Mnishek in Sambor
MARINA.(Before a mirror.) Now then, is it ready? Cannotyou make haste?
ROUZYA. I pray you first to make the difficult choice;Will you the necklace wear of pearls, or elseThe emerald half-moon?MARINA. My diamond crown.
ROUZYA. Splendid! Do you remember that you wore itWhen to the palace you were pleased to go?They say that at the ball your gracious highnessShone like the sun; men sighed, fair ladies whispered--'Twas then that for the first time young KhotkevichBeheld you, he who after shot himself.And whosoever looked on you, they sayThat instant fell in love.
MARINA. Can't you be quicker?
ROUZYA. At once. Today your father counts upon you.'Twas not for naught the young tsarevich saw you;He could not hide his rapture; wounded he isAlready; so it only needs to deal himA resolute blow, and instantly, my lady,He'll be in love with you. 'Tis now a monthSince, quitting Cracow, heedless of the warAnd throne of Moscow, he has feasted here,Your guest, enraging Poles alike and Russians.Heavens! Shall I ever live to see the day?--Say, you will not, when to his capitalDimitry leads the queen of Moscow, sayYou'll not forsake me?
MARINA. Dost thou truly thinkI shall be queen?
ROUZYA. Who, if not you? Who hereDares to compare in beauty with my mistress?The race of Mnishek never yet has yieldedTo any. In intellect you are beyondAll praise.--Happy the suitor whom your glanceHonours with its regard, who wins your heart--Whoe'er he be, be he our king, the dauphinOf France, or even this our poor tsarevichGod knows who, God knows whence!
MARINA. The very sonOf the tsar, and so confessed by the whole world.
ROUZYA. And yet last winter he was but a servantIn the house of Vishnevetsky.MARINA. He was hiding.
ROUZYA. I do not question it: but still do you knowWhat people say about him? That perhapsHe is a deacon run away from Moscow,In his own district a notorious rogue.
MARINA. What nonsense!
ROUZYA. O, I do not credit it!I only say he ought to bless his fateThat you have so preferred him to the others.
MARINA. There you see;You're ready to chatter silliness till daybreak.Meanwhile I am not dressed--
ROUZYA. Within a moment'Twill be quite ready.
MARINA. (Aside.) I must find out all.
Words in this poem
- highness n.
- The state of being high; elevation; loftiness. [AS. heáhnes.]
- needs adv.
- Of necessity; necessarily; indispensably; -- often with must, and equivalent to of need. [Orig. gen. of need, used as an adverb. Cf. - wards.]
- 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,]
- suitor n.
- One who sues, petitions, or entreats; a petitioner; an applicant.
- tsar n.
- The title of the emperor of Russia. See Czar.
- 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.]
- silliness n.
- The quality or state of being silly.
- daybreak n.
- The time of the first appearance of light in the morning.
- meanwhile n.
- The intervening time; as, in the meantime (or mean time).
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Mnishek in Sambor is in the public domain. This text is taken from Boris Godunov: a drama in verse, Project Gutenberg ebook #5089; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Alexander Pushkin, Mnishek in Sambor, in Boris Godunov (1918), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #5089, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/pushkin-boris-godunov/mnishek-in-sambor.html, id L25961.
Form and metre
Mnishek in Sambor is 59 lines in 15 stanzas. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 87%).
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.
- 5 AA-------B-B- youA · youA · is · him · lady · month · war · here · russians · dayB · capital · sayB · me
- 10 A-A- knowA · perhaps · moscowA · rogue
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 |
|---|---|---|
| MARINA. | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| (Before a mirror.) Now then, is it ready? Cannot | 13 | ···/˘····/˘/˘ |
| you make haste? | 3 | ··· |
| ROUZYA. I pray you first to make the difficult choice; | 12 | ·········/˘· |
| Will you the necklace wear of pearls, or else | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| The emerald half-moon? | 5 | ·/˘·· |
| MARINA. My diamond crown. | 7 | ˘/˘·/˘· |
| ROUZYA. Splendid! Do you remember that you wore it | 13 | ··/˘··˘/˘···· |
| When to the palace you were pleased to go? | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| They say that at the ball your gracious highness | 11 | ·······/˘/˘ |
| Shone like the sun; men sighed, fair ladies whispered-- | 11 | ·······/˘/˘ |
| 'Twas then that for the first time young Khotkevich | 11 | ··········· |
| Beheld you, he who after shot himself. | 10 | ˘/······˘/ |
| And whosoever looked on you, they say | 10 | ··˘/˘····· |
| That instant fell in love. | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| MARINA. Can't you be quicker? | 8 | ˘/˘···/˘ |
| ROUZYA. At once. Today your father counts upon you. | 13 | ····˘/·/˘···· |
| 'Twas not for naught the young tsarevich saw you; | 11 | ··········· |
| He could not hide his rapture; wounded he is | 11 | ·····/˘/˘·· |
| Already; so it only needs to deal him | 11 | ˘/˘··/˘···· |
| A resolute blow, and instantly, my lady, | 11 | ·/˘···/˘·/˘ |
| He'll be in love with you. 'Tis now a month | 10 | ·········· |
| Since, quitting Cracow, heedless of the war | 10 | ·/˘··/˘··· |
| And throne of Moscow, he has feasted here, | 10 | ···/···/˘· |
| Your guest, enraging Poles alike and Russians. | 11 | ··˘/˘·˘/·/˘ |
| Heavens! Shall I ever live to see the day?-- | 10 | /˘··/····· |
| Say, you will not, when to his capital | 10 | ·······/˘˘ |
| Dimitry leads the queen of Moscow, say | 10 | ·······/·· |
| You'll not forsake me? | 5 | ··˘/· |
| MARINA. Dost thou truly think | 8 | ˘/˘··/˘· |
| I shall be queen? | 4 | ···· |
| ROUZYA. Who, if not you? Who here | 8 | ········ |
| Dares to compare in beauty with my mistress? | 11 | ··˘/·/˘··/˘ |
| The race of Mnishek never yet has yielded | 11 | ·····/˘··/˘ |
| To any. In intellect you are beyond | 11 | ·/˘·/˘····· |
| All praise.--Happy the suitor whom your glance | 10 | ··/˘·/˘··· |
| Honours with its regard, who wins your heart-- | 10 | /˘··˘/···· |
| Whoe'er he be, be he our king, the dauphin | 11 | ·····/˘··/˘ |
| Of France, or even this our poor tsarevich | 10 | ···/·/···· |
| God knows who, God knows whence! | 6 | ······ |
| MARINA. The very son | 7 | ˘/˘·/˘· |
| Of the tsar, and so confessed by the whole world. | 11 | ·····˘/···· |
| ROUZYA. And yet last winter he was but a servant | 13 | ·····/˘····/˘ |
| In the house of Vishnevetsky. | 8 | ········ |
| MARINA. He was hiding. | 7 | ˘/˘··/˘ |
| ROUZYA. I do not question it: but still do you know | 13 | ·····/˘······ |
| What people say about him? That perhaps | 10 | ·/˘·····˘/ |
| He is a deacon run away from Moscow, | 11 | ···/˘·˘/·/· |
| In his own district a notorious rogue. | 10 | ···/˘·˘/˘· |
| MARINA. What nonsense! | 6 | ˘/˘·/˘ |
| ROUZYA. O, I do not credit it! | 9 | ······/˘· |
| I only say he ought to bless his fate | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| That you have so preferred him to the others. | 11 | ····˘/···/˘ |
| MARINA. There you see; | 6 | ˘/˘··· |
| You're ready to chatter silliness till daybreak. | 11 | ·/˘·/˘/˘·/· |
| Meanwhile I am not dressed-- | 6 | /····· |
| ROUZYA. Within a moment | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| 'Twill be quite ready. | 5 | ···/˘ |
| MARINA. (Aside.) I must find out all. | 10 | ˘/˘˘/····· |
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