This song of the Bacchantes, like that of the Persians, expresses both excitement and confidence; both are magnificent, and the _metre_ is the same. But the difference is unmistakable; it lies in the _rhythm_. In Æschylus the practically unvaried rhythm and the gorgeous language give to such a passage as πολύχειρ καὶ πολυναύτας Σύριόν θ’ ἅρμα διώκων an almost intolerable weight and austere pomp. Euripides, by use of the doubly-lengthened syllable, by varying the extent of his cola, and by the irrationality of the penultimate foot, has, within the limits of the same metre, produced a sense of exotic beauty and urgency, a thrill of wildness as well as of awe. (_g_) _Choriambics._—These consist of –⏑⏑–. Anacrusis is not found:— δεινὰ μὲν οὖν, δεινὰ ταράσσει σοφὸς οἰωνοθέτας οὔτε δοκοῦντ’ οὔτ’ ἀποφάσκονθ’· ὅτι λέξω δ’ ἀπορῶ (_Œd. Tyr._, 483 _sq._). –⏑⏑–|–⏑⏑–‖–⏑⏑–|–⏑⏑–‖ –⏑⏑–|–⏑⏑–‖–⏑⏑–|–⏑⏑–‖ This measure expresses great agitation and perplexity. In the passage just cited they pass into ionics, which indicate a gradual comparative calming of mind. For example, the antistrophe reads:— ἀλλ’ ὁ μὲν οὖν Ζεὺς ὅ τ’ Ἀπόλλων συνετοὶ καὶ τὰ βροτῶν εἰδότες· ἀνδρῶν δ’ ὅτι μάντις πλέον ἢ ’γω φέρεται κρίσις οὐκ ἔστιν ἀληθής· σοφίᾳ δ’ ἂν σοφίαν παραμείψειεν ἀνήρ. –⏑⏑–|–⏑⏑–‖–⏑⏑–|–⏑⏑–‖ –⏑⏑–|–⏑⏑–‖–⏑⏑–|–⏑⏑–‖ ⏑⏑⁝– –⏑⏑|– –⏑⏑‖– –⏑⏑|⏘ꞈ̄‖ ⏑⏑⁝– –⏑⏑|⏘ꞈ̄‖. The late Rupert Brooke left some exquisite _Experiments_ in this metre, _e.g._:— Ah! Not now, when desire burns, and the wind calls, and the suns of spring Light-foot dance in the woods, whisper of life, woo me to wayfaring. That is— ⏗⏗|–⏑⏑–|–⏑⏑–‖–⏑⏑–|⏗⏗‖ (_h_) _Dochmiacs._—It is convenient to discuss these here, though the dochmius is not a foot, but a colon. The rule both of metre and music is that all feet or bars should have the same time-value; a trochaic colon may contain ⏗ or ᷋⏑ as well as –⏑, but not –⏑⏑. Dochmiacs are generally regarded as an exception to this rule. The dochmius is a colon of which the simplest form[888] is ⏑– –⏑–, to be divided ⏑⁝– –⏑|–ꞈ||, _e.g._ κακορρημόνων. The dochmius is always catalectic, but the anacrusis of one serves to complete the trochee of the preceding colon:— φανήτω μόρων ὁ κάλλιστ’ ἐμῶν ἐμοὶ τερμίαν ἄγων ἁμέραν (_Antigone_, 1329 _sq._). ⏑⁝– –⏑|–⏑‖– –⏑|–ꞈ‖. But this simplest form is not the most frequent, and a considerable sequence is rare. Resolution of one or more long syllables is very common. The favourite form is ⏑⁝⏑⏑–⏑|–ꞈ‖:— περίβαλον γάρ οἱ πτεροφόρον δέμας (_Agamemnon_, 1147). ⏑⁝⏑⏑–⏑|–⏑‖⏑⏑–⏑|–ꞈ‖