Act the Second: Scene XIII
ASTOLFO. Here then is the portrait, Princess:But, good God!
ROSAURA. Your Highness trembles;What has startled, what surprised you?
ASTOLFO. Thee, Rosaura, to see present.
ROSAURA. I Rosaura? Oh, your HighnessIs deceived by some resemblanceDoubtless to some other lady;I'm Astrea, one who meritsNot the glory of producingAn emotion so excessive.
ASTOLFO. Ah, Rosaura thou mayst feign,But the soul bears no deception,And though seeing thee as Astrea,As Rosaura it must serve thee.
ROSAURA. I, not knowing what your HighnessSpeaks of, am of course preventedFrom replying aught but this,That Estrella (the bright HesperOf this sphere) was pleased to orderThat I here should wait expectantFor that portrait, which to meShe desires you give at present:For some reason she prefersIt through me should be presented --So Estrella -- say, my star --Wishes -- so a fate relentlessWills -- in things that bring me loss --So Estrella now expecteth.
ASTOLFO. Though such efforts you attempt,Still how badly you dissemble,My Rosaura! Tell the eyesIn their music to keep betterConcert with the voice, becauseAny instrument whateverWould be out of tune that soughtTo combine and blend togetherThe true feelings of the heartWith the false words speech expresses.
ROSAURA. I wait only, as I said,For the portrait.
ASTOLFO. Since you're bent thenTo the end to keep this tone,I adopt it, and dissemble.Tell the Princess, then, Astrea,That I so esteem her message,That to send to her a copySeems to me so slight a present,How so highly it is valuedBy myself, I think it betterTo present the original,And you easily may present it,Since, in point of fact, you bring itWith you in your own sweet person.
ROSAURA. When it has been undertakenBy a man, bold, brave, determined,To obtain a certain object,Though he get perhaps a better,Still not bringing back the firstHe returns despised: I beg, then.That your highness give the portrait;I, without it, dare not venture.
ASTOLFO. How, then, if I do not give itWill you get it?
ROSAURA. I will get itThus, ungrateful.
ASTOLFO. 'Tis in vain.
ROSAURA. It must ne'er be seen, no, neverIn another woman's hands.
ASTOLFO. Thou art dreadful.
ROSAURA. Thou deceptive.
ASTOLFO. Oh, enough, Rosaura mine.
ROSAURA. Thine! Thou liest, base deserter.
Words in this poem
- princess n.
- A female prince; a woman having sovereign power, or the rank of a prince. [F. princesse. See Prince, and cf. Princesse.]
- highness n.
- The state of being high; elevation; loftiness. [AS. heáhnes.]
- doubtless a.
- Free from fear or suspicion.
- aught n.
- Property; possession. [AS. , fr. agan to own, p. p. ahte.]
- hesper n.
- The evening; Hesperus. [See Hesperian.]
- relentless a.
- Unmoved by appeals for sympathy or forgiveness; insensible to the distresses of others; destitute of tenderness; unrelenting; unyielding; unpitying; as, a prey to relentless despotism.
- dissemble v. t.
- To hide under a false semblance or seeming; to feign (something) not to be what it really is; to put an untrue appearance upon; to disguise; to mask. [OF. dissembler to be dissimilar; pref. dis- (L. dis-) + F. sembler to seem, L. simulare to simulate; cf. L. dissimulare to dissemble. See Simulate, and cf. Diss]
- ungrateful a.
- Not grateful; not thankful for favors; making no returns, or making ill return for kindness, attention, etc.; ingrateful. South.
- dreadful a.
- Full of dread or terror; fearful.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Act the Second: Scene XIII 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 XIII, 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-xiii.html, id L26578.
Form and metre
Act the Second: Scene XIII is 73 lines in 18 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.
- 5 AA-- feignA · deceptionA · astrea · thee
- 6 A-A--------BB- highnessA · prevented · thisA · hesper · order · expectant · me · present · prefers · presented · star · relentlessB · lossB · expecteth
- 9 ----------AA- then · tone · dissemble · astrea · message · copy · present · valued · better · original · itA · itA · person
- 11 AA itA · itA
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 |
|---|---|---|
| ASTOLFO. Here then is the portrait, Princess: | 11 | ·······/˘/˘ |
| But, good God! | 3 | ··· |
| ROSAURA. Your Highness trembles; | 8 | ····/˘/˘ |
| What has startled, what surprised you? | 8 | ··/˘·˘/· |
| ASTOLFO. Thee, Rosaura, to see present. | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| ROSAURA. I Rosaura? Oh, your Highness | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| Is deceived by some resemblance | 8 | ·˘/··˘/˘ |
| Doubtless to some other lady; | 8 | /˘··/˘/˘ |
| I'm Astrea, one who merits | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| Not the glory of producing | 8 | ··/˘·˘/˘ |
| An emotion so excessive. | 8 | ·˘/˘·˘/˘ |
| ASTOLFO. Ah, Rosaura thou mayst feign, | 10 | ·········· |
| But the soul bears no deception, | 8 | ·····˘/˘ |
| And though seeing thee as Astrea, | 8 | ··/˘···· |
| As Rosaura it must serve thee. | 8 | ········ |
| ROSAURA. I, not knowing what your Highness | 10 | ·····/··/˘ |
| Speaks of, am of course prevented | 8 | ·····˘/˘ |
| From replying aught but this, | 7 | ·˘/˘··· |
| That Estrella (the bright Hesper | 8 | ··/˘··/˘ |
| Of this sphere) was pleased to order | 8 | ······/˘ |
| That I here should wait expectant | 8 | ·····˘/˘ |
| For that portrait, which to me | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| She desires you give at present: | 9 | ·˘/˘···˘/ |
| For some reason she prefers | 7 | ··/˘·˘/ |
| It through me should be presented -- | 8 | ·····˘/˘ |
| So Estrella -- say, my star -- | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| Wishes -- so a fate relentless | 8 | /˘···˘/˘ |
| Wills -- in things that bring me loss -- | 7 | ······· |
| So Estrella now expecteth. | 8 | ··/˘·˘/˘ |
| ASTOLFO. Though such efforts you attempt, | 10 | ·····/˘·˘/ |
| Still how badly you dissemble, | 8 | ··/˘·˘/˘ |
| My Rosaura! Tell the eyes | 7 | ······· |
| In their music to keep better | 8 | ··/˘··/˘ |
| Concert with the voice, because | 7 | /˘····· |
| Any instrument whatever | 8 | /˘/˘˘·/˘ |
| Would be out of tune that sought | 7 | ······· |
| To combine and blend together | 8 | ·˘/··˘/˘ |
| The true feelings of the heart | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| With the false words speech expresses. | 8 | ·····˘/˘ |
| ROSAURA. I wait only, as I said, | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| For the portrait. | 4 | ··/˘ |
| ASTOLFO. Since you're bent then | 7 | ······· |
| To the end to keep this tone, | 7 | ······· |
| I adopt it, and dissemble. | 8 | ·˘/··˘/˘ |
| Tell the Princess, then, Astrea, | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| That I so esteem her message, | 8 | ···˘/·/˘ |
| That to send to her a copy | 8 | ······/˘ |
| Seems to me so slight a present, | 8 | ······/˘ |
| How so highly it is valued | 8 | ··/˘··/˘ |
| By myself, I think it better | 8 | ··/···/˘ |
| To present the original, | 8 | ·/˘·˘/˘˘ |
| And you easily may present it, | 8 | ··/˘·˘/· |
| Since, in point of fact, you bring it | 8 | ········ |
| With you in your own sweet person. | 8 | ······/˘ |
| ROSAURA. When it has been undertaken | 11 | ·······/˘·˘ |
| By a man, bold, brave, determined, | 8 | ·····˘/˘ |
| To obtain a certain object, | 8 | ·˘/·/˘/˘ |
| Though he get perhaps a better, | 8 | ···˘/·/˘ |
| Still not bringing back the first | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| He returns despised: I beg, then. | 8 | ·˘/˘/··· |
| That your highness give the portrait; | 8 | ··/˘··/˘ |
| I, without it, dare not venture. | 8 | ······/˘ |
| ASTOLFO. How, then, if I do not give it | 11 | ··········· |
| Will you get it? | 4 | ···· |
| ROSAURA. I will get it | 7 | ······· |
| Thus, ungrateful. | 4 | ·˘/˘ |
| ASTOLFO. 'Tis in vain. | 6 | ······ |
| ROSAURA. It must ne'er be seen, no, never | 10 | ·········/ |
| In another woman's hands. | 7 | ·˘/˘/˘· |
| ASTOLFO. Thou art dreadful. | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| ROSAURA. Thou deceptive. | 7 | ····˘/˘ |
| ASTOLFO. Oh, enough, Rosaura mine. | 10 | ····˘/···· |
| ROSAURA. Thine! Thou liest, base deserter. | 9 | ·······/˘ |
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.