I think,' \ said the god, \ recollect\-ing, (and then
He fell twid\-dling a sun\-beam as I \ may my pen,)
'I think— \ let me see— \ yes, it is, \ I declare,
As long \ ago now \ as that Buck\-ingham there;
And yet \ I can't see \ why I've been \ so remiss,
Unless \ it may be— \ and it cer\-tainly is,
That since Dry\-den's fine ver\-ses and Mil\-ton's sublime,
I have fair\-ly been sick \ of their sing\-song and rhyme.'"
LEIGH HUNT: Poems, New-York Edition, of 1814.
Example III.—The Crowning of Four Favourites.
"Then, 'Come,' \ cried the god \ in his el\-egant mirth,
'Let us make \ us a heav'n \ of our own \ upon earth,
And wake, \ with the lips \ that we dip \ in our bowls,
That divin\-est of mu\-sic—conge\-nial souls.'
So say\-ing, he led \ through the din\-ing-room door,
And, seat\-ing the po\-ets, cried, 'Lau\-rels for four!'
No soon\-er demand\-ed, than, lo! \ they were there,
And each \ of the bards \ had a wreath \ in his hair.
Tom Camp\-bell's with wil\-low and pop\-lar was twin'd,
And South\-ey's, with moun\-tain-ash, pluck'd \ in the wind;
And Scott's, \ with a heath \ from his old \ garden stores,
And, with vine\-leaves and jump\-up-and-kiss\-me, Tom Moore's."
LEIGH HUNT: from line 330 to line 342.
Example IV.—"Glenara."—First Two of Eight Stanzas.
"O heard \ ye yon pi\-broch sound sad \ in the gale,
Where a band \ cometh slow\-ly with weep\-ing and wail!
'Tis the chief \ of Glena\-ra laments \ for his dear;
And her sire, \ and the peo\-ple, are called \ to her bier.
Glena\-ra came first \ with the mourn\-ers and shroud;
Her kins\-men, they fol\-lowed, but mourned \ not aloud;
Their plaids \ all their bo\-soms were fold\-ed around;
They marched \ all in si\-lence—they looked \ on the ground."
T. CAMPBELL'S Poetical Works, p. 105.
Example V.—"Lochiel's Warning."—Ten Lines from Eighty-six.
"'Tis the sun\-set of life \ gives me mys\-tical lore,
And com\-ing events \ cast their shad\-ows before.
I tell \ thee, Cullo\-den's dread ech\-oes shall ring
With the blood\-hounds that bark \ for thy fu\-gitive king.
Lo! anoint\-ed by Heav'n \ with the vi\-als of wrath,
Behold, \ where he flies \ on his des\-olate path!
Now, in dark\-ness and bil\-lows he sweeps \ from my sight;
Rise! rise! \ ye wild tem\-pests, and cov\-er his flight!
'Tis fin\-ished. Their thun\-ders are hushed \ on the moors;
Cullo\-den is lost, \ and my coun\-try deplores."—Ib., p. 89.
Example VI.—"The Exile of Erin."—The First of Five Stanzas.
"There came \ to the beach \ a poor Ex\-ile of E\-rĭn,
The dew \ on his thin \ robe was heav\-y and chill;
For his coun\-try he sighed, \ when at twi\-light repair\-ĭng
To wan\-der alone \ by the wind\-beaten hill.
But the day\-star attract\-ed his eye's \ sad devo\-tĭon,
For it rose \ o'er his own \ native isle \ of the o\-cĕan,
Where once, \ in the fire \ of his youth\-ful emo \ tĭon,
He sang \ the bold an\-them of E\-rin go bragh."—Ib., p. 116.
Example VII.—"The Poplar Field."
"The pop\-lars are fell'd, \ farewell \ to the shade,
And the whis\-pering sound \ of the cool \ colonnade;
The winds \ play no lon\-ger and sing \ in the leaves,
Nor Ouse \ on his bo\-som their im\-age receives.
Twelve years \ have elaps'd, \ since I last \ took a view
Of my fa\-vourite field, \ and the bank \ where they grew;
And now \ in the grass \ behold \ they are laid,
And the tree \ is my seat \ that once lent \ me a shade.
The black\-bird has fled \ to anoth\-er retreat,
Where the ha\-zels afford \ him a screen \ from the heat,
And the scene, \ where his mel\-ody charm'd \ me before,
Resounds \ with his sweet\-flowing dit\-ty no more.
