Изображения страниц
PDF
EPUB

9. Pure tone. O Freedom, thou art not, as poets dréam,

Orotund.

10. Loud.

11.

.

A fair young girl, with light and delicate limbs,
And wavy tresses, gushing from the cap
With which the Roman master crowned his slave
When he took off the gýves.

A bearded màn,

Armed to the teeth, art thou; one mailed hand

Grasps the broad shield, and one the sword; thy

brow,

Glorious in beauty though it be, is scarred

With tokens of old wàrs; thy massive limbs
Are strong with struggling.

Once more unto the brèach, dear friends, once mòre,

Or close the wall up with our English dèad!
Moderate. In peace, there's nothing so becomes a man
As modest stillness and humility;

Loud. But when the blast of war blows in our ears,
Then imitate the action of the tiger;

Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood,
Disguise fair nature with hard-favored ràge.

Very Loud. On, ON, you noblest English,

Whose blood is fetched from fathers of wàr-proof!
Fathers, that, like so many Alexanders,

Have, in these parts, from morn till èven fought,
And sheathed their swords for lack of argument.

Quick and I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips,
Straining upon the start. The game's afòot;
Follow your spirits, and, upon this charge,
Very Loud. CRY,-HEAVEN FOR HARRY! ENGLAND! AND ST.
GEORGE!

Tone of The one with yawning made reply: Indifference. "What have we seen?-Not much have I! Trees, meadows, mountains, groves, and streams, Blue sky and clouds, and sunny gleams."

Animated

tone.

The other, smiling, said the same;

But with face transfigured and eye of flàme: "Trees, meadows, mountains, groves, and streams! Blue sky and clouds, and sunny gleams!"

12. Gradually How soft the music of those village bèlls, softer. Falling at intervals upon the ear

In cadence sweet! now dying all away, Gradually Now pealing loud again, and louder still, louder. Clear and sonorous, as the gàle comes on.

13. Gradually
louder.

Gradually
softer.

Loud.

11. Soft Orotund.

Ever, as on they bore, more loud,
And louder rang the pibroch proud.
At first the sound, by distance tame,
Mèllowed, along the waters came;
And lingering long by cape and bay,
Wailed every harsher note away;
When bursting bolder on the ear,

The clans' shrill gathering they could hear,-
Those thrilling sounds that call the might
Of old Clan-Alpine to the fight.

Father of earth and heaven! I call thy nàme!
Round me the smoke and shout of battle roll;
My eyes are dazzled with the rustling flame;
Father, sustain an untried soldier's soul,
Or lífe, or deàth, whatèver be the goal
That crowns or closes round this struggling hour,
Thou knowest, if ever from my spirít stole

One deeper prayer, 't was that no cloud might

lower

On my young fàme!-O hèar! God of eternal

power!

Loud Oro- Now for the fight-now for the cànnon peal— Forward-through blood and toil and cloud and fire!

tund.

Glorious the shout, the shòck, the crash of stèel,
The vòlley's roll, the ròcket's blasting spire;
They shake-like broken wàves their squares
retire,-

On them, hussars!-Now give them rein and hèel;
Think of the orphaned child, the murdered
sìre:-

Earth cries for blood,-in thùnder on them wheel!
This hour to Europe's fate shall set the triumph-

seal!

"NOTE

IX.

IMITATIVE MODULATION.

OTHING is more natural than to imitate, by the sound of the voice, the quality of the sound or noise which any xternal object makes, and to form its name accordingly. A tain bird is termed the cuckoo, from the sound which it emits. en one sort of wind is said to whistle, and another to roar; a serpent is said to hiss, a fly to buzz, and falling timber to when a stream is said to flow, and hail to rattle,—the analtween the word and the thing signified is plainly discern

But imitation is not confined to single words. The works 10. oetical and imaginative writers abound in passages which their melody suggest their meaning. These passages must, om their very nature, receive the interpretation of the voice to convey their full force. The following examples are selected, upon which the pupil may practice in making the sound an echo of the sense.

1. THE POWER OF WORDS.

Words are instruments of mùsic; an ignorant man uses them for jargon; but when a master touches them they have unexpected life and soul. Some words sound out like drùms; some breathe memories sweet as flùtes; some call like a clarionèt; some shout a charge like trùmpets; some are sweet as children's talk; others rich as a mother's answering back.

2. A DRUM.

The double, double, double beat

Of the thundering drum

Cries, Hark! the fòes come:
Charge, charge! 't is too late to retreat.

3. WAR AND PEACE.

The brazen throat of war had ceased to roar,
All now was turned to jollity and game.

4. A GIANT.

With sturdy steps came stalking on his sight
A hideous giant, horrible and hìgh.

5. RUSHING OF THE TIDE.

When the tide rushes from her rumbling caves, The rough rock ròars; tumultuous boil the waves.

6. HUM OF INSECTS.

The shard-borne bèetle with his drowsy hums
Hath rung night's yawning pèal.

7. HARSH SOUNDS.

On a sudden open fly

The infernal gates, and on their hinges grate
Harsh thùnder.

8. HARMONIOUS SOUNDS.

Heaven opened wide

Her ever-during gates, harmonious sound,

On golden hinges turning.

9. MOVEMENTS OF MONSTERS.

Part huge of bulk,

Wallowing unwieldy, enormous in their gait,
Tempest the òcean.

10. SURGES:

As raging seas are wont to roar,

When wintry storm his wrathful wreck does threat, The rolling billows beat the ragged shòre.

11. FELLING TREES.

Loud sounds the àx, redoubling strokes on stròkes ; On all sides round the forest hurls her oaks Headlong. Deep echoing groan the thickets hewn, Then rustling, crackling, crashing, thunder dòwn.

12. SOUNDS HEARD IN THE COUNTRY.

Down the rough slope the ponderous wagon rings;
Through rustling corn the hàre astonished springs;
Slow tolls the village clock the drowsy hòur;
The partridge bursts away on whirring wings.

13. LABORIOUS AND IMPETUOUS MOTION.

With many a weary step and many a groan
Up the high hill he heaves a huge round stone:
The huge round stone, resulting with a bound,
Thunders impetuous down, and smokes along the ground.

14. LANGUAGE COMPARED TO AN ORGAN.

O, how our organ can speak with its many and wonderful

vòices!

Play on the soft lute of love, blow the loud trumpet of

war,

Sing with the high sesquiáltro, or, drawing its full diapason, Shake all the air with the grand storm of its pedals and stòps.

15. BOISTEROUS AND GENTLE SOUNDS.
Two craggy ròcks, projecting to the main,
The roaring wind's tempestuous rage restràin:
Within, the waves in sòfter murmurs glide;
And ships secure without their hàlsers ride.

16. THE WITCHES' CALDRON.

For a charm of powerful trouble
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble;
Double, double toil and trouble,
Fire burn and caldron bùbble.

17. POWER OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE.

Now clear, pure, hard, bright, and one by one, like to hail

stones,

Short words fall from his lips fast as the first of a shòwer,—
Now in twofold column, Spondee, Iamb, and Trochee,
Unbroke, firm-set, advance, retreat, trampling along,-
Now with a sprightlier springiness, bounding in triplicate
syllables,

Dance the elastic Dactylics in musical cadences on;
Now, their voluminous coil intertangling like huge ana-

condas,

Roll overwhelmingly onward the sesquipedalian words.

« ПредыдущаяПродолжить »