ALLITERATION, the repetition of the same letter, at the beginning or any emphatic part of a word, at cer tain short intervals. According to some critics, there is much beauty in alliteration properly managed ; accord ing to others, if it be at all an ornament it is one of the most contemptible and puerile class : but scarcely any critics whatever have given themselves the trouble of inquiring in what the merit of alliteration consists, or upon what principles it is calculated to produce either pleasure or disgust. This is the more remarkable when we consider the minute attention that has been bes towed upon almost every subject connected with rheto ric or grammar: Prosody, rhyme, accent, versification, even the management of pauses, have also received a minute investigation from the critic or grammarian ; and the rules belonging to each have been carefully pointed out, and illustrated by numerous examples ; while alliteration has been passed over in contemptuous si lence, or mentioned merely as a trifling and false re finement. If, however, we regulate our judgment by the prat tire of our best ports, the canon by which sound ritirism is most decisively tried, we cannot but admit that alliteration enters pretty largely into the gratifica tion di ril ed from the in rural or recital of polished ver ses. Spenser, Dryden, Gray, and Pope, all abound in this ornament ; and seem to have made it an object of attentive study. Sometimes, indeed, they seem to have adopted it to excess; but on other occasions, it cannot he denied, that much of the beauty of their lines springs principally from this source. indeed, if it be admitted, that rhyme, or a similar termination of lines, is natu rally calculated to gratify the car, which will scarcely he denied by those who rell eel how generally prevalent its adoption has been in most ages and nations ; it seems to follow, of course, that the recurrence of the same sounds at the beginning of words, or even in any of their emphatic syllables, must give pleasure ; unless it can be shewn, that the impression made by the end of a is more permanent and satisfactory than that made by its beginning, or any other of its emphatic parts. It is to this causc,—thc delight which the car takes in the recurrence of similar sounds,—that we arc inclined to ascribe the pleasing effect of alliteration ; and not to the mechanical facility with which the organs of articula tion are enabled to pronounce a succession of similar rather than of dissimilar sounds, which has appeared a more satisfactory solution to some of our critical pre decessors. (Sec Encyc. Brit. art. ALLITERATION.) We question whether it he in truth easier for the organs of speech to resume, at short intervals, one certain con formation, than to throw themselves into a number of different conformations, unconnected and discordant ; and even should this be admitted, we do not think that the greater facility of articulation would impart any cor responding beauty to verses, the harmony of which is to be judged of by the ear, and not by the tongue, or the teeth. If a letter be in itself difficult of pronunciation, we apprehend that it will be much easier to substitute another of readier utterance in its stead, than to recur to it again in the course of the same line. Thus, instead
of " Ruin seize thee, ruthless king," it would be rather more easy to pronounce " Ruin seize thee, deadly king," although, doubtless, the line would suffer greatly by the substitution. Instead of " Soon he soothed the soul to pleasures ;" it would be full as easy to say," Soon he the mind to pleasures ;" although with a like diminution of poetical effect. It is, therefore, to the gratification of the ear alone that we are disposed to ascribe all the beauty of alliteration ; and not to any mechanical facility which it communicates to the organs of utterance.
We are at present entirely without rules for the man agement of alliteration, or for the just estimate of its merits or defects. The case, however, appears to have been different with the poetry of other nations, and even with some of our own, in rude and more remote periods. " The Icelandic poetry," says Van Troil, " requires two things, viz. words rtrith the same initial letters, and words of the same sound." (Letters on Iceland, p. 208.) And Dr Beanie observes, that " some ancient English poems are more distinguished by alliteration, than by any other poetical contrivance. In the works of Langland, even when no regard is had to rhyme, and but little to a rude sort of anapestic measure, it seems to have been a rule, that three words, at least, of each line, should begin with the same letter." We conceive that when a letter is somewhat harsh and d'filcult of pronunciation, its repetition imparts a corresponding quality of strength and power to the verse. As Thlin seize thee, ruthless king. GRAY.
Up the high hill he heaves a huge round stone. Pore.
But when loud surges lash the sounding shore. While, on the contrary, the repetition of a melodious letter imparts a great degree of sweetness to the verse ; as of the 1 and soft s in the following examples : The bloom of young desire and purple light of love. Softly sweet in Lydian measures, Soon he soothed the soul to pleasures. DRYDEN.
In order to produce a very striking effect, the allitera tion should take place at regular intervals, and in cor responding parts of the verse. As, Thoughts that breathe, and words that burn. GRAY.
Hauberk crash and helmet ring. GaAs-.
fields ever fresh, and groves for ever green. Por E.
To high-born Hues harp, or soft Vewellyn's /ay. GRAY.
In the last place, the same letter should not be too frequently repeated, otherwise the ear is disgusted, and the effect produced savours somewhat of the ludicrous. As, Weave the warp, and weave the woof. CRAY.
A life so sacred, such serene repose. PARNEL.
Of this excessive alliteration, the burlesque poets have frequently made a happy and appropriate use ; but none have employed it with more zeal and per severance than the facetious authors of the "Pugna porcorum per Publiztin Porci:vn poetam," where every word throughout the whole performance begins with the letter p. (m)