JOURNAL 
QE THE 
ASIATIC SOCIETY OF BENGAL 
Part I.—HISTORY, LITERATURE, &e. 
No. II.—1888. 
On the Trishtubh Metre.—By J. Boxwell, b. C. S. 
Tlie rich variety of rhythm that lies in eleven syllables has given 
form to musical poetry among many Aryan peoples through many ages. 
The earliest of these hendecasyllabic metres, the Yedic Tristubh, on 
analysis yields interesting results, and discloses curious affinities to 
others of the group. Professor Max Muller it is true, proves almost any 
structure admissible in Yedic metres. But they are not to be judged 
like the Greek tragic senarius, which is Sanskrit in the highest sense, 
carefully perfected. Any structure found in Sophocles is good, be it 
rare or common. Yedic metres are rough ; by no means polished to 
perfection. But their music is clear ; and analysis shows us, not exactly 
what is admissible and what is not, by a division line ; but, by compara¬ 
tive frequency, what rhythm the Yedic poets sought. 
Acknowledging gratefully the vritta of the final three syllables, I 
think for scansion it is better to divide the traishtubh into an initial and 
final quadrisyllable, and a medial trisyllable. As we might expect, rigour 
of structure increases from the beginning towards the end. The form is 
usually given XXXXXXX — w — X : or even XXXXXXXX 
v_/ — x ; but I hope to show that there is a very strong tendency in a 
particular direction ; and that on this tendency much of the peculiar 
effect of the trishtubh depends. 
The final quadrisyllable is the most firmly fixed. Even in the 8th 
syllable there is only a trace of irregularity. The regular traishtubh ends 
in a ditrochee. 
K 
