606 Transactions. 



Art. LV. — The Verse-vnit. 



By Johannes C. Andersen. 



[Read before the Philosophical In.sfitiile of Canterlntrii, 2nd Novernher, 1910.] 



Part I. — Lyric Measures. 



Section I. 



1. Next to the stress-unit, the smallest uniform aggregation of parts is the 

 verse. This normally contains eight stresses, or their temporal equivalents, 

 and is usually divided, when printed, into two equal parts. Each part of a 

 verse so divided is commonly known as a line. 



2. From a casual examination of poetry, the length of the line — that is, 

 the number of its stress-units — would appear to be quite arbitrary. It 

 would appear that it rested with the poet himself to decide whether a line 

 should contain one stress-unit or eight. Whilst the line thus appears to 

 be, and really is, under his control, it is otherwise with the verse. The 

 length of the verse is determined by a natural law, and the poet has not yet 

 lived who has broken this law with impunity. The length of a line may 

 range from one duple stress-unit, as in Herrick's 



(1.) Thus I 



Passe by. 



And die : 



As one 



Unknown. 



And p;one : 



to eight triple stress-units, as in Tennyson's — 



(2.) Fame bio wins; out from her golden trumpet a juliilant challenge to 

 Time and to Fate ; 

 Slander, her shadow, sowing the nettle on all the laurell'd graves 

 of the Great. 



(" Vastness," stanza 11.) 



It will not be denied that the poet is at perfect liberty to print the verse 

 as he pleases ; so that Coleridge's verse will by one poet be printed as two 

 lines — 



(3.) The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew. 

 The furrow followed free ; 



(" Anciont Mariner," part ii.) 



— whilst by another it will be printed as three — 



{3f/.) The fair breeze blew. 

 The white foam flew. 

 The furrow followed free ; 



And what Browning prints as two lines — 



(4.) How sad and bad and mad it was — ■ 

 But then, how it was sweet ! 



(" Confessions," last stanza.) 



— Herrick might print as five, — 



(4f^) How sad 



And bad 



And mad 



It was — 



But then, how it was sweet ! 



So far, then, as printing is concerned, the poet has absolute liberty to do as 

 he pleases, or as the printer pleases. 



