Don't we have to treat it as hexameter?
The only thing that could keep me from promoting 'on' would be the following argument:
1. This was written by Frost
2. Frost would never start pentameter with an alexandrine
3. This line will turn out to be an alexandrine if I promote 'on'.
Therefore I will not promote 'on', but will regard it as unstressed for the purposes of this line (though if it occurred in a shorter line or one by some unknown poet, I would promote it).
But can the scansion of a line be dependent on who wrote it?
And can the stress we place on a middle syllable depend upon how many feet we'll have by the end of the line?
I'd prefer to say that Frost begins with an alexandrine and look for reasons for that -- after all, we will still have to explain why he would write a line with three unstressed syllables in a row that consisted almost entirely of substitutions even if we save him from the charge of starting with an alexandrine.
Maybe the greater length of the line suggests the length or ponderousness of her musings?
--Chris
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