30 MARCH 1929, Page 34

VERSE FORMS.

A. H. A. in his " New Verse Forms " must not give all the credit to America for the birth of the punning Rhymbel. I quote two verses from a longer poem of Victor Hugo's, pub. lished in 1828, which show that he also put the winged horse through these circus steps.

" C'est surtout quand la dame abbesse

Baisse

Les yeux que son regard charmant

Ment.

Son coeur bride en vain dans l'enceinte Sainte.

Elle en a fait a, Cupidon Don. . . ."