Praefatio
Per quinquennia iam decem,ni fallor, fuimus: septimus insuperannum cardo rotat, dum fruimur sole volubili.Instat terminus et diemvicinum senio iam Deus adplicat.Quid nos utile tanti spatio temporis egimus?Aetas prima crepantibusflevit sub ferulis: mox docuit togainfectum vitiis falsa loqui, non sine crimine.Tum lasciva protervitas,et luxus petulans (heu pudet ac piget)foedavit iuvenem nequitiae sordibus ac luto.Exin iurgia turbidosarmarunt animos et male pertinaxvincendi studium subiacuit casibus asperis.Bis legum moderaminefrenos nobilium reximus urbium,ius civile bonis reddidimus, terruimus reos.Tandem militiae graduevectum pietas principis extulitadsumptum propius stare iubens ordine proximo.Haec dum vita volans agit,inrepsit subito canities senioblitum veteris me Saliae consulis arguens:ex quo prima dies mihiquam multas hiemes volverit et rosaspratis post glaciem reddiderit, nix capitis probat.Numquid talia proderuntcarnis post obitum vel bona vel mala,cum iam, quidquid id est, quod fueram, mors aboleverit?Dicendum mihi; Quisquis es,mundum, quem coluit, mens tua perdidit:non sunt illa Dei, quae studuit, cuius habeberis.Atqui fine sub ultimopeccatrix anima stultitiam exuat:saltem voce Deum concelebret, si meritis nequit:hymnis continuet dies,nec nox ulla vacet, quin Dominum canat:pugnet contra hereses, catholicam discutiat fidem,conculcet sacra gentium,labem, Roma, tuis inferat idolis,carmen martyribus devoveat, laudet apostolos.Haec dum scribo vel eloquor,vinclis o utinam corporis emicemliber, quo tulerit lingua sono mobilis ultimo.
Words in this poem
- terminus n.
- Literally, a boundary; a border; a limit. [L. See Term.]
- quid n.
- A portion suitable to be chewed; a cud; as, a quid of tobacco. [See Cud.]
- utile a.
- Profitable; useful. [L. utilis, fr. uti to use: cf. F. utile. See Use, v. t.]
- tandem adv.
- One after another; -- said especially of horses harnessed and driven one before another, instead of abreast. [L. tandem at length (of time only), punningly taken as meaning, lengthwise.]
- proximo
- In the next month after the present; -- often contracted to prox.; as, on the 3d proximo. [L., on the next, abl. of proximus next.]
- subito adv.
- In haste; quickly; rapidly. [It. & L.]
- mala n.
- Evils; wrongs; offenses against right and law. Mala in se Etym: [L.] (Law), offenses which are such from their own nature, at common law, irrespective of statute. [L.]
- quod v.
- Quoth; said. See Quoth.
- ultimo
- In the month immediately preceding the present; as, on the 1st ultimo; -- usually abbreviated to ult. Cf. Proximo. [L. ultimo (mense) in the last month.]
- quin n.
- A European scallop (Pecten opercularis), used as food. [Prov.
- contra
- A Latin adverb and preposition, signifying against, contrary, in opposition, etc., entering as a prefix into the composition of many English words. Cf. Counter, adv. & pref.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Praefatio is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Hymns of Prudentius, Project Gutenberg ebook #14959; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Prudentius, Praefatio, in The Hymns of Prudentius (1905), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #14959, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/prudentius-hymns/praefatio.html, id L23665.
Form and metre
Praefatio is 45 lines in a single stanza.
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 -----AA------------B-B-------C-C------------- decem · insuper · volubili · diem · adplicat · egimusA · crepantibusA · toga · crimine · protervitas · piget · luto · turbidos · pertinax · asperis · moderamine · urbium · reos · gradu · extulitB · proximo · agitB · seni · arguens · mihi · rosas · probat · proderunt · mala · aboleveritC · es · perdiditC · habeberis · ultimo · exuat · nequit · dies · canat · fidem · gentium · idolis · apostolos · eloquor · emicem · ultimo
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Per quinquennia iam decem, | 7 | ······· |
| ni fallor, fuimus: septimus insuper | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| annum cardo rotat, dum fruimur sole volubili. | 14 | /˘/˘·········· |
| Instat terminus et diem | 7 | ··/˘˘·· |
| vicinum senio iam Deus adplicat. | 10 | ·········· |
| Quid nos utile tanti spatio temporis egimus? | 14 | ··/˘·········· |
| Aetas prima crepantibus | 8 | ··/˘···· |
| flevit sub ferulis: mox docuit toga | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| infectum vitiis falsa loqui, non sine crimine. | 13 | ············· |
| Tum lasciva protervitas, | 8 | ········ |
| et luxus petulans (heu pudet ac piget) | 13 | ·········//·· |
| foedavit iuvenem nequitiae sordibus ac luto. | 15 | ···········//·· |
| Exin iurgia turbidos | 7 | ······· |
| armarunt animos et male pertinax | 11 | ··········· |
| vincendi studium subiacuit casibus asperis. | 14 | ·············· |
| Bis legum moderamine | 7 | ······· |
| frenos nobilium reximus urbium, | 10 | ·········· |
| ius civile bonis reddidimus, terruimus reos. | 14 | ····/˘········ |
| Tandem militiae gradu | 6 | /˘···· |
| evectum pietas principis extulit | 11 | ··········· |
| adsumptum propius stare iubens ordine proximo. | 13 | ··········/˘˘ |
| Haec dum vita volans agit, | 8 | ··/˘···· |
| inrepsit subito canities seni | 10 | ···/˘˘···· |
| oblitum veteris me Saliae consulis arguens: | 13 | ············· |
| ex quo prima dies mihi | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| quam multas hiemes volverit et rosas | 10 | ········/˘ |
| pratis post glaciem reddiderit, nix capitis probat. | 15 | ··············· |
| Numquid talia proderunt | 7 | ······· |
| carnis post obitum vel bona vel mala, | 12 | ·······/˘·/˘ |
| cum iam, quidquid id est, quod fueram, mors aboleverit? | 16 | ·····˘/········· |
| Dicendum mihi; Quisquis es, | 8 | ········ |
| mundum, quem coluit, mens tua perdidit: | 10 | ·········· |
| non sunt illa Dei, quae studuit, cuius habeberis. | 13 | ············· |
| Atqui fine sub ultimo | 7 | ····/˘˘ |
| peccatrix anima stultitiam exuat: | 11 | ··········· |
| saltem voce Deum concelebret, si meritis nequit: | 14 | ·············· |
| hymnis continuet dies, | 6 | ······ |
| nec nox ulla vacet, quin Dominum canat: | 12 | ············ |
| pugnet contra hereses, catholicam discutiat fidem, | 16 | ··/˘············ |
| conculcet sacra gentium, | 7 | ···/˘·· |
| labem, Roma, tuis inferat idolis, | 11 | ··/˘······· |
| carmen martyribus devoveat, laudet apostolos. | 15 | /˘············· |
| Haec dum scribo vel eloquor, | 8 | ········ |
| vinclis o utinam corporis emicem | 12 | ············ |
| liber, quo tulerit lingua sono mobilis ultimo. | 16 | /˘····/˘·····/˘˘ |
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.