Act the Third: Scene XVII
GOVERNOR. How then was the capture made?
FABIUS. In their church, as we suspected,We discovered them collected,Where before their God they prayed.With an armed guard I traced themTo this secret sacred hall,Made them prisoners one and all,And in different prisons placed them.But, your patience not to tire,The chief point I may declare,--Captured is Justina fair,And Lysander her old sire.
GOVERNOR. If for gold, a fair pretence,If for rank, you would not miss,Wherefore bring me news like thisAnd not claim your recompense?
FABIUS. If you deign to value thusMy poor service you may pay it.
GOVERNOR. How?
FABIUS. With great respect I say it,Florus free, and Lelius.
GOVERNOR. Though I seemed austere and cold,Them chastising without pityTo strike terror through the city,Yet if the whole truth were told,Then the cause were plain why theyHave been prisoned a whole year.It is this, a father's fearLelius would preserve this way.Florus was his rival, heHad a host of powerful friends,Each was jealous, and his endsWould attain whate'er might be.I was fearful a collisionWould ensue if they should meet,So I thought it more discreetNot to come to a decision.So with this intent I soughtSome pretext, Justina's faceTo expel from out this place,But I could discover nought.But since this event to-day,With her damaged character,Gives a right to banish her,Nay, to take her life away,Let them be released. No fearNeed you have about their fate;Go, and Lelius liberate,Go, and Florus bring me here.
FABIUS. Myriad times I kiss thy feetFor a favour so immense.
Words in this poem
- sire n.
- A lord, master, or other person in authority. See Sir. [F. sire, originally, an older person. See Sir.]
- pretence n.
- The act of laying claim; the claim laid; assumption; pretension. [LL. praetensus, for L. praetentus, p. p. of praetendere. See Pretend, and cf. Tension.]
- wherefore adv.
- For which reason; so; -- used relatively. [Where + for.]
- deign v. t.
- To esteem worthy; to consider worth notice; -- opposed to disdain. [OE. deinen, deignen, OF. degner, deigner, daigner, F. daigner, fr. L. dignari to deem worthy, deign, fr. dignus worthy; akin to decere to be fitting. See Decent]
- ensue v. t.
- To follow; to pursue; to follow and overtake. [OF. ensevre, OF. & F. ensuivre, fr. L. insequi; in + sequi to pursue. See Sue.]
- discreet a.
- Possessed of discernment, especially in avoiding error or evil, and in the adaptation of means to ends; prudent; sagacious; judicious; not rash or heedless; cautious. [F. discret, L. discretus separated (whence the meaning reserved, prudent), p. p. of discernere. See Discern, and cf. Discrete.]
- pretext n.
- Ostensible reason or motive assigned or assumed as a color or cover for the real reason or motive; pretense; disguise. [F. prétexte, L. praetextum, fr. praetextus, p. p. of praetexere to weave before, allege as an excuse; prae before + texere to weave. See Text.]
- discover v. i.
- To discover or show one's self.
- myriad n.
- The number of ten thousand; ten thousand persons or things. [Gr. myriade.]
- favour n.
- Kind regard; propitious aspect; countenance; friendly disposition; kindness; good will. [Written also favour.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Act the Third: Scene XVII is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Wonder-Working Magician, Project Gutenberg ebook #6372, 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 Third: Scene XVII, in The Wonder-Working Magician (1873), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #6372, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/calderon-magico-prodigioso/act-the-third-scene-xvii.html, id L26648.
Form and metre
Act the Third: Scene XVII is 51 lines in 8 stanzas. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 82%).
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.
- 2 AAABCCBDEED suspectedA · collectedA · prayedA · themB · hallC · allC · themB · tireD · declareE · fairE · sireD
- 3 -AA- pretence · missA · thisA · recompense
- 7 ABBACDDCEFFEGHHGIJJIC--CDKKD coldA · pityB · cityB · toldA · theyC · yearD · fearD · wayC · heE · friendsF · endsF · beE · collisionG · meetH · discreetH · decisionG · soughtI · faceJ · placeJ · noughtI · dayC · character · her · awayC · fearD · fateK · liberateK · hereD
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 |
|---|---|---|
| GOVERNOR. How then was the capture made? | 9 | /˘····/˘· |
| FABIUS. In their church, as we suspected, | 10 | ·······˘/˘ |
| We discovered them collected, | 8 | ·˘/˘·˘/˘ |
| Where before their God they prayed. | 8 | ·······˘ |
| With an armed guard I traced them | 8 | ···˘···· |
| To this secret sacred hall, | 8 | ··/˘/˘˘· |
| Made them prisoners one and all, | 8 | ··/˘˘··· |
| And in different prisons placed them. | 8 | ··/˘/˘·· |
| But, your patience not to tire, | 8 | ··/˘··/˘ |
| The chief point I may declare,-- | 7 | ·····˘/ |
| Captured is Justina fair, | 8 | /˘˘·˘/˘· |
| And Lysander her old sire. | 8 | ··/˘··/˘ |
| GOVERNOR. If for gold, a fair pretence, | 9 | /˘······· |
| If for rank, you would not miss, | 7 | ······· |
| Wherefore bring me news like this | 7 | /˘····· |
| And not claim your recompense? | 7 | ····/˘· |
| FABIUS. If you deign to value thus | 9 | ······/˘· |
| My poor service you may pay it. | 8 | ··/˘···· |
| GOVERNOR. How? | 4 | /˘˘· |
| FABIUS. With great respect I say it, | 9 | ····˘/··· |
| Florus free, and Lelius. | 6 | ······ |
| GOVERNOR. Though I seemed austere and cold, | 9 | /˘···˘/·· |
| Them chastising without pity | 8 | ·˘/˘··/˘ |
| To strike terror through the city, | 8 | ··/˘··/˘ |
| Yet if the whole truth were told, | 7 | ······· |
| Then the cause were plain why they | 7 | ······· |
| Have been prisoned a whole year. | 8 | ··/˘˘··· |
| It is this, a father's fear | 7 | ····/˘· |
| Lelius would preserve this way. | 7 | ···˘/·· |
| Florus was his rival, he | 7 | ····/˘· |
| Had a host of powerful friends, | 8 | ····/˘˘· |
| Each was jealous, and his ends | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| Would attain whate'er might be. | 8 | ·˘/˘˘/·· |
| I was fearful a collision | 8 | ··/˘·˘/˘ |
| Would ensue if they should meet, | 7 | ·˘/···· |
| So I thought it more discreet | 7 | ·····˘/ |
| Not to come to a decision. | 8 | ·····˘/˘ |
| So with this intent I sought | 7 | ···˘/·· |
| Some pretext, Justina's face | 7 | ·/·˘/˘· |
| To expel from out this place, | 7 | ·˘/···· |
| But I could discover nought. | 7 | ···˘/˘· |
| But since this event to-day, | 7 | ···˘/·· |
| With her damaged character, | 8 | ··/˘˘/˘˘ |
| Gives a right to banish her, | 7 | ····/˘· |
| Nay, to take her life away, | 7 | ·····˘/ |
| Let them be released. No fear | 8 | ···˘/˘·· |
| Need you have about their fate; | 7 | ······· |
| Go, and Lelius liberate, | 7 | ····/˘· |
| Go, and Florus bring me here. | 7 | ······· |
| FABIUS. Myriad times I kiss thy feet | 9 | ··/˘····· |
| For a favour so immense. | 7 | ··/˘·˘/ |
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.