Act V: Scene VI
(Enter Severus)
SEV.Unnatural sire, whose craft leads to the grave,The slaves of fear themselves alone enslave.Yes, Polyeucte is slain, and slain by thee,--A sacrifice to greed and treachery.I offered rescue from the opening tomb,Base doubts enthralled thee, didst seal his doom;I prayed, I threatened, thou wouldst not believe,Deceiver thou, so must all men deceive.Thou thoughtst me coward, liar--thou shalt seeAll oaths Severus swears fulfilled shall be.Poor moth! I might have saved thee--nay, I planned to save,Thy perfidy the torch that marks thee for the grave.Drench earth in blood,--for Jove pour forth malignant zeal,The strokes that thou hast dealt redoubled shalt thou feel!I go: the storm shall break o'er this devoted land,From Jove the bolt?--maybe--but I direct his hand.
FELIX.Why lags that hand? A willing victim I,I choose to suffer for my perfidy;My doubts, my fears unworthy, all I own,I have offended--let my death atone.Take thou my honours, their poor lustre thine,I kneel before another, nobler shrine.The Power that moved me, groping through the nightOf wrong and darkness, wafts me to The Light!I slew thee, Polyeucte, but thy pardoning handShall guide thy murderer to the better land!He prays for me, and by his sacrifice,New-born upon his ashes I arise.(To Pauline.)Raised by his death from out the grave of sin,Thou tread'st the path thy father shall begin;By me his martyr-crown, as all my blissBy him. His Christ is mine, and I am his;O, blessed Christian vengeance! All my lossIs turned to gain by the redeeming Cross!Now, Pauline, am I thine, a Christian I,That Death gives life by which alike we die!(To Severus.)Then slay us both! Behold a willing prey!
PAUL.(To Felix.)Yes, mine for ever now! Hail, glorious day,That sees earth's loss transformed to endless gain!
FELIX.The gain, the glory, Christ's! By Him we reign.
SEV.Now am I dumb, some miracle is here;Their courage and their faith must I revere;We slay them; yet, like Cadmus' seed, new-bornThey sprout afresh, and laugh our scythe to scorn.We give them cord and flame, they torture hail;Friends fail them, but themselves they never fail.We mow them down, fresh nurslings to unbare,What moves the seed lies hid, but it is there.They bless the world, though by the world accurst,Their shield am I--let Decius do his worst.I yet may own their power, though now my willThat each to his own gods be faithful still,Let each still search for truth, and truth adore.(To Felix).A Christian thou? Then fear my wrath no more,Thy sect I cherish; this their awful cultSeverus will protect, but ne'er insult.Keep thou thy power from Roman sword secure,So long as loyalty with faith endure;I swear it: ay, the Emperor shall learnThe guiltless from the traitor to discern;His persecution baseless as his fear.
FELIX.Severus--thou who hast the hearing ear,--Freeman of Rome--God's Spirit grant thee graceTo be Christ's Freeman, and behold His face:To these--Christ's martyrs--earth's last rites be given,Earth, guard their ashes as a trust for Heaven!Earth hides their dust. When envious time is o'er,That dust shall wake to life for evermore!
Words in this poem 23
- sire n.
- A lord, master, or other person in authority. See Sir. [F. sire, originally, an older person. See Sir.]
- craft n.
- Strength; might; secret power. [AS. cr strength, skill, art, cunning; akin to OS., G., Sw., & Dan. kraft strength, D. kracht, Icel. kraptr; perh. originally, a drawing together, stretching, fr]
- greed n.
- An eager desire or longing; greediness; as, a greed of gain. [Akin to Goth. grdus hunger, Icel. graedhr. sq. root34. See Greedy.]
- didst
- , the 2d pers. sing. imp. of Do.
- shalt
- 2d per. sing. of Shall.
- 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,]
- perfidy n.
- The act of violating faith or allegiance; violation of a promise or vow, or of trust reposed; faithlessness; teachery. [L. perfidia, fr. L. perfidus faithless; per (cf. Skr. para away) + fides faith: cf. F. perfidie. See Faith.]
- jove n.
- The chief divinity of the ancient Romans; Jupiter. [L. Jupiter, gen. Jovis, OL. Jovis, nom. & gen. for Djovis; akin to E. Tuesday. See Tuesday, and cf. Jupiter.]
- hast
- , 2d pers. sing. pres. of. Fave, contr. of havest.
- atone v. t.
- To set at one; to reduce to concord; to reconcile, as parties at variance; to appease.
- lustre n.
- A period of five years; a lustrum. [L. lustrum: cf. F. lustre.]
- kneel v. i.
- To bend the knee; to fall or rest on the knees; -- sometimes with down. [OE. knelen, cneolien; akin to D. knielen, Dan. knæle. See Knee.]
- 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.]
- 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.]
- revere v. t.
- To regard with reverence, or profound respect and affection, mingled with awe or fear; to venerate; to reverence; to honor in estimation. [L. revereri; pref. re- re- + vereri to fear, perh. akin to E. wary: cf. F. révérer.]
- afresh adv.
- Anew; again; once more; newly. [Pref. a- + fresh.]
- accurst p. p.
- Doomed to destruction or misery; cursed; hence, bad enough to be under the curse; execrable; detestable; exceedingly hateful; -- as, an accursed deed.
- 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]
- cult
- Attentive care; homage; worship. [F. culte, L. cultus care, culture, fr. colere to cultivate. Cf. Cultus.]
- guiltless a.
- Free from guilt; innocent.
- baseless a.
- Without a base; having no foundation or support.
- envious a.
- Malignant; mischievous; spiteful. [OF. envios, F. envieux, fr. L. invidiosus, fr. invidia envy. See Envy, and cf. Invidious.]
- evermore adv.
- During eternity; always; forever; for an indefinite period; at all times; -- often used substantively with for.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Act V: 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 V: Scene VI, in Polyeucte (1910), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #2543, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/corneille-polyeucte/act-v-scene-vi.html, id L27801.
Form and metre
Act V: Scene VI is 79 lines in 7 stanzas. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 89%).
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.
- 2 -AAB-CCDDBBAAEEFF sev · graveA · enslaveA · theeB · treachery · tombC · doomC · believeD · deceiveD · seeB · beB · saveA · graveA · zealE · feelE · landF · handF
- 3 -A-BBCCDDEE---FF--GGAA-- felix · iA · perfidy · ownB · atoneB · thineC · shrineC · nightD · lightD · handE · landE · sacrifice · arise · pauline · sinF · beginF · bliss · his · lossG · crossG · iA · dieA · severus · prey
- 6 -AABBCC--DDEEF-FGGHHIIA sev · hereA · revereA · bornB · scornB · hailC · failC · unbare · there · accurstD · worstD · willE · stillE · adoreF · felix · moreF · cultG · insultG · secureH · endureH · learnI · discernI · fearA
- 7 --AA---- felix · ear · graceA · faceA · given · heaven · o'er · evermore
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 Severus) | 5 | /˘··· |
| SEV. | 1 | · |
| Unnatural sire, whose craft leads to the grave, | 10 | ˘/˘/······ |
| The slaves of fear themselves alone enslave. | 10 | ····˘/˘/˘/ |
| Yes, Polyeucte is slain, and slain by thee,-- | 9 | ········· |
| A sacrifice to greed and treachery. | 10 | ·/˘····/˘˘ |
| I offered rescue from the opening tomb, | 10 | ·/˘/˘··/˘· |
| Base doubts enthralled thee, didst seal his doom; | 10 | ··˘/˘····· |
| I prayed, I threatened, thou wouldst not believe, | 10 | ···/˘···˘/ |
| Deceiver thou, so must all men deceive. | 10 | ˘/˘·····˘/ |
| Thou thoughtst me coward, liar--thou shalt see | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| All oaths Severus swears fulfilled shall be. | 10 | ······˘/·· |
| Poor moth! I might have saved thee--nay, I planned to save, | 12 | ············ |
| Thy perfidy the torch that marks thee for the grave. | 11 | ·/˘········ |
| Drench earth in blood,--for Jove pour forth malignant zeal, | 12 | ········˘/˘· |
| The strokes that thou hast dealt redoubled shalt thou feel! | 12 | ······˘/˘··· |
| I go: the storm shall break o'er this devoted land, | 12 | ········˘/˘· |
| From Jove the bolt?--maybe--but I direct his hand. | 12 | ····/˘··˘/·· |
| FELIX. | 2 | /˘ |
| Why lags that hand? A willing victim I, | 10 | ·····/˘/˘· |
| I choose to suffer for my perfidy; | 10 | ···/˘··/˘˘ |
| My doubts, my fears unworthy, all I own, | 10 | ····˘/˘··· |
| I have offended--let my death atone. | 10 | ··˘/˘···˘/ |
| Take thou my honours, their poor lustre thine, | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| I kneel before another, nobler shrine. | 10 | ····˘/˘/˘· |
| The Power that moved me, groping through the night | 10 | ·/···/˘··· |
| Of wrong and darkness, wafts me to The Light! | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| I slew thee, Polyeucte, but thy pardoning hand | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Shall guide thy murderer to the better land! | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| He prays for me, and by his sacrifice, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| New-born upon his ashes I arise. | 10 | ·····/˘·˘/ |
| (To Pauline.) | 3 | ·˘/ |
| Raised by his death from out the grave of sin, | 10 | ·········· |
| Thou tread'st the path thy father shall begin; | 10 | ·····/˘·˘/ |
| By me his martyr-crown, as all my bliss | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| By him. His Christ is mine, and I am his; | 10 | ·········· |
| O, blessed Christian vengeance! All my loss | 10 | ··˘/˘/˘··· |
| Is turned to gain by the redeeming Cross! | 10 | ······˘/˘· |
| Now, Pauline, am I thine, a Christian I, | 10 | ·˘/····/˘· |
| That Death gives life by which alike we die! | 10 | ······˘/·· |
| (To Severus.) | 4 | ···· |
| Then slay us both! Behold a willing prey! | 10 | ····˘/·/˘· |
| PAUL. | 1 | · |
| (To Felix.) | 3 | ·/˘ |
| Yes, mine for ever now! Hail, glorious day, | 10 | ···/··/˘˘· |
| That sees earth's loss transformed to endless gain! | 10 | ····˘/·/˘· |
| FELIX. | 2 | /˘ |
| The gain, the glory, Christ's! By Him we reign. | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| SEV. | 1 | · |
| Now am I dumb, some miracle is here; | 10 | ·····/˘˘·· |
| Their courage and their faith must I revere; | 10 | ·/˘·····˘/ |
| We slay them; yet, like Cadmus' seed, new-born | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| They sprout afresh, and laugh our scythe to scorn. | 10 | ··˘/··/··· |
| We give them cord and flame, they torture hail; | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Friends fail them, but themselves they never fail. | 10 | ····˘/·/˘· |
| We mow them down, fresh nurslings to unbare, | 10 | ·········· |
| What moves the seed lies hid, but it is there. | 10 | ·········· |
| They bless the world, though by the world accurst, | 10 | ·········· |
| Their shield am I--let Decius do his worst. | 10 | ·········· |
| I yet may own their power, though now my will | 10 | ·····/···· |
| That each to his own gods be faithful still, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Let each still search for truth, and truth adore. | 10 | ········˘/ |
| (To Felix). | 3 | ·/˘ |
| A Christian thou? Then fear my wrath no more, | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| Thy sect I cherish; this their awful cult | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Severus will protect, but ne'er insult. | 10 | ····˘/··˘/ |
| Keep thou thy power from Roman sword secure, | 10 | ···/·/˘·˘/ |
| So long as loyalty with faith endure; | 10 | ···/˘˘··˘/ |
| I swear it: ay, the Emperor shall learn | 10 | ·····/˘˘·· |
| The guiltless from the traitor to discern; | 10 | ·/˘··/˘·˘/ |
| His persecution baseless as his fear. | 10 | ··˘/˘/˘··· |
| FELIX. | 2 | /˘ |
| Severus--thou who hast the hearing ear,-- | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Freeman of Rome--God's Spirit grant thee grace | 10 | /˘···/˘··· |
| To be Christ's Freeman, and behold His face: | 10 | ···/˘·˘/·· |
| To these--Christ's martyrs--earth's last rites be given, | 11 | ···/˘····/˘ |
| Earth, guard their ashes as a trust for Heaven! | 11 | ···/˘····/˘ |
| Earth hides their dust. When envious time is o'er, | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| That dust shall wake to life for evermore! | 10 | ·······/˘· |
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.