Mark's post is further evidence of why lines cannot be scanned out of context. His scansion is plausible until you get to the demotion of "singing," which is forced, and if it were Shelley's intent, would give cause to doubt either his skill-level or his patience. However, if we turn to the first stanza of the poem, we find:
HAIL to thee, blithe spirit!
Bird thou never wert—
That from heaven or near it
Pourest thy full heart
In profuse strains of unpremeditated art.
The first four lines are CLEARLY trimeter, and the line last hexameter. So here is a poem in which the old saw rings true: the meter is established at the beginning, and the reader, if he's going to honor the poet's intention, should stick to it. Further, it is obvious that the threes are meant to play off in some way against the six-beat fifth line. I'm sure much more can be said about this stanza form, but right now, I will not be the one to say it.
Chris
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