This form is usually written in two lines, the first containing four feet, the second, three; thus,

"I've heard of hearts | unkind; | kind deeds |

With coldness still | rětūrning: |
Alas! the grat | itude | of man |

Has oftener left | me mourning. |

-Wordsworth.

"He pray | ĕth bēst, | who lōv | ĕth bēst |
All things | both grēat | ănd smāll; |
For the dear God | who lov | eth us, |

He made and lov | eth all. | "— Coleridge.

"So Nā | ture keeps | the rēv | erent frame |
With which her years | began, |

And all her signs | and voic | es shame |

The prayer | less heart | of man. | ”— Whittier.

Of eight feet, Octameter; as,

"Peace at last! Ŏf | peace ĕ| tērnăl | is her | calm, sweet |

smile ǎ | tōken.” — Miss Procter.

This measure is generally divided into two lines; thus,

"No path we shūn, | no dārk | něss drēad, |

Our hearts still whispering, Thou | art near! |

"Our midnight is | Thy smile | withdrawn;|
Our noon | tide is | Thy gra | cious dawn; |
Our rainbow arch | Thy mer | cy's sign; |
All, save the clouds | of sin, | are Thine! | "— Ibid.

POETICAL OR HARMONIC PAUSES.

Besides the Sentential and Rhetorical Pauses, before noticed, we have also the Poetical or Harmonic, which are those used to show the harmony of versification.

They are divided into three classes; viz.:

The Final Pause, a short pause often used at the end of a line of poetry to mark the rhyme; as,

"Diverse as their varied labours || the rewards | to each that fall,..

But love what she loves in others, || evermore | her own doth

call; . .

...

Thus | the several joy of each || becomes the common | joy of all." .-Cardinal Damiani.

The Cæsural Pause is one used to divide a line of poetry into equal or unequal parts; as,

after labors, others, and each, in the preceding example.

The Demi-Casural Pause is a short pause which sometimes divides the parts of the line already divided by the Cæsura; as,

after diverse, rewards, love, evermore, thus, and common.

It will be observed that the places for the occurrence of the Cæsural and Demi-Casural, always depend upon the Sentential and Rhetorical pauses; thus, believing that the sense of the passage demands that the Rhetorical pause should be used after curfew, in the line

"The curfew. . . tolls the knell of parting day,"

the Cæsural also occurs there; but if, from a misunderstanding of the true meaning, we should imagine that knell was placed in apposition with curfew, we should have both the rhetorical and cæsural pause occurring after tolls; as,

"The curfew tolls. . . the knell of parting day."

When no pause is required either by the punctuation or the sentiment, the harmonic pause should not be observed.

ILLUSTRATIONS.

Dimeter.

"Launch thy bark, mariner!

Christian, God speed thee;
Let loose the rudder bands,
Good angels lead thee!
Set thy sails warily,

Tempests will come;

Steer thy course steadily,

Christian, steer home."

MARINER'S HYMN.-Mrs. Southey

"The dawn is not distant,

Nor is the night starless;
Love is eternal!

God is still God, and

His faith shall not fail us,

Christ is eternal!"

THE SAGA OF KING OLAF.-Longfellow.

Dimeter and Trimeter.

"Whate'er the loss,

Whate'er the cross,
Shall they complain
Of present pain

Who trust in God's hereafter?"

LUTHER'S HYMN.- Whittier.

Trimeter.

"Yet seeking, ever seeking

Like the children, I have won

A guerdon all undreamt of

When first my guest begun,

And my thoughts come back like wanderers,
Out-wearied, to my breast;

What they sought for long they found not,

Yet was the unsought best.

For I sought not out for crosses,

I did not seek for pain;

Yet I find the heart's sore losses

Were the spirit's surest gain."

SEEKING.-Miss Greenwell.

"He gives what He gives. Be content!
He resumes nothing given, — be sure!
God lend? Where the usurers lent
In his temple, indignant He went

And scourged away all those impure.

"He lends not; but gives to the end,

As He loves to the end. If it seem
That He draws back a gift, comprehend
'Tis to add to it rather, amend,
And finish it up to your dream."

So pray we oftentimes, mourning our lot:
God in His kindness answereth not.

"Two hands to work addrest,

Aye for His praise;
Two feet that never rest

Walking His ways;
Two eyes that look above

Through all their tears;

Two lips still breathing love,

Not wrath, nor fears;'

So pray we afterwards, low on our knees;

Pardon those erring prayers! Father, hear these!"

NOW AND AFTERWARDS. - Miss Muloch.

Tetrameter.

"Come, pensive Nun, devout and pure,
Sober, steadfast, and demure,
All in a robe of darkest grain,
Flowing with majestic train,
And sable stole of cypress lawn,
Over thy decent shoulders drawn.
Come, but keep thy wonted state,
With even step, and musing gait,
And looks commercing with the skies,
Thy rapt soul sitting in thine eyes."

IL PENSEROSo.- Milton.

66 Heavy with the heat and silence
Grew the afternoon of Summer;
With a drowsy sound the forest
Whispered round the sultry wigwam,
With a sound of sleep the water
Rippled on the beach below it; . .
Slowly o'er the simmering landscape
Fell the evening's dusk and coolness,
And the long and level sunbeams
Shot their spears into the forest,
Breaking through its shields of shadow,
Rushed into each secret ambush,
Searched each thicket, dingle, hollow;
Still the guests of Hiawatha

Slumbered in the silent wigwam."

HIAWATHA.-Longfellow

"And poor, proud Byron,- sad as grave
And salt as life! forlornly brave,
And quivering with the dart he drave.

"And visionary Coleridge, who

Did sweep his thoughts as angels do
Their wings, with cadence up the Blue."

VISION OF POETS.- Mrs. Browning.

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