Act the First: Scene VII
LEOGAIRE. So 'tis ordered, and that heServing here from day to day,In the open field should stay.
OLD MAN. Yes; I say it so shall be.
LEOGAIRE. But who's this? O happiness!Since 'tis Philip's form I greet.Mighty lord, I kiss thy feet.
PAUL. Mighty lord does he call him?
LUCY. Yes.Now lay on the blows you owe.Now, friend Paul, the moment charms.
PHILIP. Give me, good Leogaire, your arms.
LEOGAIRE. Honour in them you bestow.Is it possible, once moreThat alive I see thee?
PHILIP. Here,Trophy of a fate severe,The sea flung me on this shore,Where, their willing aid secured,I have lived these peasants' guest,Till I could repair with restAll the sufferings I endured.And, besides, I thought with dreadOn the angry dispositionOf the king: for his ambitionWhen has it or bowed the head,Or with patience heard relatedThe sad tragedies of fate?Hopeless and disconsolateIn this solitude I've waited,Till some happy chance might riseWhen no longer I should grieve,And the king would give me leaveTo appear before his eyes.
LEOGAIRE. That already has been given thee;For so sad was he, believingThou wert dead, so deep his grieving,All the past will be forgiven theeSince thou livest. Come with me,Fortune will once more embrace thee,--In his favour to replace theeLet my happy privilege be.
PAUL. For that late unseemly brawlSee me humbly bending low;You, my lord Prince Philip, knowThat I am one Juan Paul.My suspicion and abusePray forgive, your majesty,Think that what I said to theeWas but cackled by a goose.At your service, night and day,Are whatever goods I've got --Lucy here, myself and cot;And God bless us all, I pray.
PHILIP. For your hospitalityI am grateful, and I trustTo repay it.
PAUL. If you must,Let the first instalment beJust to take my wife away.Thurs you will reward us two;She'll be glad to go with you,I, without her, glad to stay.
LUCY [aside]. Was there ever love so vainAs is mine, a brief caressCradled in forgetfulness?
OLD MAN. Juan Paul, as we remainHere alone, 'twere well to greetAs a friend this labourer,Newly sent us.
PATRICK. Nay, good sir,I'm a slave, and I entreatThat as such you understand me;I, the lowest of the low,Hither come to serve, and soI implore that you command meAs a slave, since I am one.
OLD MAN. Oh, what modesty!
PAUL. What humility!
LUCY. What good looks, too, and gentility!I, in truth, can't help being drawnBy his face.
PAUL. Came ever here(This is quite between us two)Any wandering stranger whoDid not draw you so, my dear?Eh, my Lucy?
LUCY. Boorish, base,Is your vile insinuation'Gains my innocent inclinationFor the whole of the human race!
OLD MAN. To your sharpness and good will,Paul, I trust a thing that mayCost my life.
PAUL. Then don't delay.Tell it, since you know my skill.
OLD MAN. This new slave that here you see,I suspect is not secure,And I hasten to procureMeans by which he more may be.For the present I confide himTo your care, by day or nightLet him not escape your sight,Ever watchful keep beside him.
Words in this poem
- 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,]
- 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.]
- trophy n.
- A sign or memorial of a victory raised on the field of battle, or, in case of a naval victory, on the nearest land. Sometimes trophies were erected in the chief city of the conquered people. [F. trophée (cf. It. & Sp. trofeo), L. tropaeum, trophaeum, Gr. Trope.]
- angry a.
- Troublesome; vexatious; rigorous. [See Anger.]
- disconsolate n.
- Disconsolateness. Barrow.
- favour n.
- Kind regard; propitious aspect; countenance; friendly disposition; kindness; good will. [Written also favour.]
- humbly adv.
- With humility; lowly.
- caress n.
- An act of endearment; any act or expression of affection; an embracing, or touching, with tenderness. [F. caresse, It. carezza, LL. caritia dearness, fr. L. carus dear. See Charity.]
- entreat v. t.
- To treat, or conduct toward; to deal with; to use. [OE. entreten to treat, request, OF. entraiter to treat of; pref. en- (L. in) + traitier to treat. See Treat.]
- gentility n.
- Good extraction; dignity of birth. [L. gentilitas the relationship of those who belong to the same clan, also, heathenism: cf. F. gentilité heathenism. See Gentile.]
- boorish a.
- Like a boor; clownish; uncultured; unmannerly.
- insinuation n.
- The act or process of insinuating; a creeping, winding, or flowing in. [L. insinuatio: cf. F. insinuation.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Act the First: Scene VII is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Purgatory of St. Patrick, Project Gutenberg ebook #6371, 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 First: Scene VII, in The Purgatory of St. Patrick (1873), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #6371, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/calderon-purgatorio-san-patricio/act-the-first-scene-vii.html, id L26665.
Form and metre
Act the First: Scene VII is 104 lines in 23 stanzas. The metre is trochaic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 88%).
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.
- 1 ABB heA · dayB · stayB
- 2 A beA
- 3 -CC happiness · greetC · feetC
- 5 -DE yes · oweD · charmsE
- 6 E armsE
- 7 DF- bestowD · moreF · thee
- 8 GGFHIIHJKKJ----LMML hereG · severeG · shoreF · securedH · guestI · restI · enduredH · dreadJ · dispositionK · ambitionK · headJ · related · fate · disconsolate · waited · riseL · grieveM · leaveM · eyesL
- 9 NOONNNNN theeN · believingO · grievingO · theeN · meN · theeN · theeN · beN
- 10 PQQPR--RSTTS brawlP · lowQ · knowQ · paulP · abuseR · majesty · thee · gooseR · dayS · gotT · cotT · prayS
- 11 -U- hospitality · trustU · it
- 12 U-SVVS mustU · be · awayS · twoV · youV · stayS
- 13 W-- vainW · caress · forgetfulness
- 14 WX-- remainW · greetX · labourer · us
- 15 -X-YY-- sir · entreatX · me · lowY · soY · me · one
- 17 Z humilityZ
- 18 Z-a gentilityZ · drawn · facea
- 19 bccb- hereb · twoc · whoc · dearb · lucy
- 20 adda basea · insinuationd · inclinationd · racea
- 21 ef- wille · mayf · life
- 22 fe delayf · skille
- 23 ghhg-ii- seeg · secureh · procureh · beg · him · nighti · sighti · him
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 |
|---|---|---|
| LEOGAIRE. So 'tis ordered, and that he | 9 | ····/˘··· |
| Serving here from day to day, | 7 | /˘····· |
| In the open field should stay. | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| OLD MAN. Yes; I say it so shall be. | 9 | ········· |
| LEOGAIRE. But who's this? O happiness! | 9 | ······/˘˘ |
| Since 'tis Philip's form I greet. | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| Mighty lord, I kiss thy feet. | 7 | /˘····· |
| PAUL. Mighty lord does he call him? | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| LUCY. Yes. | 3 | /˘· |
| Now lay on the blows you owe. | 7 | ······· |
| Now, friend Paul, the moment charms. | 7 | ····/˘· |
| PHILIP. Give me, good Leogaire, your arms. | 9 | /˘······· |
| LEOGAIRE. Honour in them you bestow. | 9 | ··/˘···˘/ |
| Is it possible, once more | 7 | ··/˘˘·· |
| That alive I see thee? | 6 | ·˘/··· |
| PHILIP. Here, | 3 | /˘· |
| Trophy of a fate severe, | 7 | /˘···˘/ |
| The sea flung me on this shore, | 7 | ······· |
| Where, their willing aid secured, | 8 | ··/˘·˘/˘ |
| I have lived these peasants' guest, | 8 | ···˘·/˘· |
| Till I could repair with rest | 7 | ···˘/·· |
| All the sufferings I endured. | 8 | ··/˘˘·˘/ |
| And, besides, I thought with dread | 7 | ·˘/···· |
| On the angry disposition | 8 | ··/˘·˘/˘ |
| Of the king: for his ambition | 8 | ·····˘/˘ |
| When has it or bowed the head, | 8 | ·····˘·· |
| Or with patience heard related | 8 | ··/˘·˘/˘ |
| The sad tragedies of fate? | 7 | ··/˘˘·· |
| Hopeless and disconsolate | 7 | /˘·˘/˘˘ |
| In this solitude I've waited, | 8 | ··/˘··/˘ |
| Till some happy chance might rise | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| When no longer I should grieve, | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| And the king would give me leave | 7 | ······· |
| To appear before his eyes. | 7 | ·˘/···· |
| LEOGAIRE. That already has been given thee; | 10 | ···˘/˘··/· |
| For so sad was he, believing | 8 | ·····˘/˘ |
| Thou wert dead, so deep his grieving, | 8 | ······/˘ |
| All the past will be forgiven thee | 9 | ·····˘/˘· |
| Since thou livest. Come with me, | 7 | ······· |
| Fortune will once more embrace thee,-- | 8 | /˘···˘/· |
| In his favour to replace thee | 8 | ··/˘··/· |
| Let my happy privilege be. | 7 | ··/˘/˘· |
| PAUL. For that late unseemly brawl | 8 | ····˘/˘· |
| See me humbly bending low; | 7 | ··/˘/˘· |
| You, my lord Prince Philip, know | 7 | ····/˘· |
| That I am one Juan Paul. | 7 | ······· |
| My suspicion and abuse | 7 | ·˘/˘·˘/ |
| Pray forgive, your majesty, | 7 | ·˘/·/˘˘ |
| Think that what I said to thee | 7 | ······· |
| Was but cackled by a goose. | 8 | ··/˘˘··· |
| At your service, night and day, | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| Are whatever goods I've got -- | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| Lucy here, myself and cot; | 7 | /˘··/·· |
| And God bless us all, I pray. | 7 | ······· |
| PHILIP. For your hospitality | 9 | /˘···˘/˘˘ |
| I am grateful, and I trust | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| To repay it. | 4 | ·˘/· |
| PAUL. If you must, | 4 | ···· |
| Let the first instalment be | 7 | ······· |
| Just to take my wife away. | 7 | ·····˘/ |
| Thurs you will reward us two; | 7 | ···˘/·· |
| She'll be glad to go with you, | 7 | ······· |
| I, without her, glad to stay. | 7 | ······· |
| LUCY [aside]. Was there ever love so vain | 10 | /˘˘/··/··· |
| As is mine, a brief caress | 7 | ·····˘/ |
| Cradled in forgetfulness? | 8 | /˘˘·˘/˘˘ |
| OLD MAN. Juan Paul, as we remain | 9 | ·······˘/ |
| Here alone, 'twere well to greet | 7 | ·˘/···· |
| As a friend this labourer, | 7 | ······· |
| Newly sent us. | 4 | /˘·· |
| PATRICK. Nay, good sir, | 5 | /˘··· |
| I'm a slave, and I entreat | 7 | ·····˘/ |
| That as such you understand me; | 8 | ·····˘/· |
| I, the lowest of the low, | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| Hither come to serve, and so | 7 | /˘····· |
| I implore that you command me | 8 | ·˘/··˘/· |
| As a slave, since I am one. | 7 | ······· |
| OLD MAN. Oh, what modesty! | 7 | ····/˘˘ |
| PAUL. What humility! | 6 | ··˘/˘˘ |
| LUCY. What good looks, too, and gentility! | 10 | /˘·····˘/˘ |
| I, in truth, can't help being drawn | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| By his face. | 3 | ··· |
| PAUL. Came ever here | 5 | ··/˘· |
| (This is quite between us two) | 7 | ······· |
| Any wandering stranger who | 8 | /˘/˘˘/˘· |
| Did not draw you so, my dear? | 7 | ······· |
| Eh, my Lucy? | 4 | ··/˘ |
| LUCY. Boorish, base, | 5 | /˘/˘· |
| Is your vile insinuation | 8 | ···˘·˘/˘ |
| 'Gains my innocent inclination | 9 | ··/˘˘·˘/˘ |
| For the whole of the human race! | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| OLD MAN. To your sharpness and good will, | 9 | ····/˘··· |
| Paul, I trust a thing that may | 7 | ······· |
| Cost my life. | 3 | ··· |
| PAUL. Then don't delay. | 5 | ···˘/ |
| Tell it, since you know my skill. | 7 | ······· |
| OLD MAN. This new slave that here you see, | 9 | ········· |
| I suspect is not secure, | 7 | ·˘/··˘/ |
| And I hasten to procure | 7 | ··/˘·˘/ |
| Means by which he more may be. | 7 | ······· |
| For the present I confide him | 8 | ··/˘·˘/· |
| To your care, by day or night | 7 | ······· |
| Let him not escape your sight, | 7 | ···˘/·· |
| Ever watchful keep beside him. | 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.