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NW HAVN AND ODO YA UNVT PRES
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F Lzz d M Chose illusos of fo f As they shy om mi Qis; ost exmples follow oo slowly f heir explo, Though eve if I co m im heres no oe I co s rphc And so, even s o hym Horces sppc, Scornn such c of y ses Asselylne quo, h Book wth veses hm ser ses Laug cl.
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toductio Scees Vese Systes Accetual-sylabic Vese Te pentaeter line and oters Versicatio onosti blank erse fouteeners r ying ouplets terets quatrains oter stanzai fors kinds o onnet 9 Accetual Metes Old Engli sprung ryt eltoni ure Sylabic Vese aiu inqain Fre Vese Abeat Fors antiere pattern-poe nrete pe 2
5
Ode Fors
33
Quantitativ e Verse
34
Classical Metes ad Tei Adatatios eega aai endasyllabis arot eo erse
35
Co
Co
Rptitiv Stucues arol and reain · illanelle · eina · ballade · rondeau · riole · pantoum · blue and tir o bar andard song Coical Scs limeri · lerie · duble-dayl Rtorical Sces epi imile · zeuga · anaoluon · apotrope anapora 8 ooeoeleuton · iamu 9 ariatio ad Miesis uggstios fo Fu Rai
his is a guide to vere, to the forml suctures which re neear onitio o poety, but not ufent
7
6
his is a guide to vere, to the forml suctures which re neear onitio o poety, but not ufent o. The building lok of poet isel are elements of tonfble, metaphor-ll the meril o h noitera. The components of ver r lke ts o pas y which te mterils re but nto a sucture. The study of rhetor dtngue pes o gures of enng etah a eoy, and scheme, or urfe ps ws. Poty is a matter of trope; nd vere, sh r sig. But the blueprnt of vere n usd o uild higs made of literl, or nonpoetic aaa shig list or rodside ign n be yich is hy most verse is not poetr I s hss coon nd convenient for ot wh d rad carefully to use pet" to a itig i se ind of verse," nd o rerd hy h sig wihou conideing te teri s pua vrse form in Amerc todte uiquius jil aers identfy wth poetr" even as, ty siy yars ago, they did ntn t yis of fee ese wto y spec costts o t except tose mpose y t oo-so eey ccepte- te stp te es mk � s they ow te pe (te fm stp wt te je ihth ede) ot e oo we
Irodco
This is as automatic and unpoetc in ts arbitry
Irodco
This is as automatic and unpoetc in ts arbitry ormality as jinglng rhme on Jue" and mo" ever wee; scheme and structure o free verse ar as conventional and, or mot wrter, a academc" as certain other ofcal" form hve been n other eras. Major poetry has been built n thi form, even as Tyson could employ te ame rhyming chemes as witers o occaional vere for faml parties. Both vere and proe, then, ar schematic do main. Literacy ued to entail ome ablity to write in oth mode, without any preuption of poet in the eecution of ill n the orer. But toay sportswriter on the ew newspaper e have let now no Latin nor can write good witty verses. no longer memorize poems at school. Young persons are protected om the prose cadenceso nuential on writing n both modeo the Kig ames Bible y aggresve eparatism and the churche the selves; all o u are shielded from Sakepearean rhythm by the wa in which bot proe and vers are publicly intoned in America. he terrtory cov ered in this gudethi road map through the region o poety in Englhha telf tended to run bac into secondgrowth timber, f not into wlderness. ome day we wll all be reading lue Guides and Baedeer o hat once ere or own, famlar pubic places. n frmer t�me, the regon o vere was like an inviting, ae muncipal par, n which one could play and wander at will. oda, only a narrow border o that par is freuently ued (and vandalzed), out o ear that there i aety only n that croed sti even as te users' grandpaents would clng to wals
Shm
3
by stusad out of ignorance of lnd-
Shm
3
by stusad out of ignorance of lndsc. Th bautis of th rst of that prk re tere, uord sv b soe scholars nd often abndod vn by thm I old nough to have grown p in te park, d o ap a rgion on love i a w of crei it ohe rote of counting ot exmeter on i Ro ladys back she l in i rm: e w ig hr body's crve even e felt for e ci rhyth) oo st ot now loving rtr rly dutiful tour guide Eve od, we ouc ss casual and onl dicore intimte, one ct rsu o Whitanic relation wit redr I sal cot yslf Inui' too evere in proe; Vs pus is ustions in repoe) wt tpp o y spaiig digr nd illtrtio of te s ad ays and boks nd pond and prerre ad ois d as and o forth tt comprie m ioy, as it r, on the reder' nd After , is is a aul. scs ad dsigs to be explored ere in cu t srucurs of line of vere; patterns of , irio, and asonance; cee of n od ordr grops of line clled rophe sas or patrn of repetition nd vrition is, c.); d argr arrangeent of thee ctus, s fors have coe t vrio is o b associatd ith one or oter kind of ic 1s ih what soe crti wod cll ," a subjc" or n occsio Sonnet, for , sa ou by being abot prtilr p oic cocion o ove, nd end p n te twe
Shm
S
Shm
S
tit ry s descriptios of picturs explts of yts or ltic medittios Ad yet t ltr p i te history of te for's ife t by t est poetsare lys i se y of d lys ee tt istory d the burd it puts o orinality. s litl book cots expls of fol ss of vrious sots ad t vrious lvels of ori Sice e e coceed oly it vrs i Egis o istorcl sketch or comprtiv lysis of mts d fors is ive save for a lce t t t trs of lssical poetr hve etild for Eglis But it sould be emembeed tat ll poetr s origily oral. t ws su o chtd; poetc s ad usicl te coicided or were sotis ideticl oetic fom as we o it is abstratio ro or reside o usicl for from hich it cm to b divorced whe writi relaced memory s wy of presei poetic uterce i rrtiv prayer sell d he like. The ost of orl poety ever vaishes, eve houh the covetios d ptters of wii eac ot cross tie d sie ll ctul voices This is why o o bck to the arlr aloy of chitecture a oet is als like bot t builder of ouses with ls t had" ad te dsier or execuo of a complicted edice dr i nd orki om complex luprits. Vers ca be oried ccordi to very my cl yte, depedi po th structre of t lae in hich the vese s itt. The systs rlvt to verse i Elish ar re ccent th meter of t rlist Gr
manic poety; it is resed urs rys
manic poety; it is resed urs rys in uch lyrc verse. 2 Accentl-syllabich rs syste c i volves such pattes dctic etc. l omewht cousgy e fo Greek etes a totay dfferent sy Pure syllabic h sic syste of mode Frec and Japaese, t e s of potry tt e used it for eres s e used i Egs oy the t fty yer 4 So-ce fe v, of i tee re y varietes, dved s y i te tetiet ctury. 5 Qntiatie c save fo some gro esq d d pes cot occu i Eglis but hh ws e ss of Geek posody ad lte , of Lt Sie cetuy s bee so doit and so orat, drg e course of te poetic is to of he Eglsh ge e i ta it i. ccntal-ylli erse is built up of pas o ads f sy g o otese goui stessed d os. Sybes usuay kee ei wrd c, r t ccet t ould ave i rs speec. bi pentameter,. a lie r d up of e sylla a ith e s y us rs d c be illustraed by a le hh st prfcty cofos to te atte isel: J�
Abot bout bout o ot
h:
bot, bot, ot, oat, boat
6
Iambic Peta-meter
6
Iambic Peta-meter
or a monosyllable, with its peeng atie, is accented like a wod of two syllales). Bt atal lines o iambi pentamete, bease they a't simply reeat dental pars of sllables, have ndvdal and particula hythms whih depat fom the metria pattern slightly. It s n ths viatio that the sound o poery lves. Fo example, siple vaiation of our rst· exampleone tht has beome a standad attern in tselfs tlly a evesal of stessed and nstressed syllbles the st pi: ·
most
"out out out out
or in the seo s well: Nly most
"out out out
Bt thee e wys of ept tt see to obse the patte s t tey lge be osdeed vaiatons fom t: most the
sound
of he
lne
of
"out s
What we e s hytm f f bets, ot ve, and the stessed sllbles e goped to tiads of dum de de, dum de de (lle dtys) eve thog thee e, ft, te syllbes te les. Most teestg wt g poey e te viations nd lmost evey e f poet exibts themtht lie betwee tese extemes. A poe will e st i oe met fom ote, fte we ed thee o moe lnes t wll be ovis wh of two pattens eve the most mbgos lie is a aiatio of. Feqely, hess d sane of sond depe p o e esttg f while betwee pttes; b the s eal ambgty onl
bc eaeer
at the start of a poem An xtrm t onn
bc eaeer
at the start of a poem An xtrm t onn of one of Keats's sonnt: How may bards gild te lapses of tie
We might thnk tat a mtn n b: Read tis as dactyls ad te i wll ye
lke the one e mde bfr t n ft t sonnet ontin n mb nmtr n ralize that d l rnt r n nt of a more patterned one t bttr xm b Keats, an e seen n t son n f on a ren Urn:
Tou fostercild of silece a slow te
Here, althouh on th fort r t rr reversed te le nevertl rn r possiltes hus v
!
.
'
Tou fostercild of silee slo\ e Accentually poudig to so mime A atiquated rytm wi a o ye
But the phrase slo tm ro tf n t m ecause tme rhmes ther on t t mnsyllale rhyme two lns blo (tr' n s<" chiming, as in our exmpl). Wn w scn a line of poetry, or mark th rminn sbs w are realy showing hat its atu ry , nd then, by puttng this rhthm n alnmnt wt adjacent ons n the poem or stanz f t , dciding what their ommon pttrn s. Tus, vy line is at once unique and hs f my rmbn , usually very strong, to its compnin in n poem
T
Days
naess
odee
T
Days
naess
odee
Accentualsllabic verse is traditionall discussd as seuences of feet; and although the termiy is misleading, ou can remember that A fot is just a grup of syl- abes:
Trchs (ik ths), imbs, spnds, prd, w Datls ad aapsts as ar ads of syb.
An iamb is a pir with a stress on the second sllale (as in abot): Iabic mtr rs alog ik ts: Pee il hav slabls Mor strogl trssd tha othr ons narb Tn sla l td, pras lv.
But
Trochee simpl tmbl o and
Sar ith doats jst li ths on (Sor, "iam is trochaic)
Dc mas "fgr i Gre, and a fot ta was
md p o og
Sab fo b t, ik th joints in a ngr wa for Lis mad f six, jst lik ths, n h cs o Ho n Virgil, Sav that n English w sbsttt downbats and for long-sht.*
n an I a u bs o n Of h dactl's prsasio bt nd p no wrs. (Ys, th anapsts nam s dactica crs?
Slo spodee ar two hav sssd downbats Th stand soldr o strong sholdr h wa. •For more o ths see paes 3436
Wor re
9
W ca v obsrve th chos o suc accntual
Wor re
9
W ca v obsrve th chos o suc accntual " i atural spch
o s sh John Sth s spods. Ns o ps sh s M tt?* oo od ths.)
I wil b clar by ow that dirent inds of accalsyllabic li will trpret" stresspattern o aral spech i diret ways Disyllabc words ar sssd ithr o way or aothr, ad pairs of ors tat dir by virtu o stress aloe will av to play dirt mtrical rols
Ths ns an show o wh th accnt wt, Bt wth th ontnt I not t contt.
A isyllabls, or ampl, can submit to two radigs. W woul say that typwrtr" s normall dacicsouig, ad placig it a dactyllc i licis is characr. Lst tp wtr ctts dts ao wth m pos!
Bu ypwrir" is a compoud word, oc hpa writ or costa use spch a sic th sod strss; tat ghost o accnt ca smo up
t s dds ts t Btw b ad toh. ow I rh.)
Cay, a li ras li op it" wil work ike a acic si wor, just as o the bst" wll ok li a aapsic o. It wil b apparet, also, that accasyabic vrs ca mae much o the aas srss a occr wh w ar logcall co (But a to�n' s "main se" s spo
0
Oer bcs
Oer bcs
0
asig o ods or phases hich differ by reaso of hei ustessed syllable. A boo" is a iam so is the boo" but hat e ite as boo" (ad poouce as somethig lie thee boo'') promotes the ustessed syllable, in emphatc contast, to something having more of the power of thi boo" o that boo" hu we might, iambially,
Observe te wore outside te store.
But if e mean to single out the allegorical gure of Revelation then she may beome trohaic, hen B bln we men ere ore (Not some ooker by te seasore)
hen the older terminology of foot" for yllable pair" or triad" is used, line ength i described in terms of number of feet, as for example meter, meter:
f she sould write Some verse tnigt Tis dimeter Would limit er.
But:
Iambic trimeter Is rater easier.
And:
Teee allows ore space For tougts to seat temselves wit grace.
No: He is en e te ie of fe Tat Englis poetry stil kes alive
Cople
Ejbe
n ohe entuies it was offiial
11
Cople
Ejbe
11
n ohe entuies it was offiial ow, diffeent kids of vese make it seem special.
S downeats in a line hat has twele saes Make up the exde whic, as ou ca ear, Tends to all ito halvene questio, oe repl.
The rea that you heard in the lt line i led caesua Here it i at wor in rhymed air of lie called coulets: n couplets, one line ofte makes a poit Wi inges o its edig, like a oit Te sentence makes tat lie beak ito wo Hee's a ce see wat it ca do (Ad ee's a gentle oe, wose pause, more sigt, Waves its wo ands, ad makes wat's left sod rig)
Two even loner meaured ie: oeee cut from d z do' seem g for sog: Thei measure rumbles o like tis fo ust a oo og
and, ued y erly Eizbet A oe ee (like a ake's doze) cut One foot off a fouteeer couplet, eded a
Let u now onider roun f ie, re or oter mean, rememberin rt tt A line can e edoed just like tis oe, Or it ca sow ej e ust like tis Oe, were te sese staddles two lies: you fee As if fom shoe ou'd stepped ito a boa
and rememerin eondly tt tere ie ae, outide of lineru e ee e ree, a moostich) i lmot ly rey o
1
Mooh
lk
1
Mooh
lk
n pigrm frd by t titl and t lie itself as n OE-LIE POM e nivese irst tn blank v: Iabc e-ea line re labeed blnk Vese (ith omeme a foo or o reered Or one mo yllablefmiie ning) Blank vers can be exreely exible: t c and tocks the me i even fee (O soeme, leerly, a n limpig* Shakespeare and oer of i dy explore lank ere in ge py, bo in reglr nd rater neen nd or o-hwn fo Occasonaly, rhyming cop ond Out at scene ending, gong to end e ron Milton did oer ting: mad i more Heroic han drmatic: log lid He rned i rre ino omein f Heard, half een, when a ch (Wods, phrae ond or pr of pe rged In roring occr i rdse s (he often ejb hi w w e Half ne ha, eing i in-f, Canno it l o be reg li A ell-made pir or inripio b he ahed nee o, o lie Visual melody in a wll-p i Bt bac gin o w b o: n im of old, ineio i oni f ynax, and Wordwor d ennon Mor dlicaely rgm m B Broning and more aely Rober ros Mde te bla re e1 gin The nd of ond o en od me (Pamrs lk is ar calld And see page 49.
scazons
I oly e coul eave hem o hemselve The roa or ay o ag alays akes, o like a oul lie or sae ndary n aricially dran line a al Te old oreener Wlliam lake ond o his ling more Than old "heroic verse penamers hich ms hae seemed Far oo or him so like ilon ih is en Sylables lake pushed ahead ih he seven sresses he heard beneah e even oureeners sancie or him by aadry Fr o rhymng oureeners can be rien o yo se In us a single balla san- za rhyme b n common hynoy and Chamans I and a Popular rhng ors eschee by Alexander ope lake, in Jerse an i ised he seven-bea ne Wih erible vac orce & claimed ha he roe in hre dieren eys, "Teric "Mild & genle an "Prosaic ye i remain Hard o disingish heir ones as i ere rom rhyhmic paerns alone.
e e we ove int gopings ade b hme, le s cnside e ways in wic slabes hem seles can eac gh acoss nes. The c
alliterate
ieri lghly ls
Sesse yllables ih common consonans
n ey can it acta hing, eibi
assonance
e is he spii o a ryme
comon vel hovering le a sigh er is consonanl y dies.
e s s eee te olowing, a he ie
yg
yg The weaest way in which two words can chime Is with the most expected ind of rhyme (I its the only rhyme that you can write, A homonym will never soud quite right.) A rhyme is stroger wen the nal words Seem less ale tha pairs of mated birds When meaning maes a gap whic sound ca span, it's As if the rhyme words came from different plaets Or when a al verb, perhaps, will reac Out to rhyme ith some differet part of speec Or whe a word spelled i oe way, like off, Rhymes strictly, with sort of visual cough Of surrise; or whe a common word lie love Which rhymed i Saespare's time wit move and prove Ends up today a sight-ryme, as above. Soe rhymes can trip you as you move alog Their lines can seem as smooth as they are strog. Lie a typewriter's fal, right-hand bell, A rhyme ca stop a line, or it can tell The sentence to go o and do its best Till, at the ext line's end, it comes to rest. And if the tone sows signs of lettig up, let There e a cute rhyme for a fnal couplet. (A serous effect is often ilable B rhming with oo much more than one syllable.)
nera rhye can claim a ord or name And mae to words mean something of the same Thus rng can jge with its gng birds, Or uer hu wit two resounding words The re robe of Ocober garish ball Me fa reca that droping leaves are all e her the hard, dry stnt of wnter lasts Thugh iards and throgh ow and no blasts, Ul lengthening sunlight hours will brig un in a rng way again, the rg.
One o he os ipoan gopigs of ines e ave had in Engish paca i he seeeeh hogh he nieeenh ceies has bee he Eg ish cope paied hed iabic peamee
Hc Cples eoic coules, clssicl nd cold,
15
Hc Cples
15
eoic coules, clssicl nd cold, e new ttes sc of someting ol nd soetin oowed (like a wedding, true, But this coison stos sot of lue" Yet ints out how te iage of o lines Bins fot long cildre s teir lengt combies nd soeties tilets el to vary te esigs. his ves ws clled eoic" for te way t seeed equivlent, in Jonson's y he seenteent centuyto HQer's log Unhed exetes, n Virgil's sog. ith lexnder Poe, we ve so pure a of nng tese, tt a ce Mes tis line use, kes tt oe slowly we ts w to join its tne in te ed. n endsoed ine is ons you'll ave guesse hose syntx coes, just t its en, to res. But when the wling sentence needs to keep oin, the enjbe kes le coss line-end (hee, ymig close). Milton, in his lnk vese, makes use of tose: is on, deendent cluses re embed. sewht s effect, s well, is mne Eswhen, eding on, te reae lears he e of vese cn ve its sue rs nd tistut coulets tke your , a te Led you c into end-stoppe ryme agi.
)
Of cose ulets cn e of ny egt, n shote sie gives geater strengt oetiesut sometimes, willyilly, u-et coulets sound quite silly. e lines elly sould stay single: einine ymes cn mke tem igle.
Tese anaestic tetamet , wee sed widey i i nineteen ceies y r passively eegiac:
6
T
T
6
There are rhythms ike this that you' frequety meet They resound ith the poudig of reguar feet, And their anapests carry a arrative oad (The hoofeats of horses, of course, o the road).
But they lie by the side of a wisperig strea Fowig sowy as time, gidig by i a drea.
Now, h Tece are group of tre; tey are a bad Payfu, ike coupts tat get out of a Of ies tat fy far te come back to ad.
A q has four ies As oe ca paiy see: Oe of its strict desigs Comes rymed .
Another way of ryme ca coe From (mide two ies odig ads as overs o) I Teyso' .
After te eyday of suc ry's reow After te weariess of ord ar Moder poets buit i a sad tow y rymig quatrais tus .
The four sort ie Are very ofte ear; Te seco ad te fourt is ry ut ot t rst ad tir
Te baad staza i a y aits o t c's par
·
·
n mnals (ardly ou of i) all it e ommon measure
(Te at ear'seolo Refrmedis mal scee Emil Dikinson'sAersouse n slaneaaye rye)
Lng measure in e yody eans even quatrains us like is, se musi ses e spiri free, Drine islved in coral iss
Tansating Omar Kaa's R war Fitgera, i would see, forgo T me e ir line wit e oter ones Te ast line unersoed its loely lot.) He in', eal man no aspersion His glm quaains were a Egis versio f us a rme seme (and God kows wa else) e u in he riinal in Persian.
L Bn, seekin ou a verse to dall in hie aming roug Do / cae o see he pi f imiang te Ialia Pes k in e sixeent cenur D J' saa, ping like a sallio Oe is isai rmes, and free muh rm o roa in, cae o see a ese paen a is own o .
mre famus sana sould e descried ere e rhme, unred, or w you il, Leas i Egis i's named for e great ree poe Pie ap . . .
pphs u-ie sanas wose rs tree le are
8
Oer
Oer
8
edi ou hd Eglish lests hebes, The, i oe moe ouch of l sho line, Tedel eding.
Rhyme royal is s fom of see Pemees, hich hucer lled wih scenes Fom Trols Crsee nd with heaven et birdsong i the Plee its means, Moe limited hn are The ee Qeee. Rol"?ro poem_b cotand's rst King Jmes. (ome schols diffe o i is wih names)
A e Spese sz wakes up wel With what wil seem a quatrai rst; i m The hid line rings its / a" rhyme like a bell, The fourth, its b" resoundig like a dime In p telephonthis paradigm emonstratig the kind of interlocking Of quatis doubling back o te same ryme Eds n n alexandrine, getl rockig The staza back to sleep, lest the cose be too socking. (And so the uestios that the lst ines ask The lexndrine answers, as a peasat task.)
There fmou wy of nterokn teret: The urhmed middle ine, i te tight schema Of tercets spinning out a lengthy text (te gve us this form, called ez Rhymes, fter ll, with te start of the ext Tercet, then helps set up a ew urhyme Th, sure of foot and not at al perplexed, Wlks across bnk space, as it did last time. (A couplet eds this little paradigm.)
n gener, A sz in Italin means /a room"; I ese, it needn't keep o squae
S
S
Coers as o some disma tomb But andes anee Some stanas can be buit o many lines O diering lengh; Their variation then combnes With rhymes to gve it strenth Aong the ay Sort lnes can play And at te end a longer and more olemn Lie extends belo a broad bae for a colmn
nnets can be of two general sorthe so-called laetan for wt three quatrains and a cole, or te Italan d wth an oce rhymed abba abba and a ee of varous groupings of cde Here are he two types: The ind o se or ha haepeare wro A poem o Love or Time in orten ine ymed he way thee are lear ay o qo Channel trong eeling into deep deign Thee qris neatly tng limb to jint Their lnes ct with he harne of a prim Flash ou in color a hey ma their poin In what logicians call a yogim / , d B he and o i goe Unles the nal uatrain tart ou B Or "Nevertheles these grop of lin io Themselves in reaoned etion ghly Te nal cople tght and ere and nd To sum up neatly how he onne end *
lton an Wordworth made the onne ond Again in a ne ay; not with the igh O ty passion where erce reaon lie Entbed in end-stopped line or igly bond In chains o uatrain more lie omething fond Than buita smooth stone on a andy rie A drop o de secreted om he y Altitde unpationed whole and rond
0
S
0
S t te the sese th hth thuh e hh es theee. he e e ht it he th t ee, e n eh .
Tere have been oher sligh variaions on e sonet paerns some of hemlie lm sars tat are shaped by and shape heir rolesinforing nd eing blooded a once by major poeic ocasions the et rm, thugh h h, et u th tree qutras, ie the ret But the hmes int interlcg te tht as the et r is bet A eh ne qtran uts im t the tet h the se ten i, b h t uh ment t diest e rme-wrd wtng, a ed uds hed teured u a. nee n ingenuite hu ne needs but two rme n d and a (s the he there ere u th. uh lne that interine, lie ced sghet, We ued b penser in his oei
Milon once compod a aild sone" of wenty les: te te estet a snnet, six Me line re added, plaing more ta t, thereuon we x shrter, audl nes tat cannt i rg it ut we ammer on a nail And thereb angs a til, But l nt tell it now instead, ell cll t qut, a clse i culet ter ll.
nd s odern Love eorge eredth, Wh brde mst irncal un it,
S
Accl Meers
nd v of e sonn
1
S
Accl Meers
1
nd v of e sonn eig wit f E, of He, God of rge, , e u of grn, waiing wiows ow oes uered o te pilows, n n n rmo-plated carriage. Bo h fo tht disiusio tkes! ui of te od e, is soies oversod s ing pst te oit at wich it reaks , e sese ise. Unswee iee, is son-pen migt be ned, Eig eers whee oce passion med, e wiser d no alf so ea. *
een vrin of soet for works s w ue sica, * i urymed lies f hiee es, ad te squares these off wit oe L e i e oe poea tirteeer--tirtee. Bu ien i its unsressed rees tere an lurk ryig Lies ike ee (fo instance; as i al slaic verse Moe of uie ent pass acros the face f io, sumoning old themes to te far ouoo of evision, owig ito parts of eigt ve ie, seve nd six, or urmed quatrais es, h ike his one wit ualiged acets ever ins in its trees or imecilites. e n ine, ucoupled, ca ave te as word
Before e exami om o m tradional forms mi os oter systems of verse listed o pae 5 Pue accetua meter w e all no from e rs o po we earnrsery rymes ad so formasrs sesse syllables only: n tu er it n't tter e eh is or tter;
*See the nex page for wy tis li doesn't seem to sca.
g y
kelocs
g y
kelocs
u hea this a ters oe) Is one wo hee o
In medieval times, The oldest Englis acceted eter Of fur, unfailing, fairly audible Strongl struck stresses seldo ttended to anyting oter tan Denite downbeats: ow ay di Unstressed upbeats i ay line Mattered not uc tio was easured Wi low leaps of alliteration Handily harping on eavy accents (Echoin equally all vowels, onsoant cousns coig togeter)
The spirt of purel enual verse w mmoned up an emnent toran: Spng h is odern accenal, counting te downbeats Instead of pentameter, Gerard Manley Hopins verse Rins dow n o sower, but as te sound of a ow beats Down on te ear in a queerear way is terse ompound words, noutonountethered, togetered wit srange rigs nt absurdings rmed his rhyths' range.
Verse clled son i s nt cacophonic iggl nd jump, Lse, smewht lupy lesing r rang, rceul grng, ts ls elng, Often lterng hrt lines, and net, With double donbeat Dn't scn them in feet") se rhmes repet revern fet
k
Wen te measure's meet
23
k
23
Wen te measure's meet Mixed in wit lines like ese, Clearly accented in trees, Nmed for Jon Skelton, Scolar-poe wo dwelt n ss, Norfolk, and te Paaded is pe To grea eknown n ondon ow (orn, as fr as we kow, n 1460 or so, id tis wold esig n 1529. Suc lines, so crammed, ould be doubly damned efore being enjambed, Teir line-endings lopped, Criminally cropped Wit syntax dropped Tey are all ed-stoped A skillful skeltonic May be macaronic.*
Pue syllabic veromeme ed o n morttion nto Engl from oter ng t line n e of ny engt. Weres iambic verse will le you er Five downbeas, countable insid you ,
(I La, t A mais s Of laas varios, or arios: tch ad an�a Tor �a lay I s ao ay Wi a na taana, Hy y mana radrs drsad m Qd at dmntandm.)
24
b L f t yllble purly
Hk
b
24
Hk
L f t yllble purly Wthut y rgeet f dwbt Wll t t be i ay tr A ry beces seg tis fr dft decasyllbic verse i rec o Jse uacce will soud like Sethig strag o glis eas wic still lt Fr dwbeats dbeas sog i a le A lst syllb� a least sessed wc its h il a rywo: ts ye liis If w ar t it (ot as above) re yllbc waderig W H Ae d Maiae re bot wrte I yllbic eer like tis whic ca Alwy regai a pe voce y sortig ou aces i is wods I y lie r rus ito idig Ag i caves f aceless sadow
d stazas ade up f lies f vryig legt lk tis o wth fr tree ve tree six yllbl d te o o eigt are quite clearly of the sae fr as eac ote; but ly th cutg ey ca ell: Yu ue yur gers o your ear
One conventional pure yllab form, borroed o Japanese poetry a been populr in Englih vers for over twenty year: ik, wt eve Slbl btw tw Shrtr lis f ve
Hk
Cq
entlylike chery
25
Hk
Cq
25
entlylike chery Blossos in a breezeallde To jst one season Soetes they are a Pecliarly Jaanese or of eigra In the breviy Lights p ih signiane Lie a ey
Te cnquan in older Frenc verse as a v-line stanza But in English, Cinqains Have lines of for Sylables si and eigh Ending as sarng ih a in Of to Bt hen Iabs align To he rained ear hese seem o for a line of ele and hen Of ten Cinqains In English verse Were devised by a bard Whose nae (alas as Adelaid Crasey Accentual-sylabic pue accenta, a pe s sa labic verse all count or measre ns bles or just accented ones or boho eeie a ne But varous nds of unmeasre vese es and have for ages The mos ineia ese s te vers form of te Hebre Bible, as i as tas lated into English and tereby resae ho te language in quotatn, ausion, a ec.
26
Free Verse
The erse of the Hebrew Bible is strange; te meter of Psals
26
Free Verse
The erse of the Hebrew Bible is strange; te meter of Psals and Proerbs perplexes. It is not a mater of number, no counting of beats or syllables. Its song is a music of matching, its ryt a kind of paraleling. One half-line makes an assrton; the tr par paraphrases it; sometimes a tird part will vary it. An abstract statement ets with its examp, yes, te way a n uns through the tee's moing laves One rer's water is hard on another's shore; so did this Hebrew verse for cay acoss into _English
Mdern fee verse, uened b te nventveness f Wlt Wtmn n Engls (nd Artur Rbud mong others n Frenh), n be f ny srts; sne lne may be detened n lost ny wy, nd since ines m be gruped o the ge n ny fshon, t s the mde of vrton tself w s sgnnt. Here re exples of nuber f dfferent types: is neer totally ree": It can occur in many forms, All of them haing in comon one principe Nothing is necssaly counted or measured (Remem ber biblica versesee above). One formthis onemakes eac line a grammatica unit. This can be a clause Which as a bject and a predicate, Or a phrase Of prepositional type. The in-and-out ariation of line length Can proide a visual music" of its own, a ryt That, sometime, idented lines like diagramed sentences Can reinforce. Our eyad perhaps in a funny, metaphrical way, our breath itself Can be dragged far out, by sme rather longer line, across the page, Free verse
F
27
F
27
hn a t p h n h t tn ry Yt uh re tn tn fa ey at
Anter kn f ree re can play a rt rhythmc tune at te end f ln ming back an frt from toe tat top t te that are enjambed a harply a tat rt one Aide rom e rytmic tenion Of varying te ebb and ow of ene alng te line makng tem eem ore (lke t one) r le ike meaure line (ke th ne) ti ort f e ere can direct our attenon a ell a any ambic line for intance t at ur language i made up of: it can break up cpund ord at ne-end ometim ty (lk n talkng in nter of a wle ibe natn bar) l tppng hurly ver at en you ook n u ut t hae been a grave tn
r r arange in vu gaph patt l th that ugget t arl-n ut nt gt a a l a agnt apphc
an l a hr muggler cntain mre aur n lin hn n t n r ran-eming n an hn a t ng c ln n n a kn f ind it ill mve
8
Fee Ve
acoss y conty
8
Fee Ve
acoss y conty 'ts o tee, seet land o ibe, tee I sngte accented erses get ct p by line breaks tat reeal soeing abou te e'd neer seen before: its a litle ike pting a conto ma oe a see plan (ut is u tid t h hi ults btig th i h hidd i th liig r v I s i th s h bv?) *
Free ese can bild p arios stanzalike nis iot ye or meared line lengh o old te togeter, bt he poer o blank space beeen hem mark ot eir ryt as sey e iming of ome iambic clock bt, o core, iently: te ear alone can el where ey end *
Fee rse can be a way of making lines that surge Wit a poer of rhyhic moion, plsin and oceanic, then Beak, as if a jey f mbled bolder ad hrst long fnger o ino he Srf, aking he rmble of aer iregular, keeping Te lines fro bcoming oo etrical, arked ih the yardick O dacl *
ider kind
o s lib as it as called earlier in ti centry Hadly ee enjabed its lines, bt sed e linea nit
ee Vese
and eve zaie
9
9
ee Vese
and eve zaie gahen o ine a a deiae ay o onoling, o oing he pae o he reading eye or peeding it up aro the page again oud ig ou or and hang he in ine al heir ow Lie oe ooms on banches, mde more preiou by heir oeine
•
And to be able to wander, ree n a ide el, as t were) vere an able abou on a d o naure wal he lines foowin no uua pah, for then he poem mih seem to have wndere ino another nd o meter's ackyar u
sometmes
seemng to map ot e synt, sometmes een to o mos e opposte, hi nd o meanen verse can een dl
pon a oer o amiar rytm
come
ear, or encouner a on, once gain
a sigt for sore
bit later
a patc of
0
Avee
ochees gong somehere
0
Avee
ochees gong somehere ake one by the and i
(like old song and
sem
break off
nd, nally, a nie �nd of ymed ee vese, t of a sot tat ealy can only e consideed as antvese ecause lgh erse makes meer sound easy nd because sayng sometng jus fo he hyme is ie and ell cheesy Een hen you sic u rhyme Wih jokes abou sagely beang yme (lthough tt line is more comelng As a joke abou nglish speling A famous comic er hose name foow deeloped a delberae and highly kied meod of wriing lines ha didn een o scan so ha he general effec was of a mecl ha gden Nash
ne foa abeaio has eappeae fom ie to te, in te Helleisic age, i he eaissace, and in oe ecaes. The so-cale pattn�pom (o saped vese" o, a lae poiaie e feed to is ow Fech execises, caigames") is coposed i ypogaphical aage i, shapes of iages of objecs o absac fos, fom soe aspet of which the poe's sbjec" o oc casion wil aise. istace of a so ha is com posed diectly, ate tan anged a composito afte being witten, is tis:
P-Pm
31
Tis is
P-Pm
31
Tis is a acodotshaped poe by hich e mean not eely a disc o an ebleatic cicle hich a text so ged ight claim eant sn oon old ete o peection o Jst a blon u dot in lines o p to 2 letes Past the middle he lines o tpe ge hoe and move aste bu all adding up o oo much s abou making a poin
A Renaissance version of an ancien adae ca aceried poery as speain picure and ar as mue poesy. Poetic form can try o avoid e ear idin more and more in is visual areas. Paern-poems ae the mos extreme instance of is ha e ave seen. But onrete poet a developmen in rapc ar of he pas thirty years or so (bu developin fom poaphical experienation oin bac o allarm in the laer nineeent cenury) depends upon unique dran pned or assembled represnaions of pa terned inscription punn ebus ec. mos ofen cannot be read aloud the ay all verse can (no mae ho fraed or commened-upon y visual aspecs of its meter). Consider for example a lile concee poe I gt call On Touching unsets: cc u
e readg (To see's to use''2c's 2u's) maes a crepusclar epgram abou he use and msuse of nature This case is more translaable ino speec
Co Pom
tan ost; te self-descriptve eample prepared for
Co Pom
tan ost; te self-descriptve eample prepared for ts vole s alas oo heav for tese lght pages I ncle not t bt nstrctons for realizing t; hav ng ollowed same readers wll also realize why I ave not brdened tem wth te actual eample "Concete Poem by John Hoande is to be fond in the eeping of the Yae Unvesity Pess. t i ahe than, as in the case of ea vese o pose, beng "inscibed pon, "itten acos, ec. a concete sab, 2' x 2', heaviy sced, scaed, bbeis sface texe vey ogh, cobebbed, and active. isceibe pon it ae inscibed ods, disposed as epesented beo. Te poems sface is such that the as thee etes of he od "exe recede into its textue. Needess to say, te istation given hee i not, nor b the concete poem. nd jst as e.
Ode
33
Repition is a powerfl an iersie elee
33
Ode
Repition is a powerfl an iersie elee of foral strctres. It is also a ery ancien e: priitie wor songs, or prayers, or ance , all inole a solo singer or leaer, who ol ch new an eloping ateral, a a c, wold repeat soe shorter eleent oer e as a nd of pnctation of the ne aeral efe consiering refrains an other oern kn of reetition, we shol distingis between ths rie bt contining ind of solochors strctre a e astly coplex pattern of the Gree cho e, whether se in tragey or in pblic cereoe Althogh Gree erse, as we shall see shortly, e a syste of syllable lengths rather than stree ccents, yo can see what a typica pattern lke: Te choral ode in nient eee ws more tn just vese fom for e seto (like tis one, ed stophe ws sunnot eitedd dnced, nd te dners were siners. Tese wods to tei musi moved wit te dnes in one dietio, ten inised teir ptten t te end of pt of wt tey d to sy. Te seond pt o eve setion ten woud ve te sme tune, te sme ryt, te stophe d, nd teefoe te woe antistrophe would move wi moon. Tis mtin of vese to verse i eed o ontrafatum.) Te dnes mved ten s te sn with tose sme steps te oter wy. An hen , unmin seo n ee, stndin,
Quantitaive Verse
34
followed te strope (or turn"
Quantitaive Verse
34
followed te strope (or turn" and te antistrope (or contertr" and rater mor simp peraps completed t i or sction of wic ter cod be one or sevra
But ode h nother ene tht of neolil lri in ome entulllbi ere ee perp dpted from Hore So Pindr's pulic and to-o Andrew Marve contracted to Te semi-private mode Of is Horata Oe"; Te rming rst and second ines Of tis copactest of designs Are followed everere a mc sorter pair
A onsidertion of the whole mtter of neolil for might be prefed b oe brief obervtion bout uatitativ vs Greek meter w bed on sylbi quntite rther thn ontrting tree; one long llble (o determined b the length of the vowel, nd b few poitionl rule) w et equl to two short one like hlf note nd qurter note in musil nottion A foot in quntittie nion ws lie muil meure dtl w like one of 4/4 e ha cod hve either two hf notes, o a v , o a an o quarers (ha is, dy, a see, ). n atn, where soen wos ne o have a sess aent on the enumae sya, owing he ee res which obsee r accen b instead lae a musica ow a he syabe in a ot o ar) ae s c cnusion.
Apos
35
Apos
35
We are concerned only with Enlish verse, ho ever and its attempts to imiate" classical meers. Even more than in Latn, stress dominates Enlis grammar and syntax, and in order to se p classical verse forms in Enlish, some ind o metaphoric verson of tem had to be framed before poets of te enassance and later, yeain for the voice o an quty, could tate them· in stressed, romance traned Enlish. One early soltion as o ass o Els ve the lenth o the analoos ones n ee or a and cont ay syllale lon" ha a olloe two adjacen consonans. dle sressae as disconted. nd ths, in tese pael qa tatve" dactyllic hexameters such syllbls ng' d In te lasi l order Can't b adibl o Englsh ears h re und n cce Mak'd by patten of sss, no b quani ve crawl. A l
These lnes scan" only we show tha he pater of long" and short" syllales alls ino the classcl feet," r musical measres. he inadibily o ese quanttes n any lanuae that ad stressed sllales was a factor n atn verse; stressed syllables cold eter be placed in he positions of lon oes, or no. In te former case, they are called (sn the te nolo of one modern scholar) odyne I d yls In te latter case, heterodyne. tressed syllales , , Sondd o t I ea nes nd n Vrgs er ,
,
Later on cassical adaptaons ried less o s
6
Elegiacs
•
Alcaics
•
Hendecasylabic
6
Elegiacs
•
Alcaics
•
Hendecasylabic
literal and repaced e classica feet or measures f lngs and sts ih paired or trind stressed n unstressed sylables. Tus he cassica ia r srt-long ecae he Englis one, or da-. e eigteetcentry erma poes rot in ac ental elgac cuplets Fst a hexameter strethng ts tl aross to a ane, Then the pentameter li�e ollows an all t a lose
Accental vsions o sanza fos lso oc. e ave coe across he acetua sapi e ( 17). Anoer strophic ype, ame for h ree poe lcaeus was adaped b oac a he imiae fro i: Th s tiht ali stna gi wit a athe pair o longr ln that are ollow Tw shoter ons, inente ths wa, aing the meter am in ngli o ghost of aint utures uri low ruin alis somehow outlas t Gre poet, Rmn , an Grma (Hlrn, opto) who ma it mn
Uliaely, mo qaai fo o wo o, followed by wo sho, lis a imci vsio of this staza (se e sol Ho aza of Adrew ael, a 34. ne more ersio o lasil trs t Calle heecasyllabcs (whi is Gr o Haing slables numrng ln) tart rght ut wit a wnat, aa i Feminine, with a in of station Hear jut ater th par o (t Furth an fth o) whih i t in its patrn
Ascs Echo
7
7
Ascs Echo
Three sresse syllables somemes oe up hs ie, hich, use i a b carpi artial Eve mre y atastcal Catullus S hols o o is ol, upbraiig caece.
Ad this as good a place as any for wo kinds of icky device, bo neocassical i origin: crosc verse top o he lie," i Gree ocels i a liuisc hideaseek, Reaable messaes, ges suk i eer ly rea o he lies' iial leters. ommes a love ame here ecoe es: i istace ame sel surprise, surpise! ee, hese al es, demure a g, orm he uess yu' de ear e egg.
Descendg rom Alexanrian ies troug e eigeen enty, a wity device known usuay a eco e would se e syaic reeions ad caios o atral eces for sairic effec Echo i hae it hat eh lie's last or
CH:
d.
Echo i cop o ods e aase"
CH:
To iz.
Out o ha s i Echo's t the spu?
CH:
Ca Egh have a ull, taa echo?
CH:
Pu. Ecco!
We sall now reu o te attr of epeon. Oe kd of mieva European ance song was caed a rol, or ig dance. In a carol, e leaer d sig e snzas, nd e dancers e refran or brde: e de uer abot Lie a cle o ue bids, The leer sta i place
Col R
Col R An reeer any ore wor Biily bily bight Thei buen is ve light he ancer crce aout Le a rn aroun the oon, her n a n of ance, her anuae a n of tune Biily biily bight Thei buen is ve light Le an when t threhe, Le hay when t n, Man, ntea of ore ene, A uc of t own: Biily biily bight Thei bue is ve light
lterary lr poem a ong onl metaphoall; t degned to e poken or read, and a forma refran an often eve a nd of remnder or ubttute for an earler relaton to mu Some refran are lteral mtaton of mufa la la la la," et Other may e a themat phrae or entene; the trutural rhne of refran n modern vere depend upon one mple phenomenon: repeatng omethng often ma make t beaue more expetd and therefore arrng le nformatn, a an engneer mght put tr, beaue of hftng or developng ontext n eah tanza peedng, What once was calle a buren Wa elo hea to bear It wa sun by e ancers an ea n etween e sanzas, lke ar Ruhn y beeen cas of a tran, Aain an agan an again
R
39
R
39
L th nt a harend tl Bntd t uh e Or a ln larned n l Drd nt te tue, r o th ld rrain gain and again and again L a nd r te ditant pat O remerd wave n a ore Ea man mre tan te last, One re ne more and once more. But ess s mre t muc is pain gain and again and again L te pondng of ard rain gain and gain and again. Brd wth th dlng ng, vr tanza a t Ot n a wal le long St teir burdens, and get Eac tme, wit te old refrain, gain nd a gain nd g
A RIEF DIGRESSION: The threeet entl rhtm o the lst exmple remind one of prolem mentioned t the eginning of thi diion metril amiguit. Kets's line How mn rd gild the lapses o time" s given n exmple ti ltet xal o ai suggests another, remindig s how e lne l oues willfor ll or good ae n te lok of a wole neigborood, larng muddles in wic, alone, te stood A efr, wen we aid a rerain h etwen cars of a train" All te anapets in it rang out At te tr ones gatered about Bt ntext gvern and will alwas reign
llll
ushng by btwn cas of a an
S
llll
S
ushng by btwn cas of a an Bcoms a -ba ln who much pa
Bt back to repetito. wo well-kow forms, oe from edieval Provece, oe from Frace, elihted ieteeth-cet makers of itricte verse a e cae importat forms for mediative specltio i modern poet. irst, he illaelle: s fom wh o fs n pa? (Jus wach opnng a h h ln ) h pio la h uc hs sai i wl Acoss h poac sg: his fom w wo as i paa us n ma hm gl a l unfu b mpy bo an b pios b h l By mog ou bo h c cl (hough hag wo o m-os ca o Ths fom) Wh wo fans n paalll A pom ca way o a l f nguy o s h pos Bu a l i ha ol h a i a o wo is wi all w hs fom h wo fai n pal h pio bul Vlal Te other sch orm is the sestia: six stazas, each of six lines, three-lie ey (or seoff", the repetitio bei ot of lies, as i the vllaelle, bt of the eral words of the lies of the rst stanza: ow w com o h compl sesna: In h s sana, ach ies na o
S
41
S
41
il how u ueuently at te end O other lne aranged in derent way he word moe troug te maze o a dar oret en cra out, at the tanza' edge to ligt. he urden o reeatng word i ligt o cary tough the core o a etin Ad waing throug te language o a oret ne come on the clearng of an echoed word eehingly emoyed n variou wa, Un one' amle throug the · tanza end. he next one tar out were te lat one end A in the oter cae with the ligt ond of to lne, e to road or patway eeng efore they dft aart. eta attern revea the eaing way a wod Cn tae through the thic claue f a oret. e oet dance oly through a oret O erutaton, a maze that never end ith even hunded twenty ay the od Can e ioed in ie gou. ut ight through the ee into the dar eina ig out ony er tai i ay, L hgeringng i l. he word nd ay A mea or i th ende oret B hoig ot th oe o a eta. t omeme, one emend e te a it o ee tone, ight th ei mo o chage on or it i tht he t tza' wod t," o" Ed" and the " h att he cete Fret" d Lit" h i With eangs t hh th ho . r the t' n h ht That th th ho e .
42
Bllde
ome of the lyc form from Frnce remin kind
Bllde
42
ome of the lyc form from Frnce remin kind of metric dnce, without rl poetry to y but good fo litea pay ight verse, ves de socit) Th ballade h onl one refrin but it three full tnz nd hort voy re locked to the me rhyme throughout ere are te kinds of song tat la Along te medieval sore And ten oved inland ligt and ga Sll in te ancient garb te wore Wen speaking ot of bed and war And Franois Villons cogs and leas? Were is teir trut teir migt oar? Wh h o s hs? Were are te eigt-line stanzas te beginning for Followed b qatrains wic conve Te -rme tat ad sng befor Its simple tne in lines of ore? Were are t bs nal s Tat make te old refrain implore "h h o s hs? Were are te words tat sed to pla Wingd among te trees and por Old-fasioned rme te oped for ae? Weres Rostands rapier wit tat tore Off bits of Craos? Werefore id clever rming cease to please? Sinc jingle became a craing bore Wh h o s hs? ENVOY
Prince of Readers Ie ceased to soar: Wit rmes sed up its a gter squeeze e no (send-off" asks jst once more Wh h o s hs?
Another French lric form, te odeau repets onl
Ro
Tol
43
artte openin two bi fet, llof
Ro
Tol
43
artte openin two bi fet, llof r ne: he rneu's French in riin Fr seer centres it's been O use r ht erse, in the ain; cn e the bne O smene with n er that's tin he rst wrs with which we bein Return, ie a recurrin sin re e' th the crm n (he rneau's rench! ht's clle the rentreet; and in he curse hearin these lines spi heseles ut ne ay wait in vain r mre rhyes, r a ull rerain With hry ny lss r ain Enish replces, with a rin he rneu's rench
tiolet te brfe f ee, 5/8 f be opoe of it wo f rlets' secn lines rerin Frm cmn bc untl te end; huh the rst ne can cause se pain lets' secn nes rerain Fr cn bc yet nce gain (he rm's t rie o oed ets' secn ines rerain Frm cn bc unl the end
Te ano oe, o Fe , fro Malay (antn) and i t lik b f vllanelle t te nfoldin oton of terza ria (p 18) T_ere y e any ner of qatrain, bt, startin wt te eon one, tey e enee b repeatng te even-nbere line of e e
Panoum
od-bere oe of e ne T n n of
Panoum
od-bere oe of e ne T n n of poe rpe oen on. n on a o of r reeve n a e r of e qarain bo on o feren fro e econ ve so adeig i the ntum The eetitios ame a sutle doom. Eveig has etee he patches o loo No sttle i the coes o te oom The epetios me a stle oom ach uatai's st a thi lies ae eais; o settled-in te coes o the oo tte the comig eve's chlls pais ach uatai's st a thi lnes ae ea, etuing om the pvious seco a outh. tte th comng eve's chls a pas! he i i ominos, a om te oth etunig om te pevious seco a outh, ll these ae complcate hee y hyme. The in is omious, an om the oth talk aout the eatr hal the time. ll these ae complcate hee y hye Clevely oven o the mae' loo e ak at the eathe hal the v so adeigi the antou oer for b on fra onrf o o of cn or por n o cae "e Be. Mca / r a slow oves rog tlve are n a airy xed or eqene [Mician o in i as (IV) I IV V .] e repeion of rs lie is not rey ecorive nor eprv a o wi see. Be are irovise by e singr e s
Blues
•
Pop
Standard
aa ro Sod old tories and ang te ew
Blues
•
Pop
Standard
aa ro Sod old tories and ang te ew a o Sotan od orie and ang the nes, t b Aeria et and thought te bues No a be ha a tanas of a uy d Y a be ha tana o a very unny d; Do tat ine again nger whe you mke up yo Me up or ind, whie the next ine gves you time, Mae p yor nd e, while ths lne's givg you tme, en yor trin o tougt · comes unng after af ter you rhye Yo an uot proverb; they say a ew oom sweeps eanYe, that at tey ay: t's e ew room tha sweeps clean, So ing a new lnake lnake tat prover eay mean mean . Yo ing the lues upsdedwn you i wth the ea 0 you sig upsiddown, you start t it he e, nd the end o lues i like he faig i.
wic leas one o rear a n te words of tandrds-meic popu so ou'll nd te germs O poodic terms Ued in way that soud a ite w hi woe ntroductio, for istce, s ce e vese e lines with the tne at li come soon But wh ca rememer this meod (h's s cus) ( o o s e . . . )
• Yu , , Blu ar k wngs ad as a beat-up she Bl ar lk wg, a as a beatup h Wt mtng bw ad smethng d ne Bl r a wtty pgammatc an passnate at nce
46
Lmck But n tat A,A,,A,
Chw
46
Lmck
Chw
But n tat A,A,,A, attn unin us n a ailia a he a tit-to as to te cus. Wt cnd s ceatue e O ics tat tate ad boe us O eite f te aboe, ee ae tit-to as to te cos ee's ew usic o section ; It's called te elease"but om wa? T ude of smmy? e eated eit as at it's o? Tis paadim my e ig As ass as a i botosaus, ut we keep comi back to oe ti: e ae tity-o bas to e cous.
O brie, om om o verse i ve be ome, i emseves, moe ie e orm or joes, he mo eebred i e limeick is st amus oms is a ddle at u wit a sxual idde; But t s of a imericku in Dutc i Cric A t littl st lins in t iddl.
ad iicks n Edad Lea k a tun tat as ate seee Ti ast et sa As ti ste t tae. at titi d Edad La!
he cleihew ieed by E(dmd) (lerie) eey is a seed qarai ha rmes a ay o ri rhymi joes o ames ad oher joes o rhymes, ad spoo meria eaes i e mode of Ode Nash (see pae :
Double-dactl
A
clerih
47
47
Double-dactl
A clerih Will hardly transport you, or fe you Over toward Parnassus (Better use some poetic Onassis).
Finally, a recent offhoot of the lerihe, nvnt by Anthony Hecht an rt publih by him collaboration · ith thi author: the double-dactyl pair of quatrain of to acentual tylli et, th the folloing contion plac� o t: Starng with nonsense words (Higgledy-piggledy"), Then comes a nme (Making line number two); Somewhere aong in the Terminal quatrain, a Didaktliaios * Word, and we're through.
Or, in a perfect itance, Higliledy choolahr Hollandrs Muter mble and Cavl a crs, i l rd or he Anlte L his lhweight but I v
Before leaving hem n gure of or ound, e might remark tht ther are umbe o rhetorical chee aociate ith proe a ell with verse. We might conie a fe of them tht are comonly ued in poetry. One of the ot *Greek for "composed of
to
dactls.
eorcl Schm
mus and mst imprtant for earl poetry is te
eorcl Schm
mus and mst imprtant for earl poetry is te scaed epic simie ven as when some objec amiliar o s all A seet, a spoon, a river, a sho, a sr, ooach Is brought to o aention, called p rom or memory lght u the dakened suace o soeting we've barely k So did the epic simile sing o a slen pas *
synactc pnning, sharp and erse, As on s senses, which we now reharse Zeuga is used n eaest and ts vese. Zga'
*
is a breaing-o wha is beinga synacc cog
naothon *
we hs address ore thngs an I shold care o gess Aposophe! I did invoke Your ge even as I spoe
ostroh!
*
w repea an opening prase or word; Anaphora wll por i ino a mold (abr); Anaphora will cas each sbseen opein Anaphora will las n it's iring. Anaphora wil seem o baer he earer mid, Aaphora will mae mere lieness seem ind; naphora wil sond lie some reorical al, Anaphora will be reorme by hitman, al else it can caress yo with a gentle hand r else t an be ex or hope o ndersand, r else it can bcome a kind o incantaon, r else it can shape p into a proclamaion
nahora
*
is the opposite lik ending, ee the same word wil mke a siia eding Hoootton
so
Viion
Other schees of placeen were never classied
so
Viion
Other schees of placeen were never classied by rhetoricians, perhaps because they only came up in English verse and in the onext of English word orde. The way in which a pair of adjcivs modiyng the sa noun can b arranged, for example, has onsequen or ou verse. For Plysyllabic lng words, preceding short ones, dever Adjectval, sharp blows o the odied next nun.
n oh an, xap, we lan y scanning a pan Coupled adjetives dynai,
o h Slower disclosure and instructive. *
Thus, at the end of an iabi line, Ts scheme could fnd a lasting place, and ne.
W nu wi a a ahu, Let us ta of variaon: In a very boring meter Like this blank (unrhymed) trohaic -Four beats, so -the Chance for any subtle ryth To develop, aking any Line soud uch more lke itself tan Like the others all around it Isn't very igh at all (a Cycle witten in this verse for By the pot Henry Wadsworth Longfellw-it's ost well known-is Called The Song of Hiawat,
Reocl ceme
O ehas as n atn a chun o caseendng
49
Reocl ceme
49
O ehas as n atn a chun o caseendng O as n Englsh, a acial ing even, i you sh and ehaps bending The usual sense o it, a hying sort o ending
Chiasmus gene ee eng eeen; ne ee e Gee x ci n g e g Xng ee n e ee e e e nouns.
n
e rng n e ne ee
r ng e nn n n e a er e n n enj e e e gr Echong adectves and nouns esounding Dee in the draught ess a schee r e crossg ca nge prr n Iaged ors rror anng or is: Speeh hic
pat reecs n arts o seech
r ee a meaoc pae aog ere e oc realms o ope o scee; n epe wic ierlaces syax ad ag lee e pe lmae wo cas as o a ece e bung darness and the ight eeng
o Itte o the Fnnh
51
o
51
Itte o the Fnnh Meter o n ec cyce Cen Fnnh But et u oe into or , th our et the norm An sten to the y tht ine T out their rhyth, hle deign O rhye n reon, oerlid On the right tune tht's eing lye Cn e thee ne thoug tey rye Le le coc tht tc te te Or e u u with n ring chime. Lne y e vre wit rre Mce ye here n tere Een two ets togeter, strong Enough to hoe ther word long The ne it, untl tey drop Into the next, n nlly sto. yth cn simmer, jut lke ts; Two lnes cn delctl iss; Soe words' slow burdens ake em bleed A, uged bunced, clustered ur to read; Ech ne cn eco wt it ss; Yet y reelnce Stl hol etween te ou faces O lne in ter respecte plces.
The eect of ound oberved n he recedn lines repreent more enerl mtter, ht of ocaled ttve ound" or, more tehncll, verbl isis." In t own ·, th nd o mthmn t the mllet level, nd c be condered no o much cheme or tern, but mode of trope itel the mth one of emntc reence n a pace o onreerentil ound (or, ome mh wat t put it, nturl relton ocurrn n conveniona one tht h, ndeed, u been etblhed i the verse). Thu,
SGIONS OR
SGIONS OR FURTHER ADIN
a ae aeady amiia ih my geat oiginal aai ve th Pope's heuistic, sel-descip v v A Essay Criiism ies 3. pense, Cole y a idges al rote metrical expi a ap hi can e ud i the colleced . h, Keat, ad ante abie Rsseti ae he he et. Ka hai's Ess Re i vee ih me sel-descipive bits. In rnch, ie (1598-18) e a amous oneau on ho a ea Pa F's Pic Meer and Peic Frm (ev. e., New Y, 1979) s a eceet ie ucin to some o the pob e pic aay. he esays in Havey rss, e., h Sructure f Vers: der Essays Psdy (ev. ed., New Yo, 179) ve a aay ems ad vies . My on Visi Reace ( k 1975 cues iscussis o omal p a e pcalie ae. To ilant essays o the . K. imsa ue mst cntempoa discussions Oe ea ym Reasn, i Th Vbl Ic (Lexing Ky, 1954) ad I each o eba Mimesis, in h D e Lepards (N ave, 6. Wimsat also edited a st vaa had cpaaive meics called Vsii Majr nguge Tpes (Ne r, 2; pp. 22 ae deted h py a is poblems. Idividual entes in the Prce ncdia et d Pics (enaged ed., ice 974) a cde a icuis suc as Py ad Poe, Muic and oey, S C ec. as el as essays on many aa iar Ea a t. In adtion thee is a m a paula , pdic tems, etc. ay' Hst Eglish Prsd m e welh tu t e Pesen ay i eautie ad s-pace he po p a Hstoric ua f Egish Prsy ill y a a hal spias. 5
5
Mesis
Techcal maste should not aston
5
Mesis
Techcal maste should not aston The sense must seem n echo to te sond, nd ese can be a cham t conue up ghost o meaning in n empt cup, That nymph the linists cal "Mopheme - naiad O sensom out a cell o sund. This tiad
"e res f uum dwide ecemr prk f meig ides i is gr ember nd kides i is me w we ememr
\
Illusates ell the point nothing in 's 's and 's means "esidual ut hese e topes, lie hyme, upoting to hae on In mee accident o common sound A hidden eel of meaning, had and bigh ed by the essue o he ea's delight Thus -sounds can eel abbie o e hen had in "mime, o oeead in "um; Thee's nothing tht geneal obect, i That suits it o its ole "spi o "shit (Lo comedy, o, ppely, t. 's ae only bethless hen in "hoas ("Hoses un smoothly from th stt, o couse. as in "slip an "slap and sleet nd "slide Etcta, pehps connotes a glide O unimpede motion; I suppose That stufed, inil s suggests the nose. t mostly, all these mophophonemes tha Pty seems to pull ou of its ht e ese' metaphos o haig nd uied siiance in natual gound
\
,
i
,
i
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' J
I
'
,
'
j1
f
�
•
•
ggesos for Frer Reg
Mre liited in scpe and t e sch studies as thse
ggesos for Frer Reg
Mre liited in scpe and t e sch studies as thse f erek Attridge o quantitative verse i nglish Well Weighd Syllables (Cabridge 1976r Helen ouise Cohen Lyric Forms om France (New York 1922. Harvey Gross Sound and Form in Modern Poet (Ann Arbor 1964) and John Thpsn The Founding o English Mt (New York 1961 hed reasonable light on bscure questions. Robert ridges Mltos Posody (Oxfrd 1921 and dward M. Weismiller Stdies of Verse Fr in the Minr nglish Poems" i A Vio Coe on e Poems o John Milto II pt. 3 (New York 1972 bt raise imprtant general questins. oald esing Chce o Rhye Device an Modenity (erkeley nd os gees 198 is brief and provcative; T. S. Omnd ng Mss is a ultiatel ausing accunt of te contetions nd pedatries of prosdic thests in nglish. Caterine Ing n Elzaben Lyrics (ndon 1951 pays soe iluminating attetion to the relatins betwee verse and usic suctures and lise .Jorges Let Wellund Words Amaze (Mineaplis 1981 examines in detail the trans fratin f verse into sng i the seventeent century. Gerge Puttenha s The rte o English Poese (1589) is stil f great i terest fr bth prsdy and retric the latter of which is ceverly and usefuy sered by Richard A. anha A andbook o Rhe torical Ters (erkeley and s Angeles 1969. Fr transcendent aterthughts n any f these atters Justus Gerge awlers elestl Pantomie (New Haven 1979 is rearkable but cannt be recended t beginners. -
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