Alliteration

ALLITERATION (cf. p. 19)

Gerhardt clings to the traditional fondness of the German poet for alliterative phrases. If there be any virtue in the saw regarding "Apt alliteration's artful aid" our poet has found that virtue. The predominating sounds are the consonants; rarely is there alliteration of vowels. An enumeration shows the following results:

Sequences of F, 12; of G, 36; of H, 20; of L, 27; of S, 30; of W, 20; of Z, 6. Of the other consonants there is an average of only two or three each.