To Rhyme or Not to Rhyme.
This Month's Slate magazine has a piece by Robert Pinsky. He discusses poetry and rhyme, and gives this example of Ben Jonson "taking both sides of the rhyme question".
A FIT OF RIME AGAINST RIME
Rime, the rack of finest wits, That expresseth but by fits, True Conceipt,
Spoyling Senses of their Treasure, Cozening Judgement with a measure, But false weight.
Wresting words, from their true calling; Propping Verse, for feare of falling To the ground.
Joynting Syllabes, drowning Letters, Fastening Vowells, as with fetters They were bound!
Soone as lazie thou wert knowne, All good Poetrie hence was flowne, And Art banish'd.
For a thousand yeares together, All Pernassus Greene did wither, And wit vanish'd.
Pegasus did flie away, At the Wells no Muse did stay, But bewail'd
So to see the Fountaine drie, And Apollo's Musique die. All light failed!
Starveling rimes did fill the Stage, Not a Poet in an Age, Worth crowning;
Not a worke deserving Bays, Nor a line deserving praise, Pallas frowning.
Greeke was free from Rime's infection, Happy Greeke, by this protection, Was not spoyled.
Whilst the Latin, Queene of Tongues, Is not yet free from Rimes wrongs, But rests foiled.
Scarce the hill againe doth flourish, Scarce the world a Wit doth nourish, To restore
Phoebus to his Crowne againe; And the Muses to their braine; As before.
Vulgar Languages that want Words, and sweetnesse, and be scant Of true measure;
Tyrant Rime hath so abused, That they long since have refused Other ceasure.
He that first invented thee, May his joynts tormented bee, Cramp'd forever;
Still may Syllabes jarre with time, Still may reason warre with rime, Resting never.
May his Sense, when it would meet The cold tumor in his feet, Grow unsounder,
And his Title be long foole, That, in rearing such a Schoole, Was the founder. t
posted by Tony @ Tuesday, April 05, 2005
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