2

wéor myndum þáh, Beow. 8.1 Types like × ×- and × ×, which we might expect to find, do not occur in Old English poetry. In addition to these ordinary four-membered hemistichs there are others lengthened by the addition of one syllable, which may be unaccented, or have the secondary accent. These extended forms (erweiterte Formen) may be composed either of 2+3 members or of 3+2 members. These extended hemistichs must be carefully distinguished from the hemistichs which have one or more unaccented syllables before the first accented syllable, in types A, D, and E; such a prefix of one or more syllables is called an anacrusis (Auftakt).3

The simple five types of the hemistich admit of variation: i. by extension (as above); ii. by resolution (x for ) and shortening of the long accented syllable (); iii. by strengthening of thesis by means of a secondary accent (Steigerung); iv. by increase in the number of unaccented syllables forming the thesis; also (less frequently) v. by variation in the position of the alliteration, and vi. by the admission of anacruses; the varieties produced by the last-mentioned means are not sub-types but parallel forms to those without

anacruses.

In describing and analysing the different combinations which arise out of these means of variation, and especially the peculiar forms of the sub-types, the arrangement and nomenclature of Sievers will be followed.*

Analysis of the verse types.

I. Hemistichs of four members.`

§ 25. Type A has three sub-types, A 1, A 2, A 3.

The sub-type A1(xx) is the normal form with alliteration of the first arsis in each hemistich, or with alliteration of both arses in the first hemistich and one in the second, and with syllables in the thesis which are unaccented according to the usual practice of the language; examples are, péodnes

1 Sievers, Paul-Braune's Beiträge, x, p. 262.

2 As Sievers calls them, Altgerm. Metrik, § 13. 2; they are marked A*, B*, &c.

The notation of Sievers for hemistichs with anacrusis (auftaktige Verse) is aA, aD, aE, &c.

* Sievers, Altgermanische Metrik, pp. 33 ff.

þégnas An. 3, hýran scólde Beow. 106, gomban gyldan Beow. 11. 10/

This is the commonest of all the types; it occurs in Beowulf, according to Sievers, 471 times in the first and 575 times in the second hemistich, and with the like frequency in the other poems.

The simplest modification of this type arises from the resolution of one or two long accented syllables. Examples of resolution of the first arsis are very numerous, cýninga wúldor El. 5, scéaðena þréatum Beow. 4, séofon niht swúncon Beow. 517,1 níðer gewited Beow. 1361. Examples of the resolution of the second arsis are less numerous, as wúldor cýninge El. 291, éllen frémedon Beow. 3, Scyldes éaferan Beow. 19 óft gefrémede Beow. 165; resolution of both in the same hemistich is rare, but is found, as gúmena géogode An. 1617, mágenes Déniga Beow. 155, gúmum ætgædere Beow. 1321.

The chief type is further modified by making the thesis after the first arsis disyllabic (rarely trisyllabic); the formula is then - xxx. This modification is frequent, as rihta gehwýlces El. 910, gode gewýrcean Beow. 20, swéordum aswébban An. 72, súnnan ond monan Beow. 94, fólce to frofre Beow. 14 wéox under wólcnum Beow. 8.✓

Resolution of the arsis may be combined with this disyllabic thesis, as (in the first arsis) werum on pam wonge An. 22, éotepas ond ylfe Beow. 112, or (in the second arsis) half héofehum An 89, helpe gefrémede Beow. 551, or (in both) dúgude ond géogude Beow. 160, hæleð under héofenum Beow. 52.

The first thesis rarely exceeds two syllables; a thesis of three syllables is occasionally found, as sagde se pe cúde Beow. 90, hwilum hie geheton Beow. 175, and this can be combined with resolution of the first arsis, as seqtura ohd gesýnra An. 565, bítere ond gebólgne Beow. 1431; or with resolution of the second arsis, as útan ymbe delne An. 873, wige under welere Beow. 165; or with resolution of both, as réceda under róderum Beow. 310. Examples of thesis of four syllables are (in the first thesis) séalde păm pe he wólde Beow. 3056, sécge ic pe to sode Beow. 591. A thesis with five syllables is still less common, as læddon hine pă of lyfte Gū. 398, stópon þā tō pære stowe El. 716.

The cases in which the second thesis has two syllables are rare and to some extent doubtful, as wúndor scéawian Beow. 841 and 3033.2

1 It must be remembered that ea, eo, &c., are diphthongs, and have not the value of two vowels.

2 Sievers, Paul-Braune's Beiträge, x, p. 233.

The anacrusis before the type x(x)x is also of rare occurrence: examples are swa sa bebuged Beow. 1224, or, with resolution of the first arsis, swa water bebuged Beow. 93. Most of the instances occur in the first hemistich; in this position the anacrusis may be polysyllabic (extending sometimes to four syllables), sometimes with resolution of the arsis, or with polysyllabic thesis. Examples: forcom æt cámpe An. 1327, gewat met wige Beow. 2630; with resolution, abóden in búrgum An. 78; genered wid nide Beow. 828; disyllabic anacrusis ic was endesta Beow. 241; with resolution, par wæs heleða hléahtor Beow. 612; trisyllabic anacrusis, odde him Óngenprowes Beow. 2475; four-syllable anacrusis, pet we him þá guðgeatwa Beow. 2637; monosyllabic anacrusis with disyllabic thesis, as in magde gehwere Beow. 25, ablénded in búrgum An. 78; disyllabic anacrusis with disyllabic thesis, ge at ham ge on hérge Beow. 1249; trisyllabic anacrusis with disyllabic thesis, pu scealt på före geferan An. 216; monosyllabic anacrusis with trisyllabic thesis, gemúnde pa se goda Beow. 759; monosyllabic anacrusis with resolution of first arsis and trisyllabic thesis, ne mágon hie ond ne moton An. 1217; with resolution of second arsis, gewắt him pa to wárode Beow. 234; disyllabic anacrusis, ne gefeah he pære fæhe Beow. 109; combined with thesis of four syllables, ofsloh pa æet pære sæecce Beow. 1666.

The sub-type A 2 is type A with strengthened thesis (i. e. a thesis with secondary accent) and with alliteration on the first arsis only. This sub-type has several varieties:

(i) A 2 a, with the first thesis strengthened (××); frequent in the second hemistich. The second arsis may be either long or short (xx, or xx). We denote

xx by Azal and xx by A2 a sh, or, for brevity, A 27, A 2 sh. Examples of A 2 l are, gódspèl ærest An. 12, wisfæst wór dum Beow. 626, hringnèt bæron Beow. 1890; with resolution of the first arsis, médusèld búan Beow. 3066; with resolution of the second arsis, gársècg hlýnede An. 238, hórdbùrh heleda Beow. 467; with resolution of both, fréodobùrh fægere Beow. 522; with resolution of the strengthened thesis, sundwùdu sóhte Beow. 208; resolution of the first arsis and thesis, magenwùdu múndum Beow. 236; resolution of the first thesis and the second arsis, gúðsèaro gumena Beow. 328.

Examples of A 2 sh are numerous, as werfæst cýning An. 416, gúðrinc mónig Beow. 839, préanỳd pólað Beow. 284; it is exceptional to find the second arsis short when the thesis which precedes has no secondary accent, as Hrédel cýning Beow.

2436, Hrúnting náma Beow. 1458, deling boren Beow. 2431; with resolution of the first arsis, séaronet séowað An. 64, snótor cèorl mónig Beow. 909, sigeròf cyning Beow. 619, mágodriht micel Beow. 67, &c. Most of the hemistichs which fall under this head have double alliteration.

(ii) A 2 6, with the second thesis strengthened (xx). Most of the cases of this type occur in the first hemistich; when they occur in the second hemistich the measure is usually a proper name, not a real compound. Examples: Gréndles gudcraft Beow. 127, léofa Beowulf Beow. 1855; with resolution of the first arsis, gámol ond gudrèow Beow. 58; with resolution of the second arsis, béorna béaducraft An. 219; with resolution of both, séfa swa séarogrìm Beow. 595; with resolution of the strengthened thesis, lónd ond léodbỳrig Beow. 2472; with resolution of both the second arsis and thesis mag ond mágopègn Beow. 408.1

This type may still further be varied by a first thesis of two or more syllables, út on þæt íglànd An. 15, fólc oððe fréobùrh Beow. 694, réste hine pã rúmhèort Beow. 1800; by resolution of the first arsis, glidon ofer garsècg Beow. 515, of the second, lád ofer lágustream An. 423, sýmbel on séleful Beow. 620; by resolution of the thesis with secondary accent, éahtodon éorlscipe Beow. 3173; the anacrusis is rarely found, as gesawon séledrèam Beow. 2253, and double alliteration (in the first hemistich) is the rule in this form of type A.

(iii) A 2 ab, with both theses strengthened xx, bánhùs blodfag An. 1407, gúðrìnc góldwlànc Beow. 1882, œnlìc ánsỳn Beow. 251; with resolution of first arsis, wlitesèon wratlic Beow. 1651, and of the second arsis, gléawmòd góde lèof An. 1581, gúðswèord géatolic Beow. 2155, and of both first and second arsis, hearowèarh hételic Beow. 1268; with resolution of the first (strengthened) thesis, nýdwràcu nidgrìm Beow. 193; with resolution of both the first arsis and the first thesis, býrelàde brýd gèong Gū. 842; with resolution of the second strengthened thesis, égeslic éorddràca Beow. 2826; with resolution of the first and second thesis, fýrdsèaru füslicu Beow. 232. This form of the type has also as a rule double alliteration.

The sub-type A 3 is type A with alliteration on the second arsis only and is limited almost entirely to the first hemistich. A strengthened thesis occurs only after the second arsis; this sub-type might therefore be designated A 3 b.

1 Heren counts as a syllable, see Sievers, Angelsächsische Gram., § 141, and Altgerm. Metrik, § 79.

Verses falling under this head, with their alliteration always on the last syllable but one, or (in the case of resolution) on the last syllable but two, are distinguished by the frequent occurrence of polysyllabic theses extending to five syllables, in marked contrast to types A 1 and A 2 where theses of one or two syllables are the rule, longer theses the exception. In A 3, however, shorter theses are met with along with the usual resolutions: a monosyllabic thesis in hwæer se péoden El. 563, éow het sécgan Beow. 391; with resolution of first arsis, wúton nữ éfstan Beow. 3102; with resolution of the second arsis, þús me fæder min El. 528, íc pæet hógode Beow. 633; with disyllabic thesis, heht þa on úhtan El. 105, hæfde se goda Beow. 205; with resolution of the first arsis, þánon he gesóhte Beow. 463; with resolution of the second arsis, weard him on Heorote Beow. 1331; with strengthened second thesis, éart þú sẽ Beowulf Beow. 506; with trisyllabic thesis, gíf þē þæt gelimpe El. 441, fúndon þã on sánde Beow. 3034; with resolution of the first arsis, hwæðere mē gesælde Beow. 574, of the second arsis, sýðdan ic for ɖúgeðum Beow. 2502; with strengthened second thesis, no he pone gifstòl Beow. 168; with thesis of four syllables, swýlce hi me gebléndon Cri. 1438, hábbað wē tō þæm mæran Beow. 270; with resolution of the first arsis, úlan ūs tō þære hyde Cri. 865; with resolution of the first and second arsis, þóne þe him on swéofote Beow. 2296; with strengthened second thesis, no by er pone héadorinc Beow. 2466; with thesis of five syllables, sýððan he hine to gúde Beow. 1473; with thesis of six syllables, hýrde ic poet he pone healsbèah Beow. 2173. These forms are also varied by monosyllabic anacrusis combined with monosyllabic thesis, be éow of wérgde El. 295, þæt híne on ýlde Beow. 22; with strengthened second thesis, bet hine seo brimwỳlf Beow. 1600; with disyllabic thesis, ne péarft þu swa swide El. 940, gespræec pa sẽ góda Beow. 676; the same with resolution of the first arsis, gewítan him þā góngan Cri. 533; disyllabic anacrusis and disyllabic thesis, ne gefrægn ic pa magde Beow. 1012; with resolution of the second arsis, geséah he in récede Beow. 728; with strengthened second thesis, ge swýlce sẽo hérepàd Beow. 2259; monosyllabic anacrusis with trisyllabic thesis, on hwýlcum pāra béama El.851; with foursyllable thesis, gewiteð bonne on sealman Beow. 2461; with resolution of the first arsis, ne mágon hi ponne gehýnan Cri. 1525; with resolution of the second arsis, gesawon på æfter waetere Beow. 1426. The last measure may be shortened exceptionally to x, as was min fæder Beow. 262.

On the whole type A seems to occur more frequently in the