Which, dilá ting, had moulded her míen | and motion Ténded the gár|den from mórn |to éven : Like the lamps | of the áir | when night | wálks fórth, I doubt | not the flowers | of thát gár den swéet She sprinkled bright wá ter from the stream that were fáint | with the súnn y béam; On those And out of the cúps of the heavy flowers of the thún der showers. She lifted their heads | with her tén der hands, And áll killing in sects and gnawing wórms, In a basket of grásses and wild-flowers fúll, But the bée and the béam like ephém|erís Whose path is the light | ning's, and sóft | móths that kiss The sweet lips of the flów |ers, and hárm | not, did shé Máke | her attén | dant áng|els bé. And mán y an án tená|tal tómb, Where bút terflies dréam | of the life to come, She left clinging round | the smooth Edge of the 6 dorous cé|dar bárk. and dárk This fáir est créature from earliest spring - she died! SHELLEY, The sensitive Plant. VI DACTYLIC VERSE English poets have not often written pure dactylic verse. We should probably seek in vain for dactylie verses of one foot. The shortest form of this metre seems to be the verse composed of one dactyl followed by a trochee, as in the subjoined extracts, in which it is crossed with dactylic verses of two feet. Thére through the | súmmer day Cóol streams are | láving; There while the | témpests sway, Thére thy rést | shált thou take, Néver a gáin to wake, Néver, O néver. SCOTT. But these are not very perfect dactyls. There is an accent on day in the second foot of the first line, which converts the foot into an amphimacer. There is an accent on streams in the first foot of the second line, which makes an antibacchius of it. Sway in the second foot of the third verse is accented, and makes an amphimacer of the foot. Scarce are boughs is also an amphimacer; so is there thy rest; and shalt thou take is rather an anapæst than a dactyl. Píbroch of Dónuil Dhu, Wake thy wild | voice anew, Súmmon Clan | Cónuil. Cóme away, cóme away, Hárk to the súmmons; Cóme in your ❘ wár array, Géntles and cómmons. SCOTT. In the third verse of this passage both feet are, strictly speaking, amphimacers, for wild and the second syllable of anew are accented. But the dactylic rhythm of the whole passage gives so much more force to the accents on wake and voice that the others shrink into insignificance. This remark applies also to the irregular feet in the preceding extract. Here is an example of dactylic verses of two feet, unmixed with others. The remarks made on the irregularities of the two passages quoted above apply also to the second foot of the first of these four lines, and to the first foot of the third. Another form of dactylic verse in English poetry is that consisting of three dactyls followed by a trochee, or by a single accented syllable. This measure is never, or rarely, used, except when mixed with shorter verses in lyrical poetry, as in the following example. Hail to the chief who in triumph ad|vánces! Earth lend it | sáp anew, Gáily to bourgeon, and | bróadly to | grów, Sénds our shout | báck again, Róderigh Vich | Alpine dhu, | hó! ie|róe!" SCOTT. Dactylic verses of four feet are rare. example is taken from Southey. THE SOLDIER'S WIFE The following Wéary way-wanderer, | lánguid and sick at heart, páinfully | óver the | rúgged road, Travelling Wild-visaged wanderer! | Gód help thee, | wretched one! Sórely thy little one | drágs by thee | báre-footed, báby that hángs at thy | bénding back, lívid, and scréaming for | mísery. Cóld is the Wóe-begone | móther, half | ánger, half | ágony, As óver thy shoulder thou | lóokest to | húsh the babe, Thy húsband will | néver re túrn from the | wár again, children. Now | Gód be thy | cómforter! The verse beginning by as over thy shoulder is irregular. So is that beginning by Thy husband. In each of these verses the first regular dactyl is preceded by a superfluous unaccented syllable. |