Act I: Scene I
MADAME PERNELLE.Come, come, Flipotte, and let me get away.
ELMIRE.You hurry so, I hardly can attend you.
MADAME PERNELLE.Then don't, my daughter-in law. Stay where you are.I can dispense with your polite attentions.
ELMIRE.We're only paying what is due you, mother.Why must you go away in such a hurry?
MADAME PERNELLE.Because I can't endure your carryings-on,And no one takes the slightest pains to please me.I leave your house, I tell you, quite disgusted;You do the opposite of my instructions;You've no respect for anything; each oneMust have his say; it's perfect pandemonium.
DORINE.If ...
MADAME PERNELLE.You're a servant wench, my girl, and muchToo full of gab, and too impertinentAnd free with your advice on all occasions.
DAMIS.But ...
MADAME PERNELLE.You're a fool, my boy--f, o, o, lJust spells your name. Let grandma tell you thatI've said a hundred times to my poor son,Your father, that you'd never come to goodOr give him anything but plague and torment.
MARIANE.I think ...
MADAME PERNELLE.O dearie me, his little sister!You're all demureness, butter wouldn't meltIn your mouth, one would think to look at you.Still waters, though, they say ... you know the proverb;And I don't like your doings on the sly.
ELMIRE.But, mother ...
MADAME PERNELLE.Daughter, by your leave, your conductIn everything is altogether wrong;You ought to set a good example for 'em;Their dear departed mother did much better.You are extravagant; and it offends me,To see you always decked out like a princess.A woman who would please her husband's eyesAlone, wants no such wealth of fineries.
CLEANTE.But, madam, after all ...
MADAME PERNELLE.Sir, as for you,The lady's brother, I esteem you highly,Love and respect you. But, sir, all the same,If I were in my son's, her husband's, place,I'd urgently entreat you not to comeWithin our doors. You preach a way of livingThat decent people cannot tolerate.I'm rather frank with you; but that's my way--I don't mince matters, when I mean a thing.
DAMIS.Mr. Tartuffe, your friend, is mighty lucky ...
MADAME PERNELLE.He is a holy man, and must be heeded;I can't endure, with any show of patience,To hear a scatterbrains like you attack him.
DAMIS.What! Shall I let a bigot criticasterCome and usurp a tyrant's power here?And shall we never dare amuse ourselvesTill this fine gentleman deigns to consent?
DORINE.If we must hark to him, and heed his maxims,There's not a thing we do but what's a crime;He censures everything, this zealous carper.
MADAME PERNELLE.And all he censures is well censured, too.He wants to guide you on the way to heaven;My son should train you all to love him well.
DAMIS.No, madam, look you, nothing--not my fatherNor anything--can make me tolerate him.I should belie my feelings not to say so.His actions rouse my wrath at every turn;And I foresee that there must come of itAn open rupture with this sneaking scoundrel.
DORINE.Besides, 'tis downright scandalous to seeThis unknown upstart master of the house--This vagabond, who hadn't, when he came,Shoes to his feet, or clothing worth six farthings,And who so far forgets his place, as nowTo censure everything, and rule the roost!
MADAME PERNELLE.Eh! Mercy sakes alive! Things would go betterIf all were governed by his pious orders.
DORINE.He passes for a saint in your opinion.In fact, he's nothing but a hypocrite.
MADAME PERNELLE.Just listen to her tongue!
DORINE.I wouldn't trust him,Nor yet his Lawrence, without bonds and surety.
MADAME PERNELLE.I don't know what the servant's characterMay be; but I can guarantee the masterA holy man. You hate him and reject himBecause he tells home truths to all of you.'Tis sin alone that moves his heart to anger,And heaven's interest is his only motive.
DORINE.Of course. But why, especially of late,Can he let nobody come near the house?Is heaven offended at a civil callThat he should make so great a fuss about it?I'll tell you, if you like, just what I think;(Pointing to Elmire)Upon my word, he's jealous of our mistress.
MADAME PERNELLE.You hold your tongue, and think what you are saying.He's not alone in censuring these visits;The turmoil that attends your sort of people,Their carriages forever at the door,And all their noisy footmen, flocked together,Annoy the neighbourhood, and raise a scandal.I'd gladly think there's nothing really wrong;But it makes talk; and that's not as it should be.
CLEANTE.Eh! madam, can you hope to keep folk's tonguesFrom wagging? It would be a grievous thingIf, for the fear of idle talk about us,We had to sacrifice our friends. No, no;Even if we could bring ourselves to do it,Think you that everyone would then be silenced?Against backbiting there is no defenceSo let us try to live in innocence,To silly tattle pay no heed at all,And leave the gossips free to vent their gall.
DORINE.Our neighbour Daphne, and her little husband,Must be the ones who slander us, I'm thinking.Those whose own conduct's most ridiculous,Are always quickest to speak ill of others;They never fail to seize at once uponThe slightest hint of any love affair,And spread the news of it with glee, and give itThe character they'd have the world believe in.By others' actions, painted in their colours,They hope to justify their own; they think,In the false hope of some resemblance, eitherTo make their own intrigues seem innocent,Or else to make their neighbours share the blameWhich they are loaded with by everybody.
MADAME PERNELLE.These arguments are nothing to the purpose.Orante, we all know, lives a perfect life;Her thoughts are all of heaven; and I have heardThat she condemns the company you keep.
DORINE.O admirable pattern! Virtuous dame!She lives the model of austerity;But age has brought this piety upon her,And she's a prude, now she can't help herself.As long as she could capture men's attentionsShe made the most of her advantages;But, now she sees her beauty vanishing,She wants to leave the world, that's leaving her,And in the specious veil of haughty virtueShe'd hide the weakness of her worn-out charms.That is the way with all your old coquettes;They find it hard to see their lovers leave 'em;And thus abandoned, their forlorn estateCan find no occupation but a prude's.These pious dames, in their austerity,Must carp at everything, and pardon nothing.They loudly blame their neighbours' way of living,Not for religion's sake, but out of envy,Because they can't endure to see anotherEnjoy the pleasures age has weaned them from.
MADAME PERNELLE (to Elmire)There! That's the kind of rigmarole to please you,Daughter-in-law. One never has a chanceTo get a word in edgewise, at your house,Because this lady holds the floor all day;But none the less, I mean to have my say, too.I tell you that my son did nothing wiserIn all his life, than take this godly manInto his household; heaven sent him here,In your great need, to make you all repent;For your salvation, you must hearken to him;He censures nothing but deserves his censure.These visits, these assemblies, and these balls,Are all inventions of the evil spirit.You never hear a word of godlinessAt them--but idle cackle, nonsense, flimflam.Our neighbour often comes in for a share,The talk flies fast, and scandal fills the air;It makes a sober person's head go round,At these assemblies, just to hear the soundOf so much gab, with not a word to say;And as a learned man remarked one dayMost aptly, 'tis the Tower of Babylon,Where all, beyond all limit, babble on.And just to tell you how this point came in ...
(To Cleante)So! Now the gentlemen must snicker, must he?Go find fools like yourself to make you laughAnd don't ...
(To Elmire)Daughter, good-bye; not one word more.As for this house, I leave the half unsaid;But I shan't soon set foot in it again,
(Cuffing Flipotte)Come, you! What makes you dream and stand agape,Hussy! I'll warm your ears in proper shape!March, trollop, march!
Words in this poem 54
- madame n.
- My lady; -- a French title formerly given to ladies of quality; now, in France, given to all married women. [F., fr. ma my (L. mea) + dame dame. See Dame, and cf. Madonna.]
- dispense v. i.
- To compensate; to make up; to make amends.
- polite a.
- Smooth; polished. [L. politus, p. p. of polire to polish: cf. F. poli. See Polish, v.]
- pandemonium n.
- The great hall or council chamber of demons or evil spirits.
- grandma n.
- A grand mother.
- demureness n.
- The state of being demure; gravity; the show of gravity or modesty.
- altogether adv.
- All together; conjointly. [OE. altogedere; al all + togedere together. See Together.]
- ought p. p.
- Was or were under obligation to pay; owed. [Orig. the preterit of the verb to owe. OE. oughte, aughte, ahte, AS. ahte. sq. root110. See Owe.]
- princess n.
- A female prince; a woman having sovereign power, or the rank of a prince. [F. princesse. See Prince, and cf. Princesse.]
- wealth n.
- Weal; welfare; prosperity; good. [OE. welthe, from wele; cf. D. weelde luxury. See Weal prosperity.]
- urgently adv.
- In an urgent manner.
- 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.]
- tolerate v. t.
- To suffer to be, or to be done, without prohibition or hindrance; to allow or permit negatively, by not preventing; not to restrain; to put up with; as, to tolerate doubtful practices. [L. toleratus, p.p. of tolerare, fr. the same root as tollere to lift up, tuli, used as perfect of ferre to bear, latus (for tlatus), used as p.p. of ferre to be]
- mince v. t.
- To cut into very small pieces; to chop fine; to hash; as, to mince meat. [AS. minsian to grow less, dwindle, fr. min small; akin to G. minder less, Goth. minniza less, mins less, adv., L. minor, adj. (cf. Minor); or more likely fr. F.]
- tartuffe n.
- A hypocritical devotee. See the Dictionary of Noted Names in Fiction. [F. tartufe.]
- 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,]
- bigot n.
- A hypocrite; esp., a superstitious hypocrite. [F. bigot a bigot or hypocrite, a name once given to the Normans in France. Of unknown origin; possibly akin to Sp. bigote a whisker; hombre de bigote a man of s]
- criticaster n.
- A contemptible or vicious critic.
- amuse v. t.
- To occupy or engage the attention of; to lose in deep thought; to absorb; also, to distract; to bewilder. [F. amuser to make stay, to detain, to amuse, ad) + OF. muser. See Muse, v.]
- carper n.
- One who carps; a caviler.
- belie v. t.
- To show to be false; to convict of, or charge with, falsehood. [OE. bilien, bili, AS. beleógan; pref. be- + leógan to lie. See Lie, n.]
- foresee v. i.
- To have or exercise foresight.
- downright adv.
- Straight down; perpendicularly.
- scandalous a.
- Giving offense to the conscience or moral feelings; exciting reprobation; calling out condemnation. [Cf. F. scandaleux.]
- nobody n.
- No person; no one; not anybody. [No, a. + body.]
- fuss n.
- A tumult; a bustle; unnecessary or annoying ado about trifles. [Cf. Fusome.]
- turmoil v. t.
- To harass with commotion; to disquiet; to worry.
- scandal n.
- Offense caused or experienced; reproach or reprobation called forth by what is regarded as wrong, criminal, heinous, or flagrant: opprobrium or disgrace. [F. scandale, fr. L. scandalum, Gr. scandle, OF. escandle. See Slander.]
- gladly adv.
- Preferably; by choice. [From Glad, a.]
- everyone n.
- Everybody; -- commonly separated, every one. [OE. everychon.]
- backbiting n.
- Secret slander; detraction.
- defence n.
- The act of defending, or the state of being defended; protection, as from violence or danger. [F. défense, OF. defense, fem., defens, masc., fr. L. defensa (cf. Fence.]
- tattle v. i.
- To prate; to talk idly; to use many words with little meaning; to chat. [Akin to OE. tateren, LG. tateln, D. tateren to stammer, and perhaps to E. titter.]
- neighbour v. i.
- To dwell in the vicinity; to be a neighbor, or in the neighborhood; to be near.
- daphne n.
- A genus of diminutive Shrubs, mostly evergreen, and with fragrant blossoms. [L., a laurel tree, from Gr. .]
- glee n.
- Music; minstrelsy; entertainment.
- admirable a.
- Fitted to excite wonder; wonderful; marvelous. [L. admirabilis: cf. F. admirable.]
- virtuous a.
- Possessing or exhibiting virtue. Specifically: -- (a) Exhibiting manly courage and strength; valorous; valiant; brave. [OE. vertuous, OF. vertuos, vertuous, F. vertueux, fr. L. Virtuous. See Virtue, and cf. Virtuoso.]
- dame n.
- A mistress of a family, who is a lady; a womam in authority; especially, a lady. [F. dame, LL. domna, fr. L. domina mistress, lady, fem. of dominus master, ruler, lord; akin to domare to tame, subdue. See Tame, and cf. Dam mother, Dan, Danger]
- austerity n.
- Sourness and harshness to the taste. Horsley. [F. austérité, L. austerias, fr. austerus. See Austere.]
- prude n.
- A woman of affected modesty, reserve, or coyness; one who is overscrupulous or sensitive; one who affects extraordinary prudence in conduct and speech. [F., prudish, originally, discreet, modest; shortened from OF. prudefeme, preudefeme, a discreet or excellent woman; OF. preu, prou, excellent, brave + de of + f]
- haughty a.
- High; lofty; bold. [OE. hautein, F. hautain, fr. haut high, OF. also halt, fr. L. altus. See Altitude.]
- forlorn a.
- Deserted abandoned; lost. [OE., p.p. of forlesen to lose utterly, AS. forleósan (p.p. forloren); pref. for- + leósan (in comp.) to lose; cf. D. verliezen to lose, G. verlieren, Sw. förlor]
- rigmarole n.
- A succession of confused or nonsencial statements; foolish talk; nonsense. [For ragman roll. See Ragman's roll.]
- edgewise adv.
- With the edge towards anything; in the direction of the edge.
- repent a.
- Prostrate and rooting; -- said of stems. Gray. [L. repens, -entis, creeping, p. pr. of repere to creep.]
- godliness n.
- Careful observance of, or conformity to, the laws of God; the state or quality of being godly; piety. [From Godly.]
- cackle v. i.
- To make a sharp, broken noise or cry, as a hen or goose does. [OE. cakelen; cf. LG. kakeln, D. kakelen, G. gackeln, gackern; all of imitative origin. Cf. Gagle, Cake to cackle.]
- flimflam n.
- A freak; a trick; a lie. Beau. & Fl. [Cf. Flam.]
- aptly adv.
- In an apt or suitable manner; fitly; properly; pertinently; appropriately; readily.
- snicker v. i.
- To laugh slyly; to laugh in one's sleeve. [Cf. D. snikken to sob, to sigh.]
- agape adv.
- Gaping, as with wonder, expectation, or eager attention. [Pref. a- + gape.]
- hussy n.
- A housewife or housekeeper. [Contr. fr. huswife.]
- trollop n.
- A stroller; a loiterer; esp., an idle, untidy woman; a slattern; a slut; a whore. [From Troll to roll, to stroll; but cf. also Trull.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Act I: Scene I is in the public domain. This text is taken from Tartuffe; Or, The Hypocrite, Project Gutenberg ebook #2027, the Curtis Hidden Page 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: Molière, Act I: Scene I, in Tartuffe; Or, The Hypocrite (1908), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #2027, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/moliere-tartuffe/act-i-scene-i.html, id L26921.
Form and metre
Act I: Scene I is 219 lines in 37 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.
- 9 AA---- pernelleA · lA · that · son · good · torment
- 13 -------AA pernelle · conduct · wrong · em · better · me · princess · eyesA · fineriesA
- 15 ------A--A pernelle · you · highly · same · place · come · livingA · tolerate · way · thingA
- 20 A--A pernelleA · too · heaven · wellA
- 30 -------AABB cleante · tongues · thing · us · no · it · silenced · defenceA · innocenceA · allB · gallB
- 31 -----A--A------ dorine · husband · thinking · ridiculous · others · uponA · affair · it · inA · colours · think · either · innocent · blame · everybody
- 33 --AB----B------A----- dorine · dame · austerityA · herB · herself · attentions · advantages · vanishing · herB · virtue · charms · coquettes · em · estate · prude's · austerityA · nothing · living · envy · another · from
- 34 -A--BA----------CCDDBBEEE elmire · youA · chance · house · dayB · tooA · wiser · man · here · repent · him · censure · balls · spirit · godliness · flimflam · shareC · airC · roundD · soundD · sayB · dayB · babylonE · onE · inE
- 35 A--A cleanteA · he · laugh · don'tA
- 37 -AA- flipotte · agapeA · shapeA · march
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 |
|---|---|---|
| MADAME PERNELLE. | 5 | /˘··· |
| Come, come, Flipotte, and let me get away. | 10 | ········˘/ |
| ELMIRE. | 2 | ·· |
| You hurry so, I hardly can attend you. | 11 | ·/˘··/˘·˘/· |
| MADAME PERNELLE. | 5 | /˘··· |
| Then don't, my daughter-in law. Stay where you are. | 11 | ···/˘······ |
| I can dispense with your polite attentions. | 11 | ··˘/··˘/˘/˘ |
| ELMIRE. | 2 | ·· |
| We're only paying what is due you, mother. | 11 | ·/˘/˘····/˘ |
| Why must you go away in such a hurry? | 11 | ····˘/···/˘ |
| MADAME PERNELLE. | 5 | /˘··· |
| Because I can't endure your carryings-on, | 10 | ····˘/·/˘· |
| And no one takes the slightest pains to please me. | 11 | ·····/˘···· |
| I leave your house, I tell you, quite disgusted; | 11 | ········˘/˘ |
| You do the opposite of my instructions; | 11 | ···/˘˘··˘/˘ |
| You've no respect for anything; each one | 10 | ··˘/·/˘··· |
| Must have his say; it's perfect pandemonium. | 11 | ·····/··˘/˘ |
| DORINE. | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| If ... | 1 | · |
| MADAME PERNELLE. | 5 | /˘··· |
| You're a servant wench, my girl, and much | 9 | ··/˘····· |
| Too full of gab, and too impertinent | 10 | ······˘/˘˘ |
| And free with your advice on all occasions. | 11 | ····˘/··˘/˘ |
| DAMIS. | 2 | ·· |
| But ... | 1 | · |
| MADAME PERNELLE. | 5 | /˘··· |
| You're a fool, my boy--f, o, o, l | 9 | ········· |
| Just spells your name. Let grandma tell you that | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| I've said a hundred times to my poor son, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Your father, that you'd never come to good | 10 | ·/˘··/˘··· |
| Or give him anything but plague and torment. | 11 | ···/˘····/· |
| MARIANE. | 2 | ·· |
| I think ... | 2 | ·· |
| MADAME PERNELLE. | 5 | /˘··· |
| O dearie me, his little sister! | 9 | ·/˘··/˘/˘ |
| You're all demureness, butter wouldn't melt | 10 | ··˘/˘/˘/˘· |
| In your mouth, one would think to look at you. | 10 | ·········· |
| Still waters, though, they say ... you know the proverb; | 11 | ·/˘······/˘ |
| And I don't like your doings on the sly. | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| ELMIRE. | 2 | ·· |
| But, mother ... | 3 | ·/˘ |
| MADAME PERNELLE. | 5 | /˘··· |
| Daughter, by your leave, your conduct | 8 | /˘····/˘ |
| In everything is altogether wrong; | 10 | ·/˘···˘/˘· |
| You ought to set a good example for 'em; | 11 | ······˘/˘·· |
| Their dear departed mother did much better. | 11 | ··˘/˘/˘··/˘ |
| You are extravagant; and it offends me, | 10 | ··˘/˘··˘/· |
| To see you always decked out like a princess. | 11 | ···/·····/˘ |
| A woman who would please her husband's eyes | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| Alone, wants no such wealth of fineries. | 10 | ˘/·····/˘˘ |
| CLEANTE. | 1 | · |
| But, madam, after all ... | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| MADAME PERNELLE. | 5 | /˘··· |
| Sir, as for you, | 4 | ···· |
| The lady's brother, I esteem you highly, | 11 | ·/˘/˘·˘/·/˘ |
| Love and respect you. But, sir, all the same, | 10 | ··˘/······ |
| If I were in my son's, her husband's, place, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| I'd urgently entreat you not to come | 10 | ·/˘˘˘/···· |
| Within our doors. You preach a way of living | 11 | ··/······/˘ |
| That decent people cannot tolerate. | 10 | ·/˘/˘/˘/˘· |
| I'm rather frank with you; but that's my way-- | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| I don't mince matters, when I mean a thing. | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| DAMIS. | 2 | ·· |
| Mr. Tartuffe, your friend, is mighty lucky ... | 11 | /˘·····/˘/˘ |
| MADAME PERNELLE. | 5 | /˘··· |
| He is a holy man, and must be heeded; | 11 | ···/˘····/˘ |
| I can't endure, with any show of patience, | 11 | ··˘/·/˘··/˘ |
| To hear a scatterbrains like you attack him. | 11 | ········˘/· |
| DAMIS. | 2 | ·· |
| What! Shall I let a bigot criticaster | 10 | ·····/˘/˘˘ |
| Come and usurp a tyrant's power here? | 10 | ···/·/˘/˘· |
| And shall we never dare amuse ourselves | 10 | ···/·˘/˘˘/ |
| Till this fine gentleman deigns to consent? | 10 | ···/˘˘··˘/ |
| DORINE. | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| If we must hark to him, and heed his maxims, | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| There's not a thing we do but what's a crime; | 10 | ·········· |
| He censures everything, this zealous carper. | 11 | ·/˘/˘··/˘/˘ |
| MADAME PERNELLE. | 5 | /˘··· |
| And all he censures is well censured, too. | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| He wants to guide you on the way to heaven; | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| My son should train you all to love him well. | 10 | ·········· |
| DAMIS. | 2 | ·· |
| No, madam, look you, nothing--not my father | 11 | ·/˘··/˘··/˘ |
| Nor anything--can make me tolerate him. | 11 | ·/˘····/˘·· |
| I should belie my feelings not to say so. | 11 | ··˘/·/˘···· |
| His actions rouse my wrath at every turn; | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| And I foresee that there must come of it | 10 | ··˘/······ |
| An open rupture with this sneaking scoundrel. | 11 | ·/˘/˘··/˘/˘ |
| DORINE. | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| Besides, 'tis downright scandalous to see | 10 | ˘/·/·/˘˘·· |
| This unknown upstart master of the house-- | 10 | ·˘//·/˘··· |
| This vagabond, who hadn't, when he came, | 10 | ·/˘˘·/˘··· |
| Shoes to his feet, or clothing worth six farthings, | 11 | ·····/˘··/˘ |
| And who so far forgets his place, as now | 10 | ····˘/···· |
| To censure everything, and rule the roost! | 10 | ·/˘/˘····· |
| MADAME PERNELLE. | 5 | /˘··· |
| Eh! Mercy sakes alive! Things would go better | 11 | ·/˘·˘/···/˘ |
| If all were governed by his pious orders. | 11 | ···/˘··/˘/˘ |
| DORINE. | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| He passes for a saint in your opinion. | 11 | ·/˘·····˘/˘ |
| In fact, he's nothing but a hypocrite. | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| MADAME PERNELLE. | 5 | /˘··· |
| Just listen to her tongue! | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| DORINE. | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| I wouldn't trust him, | 5 | ·/˘·· |
| Nor yet his Lawrence, without bonds and surety. | 11 | ···/˘····/˘ |
| MADAME PERNELLE. | 5 | /˘··· |
| I don't know what the servant's character | 10 | ·····/˘/˘˘ |
| May be; but I can guarantee the master | 11 | ······˘/·/˘ |
| A holy man. You hate him and reject him | 11 | ·/˘·····˘/· |
| Because he tells home truths to all of you. | 10 | ·········· |
| 'Tis sin alone that moves his heart to anger, | 11 | ··˘/·····/˘ |
| And heaven's interest is his only motive. | 11 | ·/˘/˘··/˘/˘ |
| DORINE. | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| Of course. But why, especially of late, | 9 | ····˘/˘·· |
| Can he let nobody come near the house? | 10 | ···/······ |
| Is heaven offended at a civil call | 10 | ·/˘/˘··/˘· |
| That he should make so great a fuss about it? | 11 | ··········· |
| I'll tell you, if you like, just what I think; | 10 | ·········· |
| (Pointing to Elmire) | 5 | /˘··· |
| Upon my word, he's jealous of our mistress. | 11 | ·····/˘·//˘ |
| MADAME PERNELLE. | 5 | /˘··· |
| You hold your tongue, and think what you are saying. | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| He's not alone in censuring these visits; | 11 | ··˘/·/˘˘·/˘ |
| The turmoil that attends your sort of people, | 11 | ·/··˘/···/˘ |
| Their carriages forever at the door, | 10 | ·/˘˘˘/˘··· |
| And all their noisy footmen, flocked together, | 11 | ···/˘···˘/˘ |
| Annoy the neighbourhood, and raise a scandal. | 11 | ˘/·······/˘ |
| I'd gladly think there's nothing really wrong; | 10 | ·/˘··/˘/˘· |
| But it makes talk; and that's not as it should be. | 11 | ··········· |
| CLEANTE. | 1 | · |
| Eh! madam, can you hope to keep folk's tongues | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| From wagging? It would be a grievous thing | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| If, for the fear of idle talk about us, | 11 | ·····/˘···· |
| We had to sacrifice our friends. No, no; | 10 | ···/˘·/··· |
| Even if we could bring ourselves to do it, | 10 | /····˘/··· |
| Think you that everyone would then be silenced? | 11 | ···/˘····/˘ |
| Against backbiting there is no defence | 10 | ··/·˘···˘/ |
| So let us try to live in innocence, | 10 | ·······/˘˘ |
| To silly tattle pay no heed at all, | 10 | ·/˘/˘····· |
| And leave the gossips free to vent their gall. | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| DORINE. | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| Our neighbour Daphne, and her little husband, | 11 | //˘/˘··/˘/˘ |
| Must be the ones who slander us, I'm thinking. | 11 | ·····/˘··/˘ |
| Those whose own conduct's most ridiculous, | 10 | ···˘/·˘/˘˘ |
| Are always quickest to speak ill of others; | 11 | ·/·/˘····/˘ |
| They never fail to seize at once upon | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| The slightest hint of any love affair, | 10 | ·/˘··/˘·˘/ |
| And spread the news of it with glee, and give it | 11 | ··········· |
| The character they'd have the world believe in. | 10 | ·/˘····˘/· |
| By others' actions, painted in their colours, | 11 | ·/˘/˘/˘··/˘ |
| They hope to justify their own; they think, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| In the false hope of some resemblance, either | 11 | ······˘/˘/˘ |
| To make their own intrigues seem innocent, | 10 | ····˘/·/˘˘ |
| Or else to make their neighbours share the blame | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Which they are loaded with by everybody. | 11 | ···/˘··/˘·˘ |
| MADAME PERNELLE. | 5 | /˘··· |
| These arguments are nothing to the purpose. | 11 | ·/˘˘·/˘··/˘ |
| Orante, we all know, lives a perfect life; | 10 | ·······˘/· |
| Her thoughts are all of heaven; and I have heard | 10 | ·····/···· |
| That she condemns the company you keep. | 10 | ··˘/·/˘˘·· |
| DORINE. | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| O admirable pattern! Virtuous dame! | 10 | ·/˘˘/˘/˘˘· |
| She lives the model of austerity; | 10 | ···/˘··/˘˘ |
| But age has brought this piety upon her, | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| And she's a prude, now she can't help herself. | 10 | ········˘/ |
| As long as she could capture men's attentions | 11 | ·····/˘·˘/˘ |
| She made the most of her advantages; | 10 | ······˘/˘˘ |
| But, now she sees her beauty vanishing, | 10 | ·····/˘/˘˘ |
| She wants to leave the world, that's leaving her, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| And in the specious veil of haughty virtue | 11 | ···/˘··/˘/˘ |
| She'd hide the weakness of her worn-out charms. | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| That is the way with all your old coquettes; | 10 | ·········· |
| They find it hard to see their lovers leave 'em; | 11 | ·······/˘·· |
| And thus abandoned, their forlorn estate | 10 | ··˘/˘·˘/˘/ |
| Can find no occupation but a prude's. | 10 | ····˘/˘··· |
| These pious dames, in their austerity, | 10 | ·/˘····/˘˘ |
| Must carp at everything, and pardon nothing. | 11 | ···/˘··/˘/˘ |
| They loudly blame their neighbours' way of living, | 11 | ·/˘······/˘ |
| Not for religion's sake, but out of envy, | 11 | ··˘/˘····/˘ |
| Because they can't endure to see another | 11 | ····˘/··˘/˘ |
| Enjoy the pleasures age has weaned them from. | 10 | ˘/·/˘····· |
| MADAME PERNELLE (to Elmire) | 8 | /˘······ |
| There! That's the kind of rigmarole to please you, | 11 | ·····/˘˘··· |
| Daughter-in-law. One never has a chance | 10 | /˘···/˘··· |
| To get a word in edgewise, at your house, | 10 | ·····/···· |
| Because this lady holds the floor all day; | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| But none the less, I mean to have my say, too. | 11 | ··········· |
| I tell you that my son did nothing wiser | 11 | ·······/˘/˘ |
| In all his life, than take this godly man | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Into his household; heaven sent him here, | 10 | ···/·/˘··· |
| In your great need, to make you all repent; | 10 | ········˘/ |
| For your salvation, you must hearken to him; | 11 | ··˘/˘··/˘·· |
| He censures nothing but deserves his censure. | 11 | ·/˘/˘·˘/·/˘ |
| These visits, these assemblies, and these balls, | 10 | ·/˘·˘/˘··· |
| Are all inventions of the evil spirit. | 11 | ··˘/˘··/˘/˘ |
| You never hear a word of godliness | 10 | ·/˘····/˘˘ |
| At them--but idle cackle, nonsense, flimflam. | 11 | ···/˘/˘/˘/· |
| Our neighbour often comes in for a share, | 10 | //˘/˘····· |
| The talk flies fast, and scandal fills the air; | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| It makes a sober person's head go round, | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| At these assemblies, just to hear the sound | 10 | ··˘/˘····· |
| Of so much gab, with not a word to say; | 10 | ·········· |
| And as a learned man remarked one day | 10 | ····˘·˘/·· |
| Most aptly, 'tis the Tower of Babylon, | 10 | ·/˘··/·/˘· |
| Where all, beyond all limit, babble on. | 10 | ·····/˘/˘· |
| And just to tell you how this point came in ... | 10 | ·········· |
| (To Cleante) | 2 | ·· |
| So! Now the gentlemen must snicker, must he? | 10 | ···/˘·/˘·· |
| Go find fools like yourself to make you laugh | 10 | ····˘/···· |
| And don't ... | 2 | ·· |
| (To Elmire) | 3 | ··· |
| Daughter, good-bye; not one word more. | 8 | /˘······ |
| As for this house, I leave the half unsaid; | 10 | ········˘/ |
| But I shan't soon set foot in it again, | 10 | ········˘/ |
| (Cuffing Flipotte) | 4 | /˘·· |
| Come, you! What makes you dream and stand agape, | 10 | ········˘/ |
| Hussy! I'll warm your ears in proper shape! | 10 | /˘·····/˘· |
| March, trollop, march! | 4 | ·/˘· |
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.