Syevsk
PRETENDER. Art not ashamed, Rozhnov, that thou hast drawnThe sword against me?
PRISONER. What else could I do?'Twas not our fault.
PRETENDER. Didst fight beneath the wallsOf Seversk?
PRISONER. 'Twas two weeks after the battleI came from Moscow.
PRISONER. The battle's loss, Mstislavsky's wound, hath caused himMuch apprehension; Shuisky he hath sentTo take command.
PRETENDER. But why hath he recalledBasmanov unto Moscow?
PRISONER. The tsar rewardedHis services with honour and with gold.Basmanov in the council of the tsarNow sits.
PRETENDER. The army had more need of him.Well, how go things in Moscow?
PRISONER. All is quiet,Thank God.PRETENDER. Say, do they look for me?
PRISONER. God knows;They dare not talk too much there now. Of someThe tongues have been cut off, of others evenThe heads. It is a fearsome state of things--Each day an execution. All the prisonsAre crammed. Wherever two or three forgatherIn public places, instantly a spyWorms himself in; the tsar himself examinesAt leisure the denouncers. It is justSheer misery; so silence is the best.
PRETENDER. An enviable life for the tsar's people!Well, how about the army?
PRISONER. What of them?Clothed and full-fed they are content with all.
PRETENDER. But is there much of it?
PRISONER. God knows.
PRETENDER. All toldWill there be thirty thousand?
PRISONER. Yes; 'twill runEven to fifty thousand.
PRETENDER. Well! Of meWhat say they in your camp?
PRISONER. Your graciousnessThey speak of; say that thou, Sire, (be not wrath),Art a thief, but a fine fellow.
PRETENDER. (Laughing.) Even soI'll prove myself to them in deed. My friends,We will not wait for Shuisky; I wish you joy;Tomorrow, battle.
ALL. Long life to Dimitry!
A POLE. Tomorrow, battle! They are fifty thousand,And we scarce fifteen thousand. He is mad!
ANOTHER. That's nothing, friend. A single Pole can challengeFive hundred Muscovites.
PRISONER. Yes, thou mayst challenge!But when it comes to fighting, then, thou braggart,Thou'lt run away.
POLE. If thou hadst had a sword,Insolent prisoner, then (pointing to his sword) with this I'd soonHave vanquished thee.
PRISONER. A Russian can make shiftWithout a sword; how like you this (shows his fist), you fool?
Words in this poem
- hast
- , 2d pers. sing. pres. of. Fave, contr. of havest.
- didst
- , the 2d pers. sing. imp. of Do.
- tsar n.
- The title of the emperor of Russia. See Czar.
- honour n.
- Esteem due or paid to worth; high estimation; respect; consideration; reverence; veneration; manifestation of respect or reverence. [OE. honor, honour, onour, onur, OF. honor, onor, honur, onur, honour, onour, F. honneur, fr. L. honor, honos.]
- thank n.
- A expression of gratitude; an acknowledgment expressive of a sense of favor or kindness received; obligation, claim, or desert, or gratitude; -- now generally used in the plural. [AS. Þanc, Þonc, thanks, favor, thought; akin to OS. thank favor, pleasure, thanks, D. & G. dank thanks, Icel. Þ\'94kk, Dan. tak, Sw. tack, Goth. Þagks thanks; -]
- fearsome a.
- Frightful; causing fear
- wherever adv.
- At or in whatever place; wheresoever.
- forgather v. i.
- To convene; to gossip; to meet accidentally. Jamieson.
- enviable a.
- Fitted to excite envy; capable of awakening an ardent desire to posses or to resemble. [From Envy.]
- graciousness n.
- Quality of being gracious.
- sire n.
- A lord, master, or other person in authority. See Sir. [F. sire, originally, an older person. See Sir.]
- tomorrow adv.
- On the day after the present day; on the next day; on the morrow. [Prep. to + morrow.]
- scarce a.
- Not plentiful or abundant; in small quantity in proportion to the demand; not easily to be procured; rare; uncommon. [OE. scars, OF. escars, eschars, LL. scarpsus, for L. excerptus, p. p. of excerpere to pick out, and hence to contract, to shorten; ex (see Ex-) + carpere. See C]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Syevsk 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, Syevsk, in Boris Godunov (1918), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #5089, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/pushkin-boris-godunov/syevsk.html, id L25963.
Form and metre
Syevsk is 64 lines in 25 stanzas. This poem did not settle on a metre of its own; the book it comes from is in iambic pentameter.
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.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| PRETENDER. Art not ashamed, Rozhnov, that thou hast drawn | 13 | ˘/˘··˘/······ |
| The sword against me? | 5 | ····· |
| PRISONER. What else could I do? | 8 | /˘˘····· |
| 'Twas not our fault. | 5 | ··/˘· |
| PRETENDER. Didst fight beneath the walls | 9 | ˘/˘······ |
| Of Seversk? | 3 | ··· |
| PRISONER. 'Twas two weeks after the battle | 11 | /˘˘······/˘ |
| I came from Moscow. | 5 | ···/· |
| PRISONER. The battle's loss, Mstislavsky's wound, hath caused him | 13 | /˘·/˘········ |
| Much apprehension; Shuisky he hath sent | 10 | ··˘/˘····· |
| To take command. | 4 | ··˘/ |
| PRETENDER. But why hath he recalled | 10 | ˘/˘····˘/˘ |
| Basmanov unto Moscow? | 7 | ·····/· |
| PRISONER. The tsar rewarded | 8 | /˘˘··˘/˘ |
| His services with honour and with gold. | 10 | ·/˘˘·/˘··· |
| Basmanov in the council of the tsar | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Now sits. | 2 | ·· |
| PRETENDER. The army had more need of him. | 11 | ˘/˘·/˘····· |
| Well, how go things in Moscow? | 7 | ·····/· |
| PRISONER. All is quiet, | 7 | /˘˘··/˘ |
| Thank God. | 2 | ·· |
| PRETENDER. Say, do they look for me? | 9 | ˘/˘······ |
| PRISONER. God knows; | 5 | /˘˘·· |
| They dare not talk too much there now. Of some | 10 | ·········· |
| The tongues have been cut off, of others even | 11 | ·······/˘/˘ |
| The heads. It is a fearsome state of things-- | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Each day an execution. All the prisons | 11 | ····˘/˘··/˘ |
| Are crammed. Wherever two or three forgather | 11 | ··˘/˘···˘/˘ |
| In public places, instantly a spy | 10 | ·/˘/˘/˘˘·· |
| Worms himself in; the tsar himself examines | 11 | ·˘/···˘/˘/˘ |
| At leisure the denouncers. It is just | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| Sheer misery; so silence is the best. | 10 | ·/˘˘·/˘··· |
| PRETENDER. An enviable life for the tsar's people! | 12 | ˘/˘·/˘····/˘ |
| Well, how about the army? | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| PRISONER. What of them? | 6 | /˘˘··· |
| Clothed and full-fed they are content with all. | 10 | ······/˘·· |
| PRETENDER. But is there much of it? | 9 | ˘/˘······ |
| PRISONER. God knows. | 5 | /˘˘·· |
| PRETENDER. All told | 5 | ˘/˘·· |
| Will there be thirty thousand? | 7 | ···/˘/˘ |
| PRISONER. Yes; 'twill run | 6 | /˘˘··· |
| Even to fifty thousand. | 7 | /˘·/˘/˘ |
| PRETENDER. Well! Of me | 6 | ˘/˘··· |
| What say they in your camp? | 6 | ······ |
| PRISONER. Your graciousness | 7 | /˘˘·/˘˘ |
| They speak of; say that thou, Sire, (be not wrath), | 10 | ······/··· |
| Art a thief, but a fine fellow. | 8 | ······/˘ |
| PRETENDER. (Laughing.) Even so | 8 | ˘/˘/˘/˘· |
| I'll prove myself to them in deed. My friends, | 10 | ···/······ |
| We will not wait for Shuisky; I wish you joy; | 11 | ··········· |
| Tomorrow, battle. | 5 | ˘/·/˘ |
| ALL. Long life to Dimitry! | 7 | ······· |
| A POLE. Tomorrow, battle! They are fifty thousand, | 13 | ··˘/·/˘··/˘/˘ |
| And we scarce fifteen thousand. He is mad! | 10 | ···///˘··· |
| ANOTHER. That's nothing, friend. A single Pole can challenge | 14 | ˘/˘·/˘··/˘··/˘ |
| Five hundred Muscovites. | 6 | ·/˘/˘· |
| PRISONER. Yes, thou mayst challenge! | 8 | /˘˘···/˘ |
| But when it comes to fighting, then, thou braggart, | 11 | ·····/˘··/˘ |
| Thou'lt run away. | 4 | ··˘/ |
| POLE. If thou hadst had a sword, | 7 | ······· |
| Insolent prisoner, then (pointing to his sword) with this I'd soon | 14 | /˘/˘·/˘······· |
| Have vanquished thee. | 4 | ·/˘· |
| PRISONER. A Russian can make shift | 9 | /˘˘·/˘··· |
| Without a sword; how like you this (shows his fist), you fool? | 13 | ············· |
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