634 Transactions. 



— is not conformable to type : it is, in reality, an unpaused Alexandrine. 

 The same is true of the two concluding verses of Burns's characteristic 

 " Mouse stanza " : — 



(29.) Still thou art blest, compared wi' me ! 

 The present only toucheth thee : 

 But ocli ! I baclvward cast my e'e 



On prospects drear ! 

 An' forward, tho' I canna see, 



I guess an' fear ! 



These remarks properly belong to the chapter on the stanza, being merely 

 touched upon in this place in connection with irregular verse-lengths as 

 affecting the " type." 



8. Coming to modern times, we may glance at the treatment of the 

 line old Danish ballad " Agnes and the Merman." A translation is given 

 of the version appearmg in Svend Grundtvig's " Danmarks Folkeviser," 

 published in 1882. As this is intended to illustrate the metre, the broken 

 lilt of the origmal is as nearly as possible adhered to, and the translation 

 is divided so that the lilt may more readily be perceived. The words that 

 would bear the metrical stress, were the verses made to conform to type, 

 immediately precede the firm bar ; words whose stress must then be sup- 

 pressed, though they would probably have received stress when the poem 

 was recited in olden days, precede the broken bar : — 



(30.) 1. Agne/te she stands/ on the High/land bridge/, 

 Singing the hirda are. 

 And up/ came the Mer/man from bU/low's blue ridge/. 

 Lovely Agnete ! 



2. As pu/rest gold-/glimmer so/ was his hair/, 

 The joy/ of his heart/ in his eyes/ lay bare/. 



3. " And hear/ thou, Agne/te so fair/ and so fine !/ 



And wilt/ thou become/ now the All-dear/est of mine ? "/ 



4. " Oh, yes/ indeed/, that will/ I do/. 



If thou ta/kest me un/der the bU/low so blue."/ 



5. Her ears/ then he/ has clo/sed, her mouth/ covered o'er/, 

 . Then down/ to the o/'cean's deep/ the maid/ he bore/. 



6. From o/cean's floor/ his dwel/ling uprose/, 

 Agne/te in shoes/ of red gold/ therein goes/. 



7. There wonned/ they toge/ther for eight/ full years/. 

 Sons se/ven and a daugh/ter to the Mer/man she bears/. 



8. Agne/te she sat/ at era/ die and sang/ : 



Then hears/ she in En/ gland the clocks/ as they clang/. 



9. Agne/te she goes/ before,' the Mer/ man to stand/ : 

 " And may/ I but once/ go to kirk/ on land ? "/ 



10. " Oh, yes/ indeed/, that well/ may fall/. 



If thou seek'st/ here again/ thy chil/dren small "/. 



11. " Yes, tru/ly and of sure/ty them seek/ will 1/ : 



There lies naught/ in the wi/dest earth,' my heart/ so nigh "'/. 



12. " But when/ thou now/ in tho kirk/ shalt go/, 



Thou shalt not/ deck thy bo/som with gold's/ ruddy glow/. 



13. " And when/ thou stepp'st/ in the kirk-/yard there/. 

 Then must thou/ not shake free/ thy love/ly gol/den hair/. 



