124 FORMS OF HEBREW POETRY
cal principle in Hebrew poetry which will account
for the presence of balance, or other rhythmical
relation, as between two lines in which the
parallelism is not such as necessarily to involve
this balance or other rhythmical relation.
Some such rhythmical principle, whether or
not its nature can ever be exactly and fully ex-
plained, seems to govern much of the present text
of the Old Testament, sometimes for long con-
secutive passages, as for example in Lamentations
and many parts of Job and Isaiah xl.-lv., some-
times for a few lines only, and then to be rudely
interrupted by what neither accommodates itself
to any rhythmical principle that can be easily
seized, nor produces any rhythmical impression
that can be readily or gratefully received.
The difficulties in the way of discovering and
giving any clear and full account of this principle
are considerable. In the first place, as was
pointed out in the first chapter, no clear tradition
or account of the rhythmical or other laws of
Hebrew poetry has descended to us from the age
when that poetry was still being written. The
remarks of Josephus are interesting, but in them-
selves anything but illuminating. Then we are
faced with serious textual uncertainties in all the
so-called poetical books and in the prophetical
books, and in the ancient poems, such as the song
of Deborah, and the blessing of Jacob, embodied
in some of the narrative books. Feeling, as in my