The Grammar of English Grammars · Chapter 367Measure VIII.—Iambic of One Foot, or Monometer
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"The shortest form of the English Iambic," says Lindley Murray, "consists of an Iambus with an additional short syllable: as,
Disdaining, Complaining, Consenting, Repenting.
We have no poem of this measure, but it may be met with in stanzas. The Iambus, with this addition, coincides with the Amphibrach."—Murray's Gram., 12mo, p. 204; 8vo, p. 254. This, or the substance of it, has been repeated by many other authors. Everett varies the language and illustration, but teaches the same doctrine. See E. Versif., p. 15.
Now there are sundry examples which may be cited to show, that the iambus, without any additional syllable, and without the liability of being confounded with an other foot, may, and sometimes does, stand as a line, and sustain a regular rhyme. The following pieces contain instances of this sort:—
Example I.—"How to Keep Lent."
"Is this | a Fast, | to keep The lard | -er lean And clean From fat | of neats | and sheep?
Is it | to quit | the dish Of flesh, | yet still To fill The plat | -ter high | with fish?
Is it | to fast | an hour, Or ragg'd | to go, Or show A down | -cast look | and sour?
No:—'Tis | a Fast | to dole Thy sheaf | of wheat, And meat, Unto | the hun | -gry soul.
It is | to fast | from strife, From old | debate, And hate; To cir | -cumcise | thy life;
To show | a heart | grief-rent; To starve | thy sin, Not bin: Ay, that's | to keep | thy Lent." ROBERT HERRICK: Clapp's Pioneer, p. 48.
Example II.—"To Mary Ann."
[This singular arrangement of seventy-two separate iambic feet, I find without intermediate points, and leave it so. It seems intended to be read in three or more different ways, and the punctuation required by one mode of reading would not wholly suit an other.]
"Your face Your tongue Your wit So fair So sweet So sharp First bent Then drew Then hit Mine eye Mine ear Mine heart
Mine eye Mine ear Mine heart To like To learn To love Your face Your tongue Your wit Doth lead Doth teach Doth move
Your face Your tongue Your wit With beams With sound With art Doth blind Doth charm Doth rule Mine eye Mine ear Mine heart
Mine eye Mine ear Mine heart With life With hope With skill Your face Your tongue Your wit Doth feed Doth feast Doth fill
O face O tongue O wit With frowns With cheek With smart Wrong not Vex not Wound not Mine eye Mine ear Mine heart
This eye This ear This heart Shall joy Shall bend Shall swear Your face Your tongue Your wit To serve To trust To fear."
ANONYMOUS: Sundry American Newspapers, in 1849.
Example III.—Umbrellas.
"The late George Canning, of whom Byron said that 'it was his happiness to be at once a wit, poet, orator, and statesman, and excellent in all,' is the author of the following clever jeu d' esprit:" [except three lines here added in brackets:]
"I saw | a man | with two | umbrellas, (One of | the lon |—gest kind | of fellows,) When it rained, M=eet =a | l=ady On the | shady Side of | thirty |-three, Minus | one of | these rain |-dispellers. 'I see,' Says she, 'Your qual | -ity | of mer | -cy is | not strained.' [Not slow | to comprehend | an inkling, His eye | with wag |-gish hu |-mour twinkling.] Replied | he, 'Ma'am, Be calm; This one | under | my arm Is rotten, [And can |-not save | you from | a sprinkling.] Besides | to keep | you dry, 'Tis plain | that you | as well | as I, 'Can lift | your cotton.'" See The Essex County Freeman, Vol. i, No. 1.
Example IV.—Shreds of a Song.
"The cuck |—oo then, | on ev |—ery tree, Mocks mar |—ried men, | for thus | sings he, Cuckoo'; Cuckoo', | cuckoo',— | O word | of fear, Unpleas |-ing to | a mar |-ried ear!"
"When blood | is nipp'd, | and ways | be foul, Then night | -ly sings | the star |-ing owl, To-who; To-whit, | to-who, | a mer | -ry note, While greas | -y Joan | doth keel | the pot." —SHAKSPEARE: Love's Labour's Lost, Act v, Sc. 2.
Example V.—Puck's Charm.
[When he has uttered the fifth line, he squeezes a juice on Lysander's eyes.]
"On the ground, Sleep sound; I'll apply To your eye, Gentle | lover, | remedy. When thou wak'st, Thou tak'st True delight In the sight Of thy | former | lady's eye." [508] IDEM: Midsummer-Night's Dream, Act iii, Sc. 2.