The Grammar of English Grammars · Chapter 373Measure V.—Trochaic of Four Feet, or Tetrameter
This chapter is not translated yet. You are reading the original.
Example I.—A Mournful Song.
1.
"Raving | winds a | -round her | blowing, Yellow | leaves the | woodlands | strewing, By a | river | hoarsely | roaring, Isa | -bella | strayed de | -ploring. 'Farewell | hours that | late did | measure Sunshine | days of | joy and | pleasure; Hail, thou | gloomy | night of | sorrow, Cheerless | night that | knows no | morrow.
2.
O'er the | past too | fondly | wandering, On the | hopeless | future | pondering, Chilly | grief my | life-blood | freezes, Fell de | -spair my | fancy | seizes. Life, thou | soul of | every | blessing, Load to | misery | most dis | -tressing, O how | gladly | I'd re | -sign thee, And to | dark ob | -livion | join thee.'" ROBERT BURNS: Select Works, Vol. ii, p. 131
Example II.—A Song Petitionary.
"Powers ce | -lestial, | whose pro | -tection Ever | guards the | virtuous | fair, While in | distant | climes I | wander, Let my | Mary | be your | care: Let her | form so | fair and | faultless, Fair and | faultless | as your | own; Let my | Mary's | kindred | spirit Draw your | choicest | influence | down.
Make the | gales you | waft a | -round her Soft and | peaceful | as her | breast; Breathing | in the | breeze that | fans her, Soothe her | bosom | into | rest: Guardian | angels, | O pro | -tect her, When in | distant | lands I | roam; To realms | unknown | while fate | exiles me, Make her | bosom | still my | home." BURNS'S SONGS, Same Volume, p. 165.
Example III.—Song of Juno and Ceres.
Ju. "Honour, | riches, marriage | -blessing, Long con | -tinuance, | and in | -creasing, Hourly | joys be | still up | -on you! Juno | sings her | blessings | on you." Cer. "Earth's in | -crease, and | foison | plenty; Barns and | garners | never | empty; Vines with | clust'ring | bunches | growing; Plants with | goodly | burden | bowing; Spring come | to you, | at the | farthest, In the | very | end of | harvest! Scarci | -ty and | want shall | shun you; Ceres' | blessing | so is | on you." SHAKSPEARE: Tempest, Act iv, Sc. 1.
Example IV.—On the Vowels.
"We are | little | airy | creatures, All of | diff'rent | voice and | features; One of | us in | glass is | set, One of | us you'll | find in | jet;
T'other | you may | see in | tin, And the | fourth a | box with | -in; If the | fifth you | should pur | -sue, It can | never | fly from | you." SWIFT: Johnson's British Poets, Vol. v, p. 343.
Example V.—Use Time for Good.
"Life is | short, and | time is | swift; Roses | fade, and | shadows | shift; But the ocean | and the | river Rise and | fall and | flow for | ever;
Bard! not | vainly | heaves the | ocean; Bard! not | vainly | flows the | river; Be thy | song, then, | like their | motion, Blessing | now, and | blessing | ever." EBENEZER ELLIOT: From a Newspaper.
Example IV.[sic for VI—KTH]—"The Turkish Lady"—First Four Stanzas.
1. "'Twas the | hour when | rites un | -holy Called each | Paynim | voice to | pray'r, And the | star that | faded | slowly, Left to | dews the | freshened | air.
2. Day her | sultry | fires had | wasted, Calm and | sweet the | moonlight | rose; E'en a | captive's | spirit | tasted Half ob | -livion | of his | woes.
3. Then 'twas | from an | Emir's | palace Came an | eastern | lady | bright; She, in | spite of | tyrants | jealous, Saw and | loved an | English | knight.
4. 'Tell me, | captive, | why in | anguish Foes have | dragged thee | here to | dwell Where poor | Christians, | as they | languish. Hear no | sound of | sabbath | bell?'" THOMAS CAMPBELL: Poetical Works, p. 115.
Example VII.—The Palmer's Morning Hymn.
"Lauded | be thy | name for | ever, Thou, of | life the | guard and | giver! Thou canst | guard thy | creatures | sleeping, Heal the | heart long | broke with | weeping, Rule the | =ouphes ~and | =elves ~at | w=ill Th~at v=ex | th~e =air | ~or h=aunt | th~e h=ill, ~And =all | th~e f=u | -r~y s=ub | -j~ect k=eep ~Of b=oil | -~ing cl=oud | ~and ch=af | -~ed d=eep!
I h~ave | s=een, ~and | w=ell I | kn=ow ~it! Thou hast | done, and | Thou wilt | do it! God of | stillness | and of | motion! Of the | rainbow | and the | ocean! Of the | mountain, | rock, and | river! Blessed | be Thy | name for | ever! I have | seen thy | wondrous | might Through the | shadows | of this | night!
Thou, who | slumber'st | not, nor | sleepest! Blest are | they thou | kindly | keepest! Spirits, | from the | ocean | under, Liquid | flame, and | levell'd | thunder, Need not | waken | nor a |-larm them— All com |-bined, they | cannot | harm them.
God of | evening's | yellow | ray, God of | yonder | dawning | day, Thine the | flaming | sphere of | light! Thine the | darkness | of the | night! Thine are | all the | gems of | even, God of | angels! | God of | heaven!" JAMES HOGG: Mador of the Moor, Poems, p. 206.
Example VIII—A Short Song, of Two Stanzas.
"Stay, my | charmer, | can you | leave me? Cruel, | cruel, | to de |-ceive me! Well you | know how | much you | grieve me: Cruel | charmer, | can you | go? Cruel | charmer, | can you | go?
By my | love, so | ill re |-quited; By the | faith you | fondly plighted; By the | pangs of | lovers slighted; Do not, | do not | leave me | so! Do not, | do not | leave me | so!" ROBERT BURNS: Select Works, Vol. ii, p. 129.
Example IX.—Lingering Courtship.
1. "Never | wedding, | ever | wooing, Still | lovelorn | heart pur |-suing, Read you | not the | wrong you're | doing, In my | cheek's pale | hue? All my | life with | sorrow | strewing, Wed, or | cease to | woo.
2. Rivals | banish'd, | bosoms | plighted, Still our | days are | disu |-nited; Now the | lamp of | hope is | lighted, Now half | quench'd ap | -pears, Damp'd, and | wavering, and be | -nighted, Midst my | sighs and | tears.
3. Charms you | call your | dearest | blessing, Lips that | thrill at | your ca | -ressing, Eyes a | mutual soul con | -fessing, Soon you'll | make them | grow Dim, and | worthless | your pos | -sessing, Not with | age, but | woe!" CAMPBELL: Everett's System of Versification, p. 91.
Example X.—"Boadicea"—Four Stanzas from Eleven.
1. "When the | British | warrior | queen, Bleeding | from the | Roman | rods, Sought, with | an in | -dignant | mien, Counsel | of her | country's | gods,
2. Sage be | -neath the | spreading | oak, Sat the | Druid, | hoary | chief; Every burning | word he | spoke Full of | rage, and | full of | grief.
3. Princess! | if our | aged | eyes Weep up | -on thy | matchless | wrongs, 'Tis be | -cause re | -sentment | ties All the | terrors | of our | tongues.
4. ROME SHALL | PERISH— | write that | word In the | blood that | she hath | spilt; Perish, | hopeless | and ab | -horr'd, Deep in | ruin | as in | guilt." WILLIAM COWPER: Poems, Vol. ii, p. 244.
Example XI—"The Thunder Storm"—Two Stanzas from Ten.
"Now in | deep and | dreadful | gloom, Clouds on | clouds por | -tentous | spread, Black as | if the | day of | doom Hung o'er | Nature's | shrinking | head: Lo! the | lightning | breaks from | high, God is | coming! |—God is | nigh!
Hear ye | not his | chariot | wheels, As the | mighty | thunder | rolls? Nature, | startled | Nature | reels, From the | centre | to the | poles: Tremble! | —Ocean, | Earth, and | Sky! Tremble! | —God is | passing | by!" J. MONTGOMERY: Wanderer of Switzerland, and other Poems, p. 130.
Example XII.—"The Triumphs of Owen," King of North Wales.[513]
"Owen's | praise de | -mands my song, Owen | swift and | Owen | strong; Fairest | flow'r of | Roderick's | stem, Gwyneth's | shield, and | Britain's | gem. He nor | heaps his | brooded | stores, Nor the | whole pro | -fusely | pours; Lord of | every | regal | art, Liberal | hand and | open | heart. Big with | hosts of | mighty | name, Squadrons | three a | -gainst him came; This the | force of | Eirin | hiding, Side by | side as | proudly | riding, On her | shadow | long and | gay, Lochlin | ploughs the | watery | way: There the Norman | sails a | -far Catch the | winds, and | join the | war; Black and | huge, a | -long they | sweep, Burthens | of the | angry | deep. Dauntless | on his | native | sands, The Drag | -on-son | of Mo | -na stands;[514] In glit | -tering arms | and glo | -ry drest, High he | rears his | ruby | crest. There the | thundering | stroke be | -gin, There the | press, and | there the | din; Taly | -malfra's | rocky | shore Echoing | to the | battle's | roar; Where his | glowing | eyeballs | turn, Thousand | banners | round him | burn. Where he | points his | purple | spear, Hasty, | hasty | rout is | there, Marking | with in | -dignant | eye Fear to | stop, and | shame to | fly. There Con | -fusion, | Terror's | child, Conflict | fierce, and | Ruin | wild, Ago | -ny, that | pants for | breath, Despair, | and HON | -OURA | -BLE DEATH." THOMAS GRAY: Johnson's British Poets, Vol. vii, p. 285.
Example XIII.—"Grongar Hill."—First Twenty-six Lines.
"Silent | Nymph, with | curious | eye, Who, the | purple | eve, dost | lie On the | mountain's | lonely | van, Beyond | the noise | of bus | -y man; Painting | fair the | form of | things, While the | yellow | linnet | sings; Or the | tuneful | nightin | -gale Charms the | forest | with her | tale; Come, with | all thy | various hues, Come, and | aid thy | sister | Muse. Now, while | Phoebus, | riding | high, Gives lus | -tre to | the land | and sky, Grongar | Hill in | -vites my | song; Draw the | landscape | bright | and strong; Grongar, | in whose | mossy | cells, Sweetly | -musing | Quiet | dwells; Grongar, | in whose | silent | shade, For the | modest | Muses | made, So oft | I have, | the eve | -ning still, At the | fountain | of a | rill, Sat up | -on a | flowery | bed, With my | hand be | -neath my | head, While stray'd | my eyes | o'er Tow | -y's flood, Over | mead and | over wood, From house | to house, | from hill | to hill, Till Con | -templa | -tion had | her fill." JOHN DYER: Johnson's British Poets, Vol. vii, p. 65.