Two Attendants
1ST ATTENDANT. Ay; that's the kind of intercourse he loves;Sorcerers, fortune-tellers, necromancers.Ever he seeks to dip into the future,Just like some pretty girl. Fain would I knowWhat 'tis he would foretell.
TSAR. (Enters.) I have attained the highest power. Six yearsAlready have I reigned in peace; but joyDwells not within my soul. Even so in youthWe greedily desire the joys of love,But only quell the hunger of the heartWith momentary possession. We grow cold,Grow weary and oppressed! In vain the wizardsPromise me length of days, days of dominionImmune from treachery--not power, not lifeGladden me; I forebode the wrath of HeavenAnd woe. For me no happiness. I thoughtTo satisfy my people in contentment,In glory, gain their love by generous gifts,But I have put away that empty hope;The power that lives is hateful to the mob,--Only the dead they love. We are but foolsWhen our heart vibrates to the people's groansAnd passionate wailing. Lately on our landGod sent a famine; perishing in tormentsThe people uttered moan. The granariesI made them free of, scattered gold among them,Found labour for them; furious for my painsThey cursed me! Next, a fire consumed their homes;I built for them new dwellings; then forsoothThey blamed me for the fire! Such is the mob,Such is its judgment! Seek its love, indeed!I thought within my family to findSolace; I thought to make my daughter happyBy wedlock. Like a tempest Death took offHer bridegroom--and at once a stealthy rumourPronounced me guilty of my daughter's grief--Me, me, the hapless father! Whoso dies,I am the secret murderer of all;I hastened Feodor's end, 'twas I that poisonedMy sister-queen, the lowly nun--all I!Ah! Now I feel it; naught can give us peaceMid worldly cares, nothing save only conscience!Healthy she triumphs over wickedness,Over dark slander; but if in her be foundA single casual stain, then misery.With what a deadly sore my soul doth smart;My heart, with venom filled, doth like a hammerBeat in mine ears reproach; all things revolt me,And my head whirls, and in my eyes are childrenDripping with blood; and gladly would I flee,But nowhere can find refuge--horrible!Pitiful he whose conscience is unclean!
Words in this poem 20
- fain v. t.
- To be glad ; to wish or desire.
- tsar n.
- The title of the emperor of Russia. See Czar.
- quell v. t.
- To take the life of; to kill. [OE. quellen to kill, AS. cwellan, causative of cwelan to die; akin to OHG. quellen to torment, Icel. kvelja. See Quail to cower.]
- immune a.
- Exempt; protected by inoculation. [L. immunis. See Immunity.]
- gladden v. t.
- To make glad; to cheer; to please; to gratify; to rejoice; to exhilarate. [See Glad, v. t.]
- forebode n.
- Prognostication; presage.
- generous a.
- Of honorable birth or origin; highborn. [F. généreux, fr. L. generous of noble birth, noble, excellent, magnanimous, fr. genus birth, race: cf. It. generoso. See 2d Gender.]
- hateful a.
- Manifesting hate or hatred; malignant; malevolent.
- famine n.
- General scarcity of food; dearth; a want of provisions; destitution. [F. famine, fr. L. fames hunger; cf. Gr. hani loss, lack, ha to leave.]
- cursed a.
- Deserving a curse; execrable; hateful; detestable; abominable.
- forsooth v. t.
- To address respectfully with the term forsooth.
- solace n.
- Comfort in grief; alleviation of grief or anxiety; also, that which relieves in distress; that which cheers or consoles; relief. [OF. solas, ssoulaz, L. solacium, solatium, fr. solari to comfort, console. Cf. Console, v. t.]
- bridegroom n.
- A man newly married, or just about to be married. [OE. bridegome, brudgume, AS. br (akin to OS. br, D. bruidegom, bruigom, OHG. pr, MHG. briutegome, G. bräutigam); AS. br bride + guma man, akin to Goth. guma, Ic]
- rumour n.
- A flying or popular report; the common talk; hence, public fame; notoriety. [F. rumeur, L. rumor; cf. rumificare, rumitare to rumor, Skr. ru to cry.]
- hapless a.
- Without hap or luck; luckless; unfortunate; unlucky; unhappy; as, hapless youth; hapless maid.
- whoso pron.
- Whosoever. Piers Plowman.
- conscience n.
- Knowledge of one's own thoughts or actions; consciousness. [F. conscience, fr. L. conscientia, fr. consciens, p.pr. of conscire to know, to be conscious; con- + scire to know. See Science.]
- dripping n.
- A falling in drops, or the sound so made.
- gladly adv.
- Preferably; by choice. [From Glad, a.]
- nowhere adv.
- Not anywhere; not in any place or state; as, the book is nowhere to be found. [AS. nahwær. See No, and Where.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Two Attendants 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, Two Attendants, in Boris Godunov (1918), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #5089, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/pushkin-boris-godunov/two-attendants.html, id L25470.
Form and metre
Two Attendants is 52 lines in 2 stanzas. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 85%).
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.
- 2 -----------------------------------A-A----BCB-C years · joy · youth · love · heart · cold · wizards · dominion · life · heaven · thought · contentment · gifts · hope · mob · fools · groans · land · torments · granaries · them · pains · homes · forsooth · mob · indeed · find · happy · off · rumour · grief · dies · all · poisoned · i · peaceA · conscience · wickednessA · found · misery · smart · hammer · meB · childrenC · fleeB · horrible · uncleanC
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 1ST ATTENDANT. Ay; that's the kind of intercourse he loves; | 14 | ·˘/˘·····/˘··· |
| Sorcerers, fortune-tellers, necromancers. | 11 | /˘˘/˘/˘/˘·˘ |
| Ever he seeks to dip into the future, | 11 | /˘·······/˘ |
| Just like some pretty girl. Fain would I know | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| What 'tis he would foretell. | 6 | ····˘/ |
| TSAR. (Enters.) I have attained the highest power. Six years | 13 | ·/˘··˘/·/˘/·· |
| Already have I reigned in peace; but joy | 10 | ˘/˘······· |
| Dwells not within my soul. Even so in youth | 10 | ······/··· |
| We greedily desire the joys of love, | 10 | ·/˘˘˘/···· |
| But only quell the hunger of the heart | 10 | ·/˘··/˘··· |
| With momentary possession. We grow cold, | 11 | ·/˘·˘˘/˘··· |
| Grow weary and oppressed! In vain the wizards | 11 | ·/˘·˘/···/˘ |
| Promise me length of days, days of dominion | 11 | /˘······˘/˘ |
| Immune from treachery--not power, not life | 10 | ˘/·/˘˘·/·· |
| Gladden me; I forebode the wrath of Heaven | 11 | /˘··˘/···/˘ |
| And woe. For me no happiness. I thought | 10 | ·····/˘˘·· |
| To satisfy my people in contentment, | 11 | ·/˘··/˘·˘/˘ |
| In glory, gain their love by generous gifts, | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| But I have put away that empty hope; | 10 | ····˘/·/˘· |
| The power that lives is hateful to the mob,-- | 10 | ·/···/˘··· |
| Only the dead they love. We are but fools | 10 | /˘········ |
| When our heart vibrates to the people's groans | 10 | ·/·/˘··/˘· |
| And passionate wailing. Lately on our land | 10 | ·/˘/˘/˘·/· |
| God sent a famine; perishing in torments | 10 | ···/˘/˘·/· |
| The people uttered moan. The granaries | 10 | ·/˘/˘˘···· |
| I made them free of, scattered gold among them, | 11 | ·····/˘···· |
| Found labour for them; furious for my pains | 10 | ·/···/˘··· |
| They cursed me! Next, a fire consumed their homes; | 10 | ·····/˘/·· |
| I built for them new dwellings; then forsooth | 10 | ·····/˘·˘/ |
| They blamed me for the fire! Such is the mob, | 10 | ·····/···· |
| Such is its judgment! Seek its love, indeed! | 10 | ···/˘···˘/ |
| I thought within my family to find | 10 | ·····/˘˘·· |
| Solace; I thought to make my daughter happy | 11 | /˘·····/˘/˘ |
| By wedlock. Like a tempest Death took off | 10 | ·/···/˘··· |
| Her bridegroom--and at once a stealthy rumour | 11 | ·/·····/˘·˘ |
| Pronounced me guilty of my daughter's grief-- | 10 | ˘/·/˘··/˘· |
| Me, me, the hapless father! Whoso dies, | 10 | ···/˘/˘/˘· |
| I am the secret murderer of all; | 10 | ···/˘/˘˘·· |
| I hastened Feodor's end, 'twas I that poisoned | 11 | ·/˘/˘····/˘ |
| My sister-queen, the lowly nun--all I! | 10 | ·/˘··/˘··· |
| Ah! Now I feel it; naught can give us peace | 10 | ·········· |
| Mid worldly cares, nothing save only conscience! | 11 | ·/˘·/˘·/˘/˘ |
| Healthy she triumphs over wickedness, | 10 | /˘·/˘··/˘˘ |
| Over dark slander; but if in her be found | 10 | ··/˘······ |
| A single casual stain, then misery. | 11 | ·/˘/˘˘··/˘˘ |
| With what a deadly sore my soul doth smart; | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| My heart, with venom filled, doth like a hammer | 11 | ···/˘····/˘ |
| Beat in mine ears reproach; all things revolt me, | 11 | ····˘/··˘/· |
| And my head whirls, and in my eyes are children | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| Dripping with blood; and gladly would I flee, | 10 | /˘···/˘··· |
| But nowhere can find refuge--horrible! | 10 | ·/···/˘/˘˘ |
| Pitiful he whose conscience is unclean! | 10 | /˘˘··/˘·˘/ |
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