VII. POETIC PAUSES.

In poetry we have, in addition to other pauses, poetic pauses. The object
of these is simply to promote the melody.

At the end of each line a slight pause is proper, whatever be the
grammatical construction or the sense. The purpose of this pause is to
make prominent the melody of the measure, and in rhyme to allow the ear to
appreciate the harmony of the similar sounds.

There is, also, another important pause, somewhere near the middle of each
line, which is called the caesura or caesural pause. In the following
lines it is marked thus (||):

EXAMPLES.

There are hours long departed || which memory brings,
Like blossoms of Eden || to twine round the heart,
And as time rushes by || on the might of his wings,
They may darken awhile || but they never depart.

REMARK.--The caesural pause should never be so placed as to injure the
sense. The following lines, if melody alone were consulted, would be read
thus:

With fruitless la || bor Clara bound,
And strove to stanch || the gushing wound;
The Monk with un || availing cares,