Vedic Metre in its Historical Development c17.21

c17.21

256. The Table in the following section shews the manner in which the metrical and linguistic evidence may be combined with regard to the larger groups of hymns which appear there. The figures in thick type apply to the whole mass of hymns assigned to each of the five periods, and give the average number of variations under each heading in every 100 trimeter or 150 dimeter verses: whilst the figures in ordinary type give the same information with regard to the separate groups. The pictures as given for trimeter verse being the more significant, there can be now little reason to doubt that the groups i 127–135 and i 165–190 belong in the main to the archaic period, whilst i 74–92 cannot well be earlier than the strophic period. The greater part of the fourth Maṇḍala is also seen to be probably of the strophic period. The trimeter hymns of Maṇḍala vii shew a high proportion of variations under C, due to the frequency of secondary caesura: and the group i 116–119 shews a high proportion both under C and under D, the first due to the frequency of some forms of secondary caesura, the latter to the frequency of the cretic break. We must further notice that the average metrical pictures of the last three periods differ but slightly, and that therefore the metre becomes here an uncertain guide. Lastly, in all the trimeter groups, the linguistic evidence very closely approaches the standard of the period to which each group is assigned.