The following are examples of lines in which the syllable at the end of the hemistich bears the minor accent, another syllable the full accent: there is little rhythm in such lines.

Songez-y | vos refus | pourraient me confirmer ||

(RACINE.)

Vous, le midi. || Qu'aucun | par un zèle imprudent || .

(ID.)

Une femme

Une femme

|| Peut-on | la nommer | sans blasphème?|| C'était Athalie | elle-même.||

(ID.)

J'entre: || le peuple fuit | le sacrifi | ce cesse.||

(ID.)

B. Absence of Minor Accents.

The absence of a minor accent in each hemistich injures or even destroys the rhythm. Hence are avoided :

(a) A collection of small monosyllables.

Ce que je vais vous être || et ce que je vous suis.|| (RACINE.) The first hemistich is better than the second, for the accent can be laid upon vais without perceptibly forcing the pronunciation :

Ce que je vais vous être.

But in the second hemistich the accent must either be laid upon ce, a word too weak to bear it (see § 532), or upon vous, which immediately precedes the fifth. In the former case the ordinary pronunciation is forced :

et ce que je vous suis ;

in the latter the rhythm is destroyed (§ 525. A) :

et ce que je vous | suis.

(b) Long Polysyllables:

Une comparaison || qu'une similitude.||

MOLIÈRE.

There is no possibility of giving rhythm to this line, except by forcing the pronunciation and giving in the first hemistich a minor accent to the first or second syllable of comparaison, and in the second hemistich, to the e of une, or to the si in similitude (§ 52).

Une comparaison || qu'une | similitude ||
Une comparaison || qu'une si | militude, || etc.

C. More than one Minor Accent.

Occasionally more than one minor accent may be found in a hemistich. The rhythm is sacrificed to the sense : Quel avantage a-t-on qu'un homme vous caresse. Vous jure amitié | foi || zèle | esti | me, tendresse.||

(MOLIÈRE.

Dai | gne, dai | gne, mon Dieu || sur Mathan | et sur elle.|| (RACINE.

§ 526. Number of Syllables in a Line.

The number of syllables required in any special kind of verse is fixed; but as with rhyme, the eye is consulted more than the ear.*

1. DIPHTHONGS.

Many combinations of vowel sounds which in prose would be reckoned as diphthongs and as of only one syllable (§ 80), in verse are regularly, or may be at times, counted as two syllables. The number is however limited by custom.†

ia

1. Generally counts as two syllables:

2. Is a diphthong in fiacre, diacre, liard, diable.

1. Generally count as two syllables:

2. Are diphthongs in pied, amitié, tiède, assiette.

ien

1. Counts as two syllables in the words li-en, magici-en, chirurgi-en:

2. Is a diphthong in mien, tien, bien, chien.

*See Diphthongs, § 80, note.

†This list has no pretension to completeness: the making of French verse is not the object of this book.

ieu

1. Counts as two syllables in pi-eux, odi-eux, extéri-cur:

2. Is a diphthong in lieu, milieu, dieu, adieu, pieu.

io

1. Generally counts as two syllables:

2. Is a diphthong in pioche.

ion

1. Counts as two syllables in entri-ons, voudri-ons, mettri-ons, acti-on, attenti-on, nati-on:

2. Is a diphthong in aimions, sortions, aimerions.

oé, oè, oë

1. Count as two syllables in No-é, No-ël, po-ésie, po-ète :

2. Are diphthongs in poêle, moëlle, moëlleux.

oin

Is a diphthong in loin, soin, besoin, point.

oua, oué, ouer, ouet, ouette,

1. Generally count as two syllables in avou-a, lou-ait, secou-ant, lou-er, jou-et, alou-ette, chou-ette, Rou-en:

2. Are diphthongs in fouet, fouetter.

oui

1. Generally counts as two syllables: 2. Is a diphthong in oui.

ouin

1. Generally counts as two syllables:

2. Is a diphthong in babouin, baragouin.

ua, ué, uer, ueux,

1. Generally count as two syllables:

2. Is a diphthong in écuelle.

ui

1. Counts as two syllables in flu-ide, ru-ine, ru-iner, bru-ine: 2. Is a diphthong in lui, aujourd'hui, fruit, suit.

2. "E MUTE."

The rules followed in verse are based upon the assumption (§ 532) (a) that anywhere within the line e mute is pronounced before a consonant and silent before a vowel, and (b) that at the end of the line it is always silent.

1. It is never counted as a syllable at the end of either hemistich:

a. At the end of the first hemistich it is not allowed before a consonant, and is not sounded before a vowel:

Eh quoi Mathan! d'un prêtr(e) est-ce là le langage?

Moi nourri dans la guerr(e) aux horreurs du carnage.

B. At the end of the second hemistich it is allowed before a consonant or before a vowel, but is not counted in either

case:

1

2 3 4 5 6 1 2

3 4 5

6

Vous m'avez commandé de vous parler sans feint(e)
Madame quel est donc ce grand sujet de crainte.

Déjà je ne vois plus qu'à travers un nuag(e)
Et le ciel et l'époux que ma présence outrage.

2. Elsewhere than at the end of a hemistich it counts as a syllable before a consonant or aspirated h; but before a vowel or silent h it does not count.

Ni vous rendre raison du sang que j'ai versé.

Sur d'éclatants succès ma puissanc(e) établie.

3. The e mute in aie, vie, etc., is included in these rules; but not the e mute in aient (ending or not), soient, and in avouerez, prierai, etc., etc., where it is absorbed in a previous vowel or diphthong, is completely silent and is left unnoticed in the counting,

§ 527. Hiatus in Verse. (§ 97.)

Mute e

The rule for hiatus in verse is usually thus given: 66 is the only vowel at the end of a word which may be followed by another vowel or an aspirated h. With this exception, the meeting of two vowels forms hiatus, which is strictly forbidden. It would not be possible to put tu es, tu auras, si elle vient, elle y est." In this rule it has happened as in the rules for rhyme, that the eye has been consulted as well as the ear. The result is inconsistency and confusion.

A.

When a pause is necessary between two words, the hiatus is only apparent. Therefore, of the three following rules the first and partly the last are alone correct in principle.

1. Any two of the vowels a, e, i, o, u, may occur in succession, if the first ends the line. As a pause is required at the end of each line, there is no hiatus, and the rule is good; it satisfies the ear:

Dans un cal | me profond || Darius | endormi ||

Ignorait jusqu'au nom || d'un si faible | ennemi. ||

2. No two of the vowels a, e, i, o, u, may occur in succession at the full cæsura. The fact of there always being a pause at the middle of the line has been ignored; the rule is bad, for where there is a pause, there can be no hiatus.* The eye alone has been consulted.

3. No two of the vowels a, e, i, o, u, may occur within the hemistich. When a pause is necessary, there is no hiatus; the eye alone has been consulted, and the rule is bad. When no pause is necessary, the rule is good; it satisfies the ear.

*But as, in fact, the full cæsura often marks but a very weak pause, it would perhaps be more correct to say that the rule is too absolute. This applies to the minor cæsura in a still greater degree. But the rule has been constructed independently of any such pause, and no hiatus, real or apparent, is allowed within the line, when such real or apparent hiatus is caused by the juxtaposition in separate words of the vowels a, e, i, o, u. The absurdity of this rule is most easily seen in dialogue, or when in continuous lines a full stop occurs between the vowels.