On Quantitative Metre 351Ou_
rdrie_
d|voi_
ce ̆s, whe ̆n|We ̆whi_
spe ̆r|to ̆ge_
the ̆r,|A_
re qui_
e ̆t|a ̆nd mea_
ni ̆ngle ̆ss|A ̆swi_
nd|i ̆ndry_
gra_
ss|O ̆rra_
ts’ fee_
t|o_
ve ̆r|bro_
ke ̆ngla_
ss|I ̆nou_
rdry_
|ce_
lla ̆r,|Sha_
pe wi ̆thou_
tfo_
rm,|sha_
de wi ̆thou_
t|co_
lou ̆r,|Pa_
ra ̆ly_
sed fo_
rce,|ge_
stu ̆re wi ̆th|ou_
tmo_
tio ̆n.|Or let us take a passage from Stephen Spender, —
O ̆hco_
mra_
des,|le ̆tno ̆ttho_
se|who_
fo_
llo ̆w|a_
fte ̆r|—The ̆beau_
ti ̆fu ̆l|ge ̆ne ̆ra_
tio ̆n|tha ̆tsha ̆ll spri_
ng fro ̆m|ou_
rsi_
des —|Le ̆tno ̆tthe ̆m|wo_
nde ̆r|ho_
wa_
fte ̆r|the ̆fai_
lu ̆re o ̆f|ba_
nks|The ̆fai_
lu ̆re|o ̆fca ̆the_
dra ̆ls|a ̆nd the ̆de ̆cla_
red|i ̆nsa_
ni ̆ty ̆|o ̆fou_
rru_
le ̆rs,|We ̆la_
cked|the ̆spri_
ng-li_
ke|re ̆sou_
rce ̆s|o ̆fthe ̆ti_
ge ̆r|O ̆ro ̆fpla_
nts|who_
stri_
ke ou_
t|ne_
wroo_
ts to ̆|gu_
shi ̆ng wa_
te ̆rs.|Bu ̆t throu_
gh|the ̆to_
rn do_
wn|po_
rtio ̆ns o ̆f|o_
ld fa_
bri ̆c|le ̆tthei_
re_
yes|Wa_
tch the ̆a ̆d|mi_
ri ̆ng da_
wn|e ̆xplo_
de|li_
ke a ̆she_
ll|A ̆rou_
nd u ̆s,|da_
zi ̆ng u ̆s|wi ̆th i ̆ts li_
ght|li_
ke sno_
w.|There is a rhythm there, but it is not sufficiently gathered
up or vivid and it is much more subdued than Eliot’s towards
the atony and flatness of ordinary prose rhythm. The last lines
of the quotation fromThe Hollow Mencouldbeusedtode-
scribe with a painful accuracy most of this ametric poetry. Some
kind of poetic shape is there but no realised and convincing
form; shade there is plenty, but colour — except perhaps blacks,