A History of English VersificationSchipper, J. (Jakob)
History
A History of English Versification
Schipper, J. (Jakob)
English language -- Versification; English poetry -- History and criticism
C × –́ –́ ×
+A –́ × –́ ×
--------------
gives CA × –́ –́ × –́ ×;
A –́ × –́ ×
+A –́ × –́ ×
--------------
gives AA –́ × –́ × –́ ×.
As Prof. Sievers himself[92] has accepted this theory (or, at least,
has recognized it as a convenient method of exhibiting the structural
varieties of the lengthened line), we shall adopt it here.
Of the fifteen different possible combinations of the original types,
some do not actually occur, but with the sub-types to be taken into
consideration we get no less than eighteen different types of the
regular lengthened whole line, and these again admit of variations by
means of resolution of accented syllables, polysyllabic theses, &c.
Only the most commonly occurring forms of the lengthened hemistich will
be given here; for the others the reader may be referred to Sievers.[93]
§ =39.= By far the most common type is =A A= (some 525 examples),
–́ × . . . –́ × . –́ ×,
as in
_=w=éaxan =w=ī́tebrṓgan._ (_Hǽfden hīe =w=rṓhtgetḗme_). Gen. 45;
or with resolution of the first accented syllable in the first
hemistich,
_=s=únu mid =s=wéordes écge._ Gen. 2857,
and in the second hemistich,
_=f=éla bið =f=ýrwet-géornra._ Gnom. Ex. 102;
with resolution of the second accented syllable in the second hemistich,
_þǣ́r þū þólades =s=íððan._ Crist 1410;
or of each of the three accented syllables in the second hemistich,
_hýre þæs =f=ǣ́der on róderum._ Jud. 5.
The chief variation of this type arises from the prolongation of
the first thesis, which may run from one to six syllables. At the
same time the usual resolutions may be introduced, as in the
following examples: Ordinary type, –́ × × || –́ × | –́ ×, very common,
_=g=rímme wið =g=ód gesómnod._ Gen. 46;
with resolution of the first accented syllable,
_=r=éced ofer =r=ḗadum gólde._ Gen. 2404;
with resolution of the last two accented syllables,
_=sn=ū̀de þā =sn=óteran ídese._ Jud. 55;
type with trisyllabic thesis, –́ × × × || –́ × |–́ ×,
_=m=ḗda syndon =m=ícla þī́na._ Gen. 2167;
with resolution of the first accented syllable,
_wíton hyra =h=ýht mid drýhten._ Gū. 61;
thesis of four to six syllables, (–́ × . . . . . || –́ × | –́ ×),
_=ǣ́=leð hȳ mid þȳ =éa=ldan lī́ge._ Crist 1547,
_=s=íððan hē hæfde his gā́st on=s=énded._ Cross 49,
_=b=étre him wǣre þæt hē =b=rṓðor ā́hte._ Gnom. Ex. 175.
Less frequently the second foot has two unaccented syllables, and in
that case the first foot has either one or sometimes two unaccented
syllables, thus
(i) –́ × || –́ × × | –́ ×, or (ii) –́ × × || –́ × × | –́ ×,
as (i) _saā́ þū =Á=bele wū̀rde._ Gen. 1019;
with resolution of the first arsis,
_=s=ígor and =s=ṓðne gelḗafan._ Jud. 89.
(ii) _=r=ínca tō =r=ū̀ne gegángan._ Jud. 54.
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