Public Square in Moscow
THE PEOPLE. The tsarevich a boyar hath sent to us.Let's hear what the boyar will tell us. Hither!Hither!
PUSHKIN. (On a platform.) Townsmen of Moscow! The tsarevichBids me convey his greetings to you. (He bows.) Ye knowHow Divine Providence saved the tsarevichFrom out the murderer's hands; he went to punishHis murderer, but God's judgment hath alreadyStruck down Boris. All Russia hath submittedUnto Dimitry; with heartfelt repentanceBasmanov hath himself led forth his troopsTo swear allegiance to him. In love, in peaceDimitry comes to you. Would ye, to pleaseThe house of Godunov, uplift a handAgainst the lawful tsar, against the grandsonOf Monomakh?
PUSHKIN. Townsmen of Moscow!The world well knows how much ye have enduredUnder the rule of the cruel stranger; ban,Dishonour, executions, taxes, hardships,Hunger--all these ye have experienced.Dimitry is disposed to show you favour,Courtiers, boyars, state-servants, soldiers, strangers,Merchants--and every honest man. Will yeBe stubborn without reason, and in prideFlee from his kindness? But he himself is comingTo his ancestral throne with dreadful escort.Provoke not ye the tsar to wrath, fear God,And swear allegiance to the lawful ruler;Humble yourselves; forthwith send to DimitryThe Metropolitan, deacons, boyars,And chosen men, that they may homage doTo their lord and father.
THE PEOPLE. What is to be said?The boyar spake truth. Long live Dimitry, our father!
A PEASANT ON THE PLATFORM. People! To the Kremlin!To the Royal palace!The whelp of Boris go bind!
THE PEOPLE. (Rushing in a crowd.)Bind, drown him! HailDimitry! Perish the race of Godunov!
Words in this poem
- boyar n.
- A member of a Russian aristocratic order abolished by Peter the Great. Also, one of a privileged class in Roumania. [Russ. boiárin'.]
- went n.
- Course; way; path; journey; direction.
- heartfelt a.
- Hearty; sincere.
- uplift v. t.
- To lift or raise aloft; to raise; to elevate; as, to uplift the arm; to uplift a rock.
- tsar n.
- The title of the emperor of Russia. See Czar.
- dishonour n.
- Lack of honor; disgrace; ignominy; shame; reproach. [OE. deshonour, dishonour, OF. deshonor, deshonur, F. déshonneur; pref. des- (L. dis-) + honor, honur, F. honneur, fr. L. honor. See Honor.]
- favour n.
- Kind regard; propitious aspect; countenance; friendly disposition; kindness; good will. [Written also favour.]
- dreadful a.
- Full of dread or terror; fearful.
- forthwith adv.
- Immediately; without delay; directly.
- kremlin n.
- The citadel of a town or city; especially, the citadel of Moscow, a large inclosure which contains imperial palaces, cathedrals, churches, an arsenal, etc. [Russ. kremle.]
- whelp n.
- One of the young of a dog or a beast of prey; a puppy; a cub; as, a lion's whelps. [AS. hwelp; akin to D. welp, G. & OHG. welf, Icel. hvelpr, Dan. hvalp, Sw. valp.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Public Square in Moscow 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, Public Square in Moscow, in Boris Godunov (1918), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #5089, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/pushkin-boris-godunov/public-square-in-moscow.html, id L25493.
Form and metre
Public Square in Moscow is 41 lines in 6 stanzas. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 80%).
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.
- 1 -AA us · hitherA · hitherA
- 2 A-A---------- tsarevichA · know · tsarevichA · punish · already · submitted · repentance · troops · peace · please · hand · grandson · monomakh
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 |
|---|---|---|
| THE PEOPLE. The tsarevich a boyar hath sent to us. | 14 | ·/˘·····˘/···· |
| Let's hear what the boyar will tell us. Hither! | 11 | ····˘/···/˘ |
| Hither! | 2 | /˘ |
| PUSHKIN. (On a platform.) Townsmen of Moscow! The tsarevich | 15 | /˘··/····/····· |
| Bids me convey his greetings to you. (He bows.) Ye know | 13 | ··˘/·/˘······ |
| How Divine Providence saved the tsarevich | 10 | ·˘//˘····· |
| From out the murderer's hands; he went to punish | 11 | ···/˘····/˘ |
| His murderer, but God's judgment hath already | 11 | ·/˘··/˘·˘/˘ |
| Struck down Boris. All Russia hath submitted | 11 | ··/˘·/˘·˘/˘ |
| Unto Dimitry; with heartfelt repentance | 11 | ······/·˘/˘ |
| Basmanov hath himself led forth his troops | 10 | ····˘/···· |
| To swear allegiance to him. In love, in peace | 11 | ··˘/˘······ |
| Dimitry comes to you. Would ye, to please | 10 | ·········· |
| The house of Godunov, uplift a hand | 10 | ···/˘˘/˘·· |
| Against the lawful tsar, against the grandson | 11 | ···/˘····/· |
| Of Monomakh? | 4 | ···· |
| PUSHKIN. Townsmen of Moscow! | 7 | /˘···/· |
| The world well knows how much ye have endured | 10 | ········˘/ |
| Under the rule of the cruel stranger; ban, | 10 | ······//˘· |
| Dishonour, executions, taxes, hardships, | 11 | ˘/˘·˘/˘/˘/˘ |
| Hunger--all these ye have experienced. | 10 | /˘····˘/˘˘ |
| Dimitry is disposed to show you favour, | 11 | ····˘/···/˘ |
| Courtiers, boyars, state-servants, soldiers, strangers, | 11 | /˘˘/·/˘/˘/˘ |
| Merchants--and every honest man. Will ye | 10 | /˘·/˘/˘··· |
| Be stubborn without reason, and in pride | 10 | ·/˘··/˘··· |
| Flee from his kindness? But he himself is coming | 12 | ···/˘··˘/·/˘ |
| To his ancestral throne with dreadful escort. | 11 | ··˘/˘··/˘/˘ |
| Provoke not ye the tsar to wrath, fear God, | 10 | ˘/········ |
| And swear allegiance to the lawful ruler; | 11 | ··˘/˘··/˘/˘ |
| Humble yourselves; forthwith send to Dimitry | 11 | /˘/˘//····· |
| The Metropolitan, deacons, boyars, | 10 | ··˘/˘˘/˘˘/ |
| And chosen men, that they may homage do | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| To their lord and father. | 6 | ····/˘ |
| THE PEOPLE. What is to be said? | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| The boyar spake truth. Long live Dimitry, our father! | 13 | ·˘/·······//˘ |
| A PEASANT ON THE PLATFORM. People! To the Kremlin! | 13 | ·/˘··/·/˘··/˘ |
| To the Royal palace! | 6 | ··/˘/˘ |
| The whelp of Boris go bind! | 7 | ···/˘·· |
| THE PEOPLE. (Rushing in a crowd.) | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| Bind, drown him! Hail | 4 | ···· |
| Dimitry! Perish the race of Godunov! | 11 | ···/˘···/˘˘ |
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