178 FORMS OF HEBREW POETRY
Lam. iii. 27 is clearly a five-stress period, and seems
most naturally read as 2 : 3; and so with ii. 8 b-
flbm vdy bywh-xl | vq hFn
He stretched out the line, | he withdrew not his hand from
destroying.
But is it so certain, as it might seem to be at
first sight, that in the following four cases the
main pause was meant to be placed after the
second and not after the third word?
ywpn ylf hywtv rczt rvkz (a)
Surely remembereth and is bowed down upon me my soul.
(Lam. iii. 20.)
ywpn ylf hkpwxv hvkzx hlx (b)
These I remember and pour out upon me my soul.
(Ps. xlii. 5.)
br fwpm ytypnv Mtyx zx (c)
Then shall I be perfect and innocent from the great trans-
gression.—(Ps. xix. 14.)
vnylf trkh hlfy-xl tbkw zxm (d)
Since thou hast lain down, the feller cometh not up against us.
(Isa. xiv. 8.)
It is worth while to consider these in the
light of seven consecutive lines of five stresses
which occur in Isaiah xli. 11-13
jb MyrHnh-lk vmlkyv vwby Nh
jbyr ywnx vdbxyv Nyxk vyhy
jtcm ywnx Mxcmt xlv Mwqbt
jtmHlm ywnx spxkv Nyxk vyhy
jnymy qyzHm jyhlx hvhy ynx-yk
jytrf ynx xryt-lx jl rmxh
lxrWy ytm bqfy tflvt yxryt-lx