In the English tongue, the foot Spondeus, con fifting of two long fyllables, is not frequent; there being generally one fhort fyllable, or more, for each long fyllable. And as our accented or emphatic fyllables are all long, and as we give emphasis to the Greek and Latin fyllables in the fame way almost as to our own, we feldom preserve in our pronunciation the rhythm of the an cient poetry, and are (I think) most apt to lose it in those verses that abound in the Spondeus. The Dactyl, of one long and two short fyllables, is very common in English; and it sometimes happens, though not often, that in pronouncing an hexameter of Dactyls we do preferve the true rhythm tolerably well. Of fuch an hexameter Í take the rhythm to be the fame with the following: * Multitudes rufh'd all at once on the plain with a thundering uproar. And according to this rhythm, nearly, we do in fact pronounce the laft line of Homer's celebrat ed description of Sifyphus, and the two other. Greek lines quoted in the margin *. But this line of Virgil, whose measure and Αυταρ ε έπειτα σε ονδε κα Πολλα δεν аута nаT motion are jaida. Odyf. xi. 592. T'Sov. Iliad. xxiii. 115 69. Id. v. 223. plain with a thundering uproar. u quatit ungula campum. n. viii. 596. exactly the fame, the moderns pronounce differently, at least in the first three feet: Quadrupedante putrem fonitu quatit ungula campum. Of this other line of Virgil, describing loud found, Sufpiciunt; iterum atque iterum fragor intonat ingens, the rhythm is still the fame, after making the neceffary elifions; and if the reader pronounce it so, his ear will perhaps inform him, that it is more imitative than he at firft imagined. In the beginning of the Eneid, Eolus, at Juno's defire, fends out his winds to deftroy the Trojan fleet. Neptune rebukes them for invading his dominions without his leave; and is just going to denounce a threatening, or inflict a punishment, when he recollects, that it was proper to calm his waters, before he did any thing else: Quos ego-fed motos præftat componere fluctus. The interrupted threat is a dactyl; the remainder of the line goes off in fpondees. By this tranfition from a quick to a flow rhythm, is it not probable, that the poet intended to imitate the change of Neptune's purpose? But this is loft in our pronunciation, though in the ancient I beHieve it must have been obfervable.- One instance more, and I quit the subject When Dido, that fatal morning on which the put a period to her life, faw that Eneas and his Trojans & This Trojans were actually gone, fhe at firft broke forth into frantic denunciations of revenge and ruin; but foon checks herself, as if exhausted by her paffion, when she reflects, that her ravings were all in vain. "Unhappy Dido! (fays fhe) thy evil destiny is now come upon thee *." change of her mind from tempeft to a momentary calm (for she immediately relapfes into vengeance and diftraction) is finely imitated in the poet's numbers. The words I have tranflated form a line of Spondees, whofe flow and foft motion is a ftriking contrast to the abrupt and fonorous rapidity of the preceding and following verfes. This beauty, too, is in a great meafurc loft in our pronunciation; for we give only five or fix long fyllables to a line which really contains eleven. Are these remarks too refined? Thofe readers will hardly think fo, who have studied Virgil's verfification; which is artful and appofite to a degree that was never equalled or attempted by any other poet. In the course of thefe obfervations on the found of Poetical Language, I am not confcious of having affirmed any thing which does not admit of proof. Some of the proofs, however, I was obliged to leave out; as they would have led me into * Infelix Dido! nunc te fata impia tangunt. Æneid, iv. 596. If we read falta impia, with the Medicean Manufcript, the Rhythm is the fame, and the fenfe not materially different: "Unhappy Dido! now are the confequences of thy broken Vows come upon thee." W 3 long long difquifitions, relating rather to the pecu liarities of Latin and English verfe, than to the general characters of the Poetic Art. Thefe proofs may poffibly find a place hereafter in A Treatife of Verfification and English Profody, which I began fome years ago, but have not yet finished. THE END. |