the bear morog, the lion ordit, the owl huhong, the cock kukorit, the bull bömböl, the cow bö́g, the goat mekeg, the lamb beget, the pig röfög, the goose gágog.

The most remarkable character of the Magyar, and that which gives and preserves an euphony beyond the reach of any other language, is the separation of the vowels into two classes―a, o, u male, and e, i, ö, and ü, female; while each class possesses a separate set of instruments for creating all conjugates.^[2] If the last syllable of a word have, for example, a masculine vowel, the affix must be made to agree with it. A wonderful uniformity of character and harmony of sound

1. The murderous rage of Mars, which, whatever it reaches,

   cuts,

   Wastes, shakes, breaks, destroys, uprends, scatters, and

   slays.

2. Verseghi divides the vowels into four classes, which he calls,
   
   1. Base-vowels—a, o, and u.
   2. Tenor-vowels—ö and ü.
   3. Alt-vowel—e.
   4. Discant-vowel—i.
   The first, he says, must have a base-vowel for its suffix.
   The second and third cau never take a suffix from the first.
   The fourth is neutral, and sometimes takes a suffix from all the others.