Vedic Metre in its Historical Development c17.9

c17.9

The metrical statistics are arranged in six columns, of which the first three state the number of ‘early metrical notes,’ that is, of those variations which are chiefly found in the archaic and strophic periods, and the last three the number of ‘late’ notes, that is, of those variations which are chiefly found in the cretic and popular periods. The nature of these variations is more fully explained in §§ 258–260. In the case of each hymn or small group of hymns the statistics as a whole combine to form what we may call a metrical picture, that is, a numerical formula by which the general tenour of the metrical evidence is indicated. Thus since all variations are comparatively rare in the normal period, and such as occur are evenly distributed between those that mark the earlier and the later periods, hymns of this period may generally be recognised by the small total number of variations (on the average about one in every four trimeter verses) and by an approach towards equality in the number of early and late variations. The normal period thus becomes the central point in our investigations, and a hymn or group of hymns will be judged to be either earlier or later according to the extent to which the metrical picture deviates from the standard thus laid down: the archaic hymns being most plainly marked by having a very large number of variations, that is, about one in every two trimeter verses, half of these being in the first column alone. Hymns in dimeter verse, however, cannot be so readily distinguished by their metrical pictures, as the number of variations is much smaller.