Andersen. — The Verse-unit. 613 



(18.) It is the miller's daughter, 



And slie is grown so dear, so dear, (Nib. -Rom.) 

 That 1 would be the jewel 



That trembles in her ear : (Nib.) 



For, hid in ringlets day and night, 

 I'd touch her neck so warm and wliite. (Rom.) 



• — wliicli is divided, — 



(18(/.) it Ls/ the mil/ler"s daugh/ter, / and she/ is grown/ so dear/, .so dear/. 

 That 1/ would bo/ the jew/el / that trem/bles in/ her ear/ : / 



For, hid/ in ring/lets day/ and night/, I'd touch/ her neck/ so warm/ and 

 white/. 



The swelling of the Nibelungen to this Nibelungen-Romance has almost 

 the effect of the Alexandrine swell in the Spencerian stanza : — 



(19.) Now came the lovely maiden, as morning steals in rose 



Forth from sullen .shadows ; then slipped their many woes 



From men's faint hearts, new gladdened to have old aches dispelled ; 



He saw the lovely maiden, her grace and her splendour he beheld. 



(Adventure v, stanza 17.) 



This swelling, whilst common in the epic, has nevertheless a strange sound 

 to English ears, and one would rather suppose the Nibelungen metre to 

 have sprung from the BaUad than from the Romance direct. This can 

 only be determined by tracing the Nibelungen to its source ; but it is only 

 necessary, so far as this analysis is concerned, to show the practical identity 

 of the two metres, Nibelungen and Ballad. 



11. The second brother of the Ballad is the metre known as the 

 Alexandrine, so called from its being the metre of an old French romance 

 whose subject is Alexander.* It is a still further shortening of the Ballad 

 metre ; it drops the whole of the fourth unit — the unit from which the 

 Nibelungen drops only the stressed syllable. Its relation to the Ballad 

 is also easily seen : — 



(20.) In court whoso demaundes 



What dame doth most excell ; 

 For my conceit I must needs say, 

 Fair Bridges bears the bei. 



Upon whose lively cheeke. 



To prove my judgment true. 

 The rose and lillie seem to strive 



For equall change of hewe. 



{Gascoijne's " Praise of the Fair Bridges.") 



Divided, this reads, — • 



(20a.) In court/ whoso/ demaundes/ / what dame/ doth most/ exceU/ ; / 



For my/ conceit/ I must/ needs say/, fair Brid/ges bears/ the bel/. / 



The relation to the full Romance is shown in quotation (12a) : — 



When he/ Goli/ath fought/, / and laid/ the Git/tite low ?/ / 



No sword/ nor spear/ the strip/ling took/, but chose/ a peb/ble from/ the brook/. 



The three metres, Alexandrine, Ballad, and Romance, occiir side by side 

 in J. Montgomery's " Night " : — 



(21.) Night is the time for rest ; 



How sweet, when labours close. 



To gather round an aching breast 



The curtain of repose. 



Stretch the tired limbs, and lay the head 



Down on our own delightful bed ! 



* " Roman d' Alexandre," by Alexandre de Bernaj^ twelfth century. 



