Part 5

There are two kinds of rhyme: Consonance and Assonance.

A. CONSONANCE

_Consonantal rhyme_ is one in which all the letters, vowels and consonants, are the same from the accented syllable to the end of the word, e.g. _bruma--espuma_; _flor--amor_.

In consonantal rhyme both consonants and vowels should agree exactly (_sonante--errante_); b and v can, however, rhyme together, since they represent the same sound, e.g. _estaba--esclava_; _haba--clava_.

The following are a few general rules for consonantal rhyme.

A word should not rhyme with itself. Sometimes, however, a simple word rhymes with a derivative (_menor--pormenor_) or two derivatives with each other (_menosprecio--desprecio_).

The tenses of verbs which end in -aba, -ando, -áis, -éis; the present and past participles of regular verbs; adverbs with the termination -mente; verbal nouns ending in -miento, -ción, and other similar endings,--should not rhyme together.

Words similar in sound and form but distinct in meaning may rhyme.

_son_ ('sound')--_son_ ('are')

If an unaccented weak vowel (i, u) precedes or follows a strong vowel in the same syllable of a word, it is absorbed by the strong vowel, and does not count in the rhyme. Therefore, _vuelo_ and _cielo_ rhyme; also _muestra_ and _diestra_.

B. ASSONANCE

When the vowels from the accented syllable to the end of the word are the same, but the consonants are different, the rhyme is called assonance. Therefore, _inflaman_ and _pasa_ assonate in á-a; _negros_ and _creo_ in e-o.

In words accented on the last syllable (_agudas_), the assonance is that of the last syllable only, e.g. _perdón--espiró_; _azul--tú_.

In words accented on the antepenult (_esdrújulas_) or on a preceding syllable, only the accented syllable and the final syllable count for purposes of assonance. Therefore, _fábula_ and _lágrimas_ assonate in á-a; _trémulo_ and _vértigo_ assonate in é-o.

Words accented on the last syllable (_agudas_) cannot assonate with words accented on the penult (_llanas_), or with those accented on the antepenult (_esdrújulas_) or upon any preceding syllable.

In words _llanas_ or _esdrújulas_ the assonance is of two vowels only. In diphthongs the accented vowel only is considered if the diphthong occur in an accented syllable. Therefore, _verte_ and _duermes_ assonate in e-e; _baile_ and _parte_ assonate in a-e.

Words _llanas_ may assonate with words accented on the antepenult (_esdrújulas_). Therefore, _pórtico_ and _olmos_ assonate in ó-o.

For purposes of assonance little use is made of words accented on a syllable preceding the antepenult.

In a final accented or unaccented syllable u and i are absorbed, for purposes of assonance, by a preceding or following a, o, or e. Therefore, _sabia_ and _gratia_ assonate in á-a; _igual_ and _mar_ assonate in a, _pleita_ and _pliega_ assonate in é-a.

If in assonance a weak vowel is united in a diphthong with a strong vowel, the assonance is called _compound assonance_, e.g. _guarda--fatua_.

Assonance between two single vowels is called _simple assonance_, e.g. _sangre--trae_.

This distinction is of little value, however, for verses in simple and compound assonance alternate constantly.

In the case of two strong vowels forming a diphthong after an accented syllable, the following rules apply.

a in a final unaccented syllable predominates over a preceding or succeeding o in the same syllable. Therefore, _Astárloa_ and _Dánao_ assonate in á-a.

a in a final unaccented syllable predominates over a preceding or following e in the same syllable. Therefore, _corpórea_ and _rósea_ assonate in ó-a.

o in a final unaccented syllable predominates over a preceding e in the same syllable. Therefore, _óleo_ and _erróneo_ assonate in ó-o; but o in a final unaccented syllable is dominated by a following e in the same syllable, and the e counts in the assonance. Therefore, _héroe_ and _veces_ assonate in é-e.

When two weak vowels (i, u) are united in a diphthong, the second predominates. Thus _triunfo_ and _chulo_ assonate in ú-o; _cuido_ and _bendito_ assonate in i-o.

There are twenty possible assonances in Spanish: á, ó, é, i, ú, á-a, á-e, á-o, é-a, é-e, é-o, ó-a, ó-e, ó-o, i-a, i-e, i-o, ú-a, ú-e, ú-o.

Words that have in the final unaccented syllable i or u, not in diphthongs, are considered for purposes of assonance as if ending in e or o respectively. Therefore, _fácil_ and _nave_ assonate in á-e; _espíritu_ and _líquido_, in i-o.

If ai occurs in a syllable after an a in the accented syllable, the i rather than the a of the diphthong counts in the assonance. Therefore, _cantares_ and _trocabais_ assonate in á-e. If the accented vowel is not a, the a of ai counts in the assonance. Therefore, _Vicenta_ and _quisierais_ assonate in é-a.

Consonantal rhyme should not be introduced in compositions written in assonance. This rule is not always observed (see pp. 183-184, LIII).

The assonance of alternate lines (the even numbers) is the rule in modern Spanish. If the composition is short the same assonance may be kept throughout.

Blank Verse.--Verses which lack both consonantal rhyme and assonance occur in Spanish, and are called _versos sueltos_ (or _libres_). Compositions in blank verse are, however, extremely difficult to write in Spanish, and are therefore comparatively rare.

STROPHES

The strophe is frequently of arbitrary length, yet when the poet has once fixed the measure of his strophe he is supposed to preserve the same measure throughout. The following are some of the strophic arrangements in Spanish.

_Pareados_ are pairs of contiguous verses of the same number of syllables, which rhyme[1] together in pairs.

[Footnote 1: By _rhyme_ hereafter shall be understood _consonantal_ rhyme, unless otherwise indicated.]

_Tercetos_ are a series of strophes, in the first of which the first verse rhymes with the third, and, from the second strophe on, the first and third verse of each successive strophe rhyme with the middle verse of the preceding strophe. This form of verse is known in Italian as _terza rima_. The composition ends with a _serventesio_ (see below), of which the first and third verses rhyme with the middle verse of the preceding strophe. The rhyme-scheme, then, would be a b a, b c b, c d c, etc., d e d e.

_Cuartetas_, properly so called, are strophes of four eight-syllable verses, of which the second verse rhymes (or is in assonance) with the fourth. _Cuarteta_ is likewise a general name given to strophes of four verses.

_Serventesios_ are strophes of four hendecasyllables, of which the first rhymes or assonates with the third, and the second with the fourth.

_Redondillas_ are strophes of four eight-syllable (or sometimes six-syllable) verses which rhyme as follows: a b b a.

_Cuartetos_ are strophes of four hendecasyllables with the rhyme-scheme a b b a. It is not customary to put a final word that is _aguda_ in the uneven verses of compositions written in hendecasyllables, or in verses that rhyme with them. Sometimes the four verses are esdrújulos.

_Romances_, which are the most used of all forms, need not be written in _cuartetas_. It is sufficient that the even verses be in assonance and the uneven verses free. Romances, properly so called, are composed of octosyllabic verses.

_Romancillos_ are romances composed of verses with less than eight syllables.

_Romances heróicos_ are romances composed of hendecasyllabic verses, all of which are _llanos_.

_Quintillas_ are combinations of five verses that have but two rhymes, of which one occurs three times and the other twice. These verses may rhyme at the will of the poet, provided that three verses having the same rhyme do not follow each other successively. Of the possible arrangements the following occur most frequently: a a b b a, a b b a a, a b a b a, a b a b b.

_Sextinas_ are usually composed of six hendecasyllabic verses in which a _serventesio_ is followed by a _pareado_.

The first, third, and fifth verses, however, may rhyme together, and the second, fourth, and sixth.

There are also _sextinas_ which have the third and sixth verses with a consonantal rhyme in words that are _agudas_, while the first and second, and the fourth and fifth, form _pareados_.

In compositions written in _sextinas_ the succeeding strophes have the same arrangement as the first.

Octavas:

_Octavas de Arte mayor_ are composed of eight dodecasyllables divided into two equal hemistichs, with the accents on the second, fifth, seventh, and eleventh syllables. The first verse rhymes with the fourth, fifth, and eighth; the second with the third; and the sixth with the seventh. Sometimes the second rhymes with the fourth, the fifth with the eighth, the first with the third, the sixth with the seventh.

_Octavas reales_ are strophes of eight hendecasyllabic verses (_llanos_), of which the first six rhyme alternately and the last two form a _pareado_.

When _octavas_ of this form have eight-syllable verses or less, they are called _octavillas_.

_Octavas_ and _Octavillas Italianas_:

There are four variants, but all must have the fourth and eighth verses _agudos_.

_First variant_: There is no _verso libre_, and the rhyme-scheme is a b b c a d d c.

_Second variant_: The first and fifth verses are _libres_ and the others rhyme 1 b b c 5 d d c. This form is the most used of all.

_Third variant_: All the verses are _libres_ except the fourth and eighth.

_Fourth variant_: The rhymes have some other arrangement than those mentioned in the three preceding cases.

_Décimas_ are strophes of ten octosyllabic verses with the rhyme-scheme a b b a a c c d d c.

Thus far all the compositions treated have been strophes, of which all the lines have the same number of syllables.

The most common strophes having an unequal number of syllables in the component verses are as follows:

_Endechas reales_ are _cuartetas_ in which three heptasyllables are followed by a hendecasyllable. The even verses are usually in assonance, although the verses may have the rhyme-scheme a b a b.

The _Lira_ is a strophe of five verses, of which the first, third, and fourth are heptasyllables, and the second and fifth are hendecasyllables. The rhyme-scheme is a b a b b.

_Seguidillas_ are strophes composed of seven verses, three of which are heptasyllables and four pentasyllables. The first, third, and sixth verses are _libres_, the second and fourth have the same assonance, and the fifth and seventh another distinct assonance.

_Silvas_ are series of strophes composed of hendecasyllables and heptasyllables of unequal number and unevenly distributed with a free arrangement of rhymes. Every verse should rhyme with another, yet sometimes a verse is left unrhymed in long compositions.

The _Sonnet_ is taken from the Italian and has the same general forms. It is written in hendecasyllables, and is always divided into four parts--two quatrains and two tercets.

_Versos sueltos_ (blank verse) are verses which do not assonate with the other contiguous verses, or with the nearest words in which the sense demands a pause.

There are many other and very artificial forms that exist, but their treatment would be irrelevant here. During the nineteenth century the caprice of the poet invented many new forms of which the arrangement is evident at a glance.

In closing, it should be said that this study of Spanish prosody, which is primarily intended as an aid to the reading of Becquer's poetry contained in this volume, is necessarily too brief to be exhaustive, and many things are purposely omitted, as, for example, certain unusual forms of verse such as the nine-syllable verse or that of more than twelve syllables. Wherever it has been found convenient, references have been made to Becquer's poems to illustrate points of versification.

LEGENDS, TALES, AND POEMS BY BECQUER

DESDE MI CELDA

(_Cartas Literarias_)

CARTA SEXTA

Queridos amigos: Hará cosa de dos à tres años, tal vez leerían[1] ustedes en los periódicos de Zaragoza[2] la relación de un crimen que tuvo lugar en uno de los pueblecillos de estos contornos. Tratábase del asesinato de una pobre vieja á quien sus convecinos acusaban de bruja. Últimamente, y por una coincidencia extraña, he tenido ocasión de conocer los detalles y la historia circunstanciada de un hecho que se comprende apenas en mitad de un siglo tan despreocupado como el nuestro.[3]

[Footnote 1: leerían ustedes = 'you may have read.']

[Footnote 2: Zaragoza = 'Saragossa.' A Spanish city of some 99,000 inhabitants, capital of the province of the same name, situated on the Ebro river at its junction with the Huerva. It is famous for its two cathedrals, _El Pilar_ and La Seo, and for its obstinate and heroic resistance at the time of the siege by the French in 1808.]

[Footnote 3: The belief in witchcraft is still prevalent in some quarters, and as late as 1863 a man was drowned at Hedingham, in Essex, Eng., for being a wizard, his accusers and persecutors being village tradesmen. See Brewer, _Dictionary of Miracles_, Phila., Lippincott & Co., 1884, p. 345.]

Ya estaba para acabar el día. El cielo, que desde el amanecer se mantuvo cubierto y nebuloso, comenzaba á obscurecerse á medida que el sol, que antes transparentaba su luz á través de las nieblas, iba debilitándose, cuando, con la esperanza de ver su famoso castillo como término y remate de mi artística expedición, dejé á Litago[1] para encaminarme á Trasmoz,[2] pueblo del que me separaba una distancia de tres cuartos de hora por el camino más corto. Como de costumbre, y exponiéndome, á trueque de examinar á mi gusto los parajes más ásperos y accidentados, á las fatigas y la incomodidad de perder el camino por entre aquellas zarzas y peñascales, tomé el más difícil, el más dudoso y más largo, y lo perdí en efecto, á pesar de las minuciosas instrucciones de que me pertreché á la salida del lugar.

[Footnote 1: Litago. A small village of some 600 inhabitants, situated in the province of Saragossa on the northern slope of the Moncayo (see p. 8, note 1) to the west of the river Huecha, not far from Alcalá de Moncayo.]

[Footnote 2: Trasmoz. A small village of some 300 inhabitants, situated in the province of Saragossa near the Moncayo and not far from the river Huecha. It contains an ancient castle. See p. 13, note 1.]

Ya enzarzado en lo más espeso y fragoso del monte, llevando del diestro la caballería por entre sendas casi impracticables, ora por las cumbres para descubrir la salida del laberinto, ora por las honduras con la idea de cortar terreno, anduve vagando al azar un buen espacio de tarde hasta que por último, en el fondo de una cortadura tropecé con un pastor, el cual abrevaba su ganado en el riachuelo que, después de deslizarse sobre un cauce de piedras de mil colores, salta y se retuerce allí con un ruido particular que se oye á gran distancia, en medio del profundo silencio de la naturaleza que en aquel punto y á aquella hora parece muda ó dormida.

Pregunté al pastor el camino del pueblo, el cual según mis cuentas no debía distar mucho del sitio en que nos encontrábamos, pues aunque sin senda fija, yo había procurado adelantar siempre en la dirección que me habían indicado. Satisfizo el buen hombre mi pregunta lo mejor que pudo, y ya me disponía á proseguir mi azarosa jornada, subiendo con pies y manos y tirando de la caballería como Dios me daba á entender, por entre unos pedruscos erizados de matorrales y puntas, cuando el pastor que me veía subir desde lejos, me dió una gran voz advirtiéndome que no tomara la _senda de la tía Casca_, si quería llegar sano y salvo á la cumbre. La verdad era que el camino, que equivocadamente había tornado, se hacía cada vez más áspero y difícil y que por una parte la sombra que ya arrojaban las altísimas rocas, que parecían suspendidas sobre mi cabeza, y por otro el ruido vertiginoso del agua que corría profunda á mis pies, y de la que comenzaba á elevarse una niebla inquieta y azul, que se extendía por la cortadura borrando los objetos y los colores, parecían contribuir á turbar la vista y conmover el ánimo con una sensación de penoso malestar que vulgarmente podría llamarse preludio de miedo. Volví pies atrás, bajé de nuevo hasta donde se encontraba el pastor, y mientras seguíamos juntos por una trocha que se dirigía al pueblo, adonde también iba á pasar la noche mi improvisado guía, no pude menos de preguntarle con alguna insistencia, por qué, aparte de las dificultades que ofrecía el ascenso, era tan peligroso subir á la cumbre por la senda que llamo de la tía Casca.

--Porque antes de terminar la senda, me dijo con el tono más natural del mundo, tendríais que costear el precipicio á que cayó la maldita bruja que le da su nombre, y en el cual se cuenta que anda penando el alma que, después de dejar el cuerpo, ni Dios ni el diablo han querido para suya.

--¡Hola! exclamé entonces como sorprendido, aunque, á decir verdad, ya me esperaba una contestación de esta ó parecida clase. Y ¿en qué diantres se entretiene el alma de esa pobre vieja por estos andurriales?

--En acosar y perseguir á los infelices pastores que se arriesgan por esa parte de monte, ya haciendo ruido entre las matas, como si fuese un lobo, ya dando quejidos lastimeros como de criatura, ó acurrucándose en las quiebras de las rocas que están en el fondo del precipicio, desde donde llama con su mano amarilla y seca á los que van por el borde, les clava la mirada de sus ojos de buho, y cuando el vértigo comienza á desvanecer su cabeza, da un gran salto, se les agarra á los pies y pugna hasta despeñarlos en la sima.... ¡Ah, maldita bruja! exclamó después de un momento el pastor tendiendo el puño crispado hacia las rocas como amenazándola; ¡ah! maldita bruja, muchas hiciste en vida, y ni aun muerta hemos logrado que nos dejes en paz; pero, no haya cuidado, que á tí y tu endiablada raza de hechiceras os hemos de aplastar una á una como á víboras.

--Por lo que veo, insistí, después que hubo concluído su extravagante imprecación, está usted muy al corriente de las fechorías de esa mujer. Por ventura, ¿alcanzó usted á conocerla? Porque no me parece de tanta edad como para haber vivido en el tiempo en que las brujas andaban todavía por el mundo.

Al oir estas palabras el pastor, que caminaba delante de mí para mostrarme la senda, se detuvo un poco, y fijando en los míos sus asombrados ojos, como para conocer si me burlaba, exclamó con un acento de buena fe pasmosa:--¡Que no le parezco á usted de edad bastante para haberla conocido! Pues ¿y si yo le dijera que no hace aún tres años cabales que con estos mismos ojos que se ha de comer la tierra, la ví caer por lo alto de ese derrumbadero, dejando en cada uno de los peñascos y de las zarzas un jirón de vestido ó de carne, hasta que llegó al fondo donde se quedó aplastada como un sapo que se coge debajo del pie?

--Entonces, respondí asombrado á mi vez de la credulidad de aquel pobre hombre, daré crédito á lo que usted dice, sin objetar palabra; aunque á mí se me había figurado, añadí recalcando estas últimas frases para ver el efecto que le hacían, que todo eso de las brujas y los hechizos no eran sino antiguas y absurdas patrañas de las aldeas.

--Eso dicen los señores de la ciudad, porque á ellos no les molestan; y fundados en que todo es puro cuento, echaron á presidio á algunos infelices que nos hicieron un bien de caridad á la gente del Somontano,[1] despeñando á esa mala mujer.

[Footnote 1: la gente del Somontano = 'the people of the Slope,' those living near the foot of the Moncayo mountain.]

--¿Conque no cayó casualmente ella, sino que la hicieron rodar, que quieras que no? ¡Á ver á ver! Cuénteme usted como pasó eso, porque debe ser curioso, añadí, mostrando toda la credulidad y el asombro suficiente, para que el buen hombre no maliciase que sólo quería distraerme un rato, oyendo sus sandeces; pues es de advertir que hasta que no me refirió los pormenores del suceso, no hice memoria de que, en efecto, yo había leído en los periódicos de provincia una cosa semejante. El pastor, convencido por las muestras de interés con que me disponía á escuchar su relate, de que yo no era uno de esos señores _de la ciudad_, dispuesto á tratar de majaderías su historia, levantó la mano en dirección á uno de los picachos de la cumbre, y comenzó así, señalándome una de las rocas que se destacaba obscura é imponente sobre el fondo gris del cielo, que el sol, al ponerse tras las nubes, teñía de algunos cambiantes rojizos.