There are three kinds of rhymes, viz., the rimes plates or suivies (regular), the rimes croisées (alternate), and the rimes mêlées (mixed). The rimes plates or suivies are those which present alternately two masculine and two feminine verses, or two feminine and two masculine verses. The rimes croisées are,-1st. those where a masculine rhyme alternates with a feminine rhyme, and vice versâ; 2nd. those where two masculine rhymes are placed between two feminine rhymes, and vice versa. The rimes mêlées are those in which these uniform orders are not observed. 2.-The disposition of the verses gives rise to the stances (stanzas) or strophes (strophes), that is to say, a determinate number of verses, after which the sense is quite complete. A peculiarity which the reader of poetry must expect to frequently meet with, in French as well as in other languages, is the inversion, or alteration of the grammatical order; and another is, the use of words belonging exclusively to the poetical language. When studying a foreign tongue, in the poets as well as in the prose writers, we ought to take proper care that the ear should not become more accustomed to the poetic than to the prosaic turns or expressions, as our prose compositions may occasionally suffer by it. To avoid this danger, it may sometimes be found necessary to write down, in prose, under the direction of a competent teacher, the piece of poetry which has just been learnt by heart or read. SELECT FRENCH POETRY. DE LA CHARITE. ENFANTS, que tous vos traits expriment la bonté, Il est moins malheureux s'il voit qu'il intéresse. MOREL. L'INDISCRETION. QUAND vous méditez un projet, Les jeunes, ce qu'ils font, les vieux, ce qu'ils ont fait, PANARD. BON MOT DE CATON.1 AUTREFOIS un Romain s'en vint fort affligé BARATON. LE CHIEN QUI LACHE SA PROIE POUR L'OMBRE. On voit courir après l'ombre Tant de fous, qu'on n'en sait pas, 6 Au chien dont parle Ésope 4 il faut les renvoyer.5 La rivière devint tout d'un coup agitée; A toute peine il regagna les bords, Et n'eut ni l'ombre ni le corps.8 LA FONTAINE. DE LA PARESSE. NE vous laissez jamais aller 9 à la paresse ; 1 Bon mot, A joke.-Caton, Cato. 2 [This Roman was influenced probably by the augurs, who used to keep up superstition among the people.] 3 reprenez vos esprits, recover your wits. 4 Esope, Esop, the Greek fabu list. 5 6 renvoyer, refer. en l'eau.-In prose we invariably say dans l'eau. 7 pensa se noyer, was nearly drowned. 8 le corps, the substance. 9 Ne vous laissez jamais aller, Never give way. 10 devoirs, tasks. Celui qui fait toujours tout avec nonchalance, Ne pas perdre de temps, est un point nécessaire; Il vaut mieux s'amuser que d'être à ne rien faire. 2 On peut tout ce qu'on veut ; ce n'est que l'indolence, Qui trouve à chaque instant des obstacles à tout. MOREL. DU TRAVAIL. LE travail, mes amis, est toujours nécessaire ; 4 Que je plaindrais celui qui n'aurait rien à faire ! Notre vie est si courte, il la faut employer. 1 Il n'est rien. . . dont on ne vienne à bout, There is nothing which we cannot master. 2 On peut tout ce qu'on veut, We can do all that we are determined to do (Where there is a will, there is a way). 3 devoir, duty. 4 Que, How. 5 c'est un jour perdu qu'un jour sans travailler.-This sentence has the same meaning as un jour sans travailler est un jour perdu; but the former construction presents the idea more forcibly than the latter. |