(Vol. vii., p. 483.)
I was much surprised to see in your paper such a lengthened defence of
Irish rhymes by a reference to those of English poets, and particularly
to Pope. I thought it was well known that he, at last, became sensible of
the cloying effect of his never-varying melody, and sought to relieve it
by deviations {250} from propriety. This is particularly remarkable in
his Homer, where he has numerous Irish rhymes like "peace" and "race:"
besides "war" and "car;" "far," "dare;" with many other still more
barbarous metres. But all those were by regular design for, if ever poet
"lisped in numbers," it was he; and "the numbers came" at his command.
He introduced those uncouth rhymes to somewhat _roughen_ his too long
continued melody, just as certain discords are allowed in great musical
compositions. It showed good judgment, for they are an agreeable change
by variation. Other English poets too have false rhymes; for even Gray,
in his celebrated Elegy, has "toil" and "smile;" "abode" and "God."
But, with respect to Irish poets, Swift should not have been mentioned at
all because, with perhaps the exception of his "Cadenus and Vanessa," his
poetry was of the doggerel kind; and he purposely used Irish rhymes and
debased English. Thus, in the "Lady's Dressing-room:"
"Five hours, and who could do it less in?
By haughty Celia spent in dressing."
Will any one say it was through ignorance that he did not sound the _g_
in dressing? Pope, in his "Eloisa to Abelard," which is sweetness to
excess, concludes with:
"He best can paint 'em who has felt 'em most."
Why this is a downright vulgarism compared to Swift's open and
undisguised doggerel:
"_Libertas et natale solum_:
Fine words! I wonder where you stole 'em."
Leaving Swift out of the question, Irish poets are much more careful
about their rhymes than the English; because they know that what would
be excused or overlooked in them, would be deemed ignorance on their own
parts. I venture to assert, that there are more false rhymes in Pope's
_Iliad_ alone than in all the poems of Goldsmith and Moore together;
though I must again observe that those of Pope were all intentional.