80 
J. Boxwell —On the Trishtuhh Metre. 
[: No . 2, 
Although the 7th and 5th show separately no tendency to fixity, 
they seem to be bound up closely by a law with the 6th, which is short 
in more than 90 per cent, of cases. 
The rule for the middle trisyllable is this :— 
— kj ... 30 per cent, x 
w w — ... 30 per cent. > together 81 per cent. 
^ o d per cent. ) 
— ^ — ... 10 per cent. 
As there are 8 possible trisyllables ; that 3 of them should give 81 
per cent., and that in 91 per cent, of cases the middle or 6th syllable 
should be short, proves design or rather feeling for the particular effect. 
The initial quadrisyllable shows a tendency almost as strong. Of 16 
possible feet, 
-— gives 24 n 
w — ^ — „ 22 f 
72 
that is Alcaic and quasi-Alcaic openings yield 72 per cent., while the 12 
other possible openings between them give only 28. The favourite caesura 
is that which corresponds to the classical penthemimeral. The typical 
traishtubh is thus X — ^ — | — || | — kJ — x |[| or a 
combination of Alcaic opening with Sapphic close, a line of great sweet¬ 
ness and dignity. 
The first stanza of the horse-sacrifice hymn, 163 of the first book of 
the Rig Yeda is a very perfect example ; 
Yad akrandas prathamam jayamanas, 
Udyan samudrat uta va purisliat, 
S'yenasya paksha harinasya bahu 
Upastutyam mahi jatam te arvan. 
It may be rendered into Latin in the same metre and structure ; 
Quis hie jam nunc fremitum natus edit p 
Pontus-ne talem, genuit-ve nubes ? 
Dat vultur alas tibi cervus armos. 
Deum gentem, Sonipes, te fatemur. 
The recognized hendecasyllabic metres of trochaic ending are_ 
1st. English iambic trimeter catalectic. 
2nd. The Italian heroic line. 
3rd. The hendecasyllabic of Catullus. 
4th. Certain lines of Pindar. 
5th. The Sapphic line. 
6tli. The trishtubh. 
