Example III.—Two Stanzas from Eighteen, Addressed to the Ettrick Shepherd.
"O Shep\-herd! since \ 'tis thine \ to boast
The fas\-cinat\-ing pow'rs \ of song,
Far, far \ above \ the count\-less host,
Who swell \ the Mus\-es' sup\-pliănt throng,
The GIFT \ OF GOD \ distrust \ no more,
His in\-spira\-tion be \ thy guide;
Be heard \ thy harp \ from shore \ to shore,
Thy song's \ reward \ thy coun\-try's pride."
B. BARTON: Verses prefixed to the Queen's Wake.
Example IV.—"Elegiac Stanzas," in Iambics of Four feet and Three.
"O for \ a dirge! \ But why \ complain?
Ask rath\-er a \ trium\-phal strain
When FER \ MOR'S race \ is run;
A gar\-land of \ immor\-tal boughs
To bind \ around \ the Chris\-tian's brows,
Whose glo\-rious work \ is done.
We pay \ a high \ and ho\-ly debt;
No tears \ of pas\-sionate \ regret
Shall stain \ this vo\-tive lay;
Ill-wor\-thy, Beau\-mont! were \ the grief
That flings \ itself \ on wild \ relief
When Saints \ have passed \ away."
W. WORDSWORTH: Poetical Works, First complete Amer. Ed., p. 208.
This line, the iambic tetrameter, is a favourite one, with many writers of English verse, and has been much used, both in couplets and in stanzas. Butler's Hudibras, Gay's Fables, and many allegories, most of Scott's poetical works, and some of Byron's, are written in couplets of this measure. It is liable to the same diversifications as the preceding metre. The frequent admission of an additional short syllable, forming double rhyme, seems admirably to adapt it to a familiar, humorous, or burlesque style. The following may suffice for an example:
"First, this \ large par\-cel brings \ you tidings
Of our \ good Dean's \ eter\-nal chidings;
Of Nel\-ly's pert\-ness, Rob\-in's leasings,
And Sher\-idan's \ perpet\-ual teasings.
This box \ is cramm'd \ on ev\-ery side
With Stel\-la's mag\-iste\-rial pride."
DEAN SWIFT: British Poets, Vol. v, p. 334.
The following lines have ten syllables in each, yet the measure is not iambic of five feet, but that of four with hypermeter:
"There was \ ăn ān\-cient sage \ philosopher,
Who had \ read Al\-exan\-der Ross over."—Butler's Hudibras.
"I'll make \ them serve \ for per\-pendiculars,
As true \ as e'er \ were us'd \ by bricklayers."
—Ib., Part ii, C. iii, l. 1020.
MEASURE VI.—IAMBIC OF THREE FEET, OR TRIMETER.
Example.—To Evening.
"Now teach \ me, maid \ compos'd
To breathe \ some soft\-en'd strain."—Collins, p. 39.
This short measure has seldom, if ever, been used alone in many successive couplets; but it is often found in stanzas, sometimes without other lengths, but most commonly with them. The following are a few examples:
Example I.—Two ancient Stanzas, out of Many,
"This while \ we are \ abroad,
Shall we \ not touch \ our lyre?
Shall we \ not sing \ an ode?
Shall now \ that ho\-ly fire,
In us, \ that strong\-ly glow'd,
In this \ cold air, \ expire?
Though in \ the ut\-most peak,
A while \ we do \ remain,
Amongst \ the moun\-tains bleak,
Expos'd \ to sleet \ and rain,
No sport \ our hours \ shall break,
To ex\-ercise \ our vein."
DRAYTON: Dr. Johnson's Gram., p. 13; John Burn's, p. 244.
Example II.—Acis and Galatea.
"For us \ the zeph\-yr blows,
For us \ distils \ the dew,
For us \ unfolds \ the rose,
And flow'rs \ display \ their hue;
For us \ the win\-ters rain,
For us \ the sum\-mers shine,
Spring swells \ for us \ the grain,
And au\-tumn bleeds \ the vine."
JOHN GAY: British Poets, Vol. vii, p. 376.
Example III.—"Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin."
"The king \ was on \ his throne,
The sa\-traps thronged \ the hall;
A thou\-sand bright \ lamps shone
O'er that \ high fes\-tival.
A thou\-sand cups \ of gold,
In Ju\-dah deemed \ divine—
Jeho\-vah's ves\-sels, hold
The god\-less Hea\-then's wine!
In that \ same hour \ and hall,
The fin\-gers of \ a hand
Came forth \ against \ the wall,
And wrote \ as if \ on sand:
The fin\-gers of \ a man,—
A sol\-ita\-ry hand
Along \ the let\-ters ran,
And traced \ them like \ a wand."
LORD BYRON: Vision of Belshazzar.
