Tolkien just got even smarter than I had realized.
I was reading one of my Old English grammars this afternoon, and discovered that their poetry wasn’t based merely on half-lines and alliteration, but also has “feet,” of a sort. That is, there are five patterns (conveniently labeled A through E) into which the syllables of the half-line must fall. Therefore, I decided I had to investigate the Song of the Mounds of Mundburg. It scans.
I append the first two lines. Slashes are stressed, x’s unstressed syllables. They're in the right order, and it worked when I typed it, but when Blogspot publishes this post, it messes up my spacing. Sorry--I know it's miserable to try and decipher.
Type B Type C
x / x x / x x / / x
We heard of the horns in the hills ringing
Type C Type C
x / / x x x / / x
The swords shining in the South-kingdom.
The book also states that an additional unstressed syllable, an “anacrusis,” may be placed before lines of Type A and D. I scan down to line four, and behold! It’s a Type A half-line with an anacrusis! I indicated it by parentheses.
Type A Type B
/ x / x x x / x /
Steeds went striding to the Stoningland
Type A Type A
(x) / x x / x / x / x
(As) wind in the morning. War was kindled.
Tolkien even made his sentence lengths within the poem like those in Old English. Some, like lines 1 and 2, are an even number of lines long. (In other words, OE wasn’t big on enjambments.) Other sentences are a line and a half, with a second, half-line-long sentence in the gap, like lines three and four of Mundburg, and like line 11 of Beowulf. (“That was a good king!” I’d append the OE, because it’s charmingly comprehensible to modern ears, except Blogspot isn’t really set up to deal with odd characters like the thorn and ash. I expect it could be done, but I don’t know how to do it.)
Line five starts off with a rousing Type E, which involves a secondary accent on the first syllable of “Theoden.” I indicated that with a backslash.
Type E Type A
/ \ x x / / x / x
There Theoden fell, Thengling mighty,
Type B Type C
x x / x / x / / x
To his golden halls and green pastures,
That’s about as far as I got, but I thought my discovery was so cool I had to share. :-)
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7 comments:
þæt wæs god cyning!
To insert a thorn or ash rune, you can generally insert symbols in Word by going to the Insert menu, choosing "Symbol" and then selecting the symbol you want. Both Arial and Times New Roman have these runes.
I, too, like this poem and had it memorized at one point. (Alas! I have now forgotten most of it.) Have you ever seen the poem about Turin in The Lays of Beleriand? It is also in alliterative blank verse, and there is a discussion on meter there.
I used to hate alliterative blank verse . . . but once I learned how it was put together, I learned to love it.
I enjoyed your analysis very much. :-)
~Amy A.
Brilliant! And gratifying to know that when I read Tolkien I "heard" some of those lines in my head with the right rhythm. Although of course that's due to his expertise, not mine.
Have I mentioned that I'm thrilled to be rooming with you this coming year? Well, if I have not yet, I am. :) I can't wait.
(And no, that was not necessarily connected with your post, although your post was very interesting. I might have to re-read The Lord of the Rings again too.)
Thanks, all. I knew you could insert symbols in Word; can you just copy and paste the symbols into blogspot?
No! I haven't read the Lays of Belieriand, though I want to.
I am delighted the analysis was a success. :-)
Ruhamah, I'm sure Tolkien's ablity was necessary, but I expect your experience with modern poetry didn't hurt, either. :-)
Yes, you can cut and paste the symbols. That's what I did.
~Amy
Cool!!! I shall have to do so. :-D (And also cool: I just ran next door to Target, came back, and found an answer to my post!)
Is "Trumpet of the Swan" good? I seem to recall reading it in elementary school, and wasn't impressed. 'Course, I didn't like Tolkien when I first read him, either.
Kay, I am very much looking forward to coming back. Our room is going to be excellent and hospitable and fun. And sleep-conducive. :-D
Firinnteine, you have made me very happy indeed. :-)
If you want to read "Trumpet of the Swan" aloud, go for it. I shall certainly not object. (I was obviously much too young when I read it...funny?)
And thanks for the article. I'll be sure and look at it.
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