There is a face whose blushes tell
Affection's tale upon the cheek ;
But, pallid at one fond farewell,

Proclaims more love than words can speak.

There is a lip which mine has pressed,
And none had ever pressed before;
It vowed to make me sweetly blessed,
And mine, mine only, pressed it more.

There is a bosom, - all my own,-
Hath pillowed oft this aching head;
A mouth which smiles on me alone,

An eye whose tears with mine are shed.

There are two hearts whose movements thrill
In unison so closely sweet!

That, pulse to pulse, responsive still,

That both must heave,

-or cease to beat.

The highest of the modern lyric compositions is the Ode The word ode is from the Greek, and is generally translated a song, but it is not a song, as we use the term in our language. The ode was the result of strong excitement, a poetical attempt to fill the hearts of the auditors with feelings of the sublime. Odes that were sung in honor of the gods were termed Hymns, from a Greek word hymneo, which signifies to celebrate. The name is now applied to those sacred songs that are sung in churches. The Hebrew hymns which bear the name of King David are termed Psalms, from the Greek word psallo, which significs to sing.

The Greek Ode, when complete, was composed of three parts, the Strophe, the Antistrope, and the Epode. The two former terms indicated the turnings of the priests round and about the altar. The Epode was the end of the song, and was repeated standing still, before the altar.

Pæans were songs of triumph sung in procession in honor of Apollo, on occasions of a victory, &c., or to the other gods as thanksgivings for the cessation or cure of an evil. The word is derived from a word signifying to heal or cure.

For examples of the English ode, the student is referred to the well-known pieces, "Alexander's Feast," by Dryden, and the "Ode on the Passions," by Collins.

A Ballad is a rhyming record of some adventure or transaction which is amusing or interesting to the populace, and written in easy and uniform verse, so that it may easily be sung by those who have little acquaintance with music.

A Sonnet is a species of poetical composition, consisting of fourteen lines or verses of equal length. It properly consists of fourteen iambic verses, of eleven syllables, and is divided into two chief parts; — -the first consists of two divisions, each of four lines, called quatrains; the second of two divisions of three lines each, called terzines. The rhymes in these parts respectively were managed according to regular rules. But these rules have been seldom regarded in modern compositions. The sonnet generally contains one principal idea, pursued through the various antitheses of the different strophes, and adorned with the charm of rhyme.

Example of the Sonnet.

SONNET TO ONE BELOVED.

Deep in my heart thy cherished secret lies
Deep as a pearl on ocean's soundless floor,
Where the bold diver never can explore
The realms o'er which the mighty billows rise.
It rests far hidden from all mortal eyes,

Not e'en discovered when the piercing light
Of morn illumines the uncurtained skies,

And fills with sunshine the dark vaults of night.
Repose in me thy heart's most sacred trust,
And nothing shall betray it; I will bend

This human fabric to its native dust,

But nothing from me shall that secret rend,
Which to my soul is brighter, dearer far,
Than any lustre of sun, moon, or star.

A Cantata is a composition or song intermixed with recita. tives and airs, chiefly intended for a single voice.

A Canzonet is a short song in one, two, or three parts.*

Example.

BLACK EYES AND BLUE.

Black eyes most dazzle in a hall;
Blue eyes most please at evening fall;
The black a conquest soonest gain;
The blue a conquest most retain;

In musical compositions, a song consisting of two parts is called a Duet. if in three parts, a Trio, if in four, a Quartette, &c.

A Logogriph is a kind of riddle.

Charades (which are frequently in verse) are compositions, in which the subject must be a word of two syllables, each forming a distinct word, and these syllables are to be concealed in an enigmatical description, first separately and then together.

Madrigals are short lyric poems adapted to express ingenious and pleasing thoughts, commonly on amatory subjects, and containing not less than four, nor more than sixteen verses, of eleven syllables, with shorter verses interspersed, or of verses of eight syllables irregularly rhymed. The madrigal is not confined to the regularity of the sonnet, but contains some tender and delicate, though simple thought, suitably expressed.

Example of the Madrigal.

TO A LADY OF THE COUNTY OF LANCASTER, WITH A WHITE ROSE.

If this fair rose offend thy sight,

It in thy bosom wear;

'T will blush to find itself less white,
And turn Lancastrian there.

The Rondeau or rondo, roundo, roundel or roundelay, all mean precisely the same thing. It commonly consists of thirteen lines or verses, of which eight have one rhyme, and five another. It is divided into three couplets, and at the end of the second and third, the beginning of the rondeau is repeated, if possible, in an equivocal or punning sense.

The Epigram is a short poem, treating only of one thing, and ending with some lively, ingenious, and natural thought, rendered interesting by being unexpected. Conciseness is one of the principal characteristics of the epigram. Its point often rests on a witticism or verbal pun; but the higher species of the epigram should be marked by fineness and delicacy, rather than by smartness or repartee.

Example.

WRITTEN ON A GLASS WITH A DIAMOND PENCIL BELONGING TO LORD STANHOPE

Accept a miracle in place of wit;

See two dull lines by Stanhope's pencil writ.

An Impromptu is an extemporaneous composition, that is, one made at the moment, or without previous study.

An Acrostic is a composition in verse, in which the initial letters of each line, taken in order from the top to the bottom, make up a word or phrase, generally a person's name, or a

motto

Example of the Acrostic.

Friendship, thou 'rt false! I hate thy flattering smile!
Return to me those years I spent in vain.
In early youth the victim of thy guile,
Each joy took wing ne'er to return again,
N e'er to return; for, chilled by hopes deceived,
Dully the slow paced hours now move along;
So changed the time, when, thoughtless, I believed
Her honeyed words, and heard her syren song.
If e'er, as me, she lure some youth to stray,
Perhaps, before too late, he 'll listen to my lay.

An Epithalamium is a nuptial song or poem, in praise of the bride and bridegroom, and praying for their prosperity.*

LXXVIII.

PASTORAL AND ELEGIAC POETRY.

Pastorals or bucolics are the narratives, songs, and dramas, which are supposed to have been recited, sung, or acted by shepherds.

The ancient pastorals were either dialogues or monologues. A monologue is a poetical piece, where there is only a single speaker.

* The forty fifth Psalm is an epithalamium to Christ and the Church.