In Dactylic verse the accent is upon the first syllable of each successive three:

In reading poetry, a pause should be made at the end of each line. It should not be too long, but should be sufficient to mark the measure and the end of the line. It is made by a very brief suspension of the voice, without any change in the tone or accent. It is a mistake to read poetry as though it were prose, running the lines together, and so losing the music, which is one of the greatest charms of verse.

Another pause is often required in the body of a verse, for the sake of the sense. This is called The Casura, or The Casural Pause. Its position may be generally ascertained by the grammatical construction of the sentence and the punctuation, as these naturally indicate where the sense either demands or permits a pause. In the following lines the place for the cæsura is indicated by an asterisk:

The Saviour comes* by ancient bards foretold.

Exalt thy towering head* and lift thy eyes.

Cæsar* the world's great master* and his own.

Classification of Loetry.

English poetry may be classified as follows: Epic, Dramatic. Lyric, Elegaic, Pastoral, and Didactic.

An Epic poem is a romantic tale in verse, and embraces many incidents and numerous characters. It is narrative and descriptive in character, and heroic in style. The Eneid of Virgil, The Iliad and Odyssey of Homer, and the Paradise Lost of Milton, are the most notable examples of this style.

A Drama is, to some extent, epic in character, but is so constructed that the tale, instead of being merely related by the writer, is made to pass, by the action of the characters or personages of the story, before the eyes of the reader. Every actor in the drama has his representative on the stage, who speaks the language of the poet as if it were his own; and every action is literally performed or imitated as if it were of natural occurrence.

"In the construction of a Drama, rules have been laid down by critics, the principal of which relate to the three Unities, as they are called, of action, of time, and of place. Unity of action requires that a single object should be kept in view. No underplot or secondary action is allowable, unless it tend to advance the prominent purpose. Unity of time requires that the events should be limited to a short period, seldom if ever more than a single day. Unity of place requires the confinement of the actions represented within narrow geographical limits. Another rule of dramatic criticism is termed poetical justice; by which it is understood that the personages shall be rewarded or punished, according to their respective desert. A regular drama is an historical picture, in which we perceive unity of design, and compare every portion of the composition, as harmonizing with the whole."

Dramatic poetry includes tragedies, comedies, melodramas, and operas.

Lyric poetry is that style of verse which is written to accompany the lyre cr other musical instrument. This class of poetry is the most popular, and embraces the songs of the various nations of the world. It includes hymns, odes, and sonnets.

An Elegy is a poem or song expressive of sorrow. It is distinct from an epitaph, as the latter is strictly an inscription upon a tombstone. The noblest specimens of this class of poetry are Gray's "Elegy Written in a Country Church-yard" and Tennyson's "In Memoriam."

A Pastoral is a tale, song, or drama, supposed to have been recited, sung, or performed by shepherds. This form of poetry was very popular in ancient times. Didactic poetry is that which is written for the avowed purpose of conveying moral. Campbell's "Pleasures of Hope," Thomson's "Seasons," and Pope's "Essay on Man," are poems of this class.

The Ode. The Ode is the highest of modern lyrical compositions. It is written in the loftiest strain, filled with the noblest ideas, and seeks to inspire similar thoughts in the soul of the reader. To this class belong the hymns use in religions worship.

The Paan. The Pæan was a song of triumph sung by the ancients in honor of Apollo, on the occasion of a victory, or to the other gods as a thanksgiving for the cessation or cure of an evil.

The Ballad. The Ballad is the simplest form of descriptive poetry, and is written in a pleasing style, so that it may be easily sung by those who have little. Acquaintance with music.

The Sonnet. The Sonnet is composed of fourteen lines or verses of equal ength. It properly consists of fourteen iambic verses of eleven syllables, and is divided into two chief parts. The first of these is composed of two divisions, each of four lines, called quatrains; the second of two divisions of three lines each, called terzines. The lines are so constructed that the first eight contain but two rhymes, and the last six but two more. In the first part the first line must rhyme with the fourth, fifth, and eighth, and the second with the third, sixth, and seventh. In the second part the first, third, and fifth are made to rhyme with each other; and the second with the fourth and sixth. The following will show the construction of the sonnet:

The Cantata is a composition, or song, of a musical character, containing rect. tatives and airs, and may be adapted to a single voice, or to many singers.

The Canzonet is a short song, consisting of one, two, or three parts.

The Charade. In poetry the charade is a composition the subject of which is a word of two syllables, each forming distinct word. These syllables are concealed in an enigmatical description, first separately, and then together.

The Madigral. This is a short lyric poem, adapted to express happy and pleasing thoughts on the subject of love. It contains not less than four, no more than sixteen verses of eleven syllables, with shorter verses interspersed, o of verses of eight syllables irregularly rhymed.

The following is a fine example of the madigral:

To a Lady of the County of Lancaster, with a White Rose.

If this fair rose offend thy sight,

Placed in thy bosom fair,

'T will blush to find itself less white,

And turn Lancastrian there.

But if thy ruby lip it spy,

As kiss it thou may'st deign,

With envy pale 'twill lose its dye,

And Yorkish turn again.

The Epigram. This is a short poem, treating of a single subiect, and closing with some ingenious and witty thought, which is rendered interesting by being unexpected. An epigram should be concise. Its point often rests upon a witticism or verbal pun; but the better class of epigrams are marked by fineness and delicacy rather than by smartness or repartee.

The Impromptu. This is a poem written on the instant, without previous thought or preparation.

The Acrostic is a poem in which the initial lines of each line, taken in order from the top to the bottom, make up a word or phrase, generally a person's name or motto. The following is an example:

Friendship, thou 'rt false! I hate thy flattering smile!
R-eturn to me those years I spent in vain.

In early youth the victim of thy guile,

E-ach joy took wing ne'er to return again

N-e'er to return; for, chilled by hopes deceived,

D-ully the slow paced hours now move along;

S-o changed the time, when, thoughtless, I believed
H-er honeyed words, and heard her syren song.
I-f e'er, as me, she lure some youth to stray,
Perhaps, before too late, he 'll listen to my lay.

The Prologue. This is a short poem spoken before the commencement of a dramatic performance, and is designed as an introduction to the play.

The Epilogue is a short poem spoken by one of the actors after the close of a dramatic performance, and sometimes recapitulates the incidents of the drama. The Parody is a ludicrous imitation in verse of some serious subject.

The Satire is a poem in which wickedness and folly are exposed with severity, and are held up to contempt. A satire should be general, not personal.

The Lampoon, or Pasquinade, is a personal attack in verse, and deals in abuse and vituperation rather than in argument.

Long and Common Metre, etc.

In English psalmody the words Long, Common, Short, and Particular Metre are employed to designate the various styles of psalms and hymns used. each line of a stanza has eight syllables, it is called Long Metre. When the first and third lines have eight syllables, and the second and fourth have six syllables, it is called Common Metre. When the third line has eight, and the rest have six syllables, it is called Short Metre. Stanzas in Particular Metre are of various kinds, and are not subject to definite rules.

A Dictionary of Rhymes.

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FOR the assistance of those who desire to write poetry, we give the following Vocabulary of Rhymes, taken from Walker's "Rhyming Dictionary." It will be found very useful.

Directions for Finding Rhymes.

1. In looking for a word, consider the five vowels, A, E, I, O, U, and begin at the vowel that precedes the last consonant of the word; for example, to find persuade, and the words that rhyme to it, D is the last consonant, A the vowel that precedes it; look for ADE, and you will find made, fade, invade, and all the other words of that rhyme.

2. In like manner, if a word end in two or more consonants, begin at the vowel that immediately precedes the first of them; for example, land, N is first of the final consonants, A the vowel that precedes it; see AND, and you will find band, stand, command, etc.

3. But if a diphthong, that is to say, two or more vowels together, precedes the last consonant or consonants of a word, begin at the first of these two vowels; thus, to find the rhymes to disdain, look not for IN, but for AIN, and you will find brain, chain, gain, etc.

4. To find a word that ends in a diphthong preceded by a consonant, begin only at the first vowel of the diphthong; for example, to find the rhymes to subdue, look for UE, and you will find clue, due, ensue, etc.

5. All the words that end in a single vowel, preceded by a consonant, are found by looking for that vowel only, except always the words that end in mute E, which are constantly found by the same method that has been already prescribed for finding the rhymes to persuade, whose final E is silent, and serves only to lengthen the sound of the A in the last syllable.