Act IV: Scene V
ANNICCA.His heavy sleep still lasts. Despite the wordsOf the physician, I can cast not offThat ghastly fear. Albeit he owned no drugs,This deathlike slumber, this deep breathing slow,His livid pallor makes me dread each momentHis weary pulse will cease. This is the end,And from the first I knew it. The worst evilMy warning tongue had wrought were joy to this.No heavier curse could I invoke on herThan that she see him in her dreams, her thoughts,As he is now. I could no longer bear it;I have fled hither from his couch to breathe--To quicken my spent courage for the end.I cannot pray--my heart is full of curses.He sleeps; he rests. What better could I wishFor his rent heart, his stunned, unbalanced brain,Than sleep to be eternally prolonged?
ANNICCA.How now? What news?
FIAMETTA.The master is awakeAnd calls for you, signora.
ANNICCA.Heaven be praised!
FIAMETTA.Would I had followed my young mistress! HereI creep about like a scared, guilty thing,And fancy at each moment they will guess'T was I who led her to the hut. I will confess,If any sin there be, to Father Clement,And buy indulgence with her golden chain.'T would burn my throat, the master's rolling eyesWould haunt me ever, if I went to wear it.So, all will yet be well.
Words in this poem
- albeit conj.
- Even though; although; notwithstanding. [OE. al be although it be, where al is our all. Cf. Although.]
- pallor n.
- Paleness; want of color; pallidity; as, pallor of the complexion. Jer. Taylor. [L., fr. pallere to be or look pale. See Pale, a.]
- unbalanced a.
- Not balanced; not in equipoise; having no counterpoise, or having insufficient counterpoise. [In senses 1 and 2, pref. un- not + balanced; in sense 3, 1st pref. un- + balance.]
- eternally adv.
- In an eternal manner.
- signora n.
- Madam; Mrs; -- a title of address or respect among the Italians. [It.]
- went n.
- Course; way; path; journey; direction.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Act IV: Scene V is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Poems of Emma Lazarus, Volume 1, Project Gutenberg ebook #3295; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Emma Lazarus, Act IV: Scene V, in The Spagnoletto (1876), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #3295, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/lazarus-spagnoletto/act-iv-scene-v.html, id L19149.
Form and metre
Act IV: Scene V is 35 lines in 5 stanzas.
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------A---- annicca · words · off · drugs · slow · moment · endA · evil · this · her · thoughts · it · breathe · endA · curses · wish · brain · prolonged
- 5 ---AA----- fiametta · here · thing · guessA · confessA · clement · chain · eyes · it · well
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. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| ANNICCA. | 3 | ··· |
| His heavy sleep still lasts. Despite the words | 10 | ·/˘···˘/·· |
| Of the physician, I can cast not off | 10 | ··˘/˘····· |
| That ghastly fear. Albeit he owned no drugs, | 11 | ·/˘·˘/˘···· |
| This deathlike slumber, this deep breathing slow, | 10 | ·/˘/˘··/˘· |
| His livid pallor makes me dread each moment | 11 | ·/˘/˘····/˘ |
| His weary pulse will cease. This is the end, | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| And from the first I knew it. The worst evil | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| My warning tongue had wrought were joy to this. | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| No heavier curse could I invoke on her | 10 | ·/˘···˘/·· |
| Than that she see him in her dreams, her thoughts, | 10 | ·········· |
| As he is now. I could no longer bear it; | 11 | ·······/˘·· |
| I have fled hither from his couch to breathe-- | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| To quicken my spent courage for the end. | 10 | ·/˘··/˘··· |
| I cannot pray--my heart is full of curses. | 11 | ·/˘······/˘ |
| He sleeps; he rests. What better could I wish | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| For his rent heart, his stunned, unbalanced brain, | 10 | ······˘/˘· |
| Than sleep to be eternally prolonged? | 10 | ····˘/˘˘˘/ |
| ANNICCA. | 3 | ··· |
| How now? What news? | 4 | ···· |
| FIAMETTA. | 3 | ··· |
| The master is awake | 6 | ·/˘·˘/ |
| And calls for you, signora. | 7 | ····˘/˘ |
| ANNICCA. | 3 | ··· |
| Heaven be praised! | 4 | /˘·· |
| FIAMETTA. | 3 | ··· |
| Would I had followed my young mistress! Here | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| I creep about like a scared, guilty thing, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| And fancy at each moment they will guess | 10 | ·/˘··/˘··· |
| 'T was I who led her to the hut. I will confess, | 13 | ···········˘/ |
| If any sin there be, to Father Clement, | 11 | ·/˘····/˘/˘ |
| And buy indulgence with her golden chain. | 10 | ··˘/˘··/˘· |
| 'T would burn my throat, the master's rolling eyes | 11 | ······/˘/˘· |
| Would haunt me ever, if I went to wear it. | 10 | ···/······ |
| So, all will yet be well. | 6 | ······ |
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