Example IV.—Lyric Stanzas.
"Descend, \ celes\-tial fire,
And seize \ me from \ above,
Melt me \ in flames \ of pure \ desire,
A sac\-rifice \ to love.
Let joy \ and wor\-ship spend
The rem\-nant of \ my days,
And to \ my God, \ my soul \ ascend,
In sweet \ perfumes \ of praise."
WATTS: Poems sacred to Devotion, p. 50.
Example V.—Lyric Stanzas.
"I would \ begin \ the mu\-sic here,
And so \ my soul \ should rise:
O for \ some heav'n\-ly notes \ to bear
My spir\-it to \ the skies!
There, ye \ that love \ my say\-iour, sit,
There I \ would fain \ have place
Amongst \ your thrones \ or at \ your feet,
So I \ might see \ his face."
WATTS: Same work, "Horæ Lyricæ," p. 71.
Example VI.—England's Dead.
"The hur\-ricane \ hath might
Along \ the In\-dian shore,
And far, \ by Gan\-ges' banks \ at night,
Is heard \ the ti\-ger's roar.
But let \ the sound \ roll on!
It hath \ no tone \ of dread
For those \ that from \ their toils \ are gone;—
There slum\-ber Eng\-land's dead."
Hemans: Poetical Works, Vol. ii, p. 61.
The following examples have some of the common diversifications already noticed under the longer measures:
Example I.—"Languedocian Air."
"Lōve ĭs \ a hunt\-er boy,
Who makes \ young hearts \ his prey;
And in \ his nets \ of joy
Ensnares \ them night \ and day.
In vain \ conceal'd \ they lie,
Love tracks \ them ev'\-ry where;
In vain \ aloft \ they fly,
Love shoots \ them fly\-ing there.
But 'tis \ his joy \ most sweet,
At earl\-y dawn \ to trace
The print \ of Beau\-ty's feet,
And give \ the trem\-bler chase.
And most \ he loves \ through snow
To track \ those foot\-steps fair,
For then \ the boy \ doth know,
None track'd \ before \ him there."
MOORE'S Melodies and National Airs, p. 274.
Example II.—From "a Portuguese Air."
"Flow on, \ thou shin\-ing river,
But ere \ thou reach \ the sea,
Seek El\-la's bower, \ and give her
The wreaths \ I fling \ o'er thee.
But, if \ in wand'\-ring thither,
Thou find \ she mocks \ my pray'r,
Then leave \ those wreaths \ to wither
Upon \ the cold \ bank there."
MOORE: Same Volume, p. 261.
Example III.—Resignation.
"O Res\-igna\-tion! yet \ unsung,
Untouch'd \ by for\-mer strains;
Though claim\-ing ev\-ery mu\-se's smile,
And ev\-ery po\-et's pains!
All oth\-er du\-ties cres\-cents are
Of vir\-tue faint\-ly bright;
The glo\-rious con\-summa\-tion, thou,
Which fills \ her orb \ with light!"
YOUNG: British Poets, Vol. viii, p. 377.
MEASURE VII.—IAMBIC OF TWO FEET, OR DIMETER.
Example—A Scolding Wife.
1.
"There was \ a man
Whose name \ was Dan,
Who sel\-dom spoke;
His part\-ner sweet
He thus \ did greet,
Without \ a joke;
2.
My love\-ly wife,
Thou art \ the life
Of all \ my joys;
Without \ thee, I
Should sure\-ly die
For want \ of noise.
3.
O, prec\-ious one,
Let thy \ tongue run
In a \ sweet fret;
And this \ will give
A chance \ to live,
A long \ time yet.
4.
When thou \ dost scold
So loud \ and bold,
I'm kept \ awake;
But if \ thou leave,
It will \ me grieve,
Till life \ forsake.
5.
Then said \ his wife,
I'll have \ no strife
With you, \ sweet Dan;
As 'tis \ your mind,
I'll let \ you find
I am \ your man.
6.
And fret \ I will,
To keep \ you still
Enjoy\-ing life;
So you \ may be
Content \ with me,
A scold\-ing wife."
ANONYMOUS: Cincinnati Herald, 1844.
Iambic dimeter, like the metre of three iambs, is much less frequently used alone than in stanzas with longer lines; but the preceding example is a refutation of the idea, that no piece is ever composed wholly of this measure, or that the two feet cannot constitute a line. In Humphrey's English Prosody, on page 16th, is the following paragraph; which is not only defective in style, but erroneous in all its averments:
"Poems are never composed of lines of two [-] feet metre, in succession: they [combinations of two feet] are only used occasionally in poems, hymns, odes, &c. to diversify the metre; and
