Act III: Scene IV
(Enter Albin.)
FELIX.Albin, is it done?
ALBIN.It is,--Nearchus' frantic race is run!
FELIX.And with what eye saw Polyeucte the sight?
ALBIN.With envious eye,--as one who sees a lightThat lures him, moth-like, to devouring flame.His heart is fixed, his mind is still the same.
PAUL.'Tis as I said--oh, father, yet once moreIf thou hast ever loved me,--I implore!Let filial duty and obedience pleadFor his dear life! To my last prayer give heed!
FELIX.Too much thou lovest an unworthy lord!
PAUL.Thou gavest him my hand, 'twas at thy wordI gave both love and duty; what I giveI take not back; oh, Polyeucte must live!For his dear sake I quenched another flameMost pure. Is he my lord alone in name?O, by my blind and swift obedience paidTo thy command--be thy hard words unsaid!I gave thee all a daughter had to give,Grant, father, this one prayer--Let Polyeucte live!By thy stern power, which now I only fear,Make thou that power benignant, honoured, dear!Thou gav'st that gift unsought,--that gift restore!I claim it at the giver's hand once more!
FELIX.Importunate! Although my heart is soft,It is not wax,--and these entreaties oftRepeated waste thy breath, and vex mine ear,For man is deaf to what he will not hear.I am the master! This let all men know,And if thou force that note thou'lt find 'tis so.Prepare to see thy cursed Christian fool,Do thou caress when I have scourged the mule,--Go! vex no more a loving father's ear,From Polyeucte's self win what thou hold'st so dear.
PAUL.In pity!----
FELIX.Leave me, leave me here alone!--Say more--my goaded heart will turn to stone;Vex me no more--I will not be denied!Go, save thy madman from his suicide!
(Exit Pauline.)
Words in this poem
- envious a.
- Malignant; mischievous; spiteful. [OF. envios, F. envieux, fr. L. invidiosus, fr. invidia envy. See Envy, and cf. Invidious.]
- hast
- , 2d pers. sing. pres. of. Fave, contr. of havest.
- filial a.
- Of or pertaining to a son or daughter; becoming to a child in relation to his parents; as, filial obedience. [L. filialis, fr. filius son, filia daughter; akin to e. female, feminine. Cf. Fitz.]
- benignant a.
- Kind; gracious; favorable. [LL. benignans, p. pr. of benignare, from L. benignus. See Benign.]
- cursed a.
- Deserving a curse; execrable; hateful; detestable; abominable.
- 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.]
- pauline a.
- Of or pertaining to the apostle Paul, or his writings; resembling, or conforming to, the writings of Paul; as, the Pauline epistles; Pauline doctrine. [L. Paulinus, fr. Paulus Paul.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Act III: Scene IV 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 III: Scene IV, in Polyeucte (1910), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #2543, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/corneille-polyeucte/act-iii-scene-iv.html, id L27788.
Form and metre
Act III: Scene IV is 51 lines in 12 verse paragraphs. It is in rhyming couplets, 63% of the lines: heroic couplets. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 84%).
See other poems in heroic couplets, 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.
- 3 AA albinA · runA
- 5 --AA albin · light · flameA · sameA
- 6 -AABB paul · moreA · imploreA · pleadB · heedB
- 8 --AABB--AACCDD paul · word · giveA · liveA · flameB · nameB · paid · unsaid · giveA · liveA · fearC · dearC · restoreD · moreD
- 9 -AABBCCDDBB felix · softA · oftA · earB · hearB · knowC · soC · foolD · muleD · earB · dearB
- 11 -AABB felix · aloneA · stoneA · deniedB · suicideB
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 |
|---|---|---|
| (Enter Albin.) | 4 | /˘/˘ |
| FELIX. | 2 | /˘ |
| Albin, is it done? | 5 | /˘··· |
| ALBIN. | 2 | /˘ |
| It is,--Nearchus' frantic race is run! | 9 | ····/˘··· |
| FELIX. | 2 | /˘ |
| And with what eye saw Polyeucte the sight? | 9 | ········· |
| ALBIN. | 2 | /˘ |
| With envious eye,--as one who sees a light | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| That lures him, moth-like, to devouring flame. | 10 | ······˘/˘· |
| His heart is fixed, his mind is still the same. | 10 | ·········· |
| PAUL. | 1 | · |
| 'Tis as I said--oh, father, yet once more | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| If thou hast ever loved me,--I implore! | 10 | ···/˘···˘/ |
| Let filial duty and obedience plead | 10 | ·/˘/˘·˘/˘· |
| For his dear life! To my last prayer give heed! | 10 | ·········· |
| FELIX. | 2 | /˘ |
| Too much thou lovest an unworthy lord! | 10 | ······˘/˘· |
| PAUL. | 1 | · |
| Thou gavest him my hand, 'twas at thy word | 10 | ·········· |
| I gave both love and duty; what I give | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| I take not back; oh, Polyeucte must live! | 9 | ········· |
| For his dear sake I quenched another flame | 10 | ······˘/˘· |
| Most pure. Is he my lord alone in name? | 10 | ······˘/·· |
| O, by my blind and swift obedience paid | 10 | ······˘/˘· |
| To thy command--be thy hard words unsaid! | 10 | ··˘/····˘/ |
| I gave thee all a daughter had to give, | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Grant, father, this one prayer--Let Polyeucte live! | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| By thy stern power, which now I only fear, | 10 | ···/···/˘· |
| Make thou that power benignant, honoured, dear! | 10 | ···/˘/˘/˘· |
| Thou gav'st that gift unsought,--that gift restore! | 10 | ········˘/ |
| I claim it at the giver's hand once more! | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| FELIX. | 2 | /˘ |
| Importunate! Although my heart is soft, | 10 | ˘/˘˘······ |
| It is not wax,--and these entreaties oft | 10 | ······˘/˘· |
| Repeated waste thy breath, and vex mine ear, | 10 | ˘/˘······· |
| For man is deaf to what he will not hear. | 10 | ·········· |
| I am the master! This let all men know, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| And if thou force that note thou'lt find 'tis so. | 10 | ·········· |
| Prepare to see thy cursed Christian fool, | 10 | ˘/····˘/˘· |
| Do thou caress when I have scourged the mule,-- | 10 | ··˘/······ |
| Go! vex no more a loving father's ear, | 10 | ·····/˘/˘· |
| From Polyeucte's self win what thou hold'st so dear. | 10 | ·········· |
| PAUL. | 1 | · |
| In pity!---- | 3 | ·/˘ |
| FELIX. | 2 | /˘ |
| Leave me, leave me here alone!-- | 7 | ·····˘/ |
| Say more--my goaded heart will turn to stone; | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Vex me no more--I will not be denied! | 10 | ········˘/ |
| Go, save thy madman from his suicide! | 10 | ···/···/˘· |
| (Exit Pauline.) | 4 | /˘˘/ |
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