Book V: Prologue, to Particulo
When I resolved my hand to stayFor this, that others might have play,On reconsidering of my partI soon recanted in my heart:For if a rival should arise,How can he possibly deviseThe things that I have let alone,Since each man's fancy is his own,And likewise colouring of the piece?--It was not therefore mere caprice,But strong reflection made me write:Wherefore since you in tales delight,Which I, in justice, after all,Not Esop's, but Esopian call;Since he invented but a few;I more, and some entirely new,Keeping indeed the ancient style,With fresh materials all the while.As at your leisure you peruseThe fourth collection of my muse,That you may not be at a stand,A fifth shall shortly come to hand;'Gainst which, if as against the rest,Malignant cavillers protest,Let them carp on, and make it plainThey carp at what they can't attain.My fame's secure, since I can showHow men of eminence like you,My little book transcribe and quote,As like to live of classic note.It is th' ambition of my penTo win th' applause of learned men.
Words in this poem
- colouring n.
- The act of applying color to; also, that which produces color.
- wherefore adv.
- For which reason; so; -- used relatively. [Where + for.]
- peruse v. t.
- To observe; to examine with care. [Pref. per- + use.]
- 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,]
- shortly adv.
- In a short or brief time or manner; soon; quickly. [AS. sceortlice.]
- transcribe v. t.
- To write over again, or in the same words; to copy; as, to transcribe Livy or Tacitus; to transcribe a letter. [L. transcribere, transcriptum; trans across, over + scribere to write. See Scribe.]
- classic a.
- Of or relating to the first class or rank, especially in literature or art. [L. classicus relating to the classes of the Roman people, and especially to the frist class; hence, of the first rank, superior, from classis class: cf. F. clas]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Book V: Prologue, to Particulo is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Fables of Phædrus Literally translated into English prose with notes, Project Gutenberg ebook #25512; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Phaedrus, Book V: Prologue, to Particulo, in The Fables of Phaedrus (1765), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #25512, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/phaedrus-fables/book-v-prologue-to-particulo.html, id L21314.
Form and metre
Book V: Prologue, to Particulo is 32 lines in a single stanza. It is in rhyming couplets, 94% of the lines: octosyllabic couplets. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 88%).
See other poems in octosyllabic couplets, other poems in iambic tetrameter.
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 AABBCCDDEEFFGGHHIIJJKKLLMM--NNOO stayA · playA · partB · heartB · ariseC · deviseC · aloneD · ownD · pieceE · capriceE · writeF · delightF · allG · callG · fewH · newH · styleI · whileI · peruseJ · museJ · standK · handK · restL · protestL · plainM · attainM · show · you · quoteN · noteN · penO · menO
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 tetrameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| When I resolved my hand to stay | 8 | ··˘/···· |
| For this, that others might have play, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| On reconsidering of my part | 8 | ··˘/˘··· |
| I soon recanted in my heart: | 8 | ··˘/˘··· |
| For if a rival should arise, | 8 | ···/˘·˘/ |
| How can he possibly devise | 8 | ···/˘˘˘/ |
| The things that I have let alone, | 8 | ······˘/ |
| Since each man's fancy is his own, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| And likewise colouring of the piece?-- | 8 | ·/·/˘··· |
| It was not therefore mere caprice, | 8 | ······˘/ |
| But strong reflection made me write: | 8 | ··˘/˘··· |
| Wherefore since you in tales delight, | 8 | /˘····˘/ |
| Which I, in justice, after all, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Not Esop's, but Esopian call; | 8 | ········ |
| Since he invented but a few; | 8 | ··˘/˘··· |
| I more, and some entirely new, | 8 | ····˘/˘· |
| Keeping indeed the ancient style, | 8 | /˘˘/·/˘· |
| With fresh materials all the while. | 8 | ··˘/˘··· |
| As at your leisure you peruse | 8 | ···/˘·˘/ |
| The fourth collection of my muse, | 8 | ··˘/˘··· |
| That you may not be at a stand, | 8 | ········ |
| A fifth shall shortly come to hand; | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| 'Gainst which, if as against the rest, | 8 | ········ |
| Malignant cavillers protest, | 8 | ˘/˘···˘/ |
| Let them carp on, and make it plain | 8 | ········ |
| They carp at what they can't attain. | 8 | ······˘/ |
| My fame's secure, since I can show | 8 | ··˘/···· |
| How men of eminence like you, | 8 | ···/˘˘·· |
| My little book transcribe and quote, | 8 | ·/˘·˘/·· |
| As like to live of classic note. | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| It is th' ambition of my pen | 8 | ··˘/˘··· |
| To win th' applause of learned men. | 8 | ··˘/··˘· |
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.