Act III: Scene IV
MATHAN.Commissioned by the queenTo calm again, and dissipate the anger,Princess, in which heaven placed so sweet a soul,Be not surprised at my addressing you.A rumour, which however I suspectTo be a fable, favouring the warnings,Which in a dream she had received, on Joad,Accused of dangerous complots, she was goingTo pour the floodgates of her wrath. I wishNot here to boast of services to you--I know of Joad's injustice to myself--But for offence I must return good deeds.At length, I come to speak the words of peace.Live, solemnize your feasts without distrust,She only claims a pledge of your submission:It is--I did my utmost to dissuade her--The orphan whom she says that she has seen.
JOSABET.Eliacin?
MATHAN.I am ashamed of her on that account:Of a vain dream she makes too much ado:But you declare yourselves her mortal foes,If not that child's resigned to me at once:The queen impatiently 'waits your reply.
JOSABET.And that on her part is the peace announced.
MATHAN.Can you one moment hesitate to grant it?Or is that courtesy too dear for peace?
JOSABET.Could Mathan, I was wondering, stript of guile,Have overcome the injustice of his heart;And, fatal plotter of so many ills,Could he be author of a shade of good.
MATHAN.Of what do you complain? Come I enragedTo tear from you your offspring, Zachariah?What is this other child you love so well?In turn, this great affection marvels me.Is he to you a pearl so precious, rare?Is he a liberator trained by Heaven?Remember, your refusal would confirmA faint report that's just begun to spread.
JOSABET.What report I
MATHAN.That of illustrious origin's the child,Destined to some great project by your spouse.
JOSABET.And by that tale, which flatters Mathan's fury--
MATHAN.Princess, to think me false belongs to you.Yet still I deem that Josabet, the foeImplacable of falsehood, would resignHer own life even, were it requisite,Rather than life of insincerityBe purchased by the slightest word untrue.Then of that child's descent there is no trace?Darkness profound surrounds his origin!You know not of what parents he was born?From whose hands Joad received him to his arms?Pray speak, I listen ready to believe.Princess, unto the God you serve give glory!
JOSABET.Base one, is't well you thus dare speak the nameOf God, whom your own tongue bids men to curse!Could His veracity be vouched by you,You, wretched, sat upon the noxious benchWhere poison's scattered, falsehood hath the sway;You, nurtured in deceit and treachery?
Words in this poem
- princess n.
- A female prince; a woman having sovereign power, or the rank of a prince. [F. princesse. See Prince, and cf. Princesse.]
- 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.]
- offence n.
- The act of offending in any sense; esp., a crime or a sin, an affront or an injury. [F., fr. L. offensa. See Offend.]
- solemnize v. t.
- To perform with solemn or ritual ceremonies, or according to legal forms. [Cf. F. solemniser, sollemniser.]
- dissuade v. t.
- To advise or exhort against; to try to persuade (one from a course). [L. dissuadere, dissuasum; dis- + suadere to advise, persuade: cf. F. dissuader. See Suasion.]
- resigned a.
- Submissive; yielding; not disposed to resist or murmur.
- impatiently adv.
- In an impatient manner.
- plotter n.
- One who plots or schemes; a contriver; a conspirator; a schemer.
- liberator n.
- One who, or that which, liberates; a deliverer. [L.]
- spouse v. t.
- To wed; to espouse. [See Espouse, and Spouse, n.]
- deem v. t.
- To decide; to judge; to sentence; to condemn. [OE. demen to judge, condemn, AS. d, fr. d doom; akin to OFries. d, OS. ad, D. doemen, OHG. tuommen, Icel. dæma, Sw. dömma, Dan. dömme, Goth. d. See Doom, n., an]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Act III: Scene IV is in the public domain. This text is taken from Athaliah: A Tragedy, Project Gutenberg ebook #21967, the J. Donkersley translation; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Jean Racine, Act III: Scene IV, in Athaliah: A Tragedy (1873), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #21967, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/racine-athaliah/act-iii-scene-iv.html, id L26966.
Form and metre
Act III: Scene IV is 72 lines in 12 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.
- 1 AA--B-----B----A-A mathanA · queenA · anger · soul · youB · suspect · warnings · joad · going · wish · youB · myself · deeds · peace · distrust · submissionA · her · seenA
- 11 AB-A--B------ mathanA · youB · foe · resignA · requisite · insincerity · untrueB · trace · origin · born · arms · believe · glory
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 |
|---|---|---|
| MATHAN. | 2 | /˘ |
| Commissioned by the queen | 6 | ˘/˘··· |
| To calm again, and dissipate the anger, | 11 | ··˘/·/˘··/˘ |
| Princess, in which heaven placed so sweet a soul, | 10 | /˘··/····· |
| Be not surprised at my addressing you. | 10 | ··˘/··˘/˘· |
| A rumour, which however I suspect | 10 | ··˘··/˘·˘/ |
| To be a fable, favouring the warnings, | 11 | ···/˘/˘˘·/˘ |
| Which in a dream she had received, on Joad, | 10 | ······˘/·· |
| Accused of dangerous complots, she was going | 10 | ˘/·/˘····/ |
| To pour the floodgates of her wrath. I wish | 10 | ···/······ |
| Not here to boast of services to you-- | 10 | ·····/˘˘·· |
| I know of Joad's injustice to myself-- | 10 | ····˘/˘··/ |
| But for offence I must return good deeds. | 10 | ··˘/··˘/·· |
| At length, I come to speak the words of peace. | 10 | ·········· |
| Live, solemnize your feasts without distrust, | 10 | ·/˘˘····˘/ |
| She only claims a pledge of your submission: | 11 | ·/˘·····˘/˘ |
| It is--I did my utmost to dissuade her-- | 11 | ·····/··˘/· |
| The orphan whom she says that she has seen. | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| JOSABET. | 3 | ··· |
| Eliacin? | 4 | ···· |
| MATHAN. | 2 | /˘ |
| I am ashamed of her on that account: | 10 | ··˘/····˘/ |
| Of a vain dream she makes too much ado: | 10 | ········˘/ |
| But you declare yourselves her mortal foes, | 10 | ··˘/˘/·/˘· |
| If not that child's resigned to me at once: | 10 | ····˘/···· |
| The queen impatiently 'waits your reply. | 10 | ··˘/˘˘··˘/ |
| JOSABET. | 3 | ··· |
| And that on her part is the peace announced. | 10 | ········˘/ |
| MATHAN. | 2 | /˘ |
| Can you one moment hesitate to grant it? | 11 | ···/˘/˘···· |
| Or is that courtesy too dear for peace? | 10 | ···/˘˘···· |
| JOSABET. | 3 | ··· |
| Could Mathan, I was wondering, stript of guile, | 10 | ·/˘··/˘··· |
| Have overcome the injustice of his heart; | 11 | ·/˘··˘/˘··· |
| And, fatal plotter of so many ills, | 10 | ·/˘/˘··/˘· |
| Could he be author of a shade of good. | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| MATHAN. | 2 | /˘ |
| Of what do you complain? Come I enraged | 10 | ····˘/··˘/ |
| To tear from you your offspring, Zachariah? | 11 | ·····/··˘/˘ |
| What is this other child you love so well? | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| In turn, this great affection marvels me. | 10 | ····˘/˘/˘· |
| Is he to you a pearl so precious, rare? | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Is he a liberator trained by Heaven? | 11 | ···/˘˘˘··/˘ |
| Remember, your refusal would confirm | 10 | ˘/˘·˘/˘·˘/ |
| A faint report that's just begun to spread. | 10 | ··˘/··˘/·· |
| JOSABET. | 3 | ··· |
| What report I | 4 | ·˘/· |
| MATHAN. | 2 | /˘ |
| That of illustrious origin's the child, | 10 | ··˘/˘/˘˘·· |
| Destined to some great project by your spouse. | 10 | /˘···˘/··· |
| JOSABET. | 3 | ··· |
| And by that tale, which flatters Mathan's fury-- | 11 | ·····/˘/˘/˘ |
| MATHAN. | 2 | /˘ |
| Princess, to think me false belongs to you. | 10 | /˘····˘/·· |
| Yet still I deem that Josabet, the foe | 10 | ·········· |
| Implacable of falsehood, would resign | 10 | ˘/˘˘·/··˘/ |
| Her own life even, were it requisite, | 10 | ···/˘··/˘˘ |
| Rather than life of insincerity | 10 | /˘········ |
| Be purchased by the slightest word untrue. | 10 | ·/˘··/˘·˘/ |
| Then of that child's descent there is no trace? | 10 | ····˘/···· |
| Darkness profound surrounds his origin! | 10 | /˘˘/˘/·/˘˘ |
| You know not of what parents he was born? | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| From whose hands Joad received him to his arms? | 10 | ····˘/···· |
| Pray speak, I listen ready to believe. | 10 | ···/˘/˘·˘/ |
| Princess, unto the God you serve give glory! | 11 | /˘·······/˘ |
| JOSABET. | 3 | ··· |
| Base one, is't well you thus dare speak the name | 10 | ·········· |
| Of God, whom your own tongue bids men to curse! | 10 | ·········· |
| Could His veracity be vouched by you, | 10 | ··˘/˘˘···· |
| You, wretched, sat upon the noxious bench | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| Where poison's scattered, falsehood hath the sway; | 10 | ·/˘/˘/···· |
| You, nurtured in deceit and treachery? | 10 | ·/˘·˘/·/˘˘ |
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.