Act the Second: Scene XIV
PHILIP. How prodigious!
CAPTAIN. How stupendous!
LESBIA. What a miracle!
LEOGAIRE. What a marvel!
KING. What enchantment! what bewitchment!Who can bear this? who can grant this?
ALL. Christ is God, the one true God.
KING. What a bold deceit is practisedHere, blind people, to deceive you,In the making of these marvels,Which you have not sense to seeAre in outward show but actedAnd within are fraud! However,That the truth be now established,I will own myself convinced,If in argument shall PatrickProve his case: and so attendAs the grave dispute advances.If the soul was made immortalIt could never be inactiveEven for a single moment.
PATRICK. Yes; and every dream that passesProves this truth; because the dreamsThat engender numerous phantomsAre discourses of the soulThat ne'er sleeps, and as these shadowsSimulate the imperfect actionsOf the senses, a strange languageAnd imperfect is produced;And 'tis thus that in their trancesMen dream things that are at onceInconsistent and fantastic.
KING. Well, then, this being so, I askWas Polonia when this happenedDead or not? For if but onlyIn a swoon, what mighty marvel,Then, was done? But this I pass.If she really had departed,Then to one of the two places,Heaven or hell, so named, O Patrick,By yourself, it must have gone.If it was in heaven, 'twas hardlyMerciful in God to send itBack into this world, to hazardA new chance of condemnation,When 'twas once in grace and happy.This is surely true. If, likewise,It had been in hell, 'tis adverseTo strict justice, since it were notJust that that which by its badnessOnce had earned such punishment,Should again be given the chancesOf regaining grace. It must,I presume, be taken as grantedThat God's justice and His mercyCannot possibly be parted.Where, I ask then, was her soul?
PATRICK. Hear, Egerius, the answer.I concede that for the soul,Sanctified by holy baptism,Heaven or hell must be its goal,Out of which, by God's commandment,Speaking of His usual power,It can never more be absent.But if of His absolute powerThere is question, God could drag itEven from hell itself; but thisIs not what we have to argue.That the soul doth go to eitherOf those places, must be grantedWhen 'tis severed from the bodyOnce for all by mortal absenceTo return to it no more;But when otherwise commandedTo it to return, it waitethIn a certain state of passage,And remains as 'twere suspendedIn the universe, not havingAny special place allotted.For the Almighty mind forecastingAll things, when from out His essence,As th' exemplar, the fair patternOf His thought, this glorious fabricHe brought forth to light and gladness,Saw this very incident,And well knowing what would happen,That this soul would here return,Kept it for awhile inactive,Seemingly unfixed, yet fixed.This is the authentic answerThat theology, that sacredScience, gives to what you have asked me.But another point remaineth:There are other places, mark me,Both of glory and of pain,Than you think; and of these latterOne is called the Purgatory,Where the soul of him who haplyDies in grace, is purged from stains,Sinful stains which it contractedIn the world: for into heavenNone can pass till these are cancelled.And thus, there 'tis purified,Cleansed by fire from all that tarnished,Till to God's divinest presencePure and clean at length it passes.
KING. So you say, and I have nothingTo confirm what you advance hereBut your word. Some proof now give me,Give me something I can handle,Something tangible to convince meOf this truth, that I may grasp it,And know what it is. And sinceSo much power and influence have youWith your God, implore His grace,That I may believe the faster,Some material fact to give me,Something that we all can grapple,Not mere creatures of the mind.And remember that at farthestBut an hour remains in whichYou must give me sure and ampleSigns of punishment and glory,Or you die. These mighty marvelsOf your God here let them come,Where the truth we can examineFor ourselves. And if we neitherHeaven or hell deserve to have here,Show us, then, this Purgatory,Which is different from the latter,So that here we all may knowHis omnipotence and grandeur.Mind, God's honour rests upon you,Tell Him to defend and guard it.
Words in this poem 18
- prodigious a.
- Of the nature of a prodigy; marvelous; wonderful; portentous. [L. prodigiosus, fr. prodigium a prodigy; cf. F. prodigieux. See Prodigy.]
- stupendous a.
- Astonishing; wonderful; amazing; especially, astonishing in magnitude or elevation; as, a stupendous pile. [L. stupendus astonishing, p. future pass. of stupere to be astonished at. Cf. Stupid.]
- bewitchment n.
- The act of bewitching, or the state of being bewitched. Tylor.
- 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,]
- simulate a.
- Feigned; pretended. Bale. [L. simulatus, p. p. of simulare to simulate; akin to simul at the same time, together, similis like. See Similar, and cf. Dissemble, Semblance.]
- presume v. t.
- To assume or take beforehand; esp., to do or undertake without leave or authority previously obtained. [F. présumer, L. praesumere, praesumptum; prae before + sumere to take. See Assume, Redeem.]
- concede v. t.
- To yield or suffer; to surrender; to grant; as. to concede the point in question. Boyle. [L. concedere, concessum; con- + cedere to go along, give way, yield: cf. F. concéder. See Cede.]
- sanctified a.
- Made holy; also, made to have the air of sanctity; sanctimonious.
- commandment n.
- An order or injunction given by authority; a command; a charge; a precept; a mandate. [OF. commandement, F. commandement.]
- exemplar n.
- A model, original, or pattern, to be copied or imitated; a specimen; sometimes; an ideal model or type, as that which an artist conceives. [L. exemplar, exemplum: cf. F. exemplaire. See Example, and cf. Examper, Sampler.]
- glorious a.
- Exhibiting attributes, qualities, or acts that are worthy of or receive glory; noble; praiseworthy; excellent; splendid; illustrious; inspiring admiration; as, glorious deeds. [OF. glorios, glorious, F. glorieux, fr. L. gloriosus. See Glory, n.]
- awhile adv.
- For a while; for some time; for a short time. [Adj. a + while time, interval.]
- seemingly adv.
- In appearance; in show; in semblance; apparently; ostensibly.
- purgatory a.
- Tending to cleanse; cleansing; expiatory. Burke. [L. purgatorius.]
- haply adv.
- By hap, chance, luck, or accident; perhaps; it may be.
- convince v. t.
- To overpower; to overcome; to subdue or master. [L. convincere, -victum, to refute, prove; con- + vincere to conquer. See Victor, and cf. Convict.]
- omnipotence n.
- The state of being omnipotent; almighty power; hence, one who is omnipotent; the Deity. [L. omnipotentia: cf.F. omnipotence.]
- 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.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Act the Second: Scene XIV 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 Second: Scene XIV, in The Purgatory of St. Patrick (1873), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #6371, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/calderon-purgatorio-san-patricio/act-the-second-scene-xiv.html, id L26682.
Form and metre
Act the Second: Scene XIV is 134 lines in 11 stanzas. The metre is trochaic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 86%).
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 ABB-A---A-- passesA · dreamsB · phantomsB · soul · shadowsA · actions · language · produced · trancesA · once · fantastic
- 9 -----A--B---B--C-C-----A- ask · happened · only · marvel · pass · departedA · places · patrick · goneB · hardly · it · hazard · condemnationB · happy · likewise · adverseC · not · badnessC · punishment · chances · must · granted · mercy · partedA · soul
- 10 -A-A------------------------BB------------C--C--- answer · soulA · baptism · goalA · commandment · power · absent · power · it · this · argue · either · granted · body · absence · more · commanded · waiteth · passage · suspended · having · allotted · forecasting · essence · pattern · fabric · gladness · incident · happenB · returnB · inactive · fixed · answer · sacred · me · remaineth · me · pain · latter · purgatory · haply · stains · contractedC · heaven · cancelled · purifiedC · tarnished · presence · passes
- 11 -AB-BC-D--B-----E----AE---DC nothing · hereA · meB · handle · meB · itC · since · youD · grace · faster · meB · grapple · mind · farthest · which · ample · gloryE · marvels · come · examine · neither · hereA · purgatoryE · latter · know · grandeur · youD · itC
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 |
|---|---|---|
| PHILIP. How prodigious! | 6 | /˘·˘/˘ |
| CAPTAIN. How stupendous! | 6 | /˘·˘/˘ |
| LESBIA. What a miracle! | 7 | ····/˘˘ |
| LEOGAIRE. What a marvel! | 6 | ····/˘ |
| KING. What enchantment! what bewitchment! | 9 | ··˘/˘·˘/˘ |
| Who can bear this? who can grant this? | 8 | ········ |
| ALL. Christ is God, the one true God. | 8 | ········ |
| KING. What a bold deceit is practised | 9 | ····˘/··· |
| Here, blind people, to deceive you, | 8 | ··/˘·˘/· |
| In the making of these marvels, | 8 | ··/˘··/˘ |
| Which you have not sense to see | 7 | ······· |
| Are in outward show but acted | 8 | ··/˘··/˘ |
| And within are fraud! However, | 8 | ······/˘ |
| That the truth be now established, | 8 | ·····˘/˘ |
| I will own myself convinced, | 8 | ····/˘/˘ |
| If in argument shall Patrick | 8 | ··/˘˘·/˘ |
| Prove his case: and so attend | 7 | ·····˘/ |
| As the grave dispute advances. | 8 | ···˘/˘/˘ |
| If the soul was made immortal | 8 | ·····˘/˘ |
| It could never be inactive | 8 | ··/˘·˘/˘ |
| Even for a single moment. | 8 | /˘··/˘/˘ |
| PATRICK. Yes; and every dream that passes | 10 | /˘··/˘··/˘ |
| Proves this truth; because the dreams | 7 | ······· |
| That engender numerous phantoms | 9 | ·˘/˘/˘˘/˘ |
| Are discourses of the soul | 7 | ·˘/˘··· |
| That ne'er sleeps, and as these shadows | 8 | ······/· |
| Simulate the imperfect actions | 9 | /˘˘·˘/˘/˘ |
| Of the senses, a strange language | 8 | ··/˘··/˘ |
| And imperfect is produced; | 8 | ·˘/˘·˘/˘ |
| And 'tis thus that in their trances | 8 | ······/˘ |
| Men dream things that are at once | 7 | ······· |
| Inconsistent and fantastic. | 8 | ·˘/˘·˘/˘ |
| KING. Well, then, this being so, I ask | 8 | ····/··· |
| Was Polonia when this happened | 8 | ······/˘ |
| Dead or not? For if but only | 8 | ······/˘ |
| In a swoon, what mighty marvel, | 8 | ····/˘/˘ |
| Then, was done? But this I pass. | 7 | ······· |
| If she really had departed, | 8 | ··/˘·˘/˘ |
| Then to one of the two places, | 8 | ······/˘ |
| Heaven or hell, so named, O Patrick, | 9 | /˘·····/˘ |
| By yourself, it must have gone. | 7 | ·˘/···· |
| If it was in heaven, 'twas hardly | 9 | ····/˘·/˘ |
| Merciful in God to send it | 8 | /˘˘····· |
| Back into this world, to hazard | 8 | ······/˘ |
| A new chance of condemnation, | 8 | ·····˘/˘ |
| When 'twas once in grace and happy. | 8 | ······/˘ |
| This is surely true. If, likewise, | 8 | ··/˘··/· |
| It had been in hell, 'tis adverse | 8 | ······˘/ |
| To strict justice, since it were not | 8 | ··/˘···· |
| Just that that which by its badness | 8 | ······/˘ |
| Once had earned such punishment, | 8 | ···˘·/˘˘ |
| Should again be given the chances | 9 | ·˘/·/˘·/˘ |
| Of regaining grace. It must, | 7 | ·˘/˘··· |
| I presume, be taken as granted | 9 | ·˘/·/˘·/˘ |
| That God's justice and His mercy | 8 | ··/˘··/˘ |
| Cannot possibly be parted. | 8 | /˘/˘˘·/˘ |
| Where, I ask then, was her soul? | 7 | ······· |
| PATRICK. Hear, Egerius, the answer. | 9 | /˘·····/˘ |
| I concede that for the soul, | 7 | ·˘/···· |
| Sanctified by holy baptism, | 9 | /˘˘·/˘/˘˘ |
| Heaven or hell must be its goal, | 8 | /˘······ |
| Out of which, by God's commandment, | 8 | ·····˘/˘ |
| Speaking of His usual power, | 9 | /˘··/˘˘/˘ |
| It can never more be absent. | 8 | ··/˘··/˘ |
| But if of His absolute power | 9 | ····/˘·/˘ |
| There is question, God could drag it | 8 | ··/˘···· |
| Even from hell itself; but this | 8 | /˘··˘/·· |
| Is not what we have to argue. | 8 | ······/˘ |
| That the soul doth go to either | 8 | ······/˘ |
| Of those places, must be granted | 8 | ··/˘··/˘ |
| When 'tis severed from the body | 8 | ··/˘··/˘ |
| Once for all by mortal absence | 8 | ····/˘/˘ |
| To return to it no more; | 7 | ·˘/···· |
| But when otherwise commanded | 8 | ··/˘·˘/˘ |
| To it to return, it waiteth | 8 | ···˘/·/˘ |
| In a certain state of passage, | 8 | ··/˘··/˘ |
| And remains as 'twere suspended | 8 | ·˘/··˘/˘ |
| In the universe, not having | 8 | ··/˘··/˘ |
| Any special place allotted. | 8 | /˘/˘·˘/˘ |
| For the Almighty mind forecasting | 9 | ··˘/˘·/·˘ |
| All things, when from out His essence, | 8 | ······/˘ |
| As th' exemplar, the fair pattern | 8 | ·˘/˘··/˘ |
| Of His thought, this glorious fabric | 9 | ····/˘˘/˘ |
| He brought forth to light and gladness, | 8 | ······/˘ |
| Saw this very incident, | 7 | ··/˘/˘˘ |
| And well knowing what would happen, | 8 | ··/˘··/˘ |
| That this soul would here return, | 7 | ·····˘/ |
| Kept it for awhile inactive, | 8 | ···˘/˘/˘ |
| Seemingly unfixed, yet fixed. | 8 | /˘˘··˘·· |
| This is the authentic answer | 8 | ···˘/˘/˘ |
| That theology, that sacred | 8 | ·˘/˘˘·/˘ |
| Science, gives to what you have asked me. | 9 | /˘······· |
| But another point remaineth: | 8 | ·˘/˘·˘/˘ |
| There are other places, mark me, | 8 | ··/˘/˘·· |
| Both of glory and of pain, | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| Than you think; and of these latter | 8 | ······/˘ |
| One is called the Purgatory, | 8 | ····/˘·˘ |
| Where the soul of him who haply | 8 | ······/˘ |
| Dies in grace, is purged from stains, | 8 | ·····˘·· |
| Sinful stains which it contracted | 8 | /˘···/˘˘ |
| In the world: for into heaven | 8 | ······/˘ |
| None can pass till these are cancelled. | 8 | ······/˘ |
| And thus, there 'tis purified, | 7 | ····/˘· |
| Cleansed by fire from all that tarnished, | 9 | ··/˘···/˘ |
| Till to God's divinest presence | 8 | ···˘/˘/˘ |
| Pure and clean at length it passes. | 8 | ······/˘ |
| KING. So you say, and I have nothing | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| To confirm what you advance here | 8 | ·˘/··˘/· |
| But your word. Some proof now give me, | 8 | ········ |
| Give me something I can handle, | 8 | ··/˘··/˘ |
| Something tangible to convince me | 8 | /˘/˘·˘/· |
| Of this truth, that I may grasp it, | 8 | ········ |
| And know what it is. And since | 7 | ······· |
| So much power and influence have you | 8 | ··/·/˘·· |
| With your God, implore His grace, | 7 | ···˘/·· |
| That I may believe the faster, | 8 | ···˘/·/˘ |
| Some material fact to give me, | 8 | ·˘/˘···· |
| Something that we all can grapple, | 8 | /˘····/˘ |
| Not mere creatures of the mind. | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| And remember that at farthest | 8 | ·˘/˘··/˘ |
| But an hour remains in which | 8 | ··/˘˘/·· |
| You must give me sure and ample | 8 | ······/˘ |
| Signs of punishment and glory, | 8 | ··/˘˘·/˘ |
| Or you die. These mighty marvels | 8 | ····/˘/˘ |
| Of your God here let them come, | 7 | ······· |
| Where the truth we can examine | 8 | ·····˘/˘ |
| For ourselves. And if we neither | 9 | ·˘˘/···/˘ |
| Heaven or hell deserve to have here, | 8 | /··˘/··· |
| Show us, then, this Purgatory, | 8 | ····/˘·˘ |
| Which is different from the latter, | 9 | ··/˘˘··/˘ |
| So that here we all may know | 7 | ······· |
| His omnipotence and grandeur. | 8 | ·˘/˘˘·˘/ |
| Mind, God's honour rests upon you, | 8 | ··/˘···· |
| Tell Him to defend and guard it. | 8 | ···˘/··· |
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