MEASURE
There are also verses of nine syllables, seldom employed, though very harmonious.
Belle Iris, malgré votre courroux,
Si jamais vous revenez à vous,
Vous rirez, et j'engage ma foi,
Quwaussit6t vous reviendrez à moi. Charleval.
Besides these verses, there are some of five, four, three, two, and even one syllable, which are only used for lyric poetry, and light or gay compositions. They are often intermixed with other verses of different measures.
Verses of five syllables.
Dans ces prés fleuris
Qwarrose la Seine,
Cherchez qui vous mène,
Mes chères brebis, Mme. Déshoulières.
Verses of four syllables.
Rien n’est si beau
Que mon hameau.
O quelle image!
Quel paysage
Fait pour Watteau! Bernard.
Verses of three syllables.
La cigale ayant chanté Tout l'été, Se trouva fort dépourvue Quand la bise fut venue. La Fontaine.
Verses of two syllables.
C'est promettre beaucoup; mais qu’en sort-il souvent? Du vent...
L'homme au trésor arrive, et trouve son argent Absent. La Fontaine,
Verses of one syllable.
Et l’on voit des commis Mis Comme des princes, Qui jadis sont venus Nus De leurs provinces. Panard.
là
Verses which present no uniformity either in their number of
syllables, or the arrangement of rhyme, are called free verses, free poetry, (vers libres.)
Un homme vit une couleuvre : 8 syllables “Ah! méchante, dit-il, je m’en vais faire une œuvre 12 . Agréable à tout l'univers |” 8 i A ces mots l’animal pervers SA (C’est le serpent que je veux dire, 8 « Et non l’homme, on pourrait aisément s’y tromper), 12 “ À ces mots le serpent, se laissant attraper, 12 “ Est pris, mis en un sac; et, ce qui fut le pire, 12 “ On résolut sa mort, fat-il coupable ou non. 12 *
La Fontaine.
Qu'il va lentement le navire 8 syllables.
A qui j'ai confié mon sort!
Au rivage où mon cœur aspire,
Qu'il est lent à trouver un port!
France adorée !
Douce contrée !
Mes yeux cent fois ont cru te découvrir.
Qu'un vent rapide Soudain nous guide
a œ oo œ@ oo © # BR © Hà H O0 O OO ñ
Aux bords sacrés où je reviens mourir. 1 Mais enfin le matelot crie; Terre, terre, là-bas, voyez! # Ah! tous mes maux sont oubliés. “ Salut à ma patrie! | Béranger.
D'un cœur qui taime, 4 syllables, Mon Dieu, qui peut troubler la paix? 8 s Tl cherche en tout ta volonté suprême, 10 s Et ne se cherche jamais. 7 Sur la terre, dans le ciel même, 8 LL Est-il d'autre bonheur que la tranquille paix 12 “ D'un cœur qui t'aime ? 4 «
J. Racine
Ton Dieu n’est plus irrité ; 7 syllables.
Réjouis-toi, Sion, et sors de la poussière ; 12 « Quitte les vétements de ta captivité, 12 “ Et reprends ta splendeur première. 8 se Les chemins de Sion à la fin sont ouverts : 12 « Rompez vos fers, 4 # Tribus captives ; 4 « Troupes fugitives, 5 “ Repassez les monts et les mers; 8 “ Rassemblez-vous des bouts de univers. lo
J. Racine.
CESURA. 203
CESURA.
Cesura is a repose which divides the verse, or line, into two parts.
Each part of a verse, so divided, is called kemistich.
The lines of twelve, ten, and nine syllables are the only ones that have a cesura.
In the verse of twelve syllables, the cesura is after the sixth syllable.
A tous les cœurs bien nés—que la patrie est chère ! Voltaire, In that of ten syllables, it is after the fourth. Elle a parlé :—le ciel a fait le reste. Racine. In that of nine syllables, after the third.
De ces lieux—l’éclat et les attraits, Sont des dons—de ses mains bienfaisantes. Racine.
Therefore the second hemistich is always of six syllables.
In order that the cesura be good, the sense should authorize the repose, without its being necessary to be marked by punctuation. Boizeau, in his Art poétique, has given the rule and the example in the following lines:
Que toujours dans vos vers le sens, coupant les mots, Suspende l’hémistiche, en marque le repos.
It is in order to impress more particularly the rule of the hemistich, that Voltaire has purposely written this bad line:
Adieu, je m’en vais à Paris pour mes affaires.
Rhyme, which is indispensable in French poetry, is a uniformity in the sound of the syllables which end the two corresponding lines.
There are two kinds of ryhmes: the masculine and the feminine ; from which the verses derive their appellation.
The masculine rhyme takes place between two syllables written without e mute.
Bonté...... sas santé Loisirs plaisir.
Vertus.... abatius
The feminine rhyme occurs between two syllables ended by an e mute.
In this case the rhyme falls on the syllable preceding the e mute ; that is to say on the penultima, which is the accented syllable. Therefore the following words could not make a rhyme,
Audace.......... espèce, Légitimes. ....... diadèmes, Jouissent......... repaissent,
although the mute syllable in these different rhymes is identical, and that even the two last end with six similar letters. The reason is that the accented syllables are not alike.
The third person plural of the imperfect and conditional, ending in aient, are not reckoned as having a feminine termination, because the e that forms part of them is absolutely mute. Therefore they are ranked in the class of masculine rhymes.
The rhyme is either rich, or sufficient. It is rich where it presents not only a similarity of sound, but also one of articulation.
POT or 3 sce lohosna 3854-8 prospère Perses divers.
Diagessrusses visage.
Enfant …triomphant
It is sufficient when there is similarity of sound alone, but not of articulation.
POR ais whee mère VES insu fers.
(OL er ssl partage.
Enfant. ...... .. charmant.
Rhyme is essentially for the ear. It requires sounds alike more than similar letters. Therefore the following rhymes are correct.
Charmant...... tourment. Permets......., jamais. Vanités........ méritez. Pritts ns ss esprits. Courier discours. Mystère. ......… solitaire. Consumé........allumat. Ils ont eu...... abattu. Voyagea........déa. Amène......... peine.
LD faut échafaud. Exige,.........disje.
For the same reason, rhymes spelled alike will be wrong if not pronounced alike.
Briller does not agree with distiller.
Oser ee se se renverser.
Tranguille “ ut quille.
However, it would not be correct to say that all rhymes that please the ear are admissible. There are restrictions to this principle: the main ones are,
1st. A word cannot rhyme with itself unless it has a different meaning.
Pas, not ; pas, pace.
Mule, mule; mule, slipper.
Sentir, to feel; sentir, to smell.
Présent, (noun); présent, (adjective).
2d. A substantive cannot rhyme with its verb.
Une arme cannot agree with il s’arme, Je soutiens “ is “les soutiens.
3d. A word cannot rhyme with its compound, nor two compounds together, when they retain a strong analogy in their acceptation.
Jeter cannot agree with rejeter.
Prudent ss “< imprudent.
Bonheur se ‘malheur.
Nom “ « “ surnom.
Trivial rhymes are also to be avoided. The same with regard to present participlés. Some words rhyme with very few
others ; consequently, the presence of one of them is sufficient to give an idea of what is to follow; but this foresight injures the charm of the verse.
These rules are strictly observed in pieces of high style or order ; not so much, however, in light compositions.
