Andersen. — Metre. 481 



of slightly over seventy pulsations a minute, each pulsation 

 being composed of two periods — that of rest, and the almost 

 synchronous beat of the auricles and ventricles (one-tenth of 

 a second only intervenes) ; it beats, in fact, almost in iambic 

 measure. 



This is, of course, no more than an approximation ; but 

 that such an approximation is at all possible is not without 

 significance, and is of intense interest in determining the origin 

 of the basic metre of poetry, the iambic. It may seem doubtful 

 which is the effect, which the cause ; but, the heart being the 

 organ of the emotions, it is reasonable to suppose that it should 

 affect the emotional expressions of the voice ; and, similarly, 

 the action of the lungs being affected directly by that of the 

 heart, the duration of an utterance should naturally be affected 

 by those organs. 



That iambic is in reality the basic metre may also be de- 

 monstrated by tracing the growth of all the other metres from 

 it. 



2. There does not seem much doubt that the trochee is no 

 more than the iamb with the first and unaccented syllable 

 dropped. In -Milton's " L' Allegro " and " II Penseroso," what 

 are called trochaic lines freely mingle with iambic lines without 

 break in the rhythm, though with some difference in audible 

 effect. 



That the attack in music is made on the first note of a bar 

 may be adduced as argument that the trochaic effect is a natural 

 one ; but it will be remembered that in a great many cases 

 one or two accented notes occur isolated before the first bar ; 

 and more, the finale is always an attack. It is therefore more 

 reasonable to suppose that the bar has been put before the 

 note attacked rather as a visible guide to the performer than as 

 the natural division-line of the rhythm. 



It cannot be gainsaid that the " Lyttel Geste " is in iambic 

 metre, yet what are called trochaic lines constantly occur (see 

 quotations 3, 4, 7, 10, 12, 14). There is absolutely no warrant 

 for calling them trochaic lines, for it is evident that a syllable 

 has been dropped at the beginning of the line, and the line is 

 iambic immediately after the first syllable and onwards. This 

 erroneous nomenclature has arisen because syllables have been 

 taken as the only constituents of a foot, instead of both syllables 

 and pauses. 



3. Take the second line of quotation 4 : — 



He set | the monke | to-fore | the brest, | to the ground | that he | can gone. | 



Here the fifth foot contains three syllables, but the three are 

 uttered in the time of two ; they are, in fact, equivalent to a 

 16— Trans. 



