Part 189 (1/2)

EXPLANATIONS AND DEFINITIONS

Poetic feet being arbitrary co of verses, and the ready ascertain prosodists a perplexing diversity of opinion, as to the _nue Soht; others, twelve The dozen are all that can be made of two syllables and of three Latinists sometimes make feet of four syllables, and adht in all The _principal_ English feet are the _Iambus_, the _Trochee_, the _Anapest_, and the _Dactyl_

1 The _Ia of a short syllable and a long one; as, _b~etr=ay, c~onf=ess, d~er=ee_

2 The _Trochee_, or _Choree_, is a poetic foot consisting of a long syllable and a short one; as, _h=atef~ul, p=ett~ish, l=eg~al, m=eas~ure, h=ol~y_

3 The _Anapest_ is a poetic foot consisting of two short syllables and one long one; as, _c~ontr~av=ene, ~acqu~i=esce, ~i of one long syllable and two short ones; as, _l=ab~our~er, p=oss~ibl~e, w=ond~erf~ul_

These are our principal feet, not only because they are oftenest used, but because each kind, with little or noa peculiar rhythly, four principal kinds, or orders; namely, _Iambic, Trochaic, Anapestic_, and _Dactylic_; as in the four lines cited above

The more pure these several kinds are preserved, the more exact and co difficult, and its sae some variety; not so much, however, as to confound the drift of the rhythmical pulsations: or, if ever these be not rave fault in the versification

The _secondary_ feet, if admitted at all, are to be admitted only, or chiefly, as occasional diversifications Of this class of feet, reehtland took the _Spondee_, the _Pyrrhic_, the _Moloss_, and the _Tribrach_ To these, some now add the other four; namely, the _Amphibrach_, the _Amphimac_, the _Bacchy_, and the _Antibacchy_

Few, if any, of these feet are really _necessary_ to a sufficient explanation of English verse; and the adopting of so reat objection, that we thereby produce differentthe the most important; and it is proper that the student should know the import of all these prosodical ter of two long syllables; as, _c=old n=ight, p=o=or s=ouls, ~am~en, shr=ovet=ide_

6 A _Pyrrhic_ is a poetic foot consisting of two short syllables; as, presulo-|_r~io~us_

7 A _Moloss_ is a poetic foot consisting of three long syllables; as, _De~ath's p=ale h=orse,--gre=at wh=ite thr=one,--d=eep d=amp v=a=ult_

8 A _Tribrach_ is a poetic foot consisting of three short syllables; as, prohib-|_~it~or~y_, unnat-|_~ur~all~y_, author-|_~it~at~ive_, innum-|_~er~abl~e_

9 An _A both sides short, the ; as, _~impr=ud~ent, c~ons=id~er, tr~ansp=ort~ed_

10 An _Amphimac, Amphimacer_, or _Cretic_, is a poetic foot of three syllables, having both sides long, the sh=eet, l=ife-~est=ate, s=oul-d~is~eased_

11 A _Bacchy_ is a poetic foot consisting of one short syllable and two long ones; as, _th=e wh=ole w~orld,--~a gre=at v=ase,--=of p=ure g=old_

12 An _Antibacchy_, or _Hypobacchy_, is a poetic foot consisting of two long syllables and a short one; as, _kn=ight-s=erv~ice, gl=obe-d=ais~y, gr=ape-flow~er, g=old-b=eat~er_

Aations of verse, one ele syllable is [thus] taken by itself, it is called a _Caesura_, which is co syllable” [499]

FOR EXAMPLE:--

”Keeping | _time, | time, | time_, In a | sort of | Runic | _rhyme_, To the | tintin| -nabu| -lation that so | musi| -cally | _wells_ From the | _bells, | bells, | bells, | bells, Bells, | bells, | bells_”

--EDGAR A POE: _Union Magazine, for Nov 1849; Literary World_, No 143

OBSERVATIONS

OBS 1--In defining our poetic feet, rammarians substitute the ter_ and _short_, as did Murray, after sonized in his _second_ edition being the _Iambus_, the _Trochee_, the _Dactyl_, and the _Anapest_, and all these being fore has beenquantity, as well as their opposites, nonaccent and short quantity, lish verse is not, like that of Latin or Greek poetry, a distinction in the _time_ of syllables, not a difference in _quantity_, but such a course of accenting and nonaccenting as overrides all relations of this sort, and th and shortness compatible alike with stress or no stress Such a theory, I am persuaded, is untenable Great authority, however, may be quoted for it, or for its principal features Besides the several later graive it countenance, even ”the judicious Walker,” who, in his pronouncing Dictionary, as before cited, very properly suggests a difference between ”_that quantity which constitutes poetry_,” and the th or shortness of vowels_,” when he colish accent and quantity, in his ”_Observations on the Greek and Latin Accent and Quantity_,” finds ”accent perfectly co or short quantity;” (_Key_, p 312;) repudiates that vulgar accent of Sheridan and others, which ”is only a greater force upon one syllable than another;”

(_Key_, p 313;) prefers the doctrine which ”makes the elevation or depression of the voice inseparable from accent;” (_Key_, p 314;) holds that, ”unaccented vowels are frequently pronounced long when the accented vowels are short;” (_Key_, p 312;) takes long or short _vowels_ and long or short _syllables_ to be things everywhere tanta fro but the nature of the vowels, as they are pronounced long or short;” (_ibid_;) and again: ”Such long quantity” as consonants lish ear _has not the least idea of_ Unless the sound of the vowel be altered, we have _not any conception_ of a long or short syllable”--_Walker's Key_, p 322; and _Worcester's Octavo Dict_, p 935

OBS 2--In the opinion of Murray, Walker's authority should be thought sufficient to settle any question of prosodial quantities ”But,” it is added, ”there are soement”--_Murray's Octavo Gram_, p 241 And well there may be; not only by reason of the obvious incorrectness of the foregoing positions, but because the great orthoepist is not entirely consistent with himself In his ”_Preparatory Observations_,” which introduce the very essay above cited, he avers that, ”the different states of the voice,” which are indicated by the coh_ and _low, loud_ and _soft, quick_ and _slow, forcible_ and _feeble_, ”may not improperly be called _quantities_ of sound”--_Walker's Key_, p 305 Whoever thinks this, certainly conceives of quantity as arising fros_ than ”the nature of the vowels” Even Humphrey, hom, ”Quantity differs regate quantum of sounds,” may find his questionable and unusual ”conception” of it included a these