Legends, Tales and Poems
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In (ii) there will be a combination of two vowels with the accent an the second, and one of two vowels with the accent on the first. In creia, for example, the e and í would be in separate syllables by b (2) (b), and the í and a would probably be in separate syllables also by b (2)(a). Therefore, creia would probably be a trisyllable. In cambiáos the i and á might form one syllable or two by b (2) (d), and the á and o would probably be in separate syllables by b (1) (a). Therefore, in cambiáos the combination iáo might form a dissyllable or a trisyllable.
In (iii) there will be a combination of two vowels before the accent, and one of two vowels with the second accented. In rehuí, for example, the e and u might be in the same syllable by a (1), or in separate syllables by dieresis by a (1) (a), and the u and í might be in separate syllables or not by b (3) (b). Therefore, rehuí might be a monosyllable, a dissyllable, or a trisyllable.
Other combinations of three vowels may be analyzed in a similar way, as may also combinations of more than three vowels, e.g. creíais, etc.
B. SYNALEPHABetween the contiguous vowels of separate words there may occur synalepha (which corresponds to diphthongization within a word), or hiatus (which is similar to diaeresis within a word).
Ex. Abre^una^eternidad, p. 178, XXXVI I, l. 22. ¿Á qué me lo decís? lo sé^:^es mudable, p. 179, XXXIX, l. 1. [Synalepha.]
Ex. Como la onda^azul, en cuya cresta, p. 173, XXVII, l. 16. [Hiatus.]
The vowels contracted by synalepha are each pronounced, except when the same vowel is repeated, when only a prolonged sound is heard, as in onda^azul or sé^es above.
Synalepha may join into a single syllable two, three, four, and even five vowels. The union of two vowels (diphthongal synalepha) and the union of three vowels (triphthongal synalepha) are the most common.
A pause due to a break in sense does not prevent synalepha. Mute h is disregarded in the verse and does not prevent synalepha.
Ex. Capaz de encerrarlo, y apénas ¡oh^hermosa! p. 164, I, l. 10.
1. DIPHTHONGAL SYNALEPHA
a. Synalepha takes place between two contiguous unaccented vowels belonging to separate words.
Ex. Abre^una^eternidad, p. 178, XXXVII, l. 22.
b. Synalepha occurs when the final vowel of the first word is accented.
Ex. Te ví^un punto, y, flotando ante mis ojos, p. 169, XIV, l. 1.
c. Synalepha usually occurs when the initial vowel of the second word is accented, especially when the first word ends in a weak vowel, and also in the combinations aá, oá, oa, eá, eó, eé.
Ex. Me parece^en el cielo de la tarde, p. 169, XIII, l. 11.
NOTE: Synalepha is possible with the other combinations, but hiatus is preferable even with the above combinations, in a syllable on which the rhythmical accent falls (see under Rhythmic Accent).
Ex. Despierta, hablas, y al hablar, vibrantes, p. 174, XXVII, l. 23.
Ex. Como la ola que á la playa viene, p. 178, XXXVII, l. 19.
2. TRIPHTHONGAL SYNALEPHA
a. There is always triphthongal synalepha when a is the middle vowel; or when o or e is the middle vowel, except in the following combinations, aoa, aoo, ooo, aea, aeo, oea, oeo.
Ex. Silenciosa á expirar, p. 178, XXXVII, l. 20.
b. There is never triphthongal synalepha when an accented weak vowel stands between two strong vowels. Therefore the conjunctions y and ú prevent triphthongal synalepha.
Ex. Y de purpura y oro la matiza, p. 168, IX, l. 4.
c. There may be triphthongal synalepha when í (y) is the middle vowel, if u precedes it, or i follows it.
Ex. Fuí diestro, fuí valiente, fuí arrogante. Cervantes.
d. When u is the middle vowel there may be synalepha if i follows it. The construction is very rare.
e. There is no synalepha with a word beginning with hue.
Ex. Mucho nuestro huesped tarda. Tirso de Molina.
f. In the following cases the groups of vowels which would usually make triphthongal synalepha are pronounced in two syllables:
(1) When the first word of the group ends in two vowels which do not form a diphthong.
Ex. Que aún tení|a^abiertos, p. 187, LXXIII, l. 2.
(2) When the two initial vowels of the second word do not form a diphthong.
Ex. Tú, sombra^a|érea que, cuantas veces, p. 170, XV, l. 7.
(3) When the first word ends in a diphthong and the second begins with a vowel in a constituent syllable (i.e. a syllable on which the rhythmical accent falls).
Ex. Tan gran designio honra tus audacias.
If the accented vowel is not in a constituent syllable synalepha may occur.
Ex. Mientras la cencia á descubrir no alcance, p. 165, IV, l. 13.
(4) When the first word ends in a single vowel, and the second word begins with a diphthong in a constituent syllable.
Ex. Tú, proceloso austro que derribas.
(3) and (4) might well be considered as cases of hiatus.
3. SYNALEPHA BETWEEN FOUR OR MORE VOWELS
This is less common, yet it exists.
Ex. No^h^a^y^amor donde no hay celos. Lope de Vega.
4. HIATUS
Hiatus is most frequently found between words having a close syntactical relation, particularly if the initial vowel of the second word is in a constituent syllable. It may occur between the article and its substantive, the possessive adjective and its substantive, a preposition and its object, the negatives no and ni and a following vowel; and after the conjunctions y, que, si, and other words having a weak accent such as desde, coma, todo, otro, cuando, etc.
Hiatus is most likely to occur when the accented vowel is the initial vowel of the final word in a phrase or verse, or of a word that has a strongly accented position in the verse; as, for example, when the syllable is the next to the last syllable in a verse, or is the fourth or eighth syllable of a hendecasyllabic verse of the second class.
Ex. Rumor de besos y batir de alas, p. 168, X, l. 6.
Ex. Como la ola que á la playa viene, p. 178, XXXVII, l. 19.
In the above-mentioned case, the phrase de^oro is usually joined by synalepha.
Ex. Mi frente es pálida, mis trenzas de^oro. Becquer.
Hiatus is, however, sometimes observed in this phrase.
Ex. De plumas y de oro, p. 180, XL, l. 28.
When both vowels are accented hiatus is more common than synalepha, even though there is no close syntactical relation, although the vowels may be joined by synalepha if they do not come in a constituent syllable.
Ex. ¡Oh yá isla católica patente! Herrera. [Hiatus.]
Ex. ¿Sabes tú^á dónde va? p. 178, XXXVIII, l. 4. [Synalepha.]
II. RHYTHMIC ACCENT
The second essential element of Spanish verse is a rhythmic distribution of accents within a line. Words have an accent of their own and another stronger accent on account of their position in a verse.
This extraordinary accentual stress, which strengthens periodically certain naturally accented syllables of a verse, is known as rhythmic accent. It plays somewhat the same rôle as did quantity in Latin verse. All other accents and pauses in the verse are subservient to the rhythmic accent.
Spanish verse being accentual, however, and not quantitative, the terms used to determine the regular recurrence of long and short syllables in Latin verse are not very applicable to it, and few compositions are regular in the arrangement of the stress.
A. LATIN TERMS OF VERSIFICATION APPLIED TO SPANISH VERSEAs Latin terms of versification are sometimes applied to Spanish verse, the following rules may be helpful.
1. A trochaic octosyllabic line, for example, substituting stress for quantity, would be scanned
/ – | / – | / – | / —,
with the stress on the first, third, fifth, and seventh syllables.
2. Iambic verse would have a regular alternation of unaccented and accented syllables, – / – /, etc.
3. Dactylic verse would have a regular recurrence of an accented syllable followed by two unaccented syllables, etc.
/ – — | / – — |, etc.
4. Amphibrachic verse would be formed by a regular recurrence of three syllables of which the middle one would be stressed, – / —. This construction is sometimes followed in lines of twelve syllables (p. 164, I, 1. 2), and also in lines of six syllables (p. 167, VII, 1.-4).
5. Anapestic verse consists of a regular recurrence of two unstressed syllables preceding a stressed syllable, – — /. This is sometimes found in ten-syllable lines (p. 164, I, 1. i).
B. SPANISH VERSE ENDINGSAn accented word is called aguda when it has the accent on the last syllable, e.g. verdad, luz, yo; llana (or grave) when it has the accent on the penult, e.g. trabajo, fruto; esdrújula when it has the accent on the antepenult, e.g. límpido, pájaro, pórtico.
A verse is called agudo, llano (or grave), or esdrújulo according to whether its final word is aguda, llana (or grave), or esdrújula.
1. In a verso agudo the last syllable counts for two syllables. Therefore, Ni tu ni yo jamás, p. 177, XXXIII, l. 2, is a heptasyllable.
2. In a verso llano (grave) the number of syllables does not change. Therefore, Detrás del abanico, p. 180, XL, l. 27, is a heptasyllable.
3. In a verso esdrújulo, the intermediate syllable between the accented syllable and the final syllable does not count, either in enumerating the syllables in the verse or for the rhyme (assonance). Therefore, Umbrales de su pórtico, p. 180, XL, l. 32, is a heptasyllable.
C. THE DISTRIBUTION OF RHYTHMIC ACCENTSIn verses of different length there are different rules with regard to the distribution of accents, but the following general rules should be observed.
1. Every verse must be accented upon the syllable nominally preceding the final syllable.
NOTE: It should be borne in mind that the actual final syllable in a versa agudo counts as two syllables, and that the next to the last actual syllable in a verso esdrújulo does not count.
2. Besides the necessary accent on the next to the last syllable, all verses of seven syllables or more must have other necessary accents, which are determined by the number of syllables in the line.
3. The syllable directly preceding the one that has the rhythmical accent should never be accented, for it obstructs the proper accentuation of the constituent syllable. A syllable so accented is called obstruccionista.
D. THE NUMBER OF SYLLABLES IN SPANISH VERSESpanish verse may consist of any number of syllables from two up to sixteen. All must have an accent on the next to the last syllable.
1. Dissyllabic Verse: A dissyllabic verse may be composed of a single word (either aguda, llana, or esdrújula).
Ex. ¡Duerme! p. 173, XXVII, l. 13.
There can be no supernumerary accents.
2. Trisyllabic Verse: A verse of three syllables can have no supernumerary accent, for the accent would be obstruccionista.
Ex. Suspira.
3. Tetrasyllable Verse: A verse of four syllables must have an accent on the third syllable. There may or may not be a supernumerary accent on the first.
Ex. De ese brío.
4. Pentasyllabic Verse: A verse of five syllables must have an accent on the fourth. It may or may not have a supernumerary accent on the first or second syllable.
Ex. Rumor sonóro, p. I 70, XV, l. 3.
5. Adonic verse is a pentasyllable with necessary accents on the first and fourth syllables.
Ex. Céfiro blando. Villegas.
6. Hexasyllabic Verse: A verse of six syllables must have an accent on the fifth. There may or may not be supernumerary accents, but never on the fourth syllable.
5Ex. Y^entre^aquella sombra 2 5 Veíase^á^intérvalos 3 5 Dibujarse rígida 2 5 La forma del cuerpo, p. 188, LXXIII, ll. 13–16.7. Heptasyllabic Verse: A verse of seven syllables must have an accent on the sixth, and at least one other necessary accent, which may be on any syllable except the fifth.
2 6Ex. Su mano^entre mis manos, 2 6 Sus ojos en mis ojos, p. 179, XL, ll. 1–2.8. Octosyllabic Verse: A verse of eight syllables must have an accent on the seventh, and at least one other accent, which may fall on any syllable except the sixth.
1 4 7Ex. Hojas del árbol caídas 2 5 7 Juguetes al viento son. Espronceda.9. Hendecasyllabic verse: There are two classes of hendecasyllables.
First Class: Verses of eleven syllables which have the sixth syllable and the tenth syllable stressed are hendecasyllables of the first class.
Ex. Los invisibles 'átomos del 'aire, p. 168, X, l. 1.
Hendecasyllables of the first class may have supernumerary accents on other syllables, provided they do not fall upon the fifth or ninth.
Ex. Los sus'pires son 'aire, y van al 'aire.
Las 'lágrimas son 'agua, y van al 'mar. p. 178, XXXVIII, ll. 1–2.
Second Class: Hendecasyllables of the second class are eleven-syllable verses with the accent on the fourth, eighth, and tenth syllables. There may be accents on other syllables, provided that they be not obstruccionistas.
Ex. Olas gi'gantes qu^e^os rom'péis bra'mando, p. 183, LII, l. 1.
If it is difficult to classify a hendecasyllable because it has accents on the fourth, sixth, eighth, and tenth syllables, one must decide on the prominence of the accents from pauses, or from emphasis. The hendecasyllable,
La vida es 'corta, 'sí; muy 'largo el 'arte,
would belong to the first class on account of the emphasis of sí, while the verse,
La vida es 'corta, 'corta; 'largo el 'arte,
would belong to the second class on account of the pause after the fourth and the emphasis on the eighth. The accent on the sixth is, then, not constituent, but supernumerary.
10. All meters thus far have
a. Obligatory (constituent) accents.
b. Facultative (supernumerary) accents.
c. A necessary termination in a combination of an unaccented plus an accented plus an unaccented syllable (– / —). The dissyllable is the only exception.
The facultative accent is opposed to the regular recurrence in each line of dissyllabic and trisyllabic elements, which elements caused the rhythm of Latin verse.
Spanish rhythm is a rhythm of series, of strophes, not a rhythm of regularly recurring accents within a verse.
Verses of ten or twelve syllables, however, lend themselves more readily to rhythm from regularly recurring stress.
11. Decasyllabic Verse: A verse of ten syllables may be formed by the triple repetition of the trisyllable – — /. One extra unaccented syllable is admissible when the verse is llano; and two when the verse is esdrújulo.
Scheme:
– — / – — / – — , agudo.– — / – — , – — , – llano.– — / – — / – — / – — esdrújulo.12. Dodecasyllable Verse: A verse of twelve syllables, with the stress on the second, fifth, eighth, and eleventh syllables, makes a dodecasyllable of amphibrachs. This dodecasyllable has a short metrical pause after the sixth syllable, and a longer one after the twelfth.
Scheme:
– / – — / – || – / – — / agudo.– / – — / – || – / – — / – llano.– / – — / – / – — / – — esdrújulo.13. Verses of different length do not readily intermingle. There are some measures, however, which are used much together.
a. Verses of eleven syllables are used with those of seven or of five syllables.
b. Verses of eight syllables are used with those of four syllables.
c. Verses of ten syllables are used with those of twelve (p. 164, I); and also with those of six (p. 167, VII). These meters lend themselves to regularly recurring stress more readily than any others.
III. CAESURAL PAUSES
The caesura is an important, though not essential, element in Spanish verse. In verses of eleven or twelve syllables, however, the caesura is usually employed to give a break in a determined place. The caesura requires a strong accent on the syllable preceding it, and does not prevent synalepha.
Ex. Si al resonar confus|o^á tus espaldas, p. 171, XVI, l. 7.
Ex. Sabe que, ocul|to^entre las verdes hojas, p. 171, XVI, l.5.
The disposition of the caesural pauses determines the harmony of the versification, and usually varies with the accents so as to avoid monotony in the verse.
IV. RHYME
N.B. For purposes of Rhyme, words may be divided into two classes:
First, words ending in a vowel.
Second, words ending in a consonant.
Rhymes are called feminine, if the rhyme words end in a vowel.
Rhymes are called masculine, if the rhyme words end in a consonant.
NOTE: Final s and final n, especially in the plural of nouns and in verbs, do not count. Therefore, penas and arenas would form a feminine rhyme.
There are two kinds of rhyme: Consonance and Assonance.
A. CONSONANCEConsonantal rhyme is one in which all the letters, vowels and consonants, are the same from the accented syllable to the end of the word, e.g. bruma—espuma; flor—amor.
In consonantal rhyme both consonants and vowels should agree exactly (sonante—errante); b and v can, however, rhyme together, since they represent the same sound, e.g. estaba—esclava; haba—clava.
The following are a few general rules for consonantal rhyme.
1. A word should not rhyme with itself. Sometimes, however, a simple word rhymes with a derivative (menor—pormenor) or two derivatives with each other (menosprecio—desprecio).
2. The tenses of verbs which end in -aba, -ando, -áis, -éis; the present and past participles of regular verbs; adverbs with the termination -mente; verbal nouns ending in -miento, -ción, and other similar endings,—should not rhyme together.
3. Words similar in sound and form but distinct in meaning may rhyme.
son ('sound')—son ('are')
4. If an unaccented weak vowel (i, u) precedes or follows a strong vowel in the same syllable of a word, it is absorbed by the strong vowel, and does not count in the rhyme. Therefore, vuelo and cielo rhyme; also muestra and diestra.
B. ASSONANCEWhen the vowels from the accented syllable to the end of the word are the same, but the consonants are different, the rhyme is called assonance. Therefore, inflaman and pasa assonate in á-a; negros and creo in e-o.
1. In words accented on the last syllable (agudas), the assonance is that of the last syllable only, e.g. perdón—espiró; azul—tú.
2. In words accented on the antepenult (esdrújulas) or on a preceding syllable, only the accented syllable and the final syllable count for purposes of assonance. Therefore, fábula and lágrimas assonate in á-a; trémulo and vértigo assonate in é-o.
3. Words accented on the last syllable (agudas) cannot assonate with words accented on the penult (llanas), or with those accented on the antepenult (esdrújulas) or upon any preceding syllable.
4. In words llanas or esdrújulas the assonance is of two vowels only. In diphthongs the accented vowel only is considered if the diphthong occur in an accented syllable. Therefore, verte and duermes assonate in e-e; baile and parte assonate in a-e.
5. Words llanas may assonate with words accented on the antepenult (esdrújulas). Therefore, pórtico and olmos assonate in ó-o.
6. For purposes of assonance little use is made of words accented on a syllable preceding the antepenult.
7. In a final accented or unaccented syllable u and i are absorbed, for purposes of assonance, by a preceding or following a, o, or e. Therefore, sabia and gratia assonate in á-a; igual and mar assonate in a, pleita and pliega assonate in é-a.
8. If in assonance a weak vowel is united in a diphthong with a strong vowel, the assonance is called compound assonance, e.g. guarda—fatua.
9. Assonance between two single vowels is called simple assonance, e.g. sangre—trae.
This distinction is of little value, however, for verses in simple and compound assonance alternate constantly.
10. In the case of two strong vowels forming a diphthong after an accented syllable, the following rules apply.
a. a in a final unaccented syllable predominates over a preceding or succeeding o in the same syllable. Therefore, Astárloa and Dánao assonate in á-a.
b. a in a final unaccented syllable predominates over a preceding or following e in the same syllable. Therefore, corpórea and rósea assonate in ó-a.
c. o in a final unaccented syllable predominates over a preceding e in the same syllable. Therefore, óleo and erróneo assonate in ó-o; but o in a final unaccented syllable is dominated by a following e in the same syllable, and the e counts in the assonance. Therefore, héroe and veces assonate in é-e.
11. When two weak vowels (i, u) are united in a diphthong, the second predominates. Thus triunfo and chulo assonate in ú-o; cuido and bendito assonate in i-o.
12. There are twenty possible assonances in Spanish: á, ó, é, i, ú, á-a, á-e, á-o, é-a, é-e, é-o, ó-a, ó-e, ó-o, i-a, i-e, i-o, ú-a, ú-e, ú-o.
13. Words that have in the final unaccented syllable i or u, not in diphthongs, are considered for purposes of assonance as if ending in e or o respectively. Therefore, fácil and nave assonate in á-e; espíritu and líquido, in i-o.
14. If ai occurs in a syllable after an a in the accented syllable, the i rather than the a of the diphthong counts in the assonance. Therefore, cantares and trocabais assonate in á-e. If the accented vowel is not a, the a of ai counts in the assonance. Therefore, Vicenta and quisierais assonate in é-a.
15. Consonantal rhyme should not be introduced in compositions written in assonance. This rule is not always observed (see pp. 183–184, LIII).
16. The assonance of alternate lines (the even numbers) is the rule in modern Spanish. If the composition is short the same assonance may be kept throughout.
Blank Verse.—Verses which lack both consonantal rhyme and assonance occur in Spanish, and are called versos sueltos (or libres). Compositions in blank verse are, however, extremely difficult to write in Spanish, and are therefore comparatively rare.
STROPHES
The strophe is frequently of arbitrary length, yet when the poet has once fixed the measure of his strophe he is supposed to preserve the same measure throughout. The following are some of the strophic arrangements in Spanish.
1. Pareados are pairs of contiguous verses of the same number of syllables, which rhyme[1] together in pairs.
[Footnote 1: By rhyme hereafter shall be understood consonantal rhyme, unless otherwise indicated.]
2. Tercetos are a series of strophes, in the first of which the first verse rhymes with the third, and, from the second strophe on, the first and third verse of each successive strophe rhyme with the middle verse of the preceding strophe. This form of verse is known in Italian as terza rima. The composition ends with a serventesio (see below), of which the first and third verses rhyme with the middle verse of the preceding strophe. The rhyme-scheme, then, would be a b a, b c b, c d c, etc., d e d e.