Act the Second: Scene XI
ROSAURA [aside]. Well, thank God, my miseriesHave attained their lowest level,Since by her who sees this sightNothing worse can be expected.
ASTOLFO. Then that portrait from my breastShall be taken, that thy perfectBeauty there may reign instead.For where bright Estrella entersShadow cannot be, or starWhere the sun; I go to fetch it.--[Aside.] Pardon, beautiful Rosaura,This offence; the absent never,Man or woman, as this shows,Faith of plighted vows remember.
ROSAURA [aside]. Not a single word I heard,Being afraid they might observe me.
ESTRELLA. Oh, Astrea!
ROSAURA. My good lady!
ESTRELLA. Nothing could have pleased me betterThan your timely coming here.I have something confidentialTo entrust you with.
ROSAURA. You honourFar too much my humble service.
ESTRELLA. Brief as is the time, Astrea,I have known you, you alreadyOf my heart possess the keys'Tis for this and your own meritsThat I venture to entrust youWith what oft I have attemptedFrom myself to hide.
ROSAURA. Your slave!
ESTRELLA. Then concisely to express it,Know, Astolfo, my first cousin('Tis enough that word to mention,For some things may best be saidWhen not spoken but suggested),Soon expects to wed with me,If my fate so far relenteth,As that by one single blissAll past sorrows may be lessened.I was troubled, the first dayThat we met, to see suspendedFrom his neck a lady's portrait.On the point I urged him gently,He so courteous and politeWent immediately to get it,And will bring it here. From himI should feel quite disconcertedTo receive it. You here stay,And request him to present itUnto you. I say no more.You are beautiful and clever,You must know too what is love.
Words in this poem
- thank n.
- A expression of gratitude; an acknowledgment expressive of a sense of favor or kindness received; obligation, claim, or desert, or gratitude; -- now generally used in the plural. [AS. Þanc, Þonc, thanks, favor, thought; akin to OS. thank favor, pleasure, thanks, D. & G. dank thanks, Icel. Þ\'94kk, Dan. tak, Sw. tack, Goth. Þagks thanks; -]
- 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,]
- offence n.
- The act of offending in any sense; esp., a crime or a sin, an affront or an injury. [F., fr. L. offensa. See Offend.]
- confidential a.
- Enjoying, or treated with, confidence; trusted in; trustworthy; as, a confidential servant or clerk. [Cf. F. confidentiel.]
- honour n.
- Esteem due or paid to worth; high estimation; respect; consideration; reverence; veneration; manifestation of respect or reverence. [OE. honor, honour, onour, onur, OF. honor, onor, honur, onur, honour, onour, F. honneur, fr. L. honor, honos.]
- concisely adv.
- In a concise manner; briefly.
- polite a.
- Smooth; polished. [L. politus, p. p. of polire to polish: cf. F. poli. See Polish, v.]
- went n.
- Course; way; path; journey; direction.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Act the Second: Scene XI is in the public domain. This text is taken from Life Is a Dream, Project Gutenberg ebook #6363, the Denis Florence MacCarthy translation; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Pedro Calderón de la Barca, Act the Second: Scene XI, in Life Is a Dream (1873), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #6363, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/calderon-life-is-a-dream/act-the-second-scene-xi.html, id L26576.
Form and metre
Act the Second: Scene XI is 54 lines in 10 stanzas. The metre is trochaic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 87%).
See other poems in trochaic 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.
- 8 -----AA astrea · already · keys · merits · you · attemptedA · hideA
- 10 A--BB----C-D-DA--CA--- itA · cousin · mention · saidB · suggestedB · me · relenteth · bliss · lessened · dayC · suspended · portraitD · gently · politeD · itA · him · disconcerted · stayC · itA · more · clever · love
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 trochaic tetrameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| ROSAURA [aside]. Well, thank God, my miseries | 11 | ···˘/····/˘ |
| Have attained their lowest level, | 8 | ·˘/·/˘/˘ |
| Since by her who sees this sight | 7 | ······· |
| Nothing worse can be expected. | 8 | /˘···˘/˘ |
| ASTOLFO. Then that portrait from my breast | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Shall be taken, that thy perfect | 8 | ··/˘··/· |
| Beauty there may reign instead. | 7 | /˘···˘/ |
| For where bright Estrella enters | 8 | ····/˘/˘ |
| Shadow cannot be, or star | 7 | /·/˘··· |
| Where the sun; I go to fetch it.-- | 8 | ········ |
| [Aside.] Pardon, beautiful Rosaura, | 9 | ˘//˘/˘··· |
| This offence; the absent never, | 8 | ·˘/·/˘/˘ |
| Man or woman, as this shows, | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| Faith of plighted vows remember. | 8 | ··/˘·˘/˘ |
| ROSAURA [aside]. Not a single word I heard, | 12 | ···˘/··/˘··· |
| Being afraid they might observe me. | 8 | /˘/··˘/· |
| ESTRELLA. Oh, Astrea! | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| ROSAURA. My good lady! | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| ESTRELLA. Nothing could have pleased me better | 11 | ·/˘/˘····/˘ |
| Than your timely coming here. | 7 | ··/˘/˘· |
| I have something confidential | 8 | ··/˘·˘/˘ |
| To entrust you with. | 5 | ·˘/·· |
| ROSAURA. You honour | 6 | ····/˘ |
| Far too much my humble service. | 8 | ····/˘/˘ |
| ESTRELLA. Brief as is the time, Astrea, | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| I have known you, you already | 8 | ·····˘/˘ |
| Of my heart possess the keys | 7 | ···˘/·· |
| 'Tis for this and your own merits | 8 | ······/˘ |
| That I venture to entrust you | 8 | ··/˘·˘/· |
| With what oft I have attempted | 8 | ·····˘/˘ |
| From myself to hide. | 5 | ··/·· |
| ROSAURA. Your slave! | 5 | ····· |
| ESTRELLA. Then concisely to express it, | 11 | ·/˘·˘/˘·˘/· |
| Know, Astolfo, my first cousin | 8 | ······/˘ |
| ('Tis enough that word to mention, | 8 | ·˘/···/˘ |
| For some things may best be said | 7 | ······· |
| When not spoken but suggested), | 8 | ··/˘·˘/˘ |
| Soon expects to wed with me, | 7 | ·˘/···· |
| If my fate so far relenteth, | 8 | ·····˘/˘ |
| As that by one single bliss | 7 | ····/˘· |
| All past sorrows may be lessened. | 8 | ··/˘··/˘ |
| I was troubled, the first day | 8 | ··/˘˘··· |
| That we met, to see suspended | 8 | ·····˘/˘ |
| From his neck a lady's portrait. | 8 | ····/˘/˘ |
| On the point I urged him gently, | 8 | ······/˘ |
| He so courteous and polite | 8 | ··/˘˘·˘/ |
| Went immediately to get it, | 8 | ·˘/˘˘··· |
| And will bring it here. From him | 7 | ······· |
| I should feel quite disconcerted | 8 | ·····˘/˘ |
| To receive it. You here stay, | 7 | ·˘/···· |
| And request him to present it | 8 | ·˘/··˘/· |
| Unto you. I say no more. | 7 | ······· |
| You are beautiful and clever, | 8 | ··/˘˘·/˘ |
| You must know too what is love. | 7 | ······· |
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