§ 15. Sometimes the rhyme takes place between the last two syllables of words, as insensée, pensée; auteur, hauteur. These double rhymes, when occurring frequently, are regarded as an affectation. § 16. The rhyme, being intended for the ear, demands similar sounds, rather than similar letters; thus, terre, mystère; prix, appris; exige, dis-je (or di-je by poetical license); permets, jamais, etc., are legitimate rhymes. REM. As lately as the age of Louis XIV., "rhymes for the eye were still tolerated, as enfer, triompher; foyers, fiers; connoître (connaître), croître; because of their similarity of spelling, notwithstanding the difference of pronunciation. Such rhymes are no longer permitted. § 17. A word should not rhyme with itself, though two words spelled and pronounced alike, with different meanings, may rhyme together. Ex. Notre malheur est grand; il est au plus haut point: Je l'envisage entier, mais je n'en frémis point. CORNEIlle. § 1. A substantive should not rhyme with its verb, a simple word with its compound, nor two compounds which have preserved a similarity of signification. Thus, such rhymes as the following should be avoided: une arme, il s'arme; jeter, rejeter; bonheur, malheur. § 19. With the following terminations the rhyme should be "rich," and not merely "sufficient:" a (in verbs), é, er, ée, u (except when one of the words is a monosyllable), ment, and generally ant, ent, ir, eux, and eur. REM. 1. Rhymes with a final, in verbs, are little used in elevated style, as trouva, cultiva. REM. 2. When final é, er, or ée is preceded by two consonants, of which the second is a liquid (7 or r), the liquid alone is required in the rhyming word; thus troublée and aveuglée are legitimate rhymes; so gner may rhyme with ner, as confiner, régner. REM. 3. É and i, when forming syllables of themselves, may rhyme with themselves, thus forming a rhyme of a single letter, as Noé, avoué; trahi, obéi; so trahis, pays. § 20. Final ion (rarely found in good writers) rhymes only with itself; as passion, action. § 21. Final ès rhymes well with itself, and it may rhyme also with the plurals ais, aits, êts; as succès, procès, essais. § 22. But few merely "sufficient" masculine rhymes were admitted by the poets of the age of Louis XIV. They, however, admit them in the following instances: When a termination is not frequent in the language, as égal, fatal, attentats, ingrats; remords, trésors. When one of the two words is a proper name; as Zénon, raison; Héraclius, confus. When one of the words is a monosyllable; as finis, fils; ennemis, fils; but not finis, ennemis, because neither is a monosyllable. § 23. The "sufficient" feminine rhyme is frequently met with; as courage, davantage; étonne, couronne, etc. REM. The terminations ie and ue, in the great poets, require the rhyme to be "rich," and not merely "sufficient," at least in the elevated style. § 24. Resemblance of sound is not always sufficient to authorize the rhyme. Thus the singular does not rhyme with the plural in nouns, adjectives, and verbs; and in general the addition of a final consonant to one of the words, and not to the other, though absolutely silent, prevents the rhyme. DEFECTIVE RHYMES.- Arme, larmes; dard, étendards; tu charmes, alarme; ils charment, il arme; ils charment, alarme or alarmes ; pardon, cédons; témoin, moins; accord, corps ; lieu, mieux; vers, découvert; or, sort; toi, toit; fer, souffert; loin, point; vou, veut; autan, étang or étend; an, enfant; Apollon, long; son, sont; changé, berger. REM. 1. The above rule is a remnant of the system formerly in vogue of "rhymes for the eye." REM. 2. S, x, and z may be regarded as similar consonants with respect to the rhyme; thus doux, nous; ordonnés, entraînez, are legitimate rhymes. REM. 3. Rang and sang rhyme with flanc, franc, and banc, but not with parent and reconnaissant. (See § 19.) REM. 4. Certain words which present a defective rhyme in the singular, rhyme well in the plural; as fers, soufferts; tyrans, expirants; rangs, parents; but the termination ments rhymes only with ments or mants, and vengés does not rhyme with bergers. § 25. A simple vowel rhyming with a diphthong, though unsatisfactory, is authorized; as suivre, vivre; diable, table; etc. § 26. A rhyme formed of a long and a short syllable, though found in the great poets, is not to be imitated; thus, Mycène, sienne; vienne, peine; the former from Racine, the latter from Molière. § 27. The French language does not furnish rhymes for all words, and, of those which exist, care must be taken to avoid both the uncommon and the trivial; and also those words which, having but few similar terminations, almost certainly suggest the corresponding rhyme. The following are among the rhymes to be avoided, as being too common : famille, fille; prince, province; poudre, foudre; juste, auguste; illustre, lustre; marque, monarque; songe, mensonge; sombre, ombre ; hommes, nous sommes ; dieu or adieu, lieu; etc. REM. 1. Of the forms of verbs, the past indefinite, as il leva, il cultiva, the past subjunctive, as aimât, aimassent, the third persons of the future, as aimera, aimeront, and the present participle, should not be introduced at the end of verses. REM. 2. A word once used in the rhyme should not be repeated before about fifteen verses. NOTE. § 12, REM. 3, is applicable to the rhyme as to the cesura. HIATUS. § 28. The mute e is the only vowel which should end a word before a word beginning with a vowel or unaspirated h Any other vowel in this position produces an hiatus. Thus, we cannot say, in poetry, tu es, tu auras, si elle vient, elle y est. REM. The conjunction et before a word beginning with a vowel-sound produces an hiatus, the t of this word being never carried to the next. Thus, we cannot say, in poetry, et il vient; sage et heureux. § 29. The hiatus is permitted in poetry in the following cases: 1. In the body of words, as audaci-eux, nati-on. 2. Between two verses, even when closely connected in sense. Ex. Deux fois de mon hymen le nœud mal assorti A chassé tous les dieux du plus juste parti. CORNEILLE. 3. A final nasal vowel (an, en, in, etc.) may be followed by a word beginning with a vowel.* Ex. La faim aux animaux ne faisait point la guerre. BOILEAU. 4. When a word ends in e mute preceded by a vowel, when this e is elided before a vowel there is an hiatus, which is permitted. Ex. Hector tomba sous lui, Troie expira sous vous. RACINE. REM. Hiatus in the two preceding cases produces a disagreeable effect when two similar sounds are brought together by it. Ex. Immolant trente mets à leur faim indomptable. Boileau. 5. Words ending in r may be followed by a vowel even when the r is not pronounced.† Ex. Je reprends sur-le-champ le papier et la plume. BOILEAU. REM. The above rule may be applied to any final consonant; but observe the note upon it. Ex. L'an suivant elle mit son nid en lieu plus haut. LA FONTAINE. 6. The adverb oui, occurring twice in succession, is allowed in dialogue. Ex. Oui, oui, vous nous contez une plaisante histoire. MOLIÈRE. 7. The interjections ah, eh, oh, may be followed by a vowel, the final h being considered aspirated. Ex. Ah! il faut modérer un peu ses passions. MOLIÈRE. * This produces an agreeable sound when the pronunciation unites the words, as un homme, on aime; otherwise the sound is harsh and disagreeable, as Apollon en connaît; j'en avais un encore. This produces, as in the case of the nasals, an agreeable sound when the r is carried over to the next word, as le premier homme; otherwise not, as in the case cited above from Boileau, ELISION AND SYNÆRESIS. § 30. When a word ends in e mute, and the next word of the verse begins with a vowel or unaspirated h, the e is elided in the pronunciation. Ex. Ismène est auprès d'elle, Ismène, toute en pleurs. RACIne. This verse is scanned as follows: Ismèn' est auprès d'ell', Ismène, touť en pleurs. REM. 1. The mute e must be elided in the body of a verse when an accented vowel immediately precedes it. Hence, les joies, les destinées, ils voient, ils prient, containing ane mute, which the final consonants do not allow to be elided, can only be placed at the end of a verse. REM. 2. The e mute, which characterizes feminine rhymes, never counts in the measure. Ex. Que dans le Capitole elle voit attachées Les dépouilles des juifs par vos mains arrachées. RACINE. REM. 3. The feminine grande loses by apocope its final e before certain words, which usage has established: grand' mère, grand' salle, la grand' chambre, à grand' peine, etc. (Gr. p. 177. N.) REM. 4. The e mute may be omitted even before a consonant, and in the middle of a word, to represent vulgar speech in the trivial style; as nous n' somm's pas; d' la tête; p'tit. REM. 5. The e mute sometimes receives the tonic accent, as voyez-le, and should not then be elided,* at least in elevated style. REM. 6. Ane mute sometimes merely lengthens the previous syllable, being pronounced with it by synæresis. Ex. Avant la fin du jour vous me justifierez. RACINE. NOTE. Modern orthography replaces these e mutes by a circumflex accent; as j'avoûrai, je prîrais, paîment. REM. 7. The e mute counts for nothing in the measure in the verbal ending aient in the past progressive and conditional, and in the subjunctives aient and soient, from avoir and être. (See 5.) Ex. Les présents du tyran soient le prix de sa mort. * This elision took place in the older poets, and even as late as the age of Louis XIV., but only in the familiar style. Ex. Condamnez-le à l'amende, ou, s'il le casse, au fouet. RACINE. |