Act II. Scene 2
Ferdinand. Your tiercel's too long at hack. Sir.He's no eyassBut a passage-hawk that footed ere we caught him.Dangerously free o' the air. Faith, were he mine(As mine's the glove he binds to for his tirings)I'd fly him with a make-hawk. He's in yarakPlumed to the very point. So manned, so weathered!Give him the firmament God made him for.And what shall take the air of him?
The King. A young wing yet.Bold--overbold on the perch, but, think you,Ferdinand,He can endure the tall skies yonder? CozenAdvantage out of the teeth of the hurricane?Choose his own mate against the lammer-geier?Ride out a night-long tempest, hold his pitchBetween the lightning and the cloud it leaps from,Never too pressed to kill?
Ferdinand. I'll answer for him.Bating all parable, I know the Prince.There's a bleak devil in the young, my Lord;God put it there to save 'em from their eldersAnd break their father's heart, but bear them scathelessThrough mire and thorns and blood if need be.ThinkWhat our prime saw! Such glory, such achievementsAs now our children, wondering at, examineThemselves to see if they shall hardly equal.But what cared we while we wrought the wonders?Nothing!The rampant deed contented.
The King. Little enough, God knows! But afterwards? After--There comes the reckoning. I would save him that.
Ferdinand. Save him dry scars that ache of winter-nights.Worn out self-pity and as much of knowledgeAs makes old men fear judgment? Then loose him--loose him,A' God's name loose him to adventure early!And trust some random pike, or half-backed horse,Besides what's caught in Italy, to save him.
Ferdinand.(Gods give me patience!) Gow and a gardenerBearing some load along in the dusk to the dunghill.Nay--a dead branch--But as I said, the Prince----
Gow (setting down the body). Heark, you unsanctifiedfool, while I set out our story. We found it, this sidethe North park wall which it had climbed to plucknectarines from the alley. Heark again! Therewas a nectarine in its hand when we found it, andthe naughty brick that slipped from the copingbeneath its foot and so caused its death, lies nowunder the wall for the King to see.
Gow. That is your tale. Swerve from it by somuch as the breadth of my dagger and here's yourinstant reward. You heard not, saw not, and by theHorns of ninefold-cuckolded Jupiter you thought notnor dreamed not anything more or other!
Gardener. The North park wall? It was so.Plucking nectarines. It shall be. But how shallI say if any ask why our Lady the Queen--
The King. Why did Gow buffet the clown?What said he? I'll go look.
Ferdinand (above). Save yourself! It is theKing!
The King. The Prince! Not a dead branch?(Uncovers the face.)My flesh and blood! My son! my son! my son!Gow. Dead, or as good. He cannot speak.
Gow. Saddest truth alack! I came upon himnot a half hour since, fallen from the North parkwall over against the Deerpark side--dead--dead!--anectarine in his hand that the dear lad must haveclimbed for, and plucked the very instant, look you,that a brick slipped on the coping. 'Tis there now.So I lifted him, but his neck was as you see--andalready cold.
Gow. Surely, God knows!
The King. A lad's trick. But I love him thebetter for it.... True, he's past loving.... Andnow we must tell our Queen. What a coil at theday's end! She'll grieve for him. Not as I shall;Ferdinand, but as youth for youth. They weremuch of the same age. Playmate for playmate.See, he wears her colours. That is the knot shegave him last--last.... Oh God! When wasyesterday?
Ferdinand. Come in! Come in, my Lord.There's a dew falling.
The King. He'll take no harm of it. I'll follow presently.....He's all his mother's now and none of mine--Her very face on the bride-pillow. Yet I tricked her.But that was later--and she never guessed.I do not think he sinned much--he's too young--Much the same age as my Queen. God must not judge himToo hardly for such slips as youth may fall in.But I'll entreat that Throne.
Gow. The Heavens hold up still. Earth opensnot and this dew's mere water. What shall a manthink of it all? (To Gardener.) Not dead yet,sirrah? I bade you follow the Prince. Despatch!
Gardener. Some kind soul pluck out the dagger.Why did you slay me? I'd done no wrong. I'd ha'kept it secret till my dying day. But not now--notnow! I'm dying. The Prince fell from the Queen'schamber window. I saw it in the nut alley. Hewas----
Gardener. No wrong. No more than anotherman's wife. Jocasta of the still-room. She'd kissedme good-night too; but that's over with therest.... I've stumbled on the Prince's beastlyloves, and I pay for all. Let me pass!
Gow. Count it your fortune, honest man. Youwould have revealed it to your woman at the nextmeeting. You fleshmongers are all one feather.(Plucks out the dagger.)Go in peace and lay your death to Fortune's door.He's sped--thank Fortune!
Ferdinand. Who knows not Fortune, glutted oneasy thrones,Stealing from feasts as rare to coney-catchPrivily in the hedgerows for a clown.With that same cruel-lustful hand and eye,Those nails and wedges, that one hammer and lead,And the very gerb of long-stored lightning loosed.Yesterday 'gainst some King.
The King. I have pursued with prayers where my heart warns meMy soul shall overtake--
The King. Look not! Wait till I tell you,dearest.... Air!...'Loosed to adventure early'... I go late. (Dies.)
Gow. So! God hath cut off the Prince in hispleasures. Gow, to save the King, hath silenced onepoor fool who knew how it befell, and now theKing's dead, needs only that the Queen should killGow and all's safe for her this side o' the Judgment....Senor Ferdinand, the wind's easterly. I'm forthe road.
Gow. To the Duke, if the Queen does not layhands on me before. However it goes, I charge youbear witness, Senor Ferdinand, I served the oldKing faithfully. To the death, Senor Ferdinand--tothe death!
Words in this poem 23
- eyass a.
- Unfledged, or newly fledged.
- weathered a.
- Made sloping, so as to throw off water; as, a weathered cornice or window sill.
- firmament n.
- Fixed foundation; established basis. [L. firmamentum, fr. firmare to make firm: cf. F. firmament. See Firm, v. & a.]
- 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,]
- yonder adv.
- At a distance, but within view. [OE. yonder, ýonder; cf. OD. ginder, Goth. jaindr there. Yond, adv.]
- cozen v. t.
- To cheat; to defrand; to beguile; to deceive, usually by small arts, or in a pitiful way. [From cousin, hence, literally, to deceive through pretext of relationship, F. cousiner.]
- bating prep.
- With the exception of; excepting. [Strictly p. pr. of Bat to abate.]
- ache n.
- A name given to several species of plants; as, smallage, wild celery, parsley. Holland. [F. ache, L. apium parsley.]
- gardener n.
- One who makes and tends a garden; a horticulturist.
- dunghill n.
- A heap of dung.
- naughty a.
- Having little or nothing.
- coping n.
- The highest or covering course of masonry in a wall, often with sloping edges to carry off water; -- sometimes called capping. Gwill. [See Cope, n.]
- buffet n.
- A cupboard or set of shelves, either movable or fixed at one side of a room, for the display of plate, china, etc., a sideboard. [F. buffet, LL. bufetum; of uncertain origin; perh. fr. the same source as E. buffet a blow, the root meaning to puff, hence (cf. puffed up) the idea of ostentat]
- alack interj.
- An exclamation expressive of sorrow. [Prob. from ah! lack! OE. lak loss, failure, misfortune. See Lack.]
- playmate n.
- A companion in diversions; a playfellow.
- presently adv.
- At present; at this time; now.
- 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.]
- bade
- A form of the pat tense of Bid.
- beastly a.
- Pertaining to, or having the form, nature, or habits of, a beast.
- privily adv.
- In a privy manner; privately; secretly. Chaucer. 2 Pet. ii. 1.
- needs adv.
- Of necessity; necessarily; indispensably; -- often with must, and equivalent to of need. [Orig. gen. of need, used as an adverb. Cf. - wards.]
- easterly a.
- Coming from the east; as, it was easterly wind.
- duke n.
- A leader; a chief; a prince. [F. duc, fr. L. dux, ducis, leader, commander, fr. ducere to lead; akin to AS. teón to draw; cf. AS. heretoga (here army) an army leader, general, G. herzog duke]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Act II. Scene 2 is in the public domain. This text is taken from Songs from Books, Project Gutenberg ebook #15529; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Rudyard Kipling, Act II. Scene 2, in Songs from Books (1912), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #15529, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/kipling-songs-from-books/act-ii-scene-2.html, id L20390.
Form and metre
Act II. Scene 2 is 141 lines in 26 stanzas. The metre is trochaic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 72%).
See other poems in trochaic 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.
- 1 A-B----AB sirA · eyass · himB · mine · tirings · yarak · weathered · forA · himB
- 5 --A--A nights · knowledge · himA · early · horse · himA
- 7 AA------ unsanctifiedA · sideA · pluck · there · and · coping · now · see
- 15 A-A---A-- theA · and · theA · shall · were · playmate · sheA · was · yesterday
- 17 ------AA presently · mine · her · guessed · young · him · inA · throneA
- 26 -A-A- lay · youA · old · toA · death
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 pentameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| Ferdinand. Your tiercel's too long at hack. Sir. | 11 | /˘········· |
| He's no eyass | 3 | ··· |
| But a passage-hawk that footed ere we caught him. | 12 | ··/˘··/˘···· |
| Dangerously free o' the air. Faith, were he mine | 10 | /˘········ |
| (As mine's the glove he binds to for his tirings) | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| I'd fly him with a make-hawk. He's in yarak | 11 | ··········· |
| Plumed to the very point. So manned, so weathered! | 11 | ···/˘····/˘ |
| Give him the firmament God made him for. | 10 | ···/˘˘···· |
| And what shall take the air of him? | 8 | ········ |
| The King. A young wing yet. | 6 | ······ |
| Bold--overbold on the perch, but, think you, | 10 | ·········· |
| Ferdinand, | 3 | /˘· |
| He can endure the tall skies yonder? Cozen | 11 | ··˘/···/˘/˘ |
| Advantage out of the teeth of the hurricane? | 12 | ˘/˘······/˘· |
| Choose his own mate against the lammer-geier? | 10 | ·········/ |
| Ride out a night-long tempest, hold his pitch | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Between the lightning and the cloud it leaps from, | 11 | ···/˘······ |
| Never too pressed to kill? | 7 | /˘··˘·· |
| Ferdinand. I'll answer for him. | 8 | /˘··/˘·· |
| Bating all parable, I know the Prince. | 9 | /˘·/˘···· |
| There's a bleak devil in the young, my Lord; | 9 | ···/····· |
| God put it there to save 'em from their elders | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| And break their father's heart, but bear them scatheless | 12 | ···/˘······· |
| Through mire and thorns and blood if need be. | 9 | ········· |
| Think | 1 | · |
| What our prime saw! Such glory, such achievements | 11 | ·/···/˘·˘/˘ |
| As now our children, wondering at, examine | 11 | ··//˘/˘·˘/˘ |
| Themselves to see if they shall hardly equal. | 11 | ˘/·····/˘/˘ |
| But what cared we while we wrought the wonders? | 10 | ········/˘ |
| Nothing! | 2 | /˘ |
| The rampant deed contented. | 7 | ·/˘·˘/˘ |
| The King. Little enough, God knows! But afterwards? After-- | 13 | ··/˘˘/···/˘·· |
| There comes the reckoning. I would save him that. | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Ferdinand. Save him dry scars that ache of winter-nights. | 13 | /˘········/˘· |
| Worn out self-pity and as much of knowledge | 11 | ···/˘····/˘ |
| As makes old men fear judgment? Then loose him--loose him, | 12 | ·····/˘····· |
| A' God's name loose him to adventure early! | 11 | ······˘/˘/˘ |
| And trust some random pike, or half-backed horse, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Besides what's caught in Italy, to save him. | 10 | ˘/···/˘··· |
| Ferdinand.(Gods give me patience!) Gow and a gardener | 13 | /˘····/˘···/˘ |
| Bearing some load along in the dusk to the dunghill. | 13 | /˘··˘/·····/˘ |
| Nay--a dead branch--But as I said, the Prince---- | 10 | ·········· |
| Gow (setting down the body). Heark, you unsanctified | 12 | ·/˘··/˘····· |
| fool, while I set out our story. We found it, this side | 13 | ·····//˘····· |
| the North park wall which it had climbed to pluck | 10 | ·········· |
| nectarines from the alley. Heark again! There | 11 | ·····/˘·˘/· |
| was a nectarine in its hand when we found it, and | 13 | ··/˘˘········ |
| the naughty brick that slipped from the coping | 10 | ·/˘·····/˘ |
| beneath its foot and so caused its death, lies now | 11 | ··········· |
| under the wall for the King to see. | 9 | ········· |
| Gow. That is your tale. Swerve from it by so | 10 | ·········· |
| much as the breadth of my dagger and here's your | 11 | ······/˘··· |
| instant reward. You heard not, saw not, and by the | 12 | /˘˘/········ |
| Horns of ninefold-cuckolded Jupiter you thought not | 12 | ··/····/˘··· |
| nor dreamed not anything more or other! | 10 | ···/˘···/˘ |
| Gardener. The North park wall? It was so. | 9 | /˘······· |
| Plucking nectarines. It shall be. But how shall | 11 | /˘········· |
| I say if any ask why our Lady the Queen-- | 12 | ···/˘··//˘·· |
| The King. Why did Gow buffet the clown? | 9 | ·····/˘·· |
| What said he? I'll go look. | 6 | ······ |
| Ferdinand (above). Save yourself! It is the | 11 | /˘····/˘··· |
| King! | 1 | · |
| The King. The Prince! Not a dead branch? | 8 | ········ |
| (Uncovers the face.) | 5 | ·/˘·· |
| My flesh and blood! My son! my son! my son! | 10 | ·········· |
| Gow. Dead, or as good. He cannot speak. | 9 | ······/˘· |
| Gow. Saddest truth alack! I came upon him | 11 | ·/˘·˘/····· |
| not a half hour since, fallen from the North park | 11 | ···/·/˘···· |
| wall over against the Deerpark side--dead--dead!--a | 11 | ··········· |
| nectarine in his hand that the dear lad must have | 12 | /˘˘········· |
| climbed for, and plucked the very instant, look you, | 11 | ·····/˘/˘·· |
| that a brick slipped on the coping. 'Tis there now. | 11 | ······/˘··· |
| So I lifted him, but his neck was as you see--and | 13 | ··/˘········· |
| already cold. | 4 | ˘/˘· |
| Gow. Surely, God knows! | 5 | ·/˘·· |
| The King. A lad's trick. But I love him the | 10 | ·········· |
| better for it.... True, he's past loving.... And | 10 | /˘·····/˘· |
| now we must tell our Queen. What a coil at the | 11 | ····/······ |
| day's end! She'll grieve for him. Not as I shall; | 10 | ·········· |
| Ferdinand, but as youth for youth. They were | 10 | /˘········ |
| much of the same age. Playmate for playmate. | 10 | ·····/··/· |
| See, he wears her colours. That is the knot she | 11 | ····/˘····· |
| gave him last--last.... Oh God! When was | 8 | ········ |
| yesterday? | 3 | /˘· |
| Ferdinand. Come in! Come in, my Lord. | 9 | /˘······· |
| There's a dew falling. | 5 | ···/˘ |
| The King. He'll take no harm of it. I'll follow presently..... | 13 | ·········/˘/˘ |
| He's all his mother's now and none of mine-- | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Her very face on the bride-pillow. Yet I tricked her. | 13 | ·/˘····/˘···· |
| But that was later--and she never guessed. | 9 | ···/˘··/· |
| I do not think he sinned much--he's too young-- | 10 | ·········· |
| Much the same age as my Queen. God must not judge him | 12 | ············ |
| Too hardly for such slips as youth may fall in. | 11 | ·/˘········ |
| But I'll entreat that Throne. | 6 | ··˘/·· |
| Gow. The Heavens hold up still. Earth opens | 10 | ··/˘····/˘ |
| not and this dew's mere water. What shall a man | 11 | ·····/˘···· |
| think of it all? (To Gardener.) Not dead yet, | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| sirrah? I bade you follow the Prince. Despatch! | 11 | /˘···/˘··˘/ |
| Gardener. Some kind soul pluck out the dagger. | 10 | /˘······/˘ |
| Why did you slay me? I'd done no wrong. I'd ha' | 11 | ··········· |
| kept it secret till my dying day. But not now--not | 13 | ··/˘··/˘····· |
| now! I'm dying. The Prince fell from the Queen's | 10 | ··/˘······ |
| chamber window. I saw it in the nut alley. He | 13 | /˘/˘······/˘· |
| was---- | 1 | · |
| Gardener. No wrong. No more than another | 10 | /˘·····˘/˘ |
| man's wife. Jocasta of the still-room. She'd kissed | 11 | ··········· |
| me good-night too; but that's over with the | 9 | ········· |
| rest.... I've stumbled on the Prince's beastly | 10 | ··/˘··/˘/˘ |
| loves, and I pay for all. Let me pass! | 9 | ········· |
| Gow. Count it your fortune, honest man. You | 10 | ····/˘/˘·· |
| would have revealed it to your woman at the next | 12 | ··˘/···/˘··· |
| meeting. You fleshmongers are all one feather. | 11 | /˘·······/˘ |
| (Plucks out the dagger.) | 5 | ···/˘ |
| Go in peace and lay your death to Fortune's door. | 11 | ········/˘· |
| He's sped--thank Fortune! | 5 | ···/˘ |
| Ferdinand. Who knows not Fortune, glutted on | 11 | /˘····/˘/˘· |
| easy thrones, | 3 | /˘· |
| Stealing from feasts as rare to coney-catch | 10 | /˘·····/˘· |
| Privily in the hedgerows for a clown. | 11 | /˘˘········ |
| With that same cruel-lustful hand and eye, | 9 | ···//˘··· |
| Those nails and wedges, that one hammer and lead, | 11 | ···/˘··/˘·· |
| And the very gerb of long-stored lightning loosed. | 11 | ··/˘····/˘· |
| Yesterday 'gainst some King. | 6 | /˘···· |
| The King. I have pursued with prayers where my heart warns me | 13 | ····˘/······· |
| My soul shall overtake-- | 6 | ···/˘· |
| The King. Look not! Wait till I tell you, | 9 | ········· |
| dearest.... Air!... | 3 | /˘· |
| 'Loosed to adventure early' | 8 | ·˘·˘/˘/˘ |
| ... I go late. (Dies.) | 4 | ···· |
| Gow. So! God hath cut off the Prince in his | 10 | ·········· |
| pleasures. Gow, to save the King, hath silenced one | 11 | /˘······/˘· |
| poor fool who knew how it befell, and now the | 11 | ······˘/··· |
| King's dead, needs only that the Queen should kill | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Gow and all's safe for her this side o' the Judgment. | 12 | ··········/˘ |
| ...Senor Ferdinand, the wind's easterly. I'm for | 11 | ·//˘···/˘·· |
| the road. | 2 | ·· |
| Gow. To the Duke, if the Queen does not lay | 10 | ·········· |
| hands on me before. However it goes, I charge you | 13 | ······/˘····· |
| bear witness, Senor Ferdinand, I served the old | 12 | ·/˘·//˘····· |
| King faithfully. To the death, Senor Ferdinand--to | 12 | ·/˘····//˘·· |
| the death! | 2 | ·· |
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