《韻律一覽》原典

What are the categories of poetic form? Three. Which? Rule, licence, prohibition. What kinds of rules govern metres? Two. Which? Regular and varied. What kinds of regular rules govern metres? Two. Which? Number and distinction. What kinds of number govern the rules of metres? Three. Which? One is the number of metres that have been devised in the poetry of the foremost poets. The second is the number of verse lines in one stanza in each metre. The third is the number of syllables placed in each verse line in each metre. What distinctions govern the rules of metres? Two. Which? Distinctions of language and distinctions of sound. What are distinctions of language? The arrangement of letters distinguishes all language, while distinctions of sound consist in making syllables long or short, hard or soft; and the arrangement of sound distinctions is what we call internal rhymes, as in the verse given here:

Here is the arrangement of letters that governs the metre and produces its rhythm. There are twelve alliterating letters in a stanza, and three are placed in each quarter. Each quarter contains two verse lines. Each verse line has six syllables. In the second verse line, the letter we call the chief stave is placed at the beginning of the line. That letter governs the alliteration. In the first verse line, that letter will be found twice at the beginnings of syllables. We call those letters supporting staves. If the chief stave is a consonant, the supporting staves must be the same letter, as here: but it is incorrect if these letters begin syllables more or fewer times than this in a quarter-stanza. If the chief stave is a vowel, the supporting staves must also be vowels, and it is more pleasing if each is a different vowel. It may also be acceptable for a vowel to occur more often at the beginning of a syllable within a quarter-stanza in pronouns or in such words used to fill out the sentence as ek, “I,” or en, “but,” er, “which,” at, “that,” í, “in,” á, “on,” of, af, “from,” and um, “about”; this is licence, however, rather than regular observance of the rules.

Another arrangement of letters accompanies the arrangement of the sound that produces metre and rhythm. In court metre this distinction must be observed so that a quarter-stanza agrees throughout in its arrangement of letters and sounds. In the first verse line, the arrangement is to be distinguished as follows: here we have jörð, fyrð. Each is one syllable, and each has a different vowel, as well as different initial letters, but the letters following the vowel are the same in both words. We call this arrangement of sound half-rhyme. In the second verse line it is as follows: here we have rofs, ofs. The vowel is the same, as are all the letters following it in both words, but the initial letters distinguish the words. These are called full rhymes. Internal rhymes in court metre must be placed so that the second rhyme in each verse line, called the answering rhyme, stands in the syllable followed by just one more syllable, while the rhyme called the initial rhyme sometimes stands at the beginning of a word, in which case we call it a beginning-rhyme, and sometimes in the middle of a word, in which case we call it a part-rhyme. This is court metre. Most carefully wrought poetry is composed in this metre. It is the foundation of all metres, as speech-runes are of other runes.

How are the rules of metres varied? In two ways. How? Through language and sounds. How is variation made through language? In two ways. How? By keeping or changing the metre. How can the forms be varied while keeping the same metre? By using kennings, reinforcement, extended kennings, true descriptions, or newly devised imagery. What are forms using kennings? As in this example: here all the terms in this stanza are expressed through kennings, while the internal rhymes, word length, and arrangement of alliterating letters follow what was written above. Kennings are divided into three kinds. The first is called a kenning, the second a double kenning, and the third an extended kenning. It is a kenning to call battle “spear-crash,” a double kenning to call the sword “the fire of spear-crash,” and an extended kenning if it goes further. An extended kenning:

What are true descriptions? As in this example: it is a true description to support a word with something true of its substance, as when wounds are called severe, because large wounds are grievous. It is also correct to say that they grow. A second true description is that the wounds grow greatly. There is now one verse line with two true descriptions. In the second verse line the edge is called strong and the warriors valiant. In the third it is said that something sharp cuts, and the shield is sturdy; in the fourth line the king is called great and his life illustrious; next, a sword is called clean and fiercely reddened, and each man is called one of the company, though it would be correct language even if he were called a man. The king is called noble. The shield was excellent and was pierced with astonishing speed. The king rejoiced, glad in his bold heart. Sixteen true descriptions have now been shown here in eight verse lines, yet they greatly embellish poetry even when they are not so painstakingly pursued.

True descriptions have three divisions. One is called true description, another reinforcement, and the third doubling. Reinforcements: here a reinforcement accompanies each true description, as when the edge is called not hard and the men exceedingly bold. “Hard edge” and “bold men” are true descriptions. It is reinforcement when another qualifying word accompanies a true description.

Where is newly devised imagery found? As in this example: it is newly devised imagery to call the sword a serpent and construct the kenning correctly, calling the scabbard its paths and the sword-belt and fittings its slough. Here the serpent’s nature is followed, in that it crawls out of its slough and towards water. The newly devised imagery is arranged here so that it goes in search of a stream of blood, where it crawls along the paths of thought, which are men’s breasts. Newly devised imagery is considered well composed when the image taken up is maintained throughout the stanza. But if a sword is called a serpent and then a fish or a wand, or is changed in some other way, people call this a monstrous mixture, and it is thought a blemish.

Court metre now has five varieties, yet it remains the same metre, regular and unchanged, and often some or all of these varieties occur in one stanza. This is correct, because kennings increase the range of words, true descriptions embellish and fill out the language, and newly devised imagery displays knowledge and skill with words.

It is a licence of metres to make syllables slow or quick, so that they extend beyond or fall short of the regular number prescribed by the rules; they may be so slow that there are five syllables in the second and fourth verse lines, as here: in this stanza all the first rhymes are beginning-rhymes, yet this metre follows the form of court metre. Now syllables will be shown that are so quick and placed so close together that the length of the line is thereby increased: here there are nine syllables in the first and third verse lines, and seven in the second and fourth. Here it is shown how many syllables at most there may be in a verse line in court metre, and from this it may be understood that eight or seven may readily be acceptable in the first and third verse lines. In this stanza all the initial

詩藝的格律有哪些方面？三方面。哪三方面？定則、通融、禁例。格律的定則有幾種？兩種。哪兩種？正格與變格。格律的正格定則有幾方面？兩方面。哪兩方面？數目與區分。格律定則中的數目有幾種？三種。哪三種？第一種，是大詩人所作的詩中，已見多少種格律。第二種，是每種格律的一節有多少詩行。第三種，是每種格律的每一詩行安排多少音節。格律定則中的區分有幾種？兩種。哪兩種？語句的區分與聲音的區分。什麼是語句的區分？字母的排列區分一切語句，而聲音的區分，則在於音節有長有短、有硬有軟；這些聲音區分的安排，就是我們所稱的行內韻，如此處所吟：

這裡所用的字母排列，決定格律，構成詩的聲韻。一節之中共有十二個頭韻字母，每四分之一節安排三個。每四分之一節有兩個詩行，每行有六個音節。第二行的行首，放置我們稱為主韻字母的字母。這個字母支配聲韻。而在第一行，這個字母應當出現在兩個音節的開頭。我們稱這些字母為支韻字母。若主韻字母是子音，支韻字母就必須是同一個字母，如此處所示：但在四分之一詩節中，若這些字母出現在音節開頭的次數多於或少於此數，便不合規則。然而，若主韻字母是母音，支韻字母也應當是母音，而且各用不同的母音更美。四分之一詩節中，代名詞或補足語裡的母音，也容許更頻繁地出現在開頭，例如 ek，或 en、er、at、í、á、of、af、um；這屬於通融，卻不是正格定則。

另一種字母排列，依循的是構成格律與聲韻的聲音安排。在宮廷詩格中，這一區分應如此安排：四分之一詩節內，所有字母與聲音的配置都應彼此相應。第一行的這種安排，應如此辨明：此處是 jörð、fyrð，兩處各有一個音節，各用不同的母音，起首字母也不同，但兩字在母音之後的字母相同。我們稱這種聲韻安排為半韻。第二行則是如此：此處是 rofs、ofs。兩字的母音相同，其後所有字母也都相同，只有起首字母使兩字有別。這稱為全韻。在宮廷詩格中，行內韻應如此安排：每行後面的韻，稱為應韻，應落在倒數第二個音節；而稱為首韻的前一個韻，有時在字的開頭，我們便稱之為字首韻，有時在字的中間，我們便稱之為字中韻。這就是宮廷詩格。凡講究雕琢的詩，大多以此格寫成。這是一切格律的根本，正如言語盧恩符文之於其他盧恩符文。

格律的變格定則有幾種方式？兩種。哪兩種？藉語言與聲音。如何藉語言變化？有兩種方式。哪兩種？保留或更換格律。如何變化而仍保留同一格律？使用代稱、加強修飾、延伸代稱、實義修飾，或以新造意象作詩。什麼是使用代稱的格律？如此例：這一詩節中的一切名稱都用了代稱，但行內韻、語詞長度與字母安排，仍依照先前所述。代稱分為三種形式。第一種叫代稱，第二種叫雙重代稱，第三種叫延伸代稱。稱戰鬥為「矛的轟響」，就是代稱；稱劍為「矛之轟響的火」，就是雙重代稱；若再延伸，便是延伸代稱。延伸代稱：

什麼是實義修飾？如此例：實義修飾，是以符合事實的內容來襯托語詞，例如稱傷口為沉重，因為大傷確實沉重。而說傷口腫起，也是恰當的。另一個實義修飾，是說傷口大大地腫起。如今一個詩行中，就有兩個實義修飾。第二行稱刀鋒為堅強，稱戰士為勇敢。第三行說，鋒刃銳利地切割，護具堅固；第四行則稱君王為偉大，稱他的生涯為英勇；接著，稱劍為潔淨，說它被鮮血染得深紅，又稱隨從中的每一位為獨一之人，即使用「人」來稱呼，語意也仍是正確的。君王被稱為尊貴。盾牌精良，而且轉眼間就布滿溝痕。君王心懷勇氣，欣然自得。這裡已在八個詩行中展示十六個實義修飾；然而，若不如此刻意地逐一使用，它們會使詩的聲韻更加優美。實義修飾分為三類。一類稱為實義修飾，另一類稱為加強修飾，第三類稱為雙重修飾。加強修飾：

這裡每一個實義修飾都有加強修飾相隨，例如稱刀鋒為不堅硬，稱人們為極其勇猛。堅硬的刀鋒、勇猛的人，是實義修飾。實義修飾後再添一個確證其義的詞，就是加強修飾。

哪裡有新造意象？如此例：稱劍為蛇，並恰當地構成代稱，又稱劍鞘為牠的道路，稱佩帶與鞘套為牠的蛻皮，便是新造意象。這裡遵循蛇的天性：牠從蛻皮中爬出，向水而去。這裡如此鋪陳新造意象：牠爬過心思的道路，前去尋覓血溪；所謂心思的道路，就是人的胸膛。若最初採用的意象能貫穿整節詩，新造意象便被認為吟詠得當。但若先稱劍為蛇，隨後又稱之為魚或杖，或另作改換，人們便稱這是混形之喻，認為它損害詩作。

如今宮廷詩格已有五種分法，卻仍是同一格律，合乎正格，未有變動；而這些分法往往有幾種或全部出現在同一詩節中，這是合乎規則的，因為代稱能增添詞彙，實義修飾能使語言優美而充實，新造意象則展現學識與措辭的靈巧。

格律的通融，容許音節讀得緩慢或急促，因而使音節數超出或少於定則的正確數目；有時音節可以緩慢到第二行與第四行各只有五個音節，如此處所示：這一詩節中，所有前面的行內韻都是字首韻，但這種格律在形式上仍是宮廷詩格。現在要展示音節如何急促，而且彼此緊密排列，因而增加詩行的長度：這裡第一行與第三行各有九個音節，第二行與第四行則各有七個。這裡展示了宮廷詩格一行所能容納的最多音節數，由此便可知道，第一行與第三行各有八個或七個音節，也完全可以接受。在這一詩節中，所有的首