Xxxv. The Revival Of Equivalence (Chatterton And Blake)

Percy's Reliques, however, taught it something better; though Percy's own imitations and those of others were often as described above. Yet soon we find in

(a) Chatterton, such adaptations of ballad metre as--

I ken | Syr Ro|ger from | afar Trippynge | over | the lea, Ich ask | whie | the lov|erd's son Is moe | than mee?

and such equivalenced octosyllabic couplet and stanza as--

Sĭr Bō|tĕlĭer thēn | hăvĭng cōn|quĕr'd hīs twāyne, Rŏ̄de cōn|qŭerŏr ōff | thĕ tōur|nĕyĭng plāyne, Rĕcēiv|ĭng ă gār|lănd frŏm Āl|ĭcĕ's hānd, Thĕ̄ fāir|ĕst lā|dy̆e īn | thĕ lānde.

But the real Columbus here was

(b) Blake, who from 1780 onwards wrote such things as--

Thĕ wīld | wĭ̄nds wēep Ănd thĕ nīght | ĭs ă-cōld; Cŏme hī|thĕr, Slēep, Ănd my̆ grīefs | ŭnfōld. Bŭt lō! | thĕ mōrn|ĭng pēeps Ōvĕr | thĕ ēast|ĕ̄rn stēeps, Ănd thĕ rūst|lĭng bēds | ŏf dāwn Thĕ ēarth | dŏ scōrn.

Lō! | tŏ thĕ vāult Ŏf pā|vè̆d hēaven, Wĭth sōr|rŏw frāught, My̆ nōtes | ă̄re drīven. Thĕy strīke | thĕ ēar | ŏf nīght, Māke wēep | thĕ ēyes | ŏf dāy;

Thĕy măke mad | thĕ rōar|ing winds, Ănd wĭth tēm|pĕsts plāy. Lĭke ă fīend) | in ă clōud, Wĭth hōwl|ĭng wōe Ăftĕr nīght | Ĭ dŏ crōwd Ănd wĭth nīght | wĭll gō; Ĭ tūrn | my̆ bāck | tŏ thĕ Ēast, Frŏm whĕnce cōm|fŏrts hāve | ĭncrēased, Fŏr līght | dŏth sēize | my̆ brāin Wĭth frān|tĭc pāin.

(This cannot be studied too carefully, and is almost a typical example of sound prosody, orderly without monotony and free without licence. Every substitution is justified, both on the general principles expounded throughout this book, and to the ear in each individual case.)