Act II: Scene VI
NEAR.Where go'st thou?
POLY.To the temple is the call.
NEAR.What! Wouldst thou mingle in their heathen brawl?Thou art a Christian, and canst thou forget?
POLY.Canst thou, who fore mine eyes the cross didst set?
NEAR.Not mine their gods!
POLY.He calls me! I must go!
NEAR.I fly their altars!
POLY.I would overthrow!Not mine to fly a worship I disown,By me Jehovah, King of kings, be known!Not mine to tremble as I kiss the rod!I conquer by the Cross, I fight for God!Thou wouldst abstain! For me another courseFrom Heaven the call, and Heaven will give the force!What! Yield to evil! His Cross on my brow!His freemen we! O fight, Nearchus, now!For us our Lord was scourged, pierced, tortured, slain!For us He bled! Say, has He died in vain?
NEAR.Let timely moderation temper zeal!
POLY.His--His alone am I! His woe my weal!
NEAR.In love with death?
POLY.For Him I love I die!He died for me! So death is victory!
NEAR.Thy flesh is weak!
POLY.Yet He will make me bold!
NEAR.And if thou waver?
POLY.He will me uphold!
NEAR.To tempt the Lord thy God were an offence.
POLY.He is my shield--hence! cursed tempter, hence!
NEAR.In time of need the faith must be confessed.
POLY.The offering grudged is sacrifice unblessed.
NEAR.Seek thou the death thine own self-will prepares!
POLY.A crown I seek, which every martyr shares!
NEAR.A life of duty well that crown can win.
POLY.The purest life on earth is stained with sin.Why yield to time and chance what death assures?Death but the gate of life that aye endures.If I be His--let me be His alone!The faith that soars shall full fruition own;Who trusts, yet fears and doubts, his faith is dead!
NEAR.Not death the Christian's prayer, but daily bread.Live to protect the flock, so sore oppressed.
POLY.Example be their friend, most sure, most blessed!
NEAR.Thou woo'st thy death!
POLY.Is this poor life so dear?
NEAR.Ah, I must own my heart is slave to fear.The rack! The cross! I might my Lord disown!
POLY.From Him our help, our strength, from Him alone!Who fears denial does at heart deny;Who doubts the power of faith makes faith a lie!
NEAR.Who leans upon a reed shall find distress.
POLY.His staff will guide, support my feebleness.Thou wert my staff, to show the Truth, the Way,Must I now urge thee to the realms of day?Thou fearest death?
NEAR.The Christ once feared to die!
POLY.Yet drained the bitter cup of agony!The way that thou hast shown--that way He trod;His way be ours to lead man's soul to God--For heathen shrine--to rear His altar fair,--The deathless hope alone can kill despair!Thou said'st: 'If Him thou wilt for pattern take,Then leave wife, wealth, home, all for His dear sake!'Alas, that love of thine, now weak and poor,Glows yet within my breast--and shall endure;Ah, must the dawn of this my perfect dayFind thy full light beclouded, dimmed, astray?
NEAR.Baptismal waters yet bedew thy brow;The grace that once was mine, that grace hast thou.No worldly thought has checked the flow, no guilty act has stained;Thy wings are strong, while mine are weak; thy love is fresh, ungeigned,--To these, thy heights, I cannot soar, held down by sense and sin,How can I storm the citadel?--the traitor lurks within!Forsake me not, my God! Thy spirit pour!Oh, make me true to Him whom I adore!With Thee I rise,--the flesh, the world, defy,Thou, who hast died for me, for Thee I die!Yes, I will go! With heaven-born zeal I burn,I will be free,--all Satan's lures I spurn;Death, torture, outrage, these will I embrace,To nerve my heart and arm, Heaven grant me grace!
POLY.On eagle wings of faith and hope ascend!I hail my master--recognise my friend;The old faith wanes,--we light her funeral pyre,Her ashes fall before our holy fire;Come, trample under foot the gods that men have wrought;The rotten, helpless staff is broke, is gone--is naught.Their darkness felt they own, but let them see the light!Their gods of stone, of clay, but vampires of the night!Their dust shall turn to dust,--shall moulder with the sod,Ours for His name to fight:--the issue is with God.
NEAR.The cause is just, is true--O coward heart, be still!I lived to doubt His word--I die to do His Will!
Words in this poem 19
- didst
- , the 2d pers. sing. imp. of Do.
- waver v. i.
- To play or move to and fro; to move one way and the other; hence, to totter; to reel; to swing; to flutter. [OE. waveren, from AS. wæfre wavering, restless. See Wave, v. i.]
- 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.]
- cursed a.
- Deserving a curse; execrable; hateful; detestable; abominable.
- tempter n.
- One who tempts or entices; especially, Satan, or the Devil, regarded as the great enticer to evil.
- unblessed a.
- Not blest; excluded from benediction; hence, accursed; wretched. [Pref. un- not + blessed, blest.]
- 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,]
- fruition n.
- Use or possession of anything, especially such as is accompanied with pleasure or satisfaction; pleasure derived from possession or use. [OF. fruition, L. fruitio, enjoyment, fr. L. frui, p. p. fruitus, to use or enjoy. See Fruit, n.]
- hast
- , 2d pers. sing. pres. of. Fave, contr. of havest.
- deathless a.
- Not subject to death, destruction, or extinction; immortal; undying; imperishable; as, deathless beings; deathless fame.
- wealth n.
- Weal; welfare; prosperity; good. [OE. welthe, from wele; cf. D. weelde luxury. See Weal prosperity.]
- bedew v. t.
- To moisten with dew, or as with dew.
- adore v. t.
- To worship with profound reverence; to pay divine honors to; to honor as deity or as divine. [OE. aouren, anouren, adoren, OF. aorer, adorer, F. adorer, fr. L. adorare; ad + orare to speak, pray, os, oris, mouth. In OE. confused with honor, the French pr]
- defy v. t.
- To renounce or dissolve all bonds of affiance, faith, or obligation with; to reject, refuse, or renounce. [F. défier, OF. deffier, desfier, LL. disfidare to disown faith or fidelity, to dissolve the bond of allegiance, as between the vassal and his lord; hence, to ch]
- spurn v. t.
- To drive back or away, as with the foot; to kick. [OE. spurnen to kick against, to stumble over, AS. spurnan to kick, offend; akin to spura spur, OS. & OHG. spurnan to kick, Icel. spyrna, L. spernere to despise,]
- recognise v. t.
- To know again; to perceive the identity of, with a person or thing previously known; to recover or recall knowledge of. [From Recognizance; see Cognition, and cf. Reconnoiter.]
- pyre n.
- A funeral pile; a combustible heap on which the dead are burned; hence, any pile to be burnt. [L. pure, Gr. Fire.]
- broke v. i.
- To transact business for another. Brome. [See Broker, and cf. Brook.]
- moulder n.
- One who, or that which, molds or forms into shape; specifically (Founding), one skilled in the art of making molds for castings.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Act II: Scene VI is in the public domain. This text is taken from Polyeucte, Project Gutenberg ebook #2543, the Thomas Constable 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: Pierre Corneille, Act II: Scene VI, in Polyeucte (1910), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #2543, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/corneille-polyeucte/act-ii-scene-vi.html, id L27784.
Form and metre
Act II: Scene VI is 131 lines in 37 stanzas. This poem did not settle on a metre of its own; the book it comes from is in iambic pentameter.
See other poems in iambic pentameter.
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 --AABBCCDDEE poly · overthrow · disownA · knownA · rodB · godB · courseC · forceC · browD · nowD · slainE · vainE
- 24 --AABB- poly · sin · assuresA · enduresA · aloneB · ownB · dead
- 29 AA- nearA · fearA · disown
- 30 --AA poly · alone · denyA · lieA
- 32 --AA- poly · feebleness · wayA · dayA · death
- 34 --AABBCCDDEE poly · agony · trodA · godA · fairB · despairB · takeC · sakeC · poorD · endureD · dayE · astrayE
- 35 -AABBCCDDEEFFGG near · browA · thouA · stainedB · ungeignedB · sinC · withinC · pourD · adoreD · defyE · dieE · burnF · spurnF · embraceG · graceG
- 36 -AABBCCDDEE poly · ascendA · friendA · pyreB · fireB · wroughtC · naughtC · lightD · nightD · sodE · godE
- 37 -AA near · stillA · willA
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 pentameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| NEAR. | 1 | · |
| Where go'st thou? | 3 | ··· |
| POLY. | 2 | /˘ |
| To the temple is the call. | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| NEAR. | 1 | · |
| What! Wouldst thou mingle in their heathen brawl? | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Thou art a Christian, and canst thou forget? | 10 | ···/˘···˘/ |
| POLY. | 2 | /˘ |
| Canst thou, who fore mine eyes the cross didst set? | 10 | ·········· |
| NEAR. | 1 | · |
| Not mine their gods! | 4 | ···· |
| POLY. | 2 | /˘ |
| He calls me! I must go! | 6 | ······ |
| NEAR. | 1 | · |
| I fly their altars! | 5 | ···/˘ |
| POLY. | 2 | /˘ |
| I would overthrow! | 5 | ··/˘· |
| Not mine to fly a worship I disown, | 10 | ·····/˘·˘/ |
| By me Jehovah, King of kings, be known! | 10 | ··˘/˘····· |
| Not mine to tremble as I kiss the rod! | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| I conquer by the Cross, I fight for God! | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| Thou wouldst abstain! For me another course | 10 | ··˘/··˘/˘· |
| From Heaven the call, and Heaven will give the force! | 10 | ·/···/···· |
| What! Yield to evil! His Cross on my brow! | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| His freemen we! O fight, Nearchus, now! | 9 | ·/˘······ |
| For us our Lord was scourged, pierced, tortured, slain! | 10 | ··/····/˘· |
| For us He bled! Say, has He died in vain? | 10 | ·········· |
| NEAR. | 1 | · |
| Let timely moderation temper zeal! | 10 | ·/˘·˘/˘/˘· |
| POLY. | 2 | /˘ |
| His--His alone am I! His woe my weal! | 10 | ··˘/······ |
| NEAR. | 1 | · |
| In love with death? | 4 | ···· |
| POLY. | 2 | /˘ |
| For Him I love I die! | 6 | ······ |
| He died for me! So death is victory! | 10 | ·······/˘˘ |
| NEAR. | 1 | · |
| Thy flesh is weak! | 4 | ···· |
| POLY. | 2 | /˘ |
| Yet He will make me bold! | 6 | ······ |
| NEAR. | 1 | · |
| And if thou waver? | 5 | ···/˘ |
| POLY. | 2 | /˘ |
| He will me uphold! | 5 | ···˘/ |
| NEAR. | 1 | · |
| To tempt the Lord thy God were an offence. | 10 | ········˘/ |
| POLY. | 2 | /˘ |
| He is my shield--hence! cursed tempter, hence! | 10 | ······˘/˘· |
| NEAR. | 1 | · |
| In time of need the faith must be confessed. | 10 | ········˘/ |
| POLY. | 2 | /˘ |
| The offering grudged is sacrifice unblessed. | 10 | ·/˘··/˘··· |
| NEAR. | 1 | · |
| Seek thou the death thine own self-will prepares! | 10 | ········˘/ |
| POLY. | 2 | /˘ |
| A crown I seek, which every martyr shares! | 10 | ·····/˘/˘· |
| NEAR. | 1 | · |
| A life of duty well that crown can win. | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| POLY. | 2 | /˘ |
| The purest life on earth is stained with sin. | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| Why yield to time and chance what death assures? | 10 | ········˘/ |
| Death but the gate of life that aye endures. | 10 | ········˘/ |
| If I be His--let me be His alone! | 10 | ········˘/ |
| The faith that soars shall full fruition own; | 10 | ······˘/˘· |
| Who trusts, yet fears and doubts, his faith is dead! | 10 | ·········· |
| NEAR. | 1 | · |
| Not death the Christian's prayer, but daily bread. | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Live to protect the flock, so sore oppressed. | 10 | ··˘/····˘/ |
| POLY. | 2 | /˘ |
| Example be their friend, most sure, most blessed! | 10 | ˘/˘······· |
| NEAR. | 1 | · |
| Thou woo'st thy death! | 4 | ···· |
| POLY. | 2 | /˘ |
| Is this poor life so dear? | 6 | ······ |
| NEAR. | 1 | · |
| Ah, I must own my heart is slave to fear. | 10 | ·········· |
| The rack! The cross! I might my Lord disown! | 10 | ········˘/ |
| POLY. | 2 | /˘ |
| From Him our help, our strength, from Him alone! | 10 | ··/·/···˘/ |
| Who fears denial does at heart deny; | 10 | ··˘/˘···˘/ |
| Who doubts the power of faith makes faith a lie! | 10 | ···/······ |
| NEAR. | 1 | · |
| Who leans upon a reed shall find distress. | 10 | ········˘/ |
| POLY. | 2 | /˘ |
| His staff will guide, support my feebleness. | 10 | ····˘/·/˘˘ |
| Thou wert my staff, to show the Truth, the Way, | 10 | ·········· |
| Must I now urge thee to the realms of day? | 10 | ·········· |
| Thou fearest death? | 4 | ·/˘· |
| NEAR. | 1 | · |
| The Christ once feared to die! | 6 | ······ |
| POLY. | 2 | /˘ |
| Yet drained the bitter cup of agony! | 10 | ···/˘··/˘˘ |
| The way that thou hast shown--that way He trod; | 10 | ·········· |
| His way be ours to lead man's soul to God-- | 10 | ···/······ |
| For heathen shrine--to rear His altar fair,-- | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| The deathless hope alone can kill despair! | 10 | ·/˘·˘/··˘/ |
| Thou said'st: 'If Him thou wilt for pattern take, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Then leave wife, wealth, home, all for His dear sake!' | 10 | ·········· |
| Alas, that love of thine, now weak and poor, | 10 | ˘/········ |
| Glows yet within my breast--and shall endure; | 10 | ········˘/ |
| Ah, must the dawn of this my perfect day | 10 | ·······˘/· |
| Find thy full light beclouded, dimmed, astray? | 10 | ········˘/ |
| NEAR. | 1 | · |
| Baptismal waters yet bedew thy brow; | 10 | ˘/˘/˘·˘/·· |
| The grace that once was mine, that grace hast thou. | 10 | ·········· |
| No worldly thought has checked the flow, no guilty act has stained; | 14 | ·/˘······/˘··· |
| Thy wings are strong, while mine are weak; thy love is fresh, ungeigned,-- | 14 | ·············· |
| To these, thy heights, I cannot soar, held down by sense and sin, | 14 | ·····/˘······· |
| How can I storm the citadel?--the traitor lurks within! | 14 | ·····/˘··/˘··· |
| Forsake me not, my God! Thy spirit pour! | 10 | ˘/·····/˘· |
| Oh, make me true to Him whom I adore! | 10 | ········˘/ |
| With Thee I rise,--the flesh, the world, defy, | 10 | ········˘/ |
| Thou, who hast died for me, for Thee I die! | 10 | ·········· |
| Yes, I will go! With heaven-born zeal I burn, | 10 | ·····/···· |
| I will be free,--all Satan's lures I spurn; | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Death, torture, outrage, these will I embrace, | 10 | ·/˘/····˘/ |
| To nerve my heart and arm, Heaven grant me grace! | 10 | ······/··· |
| POLY. | 2 | /˘ |
| On eagle wings of faith and hope ascend! | 10 | ·/˘·····˘/ |
| I hail my master--recognise my friend; | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| The old faith wanes,--we light her funeral pyre, | 10 | ·······/˘/ |
| Her ashes fall before our holy fire; | 11 | ·/˘···//˘/˘ |
| Come, trample under foot the gods that men have wrought; | 12 | ·/˘········· |
| The rotten, helpless staff is broke, is gone--is naught. | 12 | ·/˘/˘······· |
| Their darkness felt they own, but let them see the light! | 12 | ·/˘········· |
| Their gods of stone, of clay, but vampires of the night! | 12 | ·······/˘··· |
| Their dust shall turn to dust,--shall moulder with the sod, | 12 | ·······/˘··· |
| Ours for His name to fight:--the issue is with God. | 12 | /······/˘··· |
| NEAR. | 1 | · |
| The cause is just, is true--O coward heart, be still! | 11 | ·······/··· |
| I lived to doubt His word--I die to do His Will! | 12 | ············ |
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.