Jon Schild wrote:
> 
> John W. Kennedy wrote:
>>
>>> It's easier to translate from German or Netherlands to English than 
>>> from French or Italian, because many common words are cognate and 
>>> have the same number of syllables.
>>
>>
>> "Same number of syllables" is inadequate. Thomas Cranmer
was one of 
>> the most brilliant artists in prose the English language ever 
>> produced, but the poor dear actually thought that you could sing "Lord 
>> have mercy upon us" to the same music as "Kyrie
eleison" because they 
>> have the same number of syllables (which is how the spurious
"upon us" 
>> got into the English liturgy in the first place). Fortunately, he knew 
>> he was a bad poet, and almost never tried it.
> 
> However, the theme from Gilligan's Island can be sung to the tune of 
> Amazing Grace, and vice versa, because they both have the same number of 
> syllables. I heard of one other that fits those two melodies, but can't 
> recall what it was now.

Not "because they have the same number of syllables", but because they 
are in the same meter: iambic heptameter, commonly known in English as 
"fourteeners".

    But here's an example of words that can't be so arranged;
    The syllables number fourteen, but the rhythm has changed.



-- 
John W. Kennedy
"But now is a new thing which is very old--
that the rich make themselves richer and not poorer,
which is the true Gospel, for the poor's sake."
   -- Charles Williams.  "Judgement at Chelmsford"
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