Sri Aurobindo
Letters of Sri Aurobindo
CWSA 27
Fragment ID: 7288
Some Metrical Matters [2]
After scanning this poem I showed it to Nolini. He has scanned some lines differently, I am quoting only three lines because I want to know which scansion is right:
My scansion: Flame of | a time|less Sun
Nolini’s: Flame | of a time|less Sun
Mine: Recoil | from the | least spark
Nolini’s: Recoil | from the least | spark
Mine: Of her | great lu|minou s Bliss
Nolini: Of her great | lumi|nous Bliss
As the poem is intended to be in the orthodox iambic metre, your scansions are quite correct. At the present time there are many who write in less even metres and to this kind of writing Nolini’s scansion would apply. But it is better for you to learn the regular scansion and metre first so as to have a firm base.
14 April 1936