or assonates with the third, and the second with the fourth. Redondillas are strophes of four eight-syllable (or sometimes six-syllable) verses which rhyme as follows: a b b a. 24 Cuartetos are strophes of four hendecasyllables with the rhyme-scheme a b b a. It is not customary to put a final word that is aguda in the uneven verses of compositions written in hendecasyllables, or in verses that rhyme with them. Sometimes the four verses are esdrujulos. Romances, which are the most used of all forms, need not be written in cuartetas. It is sufficient that the even verses be in assonance and the uneven verses free. Romances, properly so called, are composed of octosyllabic verses. Romancillos are romances composed of verses with less than eight syllables. Romances heroicos are romances composed of hendecasyllabic verses, all of which are llanos. Quintillas are combinations of five verses that have but two rhymes, of which one occurs three times and the other twice. These verses may rhyme at the will of the poet, provided that three verses having the same rhyme do not follow each other successively. Of the possible arrangements the following occur most frequently: a a b b a, a b b a a, a b a b a, a b a b b. Sextinas are usually composed of six hendecasyllabic verses in which a serventesio is followed by a pareado. The first, third, and fifth verses, however, may rhyme together, and the second, fourth, and sixth. There are also sextinas which have the third and sixth verses with a consonantal rhyme in words that are agudas, while the first and second, and the fourth and fifth, form pareados. In compositions written in sextinas the succeeding strophes have the same arrangement as the first. Octavas: Octavas de Arte mayor are composed of eight dodecasyllables divided into two equal hemistichs, with the accents on the second, fifth, seventh, and eleventh syllables. The first verse rhymes with the fourth, fifth, and eighth; the second with the third; and the sixth with the seventh. Sometimes the second rhymes with the fourth, the fifth with the eighth, the first with the third, the sixth with the seventh. Octavas reales are strophes of eight hendecasyllabic verses (llanos), of which the first six rhyme alternately and the last two form a pareado. When octavas of this form have eight-syllable verses or less, they are called octavillas. Octavas and Octavillas Italianas: There are four variants, but all must have the fourth and eighth verses agudos. First variant: There is no verso libre, and the rhyme-scheme is a b b c a d d c. Second variant: The first and fifth verses are libres and the others rhyme 1 b b c 5 d d c. This form is the most used of all. Third variant: All the verses are libres except the fourth and eighth. Fourth variant: The rhymes have some other arrangement than those mentioned in the three preceding cases. Decimas are strophes of ten octosyllabic verses with the rhyme-scheme a b b a a c c d d c. Thus far all the compositions treated have been strophes, of which all the lines have the same number of syllables. The most common strophes having an unequal number of syllables in the component verses are as follows: Endechas reales are cuartetas in which three heptasyllables are followed by a hendecasyllable. The even verses are usually in assonance, although the verses may have the rhyme-scheme a b a b. The Lira is a strophe of five verses, of which the first, third, and fourth are heptasyllables, and the second and fifth are hendecasyl- 25 lables. The rhyme-scheme is a b a b b. Seguidillas are strophes composed of seven verses, three of which are heptasyllables and four pentasyllables. The first, third, and sixth verses are libres, the second and fourth have the same assonance, and the fifth and seventh another distinct assonance. Silvas are series of strophes composed of hendecasyllables and heptasyllables of unequal number and unevenly distributed with a free arrangement of rhymes. Every verse should rhyme with another, yet sometimes a verse is left unrhymed in long compositions. The Sonnet is taken from the Italian and has the same general forms. It is written in hendecasyllables, and is always divided into four parts--two quatrains and two tercets. Versos sueltos (blank verse) are verses which do not assonate with the other contiguous verses, or with the nearest words in which the sense demands a pause. There are many other and very artificial forms that exist, but their treatment would be irrelevant here. During the nineteenth century the caprice of the poet invented many new forms of which the arrangement is evident at a glance. In closing, it should be said that this study of Spanish prosody, which is primarily intended as an aid to the reading of Becquer's poetry contained in this volume, is necessarily too brief to be exhaustive, and many things are purposely omitted, as, for example, certain unusual forms of verse such as the nine-syllable verse or that of more than twelve syllables. Wherever it has been found convenient, references have been made to Becquer's poems to illustrate points of versification. LEGENDS, TALES, AND POEMS BY BECQUER DESDE MI CELDA (Cartas Literarias) CARTA SEXTA Queridos amigos: Hara cosa de dos a tres anos, tal vez leerian[1] ustedes en los periodicos de Zaragoza[2] la relacion de un crimen que tuvo lugar en uno de los pueblecillos de estos contornos. Tratabase del asesinato de una pobre vieja a quien sus convecinos acu-saban de bruja. Ultimamente, y por una coincidencia extraiia, he tenido ocasion de conocer los detalles y la historia circunstanciada de un hecho que se comprende apenas en mitad de un siglo tan despreocupado como el nuestro.[3] [Footnote 1: leerian ustedes = 'you may have read.'] [Footnote 2: Zaragoza = 'Saragossa.' A Spanish city of some 99,000 inhabitants, capital of the province of the same name, situated on the Ebro river at its junction with the Huerva. It is famous for its two cathedrals, El Pilar and La Seo, and for its obstinate and heroic resistance at the time of the siege by the French in 1808.] [Footnote 3: The belief in witchcraft is still prevalent in some quarters, and as late as 1863 a man was drowned at Hedingham, in Essex, Eng., for being a wizard, his accusers and persecutors being village tradesmen. See Brewer, Dictionary of Miracles, Phila., Lip-pincott & Co., 1884, p. 345.] Ya estaba para acabar el dia. El cielo, que desde el amanecer se mantuvo cubierto y nebuloso, comenzaba a obscurecerse a medida que el sol, que antes transparentaba su luz a traves de las nieblas, iba debilitandose, cuando, con la esperanza de ver su famoso castillo como termino y remate de mi artistica expedicion, deje a Litago[1] para encaminarme a Trasmoz,[2] pueblo del que me separaba una distancia de tres cuartos de hora por el camino mas corto. Como de costumbre, y exponiendome, a trueque de examinar a mi gusto los parajes mas asperos y accidentados, a las fatigas y la incomodidad de perder el camino por entre aquellas zarzas y penascales, tome el mas dificil, el mas dudoso y mas largo, y lo perdi en efecto, a pesar de las minuciosas instrucciones de que me pertreche a la salida del lugar. [Footnote 1: Litago. A small village of some 600 inhabitants, situated in the province of Saragossa on the northern slope of the Moncayo (see p. 8, note 1) to the west of the river Huecha, not far from Alcala de Moncayo.] [Footnote 2: Trasmoz. A small village of some 300 inhabitants, situated in the province of Saragossa near the Moncayo and not far 26 from the river Huecha. It contains an ancient castle. See p. 13, note 1.] Ya enzarzado en lo mas espeso y fragoso del monte, llevando del diestro la caballeria por entre sendas casi impracticables, ora por las cumbres para descubrir la salida del laberinto, ora por las honduras con la idea de cortar terreno, anduve vagando al azar un buen espacio de tarde hasta que por ultimo, en el fondo de una cortadura tropece con un pastor, el cual abrevaba su ganado en el riachuelo que, despues de deslizarse sobre un cauce de piedras de mil colores, salta y se retuerce alli con un ruido particular que se oye a gran distancia, en medio del profundo silencio de la naturaleza que en aquel punto y a aquella hora parece muda o dormida. Pregunte al pastor el camino del pueblo, el cual segun mis cuentas no debia distar mucho del sitio en que nos encontrabamos, pues aunque sin senda fija, yo habia procurado adelantar siempre en la direccion que me habian indicado. Satisfizo el buen hombre mi pregunta lo mejor que pudo, y ya me disponia a proseguir mi azarosa jornada, subiendo con pies y manos y tirando de la caballeria como Dios me daba a entender, por entre unos pedruscos erizados de matorrales y puntas, cuando el pastor que me veia subir desde lejos, me dio una gran voz advirtiendome que no tomara la senda de la tia Casca, si queria llegar sano y salvo a la cumbre. La verdad era que el camino, que equivocadamente habia tornado, se hacia cada vez mas aspero y dificil y que por una parte la sombra que ya arrojaban las altisimas rocas, que parecian suspendidas sobre mi cabeza, y por otro el ruido vertiginoso del agua que corria profunda a mis pies, y de la que comenzaba a elevarse una niebla inquieta y azul, que se extendia por la cortadura borrando los objetos y los colores, parecian contribuir a turbar la vista y conmover el animo con una sensacion de penoso malestar que vulgarmente podria llamarse preludio de miedo. Volvi pies atras, baje de nuevo hasta donde se encontraba el pastor, y mientras seguiamos juntos por una trocha que se dirigia al pueblo, adonde tambien iba a pasar la noche mi improvisado guia, no pude menos de preguntarle con alguna insistencia, por que, aparte de las dificultades que ofrecia el ascenso, era tan peligroso subir a la cumbre por la senda que llamo de la tia Casca. --Porque antes de terminar la senda, me dijo con el tono mas natural del mundo, tendriais
