Book V III
Quaenam discors foedera rerumCausa resoluit? Quis tanta deusVeris statuit bella duobus,Vt quae carptim singula constentEadem nolint mixta iugari?An nulla est discordia uerisSemperque sibi certa cohaerent?Sed mens caecis obruta membrisNequit oppressi luminis igneRerum tenues noscere nexus.Sed cur tanto flagrat amoreVeri tectas reperire notas?Scitne quod appetit anxia nosse?Sed quis nota scire laborat?At si nescit, quid caeca petit?Quis enim quidquam nescius optetAut quis ualeat nescita sequi?Quoue inueniat, quisque repertamQueat ignarus noscere formam?An cum mentem cerneret altam,Pariter summam et singula norat?Nunc membrorum condita nubeNon in totum est oblita suiSummamque tenet singula perdens.Igitur quisquis uera requirit,Neutro est habitu; nam neque nouitNec penitus tamen omnia nescit,Sed quam retinens meminit summamConsulit alte uisa retractans,Vt seruatis queat oblitasAddere partes."
What cause of discord breaks the bands of love?What God between two truths such wars doth move?That things which severally well settled beYet joined in one will never friendly prove?Or in true things can we no discord see,Because all certainties do still agree?But our dull soul, covered with members blind,Knows not the secret laws which things do bind,By the drowned light of her oppressed fire.Why then, the hidden notes of things to find,Doth she with such a love of truth desire?If she knows that which she doth so require,Why wisheth she known things to know again?If she knows not, why strives she with blind pain?Who after things unknown will strive to go?Or will such ignorant pursuit maintain?How shall she find them out? Or having so,How shall she then their forms and natures know?Because this soul the highest mind did view,Must we needs say that it all nature knew?Now she, though clouds of flesh do her debar,Forgets not all that was her ancient due,But in her mind some general motions are,Though not the skill of things particular.He that seeks truth in neither course doth fall;Not knowing all, nor ignorant of all,He marketh general things which he retains,And matters seen on high doth back recall,And things forgotten to his mind regains,And joins them to that part which there remains."
Words in this poem
- nexus n.
- Connection; tie. [L.]
- quod v.
- Quoth; said. See Quoth.
- quid n.
- A portion suitable to be chewed; a cud; as, a quid of tobacco. [See Cud.]
- petit a.
- Small; little; insignificant; mean; -- Same as Petty. [Obs., except in legal language.] [F. See Petty.]
- shall v. i.
- To owe; to be under obligation for. [OE. shal, schal, imp. sholde, scholde, AS. scal, sceal, I am obliged, imp. scolde, sceolde, inf. sculan; akin to OS. skulan, pres. skal, imp. skolda, D. zullen,]
- needs adv.
- Of necessity; necessarily; indispensably; -- often with must, and equivalent to of need. [Orig. gen. of need, used as an adverb. Cf. - wards.]
- debar v. t.
- To cut off from entrance, as if by a bar or barrier; to preclude; to hinder from approach, entry, or enjoyment; to shut out or exclude; to deny or refuse; -- with from, and sometimes with of. [Pref. de- + bar.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Book V 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 V III, in The Consolation of Philosophy (1918), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #13316, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/boethius-consolation/book-v-iii.html, id L23730.
Form and metre
Book V III is 61 lines in 2 stanzas. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 85%).
See other poems in iambic pentameter.
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 ---A-BAB---------CCC----D-D---- rerum · deus · duobus · constentA · iugari · uerisB · cohaerentA · membrisB · igne · nexus · amore · notas · nosse · laborat · petit · optet · sequi · repertamC · formamC · altamC · norat · nube · sui · perdens · requiritD · nouit · nescitD · summam · retractans · oblitas · partes
- 2 AABABBCCDCDDEEFEFFGGHGH-IIJIJJ loveA · moveA · beB · proveA · seeB · agreeB · blindC · bindC · fireD · findC · desireD · requireD · againE · painE · goF · maintainE · soF · knowF · viewG · knewG · debarH · dueG · areH · particular · fallI · allI · retainsJ · recallI · regainsJ · remainsJ
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 pentameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| Quaenam discors foedera rerum | 9 | ········· |
| Causa resoluit? Quis tanta deus | 9 | ········· |
| Veris statuit bella duobus, | 8 | ····/˘·· |
| Vt quae carptim singula constent | 9 | ········· |
| Eadem nolint mixta iugari? | 9 | ········· |
| An nulla est discordia ueris | 10 | ···˘/····· |
| Semperque sibi certa cohaerent? | 9 | ········· |
| Sed mens caecis obruta membris | 9 | ········· |
| Nequit oppressi luminis igne | 9 | ········· |
| Rerum tenues noscere nexus. | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| Sed cur tanto flagrat amore | 8 | ······/˘ |
| Veri tectas reperire notas? | 9 | ········· |
| Scitne quod appetit anxia nosse? | 8 | ········ |
| Sed quis nota scire laborat? | 8 | ········ |
| At si nescit, quid caeca petit? | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| Quis enim quidquam nescius optet | 9 | ········· |
| Aut quis ualeat nescita sequi? | 9 | ········· |
| Quoue inueniat, quisque repertam | 8 | ········ |
| Queat ignarus noscere formam? | 8 | ········ |
| An cum mentem cerneret altam, | 9 | ········· |
| Pariter summam et singula norat? | 11 | ··········· |
| Nunc membrorum condita nube | 8 | ········ |
| Non in totum est oblita sui | 11 | ····˘/···/˘ |
| Summamque tenet singula perdens. | 9 | ··/˘····· |
| Igitur quisquis uera requirit, | 10 | ·········· |
| Neutro est habitu; nam neque nouit | 10 | ··˘/······ |
| Nec penitus tamen omnia nescit, | 10 | ·········· |
| Sed quam retinens meminit summam | 10 | ·········· |
| Consulit alte uisa retractans, | 9 | ········· |
| Vt seruatis queat oblitas | 8 | ········ |
| Addere partes." | 3 | ··· |
| What cause of discord breaks the bands of love? | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| What God between two truths such wars doth move? | 10 | ·········· |
| That things which severally well settled be | 10 | ···/˘˘·/˘· |
| Yet joined in one will never friendly prove? | 10 | ·····/˘/˘· |
| Or in true things can we no discord see, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Because all certainties do still agree? | 10 | ···/˘˘··˘/ |
| But our dull soul, covered with members blind, | 10 | ·/··/˘·/˘· |
| Knows not the secret laws which things do bind, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| By the drowned light of her oppressed fire. | 10 | ······˘//˘ |
| Why then, the hidden notes of things to find, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Doth she with such a love of truth desire? | 11 | ········˘/˘ |
| If she knows that which she doth so require, | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| Why wisheth she known things to know again? | 10 | ·/˘·····˘/ |
| If she knows not, why strives she with blind pain? | 10 | ·········· |
| Who after things unknown will strive to go? | 10 | ····˘/···· |
| Or will such ignorant pursuit maintain? | 10 | ···/˘˘˘/˘/ |
| How shall she find them out? Or having so, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| How shall she then their forms and natures know? | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Because this soul the highest mind did view, | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Must we needs say that it all nature knew? | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Now she, though clouds of flesh do her debar, | 10 | ········˘/ |
| Forgets not all that was her ancient due, | 10 | ˘/·····/˘· |
| But in her mind some general motions are, | 10 | ·····/˘/˘· |
| Though not the skill of things particular. | 10 | ······˘/˘˘ |
| He that seeks truth in neither course doth fall; | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Not knowing all, nor ignorant of all, | 10 | ·/˘··/˘˘·· |
| He marketh general things which he retains, | 10 | ·/˘/˘···˘/ |
| And matters seen on high doth back recall, | 10 | ·/˘·····˘/ |
| And things forgotten to his mind regains, | 10 | ··˘/˘···˘/ |
| And joins them to that part which there remains." | 10 | ········˘/ |
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.