Page images
PDF
EPUB

Upon the naked earth, and, förthwith, rōse

5 All these fair ranks of trees. They, in thỹ sun,
Budded, and shook their green leaves in thy breeze,
And shot towards heaven. The century-living crow,
Whose birth was in their tóps, grew old and died
Among their branches, till, at last, they stood,
10 As now they stand, mässy and tall and dark,
Fit shrine for humble worshipper to hold
Communion with his Màker!"

Reverence.

"Oh! let me often to these solitudes
Retire, and in Thy presence reassure
My feeble virtue. Here, its enemies,
The passions, at thy plainer footsteps shrink
5 And tremble, and are still.

[xx..] Be it ours to meditate,

In these calm shades, Thy milder majesty,
And, to the beautiful ōrder of Thy works,
Learn to confōrm the order of our lives!"

Sublimity.

"Hail! hōly Light, offspring of heaven first bōrn,— Or, of the Eternal, coeternal beam

May I express thee unblámed? since GòD is Light,
And never but in unapproached light

5 Dwelt from etèrnity,-dwelt then in thee,
Bright effluence of bright essence increàte;
Or hearst thōu, rather, pure ethereal stream,
Whose fountain whò shall tèll? Before the sún,
Before the heavens thou wert, and, at the voice
10 Of God, as with a mantle, didst invēst

The rising world of waters, dark and deep,
Won from the võid and fōrmless infinite.'

[ocr errors]

RULE V. Revenge is 'loud' and 'low' in utterance: when deliberate, it is 'slow',-when violent, it is quick': it has the median stress'; and aspirated'' pectoral' and 'guttural quality', combined. It is marked by a prevalent 'downward slide'.

Example 1.

ÒN them, HUSSARS!—Now give them REIN and HÈEL! Think of the ORPHANED CHILD, the MURDERED sÌre:

5

Earth cries for BLOOD,—[|]] in THÙNDER on them

WHEEL!

This hour to Europe's fate shall set the TRÌUMPH SEAL!"

2. Shylock. "There I have another bad match: a BANKRUPT, a PRODIGAL, who dare scarce show his head on the Rialto; —a BÈGGAR, that used to come so smug upon the màrt: let him look to his BÒND: 5 he was wont to call me ÙSURER; LET HIM LOOK TO HIS BOND: he was wont to lend money for a CHRISTIAN COURTESY: LET HIM LOOK TO HIS BOND!"

[ocr errors]

RULE VI. Scorn is characterized by 'loudness', by drawling 'slowness', and a tone which, in the emphatic words, begins on a 'high' and slides to a 'low' note; by 'thorough stress', and often, a laughing tremor', making the beginning, the middle, and the end, of every emphatic sound, distinct, and prominent, and cutting to the ear. The 'quality' of the voice in this tone, is strongly' aspirated', but not 'guttural': the inflection' is usually falling', but, sometimes, becomes the 'wave', or 'circumflex'.

[ocr errors]

Example 1.

"Thou SLAVE, THOU WRETCH, THOU CÒWARD!

Thou little valiant, great in villany!

Thou ever strong upon the stronger side! 5 Thou FORTUNE's champion, that dost never fight But when her humorous lâdyship is by

To teach thee sâfety !"

2. "Pale, TREMBLING, COWARD!-[Tremor.]
thère I throw my gàge:

By that, and all the rights of knighthood èlse,
Will I make good against thee, arm to ARM,

5 What I have spoke, or thou canst worse devise."

[ocr errors]

RULE VII. Indignation is marked by full loudness', 'low' ote, and deliberate 'slowness'; a swelling 'median stress'; and the effect arising from the blending of pectoral' and 'guttural' tone, to all the extent consistent with 'pure' 'orotund', in vehement style. The characteristic inflection is uniformly falling'.

Exam. "In this complicated crisis of danger," weakness, and calamity, terrified and insulted by

5

the neighboring pòwers, unable to act in America, or acting only to be DESTROYED, WHÈRE | is the MAN | who will venture to flatter us with the hope of success from perseverance in measures productive of thèse dire effècts?-Whò | has the EFFRÒNTERY to attempt it? WHERE'|| is that man? Let him, if he DÀRE, STAND Forward,

10 and SHOW his FÀCE."

RULE VIII. Courage, joy, ardent love, and ardent admiration, are distinguished by 'loud', 'high', and 'lively' utterance; swelling median stress'; perfectly smooth and 'pure 'quality' of tone; and frequent 'falling' inflections.

Nate. Joy is sometimes expressed by tremor', ardor by aspiration, and courage by 'orotund' utterance.

Example 1. Courage and Ardent Admiration.

[ocr errors]

Now for the FIGHT!-now | for the CANNON

PEAL!

FORWARD!-through BLOOD, and TòIL, and
CLOUD, and FÌRE!

5 Glorious-the SHOUT, the SHOCK, the CRASH of
STEEL,

The VOLLEY'S ROLL, the ROCKET'S BLASTING SPÌRE!”

2. Joy.

"Thou Child of Jòy !

SHOT round me: let me HEAR thy shouts, thou hap py Shepherd Boy!"

3. Ardent Love and Admiration.

Oh! speak again, bright àngel; for thou art
As glorious to this sight, being o'er my head,
As is a winged messenger of heaven

Unto the white upturned wondering eyes
5 Of mortals, that fall back to gaze on him,
When he bestrides the lazy-pacing clouds,
And sails upon the bosom of the air."

RULE IX. Excessive grief and sorrow, are expressed by 'loud' 'high' and 'slow' utterance; 'tremor', or 'intermittent stress'; and 'pure' 'quality',-where not interrupted by sob, or aspiration'. The falling inflection' prevails throughout the utterance of these emotions.

[ocr errors]

Example

"Capulet. 'Hà! let me see her:-Out, alas! she's cold Her blood is settled; and her joints are stìff;

Life and these lips have long been sèparated;
Death lies on her, like an untimely frost
5 Upon the sweetest flower of all the field.
Accursed time! unfòrtunate old mản !'”

[ocr errors]

"Lady Capulet. AccÙRSED, UNHAPPY, WRETCHED HATEFUL day!

Most MISERABLE hour that e'er time saw, 10 In lasting labor of his pilgrimage!

But one, poor one, òNE POOR and LòVING CHILD,

But one thing to rejoice and sólace in,

And cruel death | hath catched it from my sight!'"

[ocr errors]

RULE X. Moderate grief and sorrow, pity, and tender love and admiration, are expressed by softened force', 'high' notes, and slow movement'; by prolonged and swelling 'median stress'; and by 'pure', but chromatic', or plaintive utterance. The rising inflection', in the form of 'semitone', (half tone,) prevails in the expression of these emotions.

[ocr errors]

Example of Moderate Grief.

"Enamored death, with sweetly pensive gråce
Was awful beauty to his silent face.

No more his sad eye looked me into tears!
Closed was that eye, beneath his pále, cóld brów;

5 And on his calm lips, which had lost their glów,

[ocr errors]

But which, though pale, seemed half-unclosed to speak,
Loitered a smile, like moonlight on the snow."

Pity.

"Morn cáme again;

But the young lamb was dead.
Yet the poor mother's fond distress
Its every art had tried

5 To shield, with sleepless tenderness,
The weak one at her side.

10

Round it, all night, she gathered warm
Her woolly limbs,-her head

Close curved across its feeble form;
Day dawned, and it was dead.-
It lay before her stiff and cold,—
Yet fondly she essayed

To cherish it in love's warm föld;
Then restless trial måde,

5

15 Moving, with still reverted face,
And low, complaining bléat,

To entice from their damp resting place
Those little stiffening feet."

Tender Love and Admiration.

"Hushed were his Gertrude's lips, but still their bland
And beautiful expression seemed to melt
With love that could not die! and still his hand

She presses to the heart no more that felt.

[.] Ah! heart, where once each fond affection duélt, And features yet that spoke a soul more fair!"

RULE XI. Impatience, eagerness, and hurry, are denoted by 'loud' 'high', and 'quick movement'; impatience, by vanishing, or final 'stress'; eagerness, by 'expulsive median stress'; hurry, by abrupt 'radical' or initial explosive' 'stress': all three emotions are sometimes marked by the 'tremor, and by aspirated', and sometimes, 'anhelose' or panting utterance, eagerness occasionally by the orotund'. The falling inflection' characterizes the tones of these emotions.

66

Example of Impatience.

[ocr errors]

'Mortimer. Fie! cousin Percy,-how you cross my father!

Hotspur. I cannot choose: sometimes he angers me,
With telling me of the moldwarp and the ant,
5 of the dreamer Mérlin, and his prophecies;
And of a drágon, and a finless fish,

A clip-winged griffin, and a moulten ràven,
A couching lion, and a ramping càt,

And such a deal of SKIMBLE SKAMBLE STUFF,
10 As puts me from my faith. I tell you what,-
He held me, but last night, at least NINE HOUrs,

In reckoning up the several DEVILS' names

That were his làckeys: I cried 'hùmph !'—and 'wéll ! 'go tò!—

15 But marked him not a word. Oh! he's as tedious As is a tired horse, a railing wife;

20

Worse than a SMOKY HOUSE-I had rather live
With cheese and garlic in a WÌNDMILL, FÀR,
Than feed on càtes, and have him TÁLK to me,
In any summer-house in CHRISTENDOM."

« PreviousContinue »