Note 164 — Chapter II · RHYTHM AS THE ESSENTIAL FACT OF POETRY

See, however, E. Schröder, “Ueber das Spell,” Zst. f. deutsches Alterthum, XXXVII. 241 ff. Spell and lied, he says, are related in terms of epic and lyric charms or incantations, and form the basis of the common antithesis of “say” and “sing” (p. 258). The epic part of a charm, he thinks, was recited, while the lyric part was sung. Unfortunately, Schröder comes to no very definite results; and, like most writers on early verse, he neglects the communal and choral conditions of primitive poetry.