HIATUS

Two sounded vowels coming together form a " hiatus." A hiatus between a vowel at the end of a word and another at the beginning of the next, is forbidden. Hence, 1. 546, where the straightforward expression would hâve been lui échappe, Racine wrote the équivalent nous échappe, in order to avoid the hiatus.

Lastly, a sounded vowel, followed by an unelided ' mute e,' must be at the end of the line. Thus the word Mardochée must always be at the end of the line, or else be followed by a word beginning with a vowel or ' mute h,' so that its ' mute e ' may be elided. Cf. 11. 44, 618, and 156, 459, etc. Such words as armées, joies, etc., whose ' mute e ' cannot be elided, can never occur in the body of the Une. The

APPEXDIX I. CI

only exception is made in favor of the verb-endings in -oient and -aient. Cf. 11. 527, il il.

In French poetry, as in French grammar, ' mute h * always = a vowel, and ' aspirate h ' = a consonant.

The rules given above apply to classical French poetry only. The modem poetical schools of the nineteenth century hâve been taking liberties with them, especially with the caesura. The latest school of French poets, the symbolistes or décadents as they style themselves, are attempting to overthrow every one. At their hands the caesura has finally disappeared, and the following form, called a ternaire, has become possible :

Où je filai \ pensivement \ la blanche laine. (Th. de Banville.) Then the ' mute e's ' are disregarded :

Avec les filles \ du lieux seigneur \ en robes blanches. (H. de Régnier.)

The number of syllables is of little account :

Des mortes douces \ qui mmirurent là \ quelqtce soir. (H. de

Régnier).

The hiatus is no longer tabooed, and lastly, not only the artificial

rules of rhyme, but rhyme itself, is being done away with : assonance

may take its place. If the constitution of the French language did

not make it unlikely that thèse reforms should prove permanent, the

vehicle of French poetic thought would become mère harmonious

prose.