176 W. THALBITZER. 
In the art of recitation the Greenland Eskimo are masters. This 
has often before been emphasized regarding their recitation of tales, 
hunting adventures and legends. I experienced it too in reference to 
their poetics. Among the means employed may be mentioned the 
melodious raising and lowering of the voice (to the extent of two or 
more notes), its adjustment to make an impression either caressing 
or frightening, humorous, solemn or demoniacal; further the varying 
of the tempo, and the maintaining of the intervals. In the lyric-epical 
poems which are recited without any real melody, these expedients are 
as inherent in the tradition of the poem as the words themselves. 
The following examples from my texts show some of the rhyth- 
mical figures: 
Text no. 8. Text no. 10. 
PUCE pol) Se am'am'a — — WY 
lace pol) — — wm kap'is'aq BEREIT 
amarlaja — — 7 2 am'uka RE yey 
sikärtaj à — — LH putuka > 
Text no. 15. 
Text no. 9. itip:at'a EEE AGJE 
an‘ora'iak a — _ — WwW | — — gamserpatia — — = — 
ajulerpak a Ww — | — WY parpata —— — 
BREI x Text no. 4. 
togin'ic'in CZ — — 
Е , olo‘tor re, SZ 
pequp icin Ww ZEN aS 
i ти(о ог ие 
ajer™narteq = — — — 
sapernarteq _ — — WY 
ulo:to:lisaq QU PE NEA CE 
mulo:to'lisaq <r —— 
Text no. 7. 
ayinacat wu SS aja misaraq — — NL RE 
nunakacat wp Soo gunin icin we Sew 
mana MAN A — WW —_ pintp icin we Sew 
suna: тапа —— — makinuartikajik 2 = co — 
This song (7) derives its peculiar charm from the varying between 
recitative, singing and again recitative, a common form of composi- 
tion in the poetry of the children. 
The long words with a broad rhythm are characteristic of no. 6 
(“Petting song to Kippakee’’). 
