'Tĭs thĕ mīd|dlĕ ŏf nīght | by̆ thĕ cās|tlĕ clōck, Ănd thĕ ōwls | hăve ăwā|kĕned thĕ crōw|ing cōck, Tŭ̄--whīt--tŭ̄ whŏ̄o! Ănd hārk, | ăgāin! | thĕ crōw|īng cō=ck, Hŏ̄w drōw|sĭlȳ | ĭt crēw.|
(A five-lined ballad stanza, freely but regularly equivalenced with anapæsts. Line 3 may be four monosyllabic feet, or an iambic monometer--two feet,--according to the value put on the first note of the owl's cry.) The rest of the piece is _not_ in ballad stanza, but in octosyllabic couplet, again more or less freely but regularly equivalenced, and allowing itself occasional licences of rhyme-order, line-length, etc. Thus the succeeding lines are in two batches, where the substitution--anapæstic, trochaic, spondaic or monosyllabic--increases, dwindles, disappears and reappears _ad libitum_:
Sĭr Lē|ŏlīne, | thĕ Bā|rŏn rīch, Hāth | ă tōoth|lĕss mās|tĭff, whīch Frōm | hĕr kēn|nĕl bĕnēath | thĕ rōck Mā|kĕth ān|swĕr tō | thĕ clōck, Fōur | fŏr thĕ quār|tĕrs ănd twēlve | fŏr thĕ hōur; Ēv|ĕr ănd āye, | by̆ shīne | ănd shōwer, Sī̆xtēen | shō̆rt hōwls | nŏt ō|vĕr lōud; Sō̆me sāy, | shĕ sēes | my̆ lā|dy̆'s shrōud. Īs | thĕ nīght | chīlly̆ | ănd dārk? Thĕ nīght | ĭs chīl|ly̆, būt | nŏt dārk. Thĕ thīn | grāy clōud | ĭs sprēad | ŏn hīgh, Ĭt cōv|ĕrs būt | nŏt hīdes | thĕ skȳ. Thĕ mōon | ĭs bĕhīnd, | ā̆nd ă̄t | thĕ fūll; Ănd yēt | shĕ lōoks | bŏ̄th smāll | ănd dūll. Thĕ nīght | ĭs chīll, | thĕ clōud | ĭs grāy: 'Tĭs ă mōnth | bĕfōre | thĕ mōnth | ŏf Māy, Ănd thĕ sprīng | cŏ̄mes slōw|ly̆ ūp | thĭs wāy.
The whole of the rest follows suit, with occasional variations (_not_, save in one case perhaps, "irregularities"), as, for instance--
Ă̄nd || in ¦ si|lence ¦ pray|eth ¦ she. . . . . . . . From || the ¦ love|ly ¦ la|dy's ¦ cheek,
where a triple scansion might appear possible: (1) monosyllabic beginnings indicated by ||; (2) three-foot lines with anapæstic opening (|); and (3) the trochaic variation common in seventeenth-century poets (¦). A famous third line--
decides in favour of (1), for (2) and (3) would exceedingly spoil its beauty. There is sometimes almost _complete_ anapæstic substitution--
Săve thĕ bōss | ŏf thĕ shīeld | ŏf Sĭr Lē|ŏlĭne tāll, Whĭch hūng | ĭn ă mūr|ky̆ ŏld nīche | ĭn thĕ wāll;
which is still further developed in the spell of Geraldine--