V. ACCENT

1. The cadence of the verse requires that a certain number of accents be distributed throughout the line in harmony with the thought.

2. Fixed Accents. (1) Every line has at least one fixed accent, — that upon the rhyme, — and this is the most pronounced accent of ail.

(2) Every line that has a fixed caesura (see III, 1) has a second fixed accent, — that upon the syllable before the caesura.

3. Variable Accents. (1) A line of twelve syllables has two variable accents, one in each half of the line. Four accents in ail.

J'aimer | ais à | glisser || sous la | nuit des | rameaux.

A dor|mir sur | les près, || à flo|tter sur | les eaux.

(2) Lines of eleven, ten, or nine syllables have one variable accent, placed after caesura, where sensé and harmony demand. Thus thèse lines have three accents in ail.

(3) Lines of eight syllables have one, sometimes two, variable

accents. Thus thèse lines always have two, and sometimes

three accents in ail.

Vois-tu comme le flot paisible 1 /

Sur le rivage vient mourir? p. 54.

(4) Lines of seven, six, or five syllables have one variable accent — two accents in ail.

/ f Que les jours de malheurs? p. 5.

Les deux mains sont deux corbeilles, p. 78.

(5) Lines of less than five syllables regularly no accent, except upon the rhyme.