This short measure has seldom, if ever, been used alone in many successive couplets; but it is often found in stanzas, sometimes without other lengths, but most commonly with them.  The following are a few examples:—­

Example I.—­Two ancient Stanzas, out of Many,

   “This while | we are | abroad,
      Shall we | not touch | our lyre? 
    Shall we | not sing | an ode? 
      Shall now | that ho | -ly fire,
    In us, | that strong | -ly glow’d,
      In this | cold air, | expire?

    Though in | the ut | -most peak,
      A while | we do | remain,
    Amongst | the moun | -tains bleak,
      Expos’d | to sleet | and rain,
    No sport | our hours | shall break,
      To ex | -ercise | our vein.” 
        DRAYTON:  Dr. Johnson’s Gram., p. 13; John Burn’s, p. 244.

Example II.—­Acis and Galatea.

   “For us | the zeph | -yr blows,
      For us | distils | the dew,
    For us | unfolds | the rose,
      And flow’rs | display | their hue;

    For us | the win | -ters rain,
      For us | the sum | -mers shine,
    Spring swells | for us | the grain,
      And au | -tumn bleeds | the vine.” 
        JOHN GAY:  British Poets, Vol. vii, p. 376.

Example III.—­“Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin.”

   “The king | was on | his throne,
      The sa | -traps thronged | the hall;
    A thou | -sand bright | lamps shone
      O’er that | high fes | -tival. 
    A thou | -sand cups | of gold,
      In Ju | -dah deemed | divine—­
    Jeho | -vah’s ves | -sels, hold
      The god | -less Hea | -then’s wine!

    In that | same hour | and hall,
      The fin | -gers of | a hand
    Came forth | against | the wall,
      And wrote | as if | on sand: 
    The fin | -gers of | a man,—­
      A sol | -ita | -ry hand
    Along | the let | -ters ran,
      And traced | them like | a wand.” 
        LORD BYRON:  Vision of Belshazzar.

Example IV.—­Lyric Stanzas.

   “Descend, | celes | -tial fire,
      And seize | me from | above,
    Melt me | in flames | of pure | desire,
      A sac | -rifice | to love.

    Let joy | and wor | -ship spend
      The rem | -nant of | my days,
    And to | my God, | my soul | ascend,
      In sweet | perfumes | of praise.” 
        WATTS:  Poems sacred to Devotion, p. 50.

Example V.—­Lyric Stanzas.

   “I would | begin | the mu | -sic here,
      And so | my soul | should rise: 
    O for | some heav’n | -ly notes | to bear
      My spir | -it to | the skies!

    There, ye | that love | my say | -iour, sit,
      There I | would fain | have place
    Amongst | your thrones | or at | your feet,
      So I | might see | his face.” 
        WATTS:  Same work, “Horae Lyricae,” p. 71.