Book IV III
Vela Neritii ducisEt uagas pelago ratesEurus appulit insulae,Pulchra qua residens deaSolis edita semineMiscet hospitibus nouisTacta carmine pocula.Quos ut in uarios modosVertit herbipotens manus,Hunc apri facies tegit,Ille Marmaricus leoDente crescit et unguibus.Hic lupis nuper additus,Flere dum parat, ululat.Ille tigris ut IndicaTecta mitis obambulat.Sed licet uariis malisNumen Arcadis alitisObsitum miserans ducemPeste soluerit hospitis,Iam tamen mala remigesOre pocula traxerant,Iam sues CerealiaGlande pabula uerterantEt nihil manet integrumVoce corpore perditis.Sola mens stabilis superMonstra quae patitur gemit.O leuem nimium manumNec potentia gramina,Membra quae ualeant licet,Corda uertere non ualent!Intus est hominum uigorArce conditus abdita.Haec uenena potentiusDetrahunt hominem sibiDira quae penitus meantNec nocentia corporiMentis uulnere saeuiunt."
The sails which wise Ulysses bore,And ships which in the seas long time did strayThe eastern wind drave to that shoreWhere the fair Goddess Lady Circe lay,Daughter by birth to Phoebus bright,Who with enchanted cups and charms did stayHer guests, deceived with their delightAnd into sundry figures them did change,Being most skilful in the mightAnd secret force of herbs and simples strange;Some like to savage boars, and someLike lions fierce, which daily use to rangeThrough Libya, in tooth and claw become.Others are changed to the shape and guiseOf ravenous wolves, and waxing dumbUse howling in the stead of manly cries.Others like to the tiger roveWhich in the scorched Indian desert lies.And though the winged son of JoveFrom these bewitchéd cups' delightful tasteTo keep the famous captain strove,Yet them the greedy mariners embracedWith much desire, till turned to swineInstead of bread they fed on oaken mast.Ruined in voice and form, no signRemains to them of any human grace;Only their minds unchanged repineTo see their bodies in such ugly case.O feeble hand and idle artWhich, though it could the outward limbs deface,Yet had no force to change the heart.For all the force of men given by God's armLies hidden in their inmost part.The poisons therefore which within them swarmMore deeply pierce, and with more might,For to the body though they do no harm,Yet on the soul they work their spite."
Words in this poem 18
- carmine n.
- A rich red or crimson color with a shade of purple. [F. carmin (cf. Sp. carmin, It. carminio), contr. from LL. carmesinus purple color. See Crimson.]
- manus n.
- The distal segment of the fore limb, including the carpus and fore foot or hand. [L., the hand.]
- facies n.
- The anterior part of the head; the face. [L., from, face. See Face.]
- flere n.
- One who flees. Ld. Berners.
- mala n.
- Evils; wrongs; offenses against right and law. Mala in se Etym: [L.] (Law), offenses which are such from their own nature, at common law, irrespective of statute. [L.]
- remiges n.
- The quill feathers of the wings of a bird. [L. remex, -igis, an oarsman.]
- cerealia n.
- Public festivals in honor of Ceres. [L. See Cereal.]
- nihil n.
- Nothing. Nihil album Etym: [L., white nothing] (Chem.), oxide of zinc. See under Zinc. [L.]
- sola n.
- A leguminous plant (Æschynomene aspera) growing in moist places in Southern India and the East Indies. Its pithlike stem is used for making hats, swimming-jackets, etc. [Native name.]
- super n.
- A contraction of Supernumerary, in sense 2. [Theatrical Cant]
- drave
- , old imp. of Drive.
- phoebus n.
- Apollo; the sun god.
- enchanted a.
- Under the power of enchantment; possessed or exercised by enchanters; as, an enchanted castle.
- sundry a.
- Several; divers; more than one or two; various. [OE. sundry, sondry, AS. syndrig, fr. sundor asunder. See Sunder, v. t.]
- jove n.
- The chief divinity of the ancient Romans; Jupiter. [L. Jupiter, gen. Jovis, OL. Jovis, nom. & gen. for Djovis; akin to E. Tuesday. See Tuesday, and cf. Jupiter.]
- oaken a.
- Made or consisting of oaks or of the wood of oaks. [AS. acen.]
- repine v. i.
- To fail; to wane. [Pref. re- + pine to languish.]
- inmost a.
- Deepest within; farthest from the surface or external part; innermost. [OE. innemest, AS. innemest, a double superlative form fr. inne within, fr. in in. The modern form is due to confusion with most. See In, and cf. Aftermost, Fore]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Book IV III is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Theological Tractates and The Consolation of Philosophy, Project Gutenberg ebook #13316; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Boethius, Book IV III, in The Consolation of Philosophy (1918), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #13316, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/boethius-consolation/book-iv-iii.html, id L23723.
Form and metre
Book IV III is 76 lines in 2 stanzas. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 89%).
See other poems in iambic tetrameter.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.
- 1 -----------AAB-B-C-C-D-DE---E-------F-F ducis · rates · insulae · dea · semine · nouis · pocula · modos · manus · tegit · leo · unguibusA · additusA · ululatB · indica · obambulatB · malis · alitisC · ducem · hospitisC · remiges · traxerantD · cerealia · uerterantD · integrumE · perditis · super · gemit · manumE · gramina · licet · ualent · uigor · abdita · potentius · sibi · meantF · corpori · saeuiuntF
- 2 ABABCBCDCDEDEFEFGFGHGHI-IJ-JKJKLK-MLM boreA · strayB · shoreA · layB · brightC · stayB · delightC · changeD · mightC · strangeD · someE · rangeD · becomeE · guiseF · dumbE · criesF · roveG · liesF · joveG · tasteH · stroveG · embracedH · swineI · mast · signI · graceJ · repine · caseJ · artK · defaceJ · heartK · armL · partK · swarm · mightM · harmL · spiteM
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against iambic tetrameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| Vela Neritii ducis | 7 | /˘····· |
| Et uagas pelago rates | 7 | ······· |
| Eurus appulit insulae, | 7 | /˘····· |
| Pulchra qua residens dea | 7 | ······· |
| Solis edita semine | 7 | /˘····· |
| Miscet hospitibus nouis | 7 | ······· |
| Tacta carmine pocula. | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| Quos ut in uarios modos | 7 | ······· |
| Vertit herbipotens manus, | 8 | ······/˘ |
| Hunc apri facies tegit, | 7 | ···/˘·· |
| Ille Marmaricus leo | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| Dente crescit et unguibus. | 7 | ······· |
| Hic lupis nuper additus, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Flere dum parat, ululat. | 7 | ······· |
| Ille tigris ut Indica | 7 | ·/˘·/˘˘ |
| Tecta mitis obambulat. | 8 | ··/····· |
| Sed licet uariis malis | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| Numen Arcadis alitis | 8 | ········ |
| Obsitum miserans ducem | 8 | ········ |
| Peste soluerit hospitis, | 7 | ······· |
| Iam tamen mala remiges | 8 | ···/˘/˘˘ |
| Ore pocula traxerant, | 7 | ······· |
| Iam sues Cerealia | 5 | ····· |
| Glande pabula uerterant | 7 | ······· |
| Et nihil manet integrum | 8 | ·/˘˘/··· |
| Voce corpore perditis. | 6 | ······ |
| Sola mens stabilis super | 8 | /˘····/˘ |
| Monstra quae patitur gemit. | 8 | ········ |
| O leuem nimium manum | 6 | ······ |
| Nec potentia gramina, | 7 | ······· |
| Membra quae ualeant licet, | 7 | ······· |
| Corda uertere non ualent! | 7 | /˘····· |
| Intus est hominum uigor | 9 | ··˘/····· |
| Arce conditus abdita. | 7 | ······· |
| Haec uenena potentius | 7 | ······· |
| Detrahunt hominem sibi | 8 | ···/˘˘·· |
| Dira quae penitus meant | 7 | ······· |
| Nec nocentia corpori | 7 | ······· |
| Mentis uulnere saeuiunt." | 5 | ····· |
| The sails which wise Ulysses bore, | 8 | ····˘/˘· |
| And ships which in the seas long time did stray | 10 | ·········· |
| The eastern wind drave to that shore | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Where the fair Goddess Lady Circe lay, | 9 | ···/˘/˘·· |
| Daughter by birth to Phoebus bright, | 8 | /˘···/˘· |
| Who with enchanted cups and charms did stay | 10 | ··˘/˘····· |
| Her guests, deceived with their delight | 9 | ··˘/˘··˘/ |
| And into sundry figures them did change, | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| Being most skilful in the might | 8 | /˘·/˘··· |
| And secret force of herbs and simples strange; | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| Some like to savage boars, and some | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Like lions fierce, which daily use to range | 10 | ·/˘··/˘··· |
| Through Libya, in tooth and claw become. | 10 | ·/˘˘····˘/ |
| Others are changed to the shape and guise | 10 | /˘··˘····· |
| Of ravenous wolves, and waxing dumb | 9 | ·/˘˘··/˘· |
| Use howling in the stead of manly cries. | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| Others like to the tiger rove | 8 | /˘···/˘· |
| Which in the scorched Indian desert lies. | 10 | ····/˘˘˘/· |
| And though the winged son of Jove | 7 | ······· |
| From these bewitchéd cups' delightful taste | 9 | ·····˘/˘· |
| To keep the famous captain strove, | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| Yet them the greedy mariners embraced | 10 | ···/˘/˘˘˘/ |
| With much desire, till turned to swine | 10 | ··˘/˘··˘·· |
| Instead of bread they fed on oaken mast. | 10 | ˘/·····/˘· |
| Ruined in voice and form, no sign | 9 | /˘˘······ |
| Remains to them of any human grace; | 10 | ˘/···/˘/˘· |
| Only their minds unchanged repine | 9 | /˘··˘/˘˘/ |
| To see their bodies in such ugly case. | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| O feeble hand and idle art | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| Which, though it could the outward limbs deface, | 10 | ·····/˘·˘/ |
| Yet had no force to change the heart. | 8 | ········ |
| For all the force of men given by God's arm | 10 | ······/··· |
| Lies hidden in their inmost part. | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| The poisons therefore which within them swarm | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| More deeply pierce, and with more might, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| For to the body though they do no harm, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Yet on the soul they work their spite." | 8 | ········ |
The reader shows the same poem with its rhymes coloured and a stress row above each line, the notes beside their stanzas, and any word's definition on a tap; the analysis page takes the whole book apart. How every part of this site was made.