262 
The Sappkic (fo called from the 
“charming Lefhian pottefs, Sappho,) our 
lancuage with great difficulty admits, 
~and “affords” very few. exam ples of: this 
dificuity the tranflator of afine ode of 
‘Sappl ho ‘was’well aware of, and threw it 
“nto aidifferent meafure, 
294 
Oaiteras (LOS %9V0S rooc Seciriy 
Euuey AVIE OF 55 eva. TOY Tob 
oe Teves, Bai $AGo OY eeU’ Guva— 
Gus Varese. 
Blet as th? immortal Gods is he 
5° *Fhe youth who fondly fits by thee, 
"063 Whovhears and fees thee ali the w ale, 
* Softly-fpeak, and fwectly {mile. 
The Anacreontic meafure (fo called 

from. the amorous and convivial bard of 
‘Teos)}: admits of a few varieties of mea- 
fure, as: Angcreom himfelfoufed it, and 
oes not confine itfelf to the votaries of 
Bacchus and Venus.. The meft ufual 
meaftire with-Anacreon is the fhort Jam- 
bie wanting one fyllable (called by the 
eritics, Dimiter Ilambic Catalectic), ex. 
Od. TA. 
* Gira 
Twill 1 lve, muft | léve.thée, | fair. 
Berw Dirnzat 
Another meafure frequently. ufed by 
Anacreon is the fame meafure, varie 
only by an anapeft, that is, a foot, with 
the two firft fhort, the laft long, in the 
firft place: ex. 
“Mecowws:| rior | rob w f goss. Odviit. 
In thé grave | dark mid | night hotirs | I. 
_- ‘There area few fomewhat different from 
thefe, 2 and which have even varieties in the 
fame cde; 2s in that pretty ode (cde v.) 
to the Rose. The Anacreontic, how- 
ever, in Englifh, does not bind itfelf to 
the exaét quantity of Anacreon’s odes. 
The following lines of Waller's may he 
alled Anacreontic, though the oppofite 
tov-an LTambic verfes-viz. B hse alc. 
“Phyllis, why fhetild we céla 
Pleaftires' fhortér-than thé day ; 
CSuald we (though we Pever ca) 
Stretch ots lives beyond thé plan. 
Wa Her’ s Psyice 
The following pret tty fong is alfo con- 
fidéred a anacreontic, 
Bafy, curious, thirfty fy, 
» Drink with me, and drink as I, 
Freely welcome to my cup, 
Could#t thou drink, and. drink it up. 
And Dr. Johnfon’s tranflation of Ana- 
creon’s ninth ode: __ 
- 

is not a fr reper Pindaric,, though fo called, in 
confurinity té others. 
Lr. Dyer on Linglifh Verfification. 
Meas 
dot thou Aye? 
The: fellowing juftly admired fong i is 
more agreeable to the Anacreonti€ .mea-' 
fare (as are feveral of our popular convi- 
vial fongs) ; at leaft they are Fas RiGiey 
You gen | ee a of Eng | lands 
That live [at héme |.aeedie,. spy: 
Abt lit | ué do | you think { ipsa 
Thé dan | gers 6t |. the feas. 
With oe. to the ode, it admits of 
almof endlefs varieties in the Englith lan-- 
guage, as ante as in the Greek and Latin, 
aiid it would be unnecefiary even to’men- 
tion them individually; the meafures, im- 
deed, are as varied as are thofe of Herace, 
who, of all ancient writers, has the great- 
eft variety ; and whofe correétnefs, ele- 
gance, and appropriate ufe of epithets, 
(his curiofa felicttas) have made him con- 
fidered almoft as a model for the odes be 
fherter meafure. 
One general obiervation it may be ‘pro~ 
per to make here, that odes confiftine of 
{tan zas» er verfes, have a natural dole at 
the end of each verle; fo that the fyllable 
of the lait line does not run into the fub-— 
fequent verfe. Waller, who was among 
the firit of our Englith poets, who ftudied 
eorret verfification, and whofe forte was 
the {mailer ode, affords not a fingle-ex- 
ample to the contrary. I mention this, 
becaufe fome modern poets have been lefs 
fcrupulous 1 in this refpe@t, thovgn, «I 
think, witha very unhappy effect. Prior, 
if Trecolle& right, never deviates from 
this practice 5 Cowley aver y few times. 
The Giek and Roman poets, however, 
did not confine themfeives to fuch &riGtt 
nefs, as may be feen in the different mea- 
fures of Horace: ex. 
Lovely | couriér | ofthe] 
Wheace, and | whither 
Qui nunc te fruitur credulus aurea, 
Qui femper vacuam, femper amabilem 
Sperat, nefcius aurz 
Fallacts! miferi, quibus- 
Intentata nites, é&c. 
A fpecies of ode, of which mentien Ae 
already been made, when not diyiding it- 
{elf into ftanzas, adapts itfelf very agree- 
ably to defcriptive poetry ; “and when: “thus 
dire&ted, admits of a little diverfity of 
meafune.! Of this intimiber are Mr.-Wal- 
ler’s fine-ode to Vandyke; ‘and thofe'two 
excellent defcriptive i by Mr.J.DYER, 
and: Mr.. Thomas ~ Whatton, ° entitled 
“ Grongar Fall,’ and ** The Furft f- ate = 
¢¢’ Mindful of diforder paft, 
And trembling at the northern bial,” 
The fleety ftorm returning fill, 
‘The morning hoar, the evening chill, 
Relugtant 
