Third Boar: Anything
PURGANAX:Oh no!But like a standard of an admiral's ship,Or like the banner of a conquering host,Or like a cloud dyed in the dying day,Unravelled on the blast from a white mountain;Or like a meteor, or a war-steed's mane,Or waterfall from a dizzy precipiceScattered upon the wind.
FIRST BOAR:Or a cow's tail.
SECOND BOAR:Or ANYTHING, as the learned Boar observed.
PURGANAX:Gentlemen Boars, I move a resolution,That her most sacred Majesty should beInvited to attend the feast of Famine,And to receive upon her chaste white bodyDews of Apotheosis from this BAG.
No! Yes!
Yes! No!
A law!
A flaw!
Porkers, we shall lose our wash,Or must share it with the Lean-Pigs!
FIRST BOAR:Order! order! be not rash!Was there ever such a scene, Pigs!
I never saw so fine a dashSince I first began to wean Pigs.
The Queen will be an angel time enough.I vote, in form of an amendment, thatPurganax rub a little of that stuffUpon his face.
Gods! What would ye be at?
Purganax has plainly shown aCloven foot and jackdaw feather.
I vote Swellfoot and IonaTry the magic test together;Whenever royal spouses bicker,Both should try the magic liquor.
A miserable state is that of Pigs,For if their drivers would tear caps and wigs,The Swine must bite each other's ear therefore.
A wretched lot Jove has assigned to Swine,Squabbling makes Pig-herds hungry, and they dineOn bacon, and whip Sucking-Pigs the more.
CHORUS:Hog-wash has been ta'en away:If the Bull-Queen is divested,We shall be in every wayHunted, stripped, exposed, molested;Let us do whate'er we may,That she shall not be arrested.QUEEN, we entrench you with walls of brawn,And palisades of tusks, sharp as a bayonet:Place your most sacred person here. We pawnOur lives that none a finger dare to lay on it.Those who wrong you, wrong us;Those who hate you, hate us;Those who sting you, sting us;Those who bait you, bait us;The ORACLE is now about to beFulfilled by circumvolving destiny;Which says: 'Thebes, choose REFORM or CIVIL WAR,When through your streets, instead of hare with dogs,A CONSORT QUEEN shall hunt a KING with Hogs,Riding upon the IONIAN MINOTAUR.'
Gentlemen Swine, and gentle Lady-Pigs,The tender heart of every Boar acquitsTheir QUEEN, of any act incongruousWith native Piggishness, and she, reposingWith confidence upon the grunting nation,Has thrown herself, her cause, her life, her all,Her innocence, into their Hoggish arms;Nor has the expectation been deceivedOf finding shelter there. Yet know, great Boars,(For such whoever lives among you finds you,And so do I), the innocent are proud!I have accepted your protection onlyIn compliment of your kind love and care,Not for necessity. The innocentAre safest there where trials and dangers wait;Innocent Queens o'er white-hot ploughshares treadUnsinged, and ladies, Erin's laureate sings it,Decked with rare gems, and beauty rarer still,Walked from Killarney to the Giant's Causeway,Through rebels, smugglers, troops of yeomanry,White-boys and Orange-boys, and constables,Tithe-proctors, and excise people, uninjured!Thus I!--Lord Purganax, I do commit myselfInto your custody, and am preparedTo stand the test, whatever it may be!
NOTE:(173 'Rich and rare were the gems she wore.' See Moore's "IrishMelodies".-- [SHELLEY'S NOTE.])
PURGANAX:This magnanimity in your sacred MajestyMust please the Pigs. You cannot fail of beingA heavenly angel. Smoke your bits of glass,Ye loyal Swine, or her transfigurationWill blind your wondering eyes.
Take care, my Lord,They do not smoke you first.
PURGANAX:At the approaching feastOf Famine, let the expiation be.
SWINE:Content! content!
I, most content of all,Know that my foes even thus prepare their fall!
SCENE 2.2:
GODDESS bare, and gaunt, and pale,Empress of the world, all hail!What though Cretans old called theeCity-crested Cybele?We call thee FAMINE!Goddess of fasts and feasts, starving and cramming!Through thee, for emperors, kings, and priests and lords,Who rule by viziers, sceptres, bank-notes, words,The earth pours forth its plenteous fruits,Corn, wool, linen, flesh, and roots--Those who consume these fruits through thee grow fat,Those who produce these fruits through thee grow lean,Whatever change takes place, oh, stick to that!And let things be as they have ever been;At least while we remain thy priests,And proclaim thy fasts and feasts.Through thee the sacred SWELLF00T dynastyIs based upon a rock amid that seaWhose waves are Swine--so let it ever be!
MAMMON:I fear your sacred Majesty has lostThe appetite which you were used to have.Allow me now to recommend this dish--A simple kickshaw by your Persian cook,Such as is served at the great King's second table.The price and pains which its ingredients costMight have maintained some dozen familiesA winter or two--not more--so plain a dishCould scarcely disagree.--
SWELLFOOT:After the trial,And these fastidious Pigs are gone, perhapsI may recover my lost appetite,--I feel the gout flying about my stomach--Give me a glass of Maraschino punch.
The glorious Constitution of the Pigs!
ALL:A toast! a toast! stand up, and three times three!
DAKRY:No heel-taps--darken daylights! --
LAOCTONOS:Claret, somehow,Puts me in mind of blood, and blood of claret!
SWELLFOOT:Laoctonos is fishing for a compliment,But 'tis his due. Yes, you have drunk more wine,And shed more blood, than any man in Thebes.For God's sake stop the grunting of those Pigs!
PURGANAX:We dare not, Sire, 'tis Famine's privilege.
Hail to thee, hail to thee, Famine!Thy throne is on blood, and thy robe is of rags;Thou devil which livest on damning;Saint of new churches, and cant, and GREEN BAGS,Till in pity and terror thou risest,Confounding the schemes of the wisest;When thou liftest thy skeleton form,When the loaves and the skulls roll about,We will greet thee-the voice of a stormWould be lost in our terrible shout!
Then hail to thee, hail to thee, Famine!Hail to thee, Empress of Earth!When thou risest, dividing possessions;When thou risest, uprooting oppressions,In the pride of thy ghastly mirth;Over palaces, temples, and graves,We will rush as thy minister-slaves,Trampling behind in thy train,Till all be made level again!
MAMMON:I hear a crackling of the giant bonesOf the dread image, and in the black pitsWhich once were eyes, I see two livid flames.These prodigies are oracular, and showThe presence of the unseen Deity.Mighty events are hastening to their doom!
SWELLFOOT:I only hear the lean and mutinous SwineGrunting about the temple.
DAKRY:In a crisisOf such exceeding delicacy, I thinkWe ought to put her Majesty, the QUEEN,Upon her trial without delay.
MAMMON:Is here.
PURGANAX:I have rehearsed the entire sceneWith an ox-bladder and some ditchwater,On Lady P--; it cannot fail.Your MajestyIn such a filthy business had betterStand on one side, lest it should sprinkle you.A spot or two on me would do no harm,Nay, it might hide the blood, which the sad GeniusOf the Green Isle has fixed, as by a spell,Upon my brow--which would stain all its seas,But which those seas could never wash away!
My Lord, I am ready--nay, I am impatientTo undergo the test.Mighty Empress! Death's white wife!Ghastly mother-in-law of Life!By the God who made thee such,By the magic of thy touch,By the starving and the crammingOf fasts and feasts! by thy dread self, O Famine!I charge thee! when thou wake the multitude,Thou lead them not upon the paths of blood.The earth did never mean her foisonFor those who crown life's cup with poisonOf fanatic rage and meaningless revenge--But for those radiant spirits, who are stillThe standard-bearers in the van of Change.Be they th' appointed stewards, to fillThe lap of Pain, and Toil, and Age!--Remit, O Queen! thy accustomed rage!Be what thou art not! In voice faint and lowFREEDOM calls "Famine",--her eternal foe,To brief alliance, hollow truce.--Rise now!
MINOTAUR:I am the Ionian Minotaur, the mightiestOf all Europa's taurine progeny--I am the old traditional Man-Bull;And from my ancestors having been Ionian,I am called Ion, which, by interpretation,Is JOHN; in plain Theban, that is to say,My name's JOHN BULL; I am a famous hunter,And can leaf any gate in all Boeotia,Even the palings of the royal park,Or double ditch about the new enclosures;And if your Majesty will deign to mount me,At least till you have hunted down your game,I will not throw you.
Hoa! hoa! tallyho! tallyho! ho! ho!Come, let us hunt these ugly badgers down,These stinking foxes, these devouring otters,These hares, these wolves, these anything but men.Hey, for a whipper-in! my loyal PigsNow let your noses be as keen as beagles',Your steps as swift as greyhounds', and your criesMore dulcet and symphonious than the bellsOf village-towers, on sunshine holiday;Wake all the dewy woods with jangling music.Give them no law (are they not beasts of blood?)But such as they gave you. Tallyho! ho!Through forest, furze, and bog, and den, and desert,Pursue the ugly beasts! tallyho! ho!
Tallyho! tallyho!Through rain, hail, and snow,Through brake, gorse, and briar,Through fen, flood, and mire,We go! we go!
Tallyho! tallyho!Through pond, ditch, and slough,Wind them, and find them,Like the Devil behind them,Tallyho! tallyho!
Words in this poem 45
- precipice n.
- A sudden or headlong fall. Fuller. [F. précipice, L. praecipitium, fr. praeceps, - cipitis, headlong; prae before + caput, capitis, the head. See Pre-, and Chief.]
- 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.]
- apotheosis n.
- The act of elevating a mortal to the rank of, and placing him among,
- 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,]
- bicker v. i.
- To skirmish; to exchange blows; to fight. [OE. bikeren, perh. fr. Celtic; cf. W. bicra to fight, bicker, bicre conflict, skirmish; perh. akin to E. beak.]
- jove n.
- The chief divinity of the ancient Romans; Jupiter. [L. Jupiter, gen. Jovis, OL. Jovis, nom. & gen. for Djovis; akin to E. Tuesday. See Tuesday, and cf. Jupiter.]
- dine v. i.
- To eat the principal regular meal of the day; to take dinner. [F. dîner, OF. disner, LL. disnare, contr. fr. an assumed disjunare; dis- + an assumed junare (OF. juner) to fast, for L. jejunare, fr. jejunus fasting. See Jeju]
- brawn n.
- A muscle; flesh. [OF. braon fleshy part, muscle, fr. HG. br flesh, G. braten roast meat; akin to Icel. br flesh, food of beasts, AS. brbr to roast, G. braten, and possibly to E. ]
- oracle v. i.
- To utter oracles.
- ionian a.
- Of or pertaining to Ionia or the Ionians; Ionic. [L. Ionius. See Ionic.]
- minotaur n.
- A fabled monster, half man and half bull, confined in the labyrinth constructed by Dædalus in Crete. [L. Minotaurus, Gr. Mi`nos, the husband of Pasiphaë + tay^ros a bull, the Minotaur being the offspring of Pasiphaë and a bull: cf. F. minotaure.]
- hoggish a.
- Swinish; gluttonous; filthy; selfish.
- whoever pron.
- Whatever person; any person who; be or she who; any one who; as, he shall be punished, whoever he may be.
- laureate a.
- Crowned, or decked, with laurel. [L. laureatus, fr. laurea laurel tree, fr. laureus of laurel, fr. laurus laurel: cf. F. lauréat. Cf. Laurel.]
- causeway n.
- A way or road rasid above the natural level of the ground, serving as a dry passage over wet or marshy ground. [OE. cauci, cauchie, OF. cauchie, F. chaussée, from LL. (via) calciata, fr calciare to make a road, either fr. L. calx lime, hence, to pave with limestone (cf. E]
- yeomanry n.
- The position or rank of a yeoman.
- transfiguration n.
- A change of form or appearance; especially, the supernatural change in the personal appearance of our Savior on the mount. [L. transfiguratio: cf. transfiguration.]
- gaunt a.
- Attenuated, as with fasting or suffering; lean; meager; pinched and grim. [Cf. Norw. gand a thin pointed stick, a tall and thin man, and W. gwan weak.]
- amid prep.
- In the midst or middle of; surrounded or encompassed by; among. [OE. amidde, amiddes, on midden, AS. on middan, in the middle, fr. midde the middle. The s is an adverbial ending, originally marking the genitive; the t is a la]
- mammon n.
- Riches; wealth; the god of riches; riches, personified. [L. mammona, Gr. mam; cf. Heb. matm a hiding place, subterranean storehouse, treasury, fr. taman to hide.]
- maraschino n.
- A liqueur distilled from fermented cherry juice, and flavored with the pit of a variety of cherry which grows in Dalmatia. [It., fr. marasca, amarasca, a sour cherry, L. amarus bitter.]
- glorious a.
- Exhibiting attributes, qualities, or acts that are worthy of or receive glory; noble; praiseworthy; excellent; splendid; illustrious; inspiring admiration; as, glorious deeds. [OF. glorios, glorious, F. glorieux, fr. L. gloriosus. See Glory, n.]
- claret n.
- The name firat given in England to the red wines of M [OE. claret, clare, clarry, OF. claret, clar, fr. cler, F. clair, clear, fr. L. clarus clear. See Clear.]
- somehow adv.
- In one way or another; in some way not yet known or designated; by some means; as, the thing must be done somehow; he lives somehow.
- sire n.
- A lord, master, or other person in authority. See Sir. [F. sire, originally, an older person. See Sir.]
- damning a.
- That damns; damnable; as, damning evidence of guilt.
- oracular a.
- Of or pertaining to an oracle; uttering oracles; forecasting the future; as, an oracular tongue. [L. oracularius. See Oracle.]
- unseen a.
- Not seen or discovered.
- mutinous a.
- Disposed to mutiny; in a state of mutiny; characterized by mutiny; seditious; insubordinate. [See Mutiny.]
- crisis n.
- The point of time when it is to be decided whether any affair or course of action must go on, or be modified or terminate; the decisive moment; the turning point. [L. crisis, Gr. Certain.]
- 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.]
- isle v. t.
- To cause to become an island, or like an island; to surround or encompass; to island.
- undergo v. t.
- To go or move below or under. [AS. undergan. See Under, and Go.]
- foison n.
- Rich harvest; plenty; abundance. Lowell. [F. foison, fr. L. fusio a pouring, effusion. See Fusion.]
- remit v. t.
- To send back; to give up; to surrender; to resign. [L. remittere, remissum, to send back, to slacken, relax; pref. re- re- + mittere to send. See Mission, and cf. Remise, Remiss.]
- taurine a.
- Of or pertaining to the genus Taurus, or cattle. [L. taurinus, fr. taurus a bull. See Taurus.]
- theban a.
- Of or pertaining to Thebes. Theban year (Anc. Chron.), the Egyptian year of 365 days and 6 hours. J. Bryant. [L. Thebanus.]
- deign v. t.
- To esteem worthy; to consider worth notice; -- opposed to disdain. [OE. deinen, deignen, OF. degner, deigner, daigner, F. daigner, fr. L. dignari to deem worthy, deign, fr. dignus worthy; akin to decere to be fitting. See Decent]
- tallyho interj.
- The huntsman's cry to incite or urge on his hounds.
- dulcet a.
- Sweet to the taste; luscious. [OF. doucet, dim. of dous sweet, F. doux, L. dulcis; akin to Gr. Doucet.]
- symphonious a.
- Agreeing in sound; accordant; harmonious. [From Symphony.]
- sunshine n.
- The light of the sun, or the place where it shines; the direct rays of the sun, the place where they fall, or the warmth and light which they give.
- jangling a.
- Producing discordant sounds.
- gorse n.
- Furze. See Furze. [OE. & AS. gorst; perh. akin to E. grow, grass.]
- briar n.
- A plant with a slender woody stem bearing stout prickles; especially, species of Rosa, Rubus, and Smilax. [OE. brere, brer, AS. brer, brær; cf. Ir. briar prickle, thorn, brier, pin, Gael. preas bush, brier, W. prys, prysg.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Third Boar: Anything is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Complete Poetical Works of Percy Bysshe Shelley — Volume 1, Project Gutenberg ebook #4797; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Percy Bysshe Shelley, Third Boar: Anything, in The Complete Poetical Works, Volume I (1813–1820), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #4797, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/shelley-poems/third-boar-anything.html, id L00267.
Form and metre
Third Boar: Anything is 270 lines in 47 stanzas. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 82%). 91% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 8.3 syllables. 70 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 21% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
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-- purganax · no · ship · host · day · mountainA · maneA · precipice · wind
- 12 A-A- enoughA · that · stuffA · face
- 15 --AA iona · together · bickerA · liquorA
- 16 AA- pigsA · wigsA · therefore
- 17 AA- swineA · dineA · more
- 18 -ABABABC-C-DDDD--EFFE chorus · awayA · divestedB · wayA · molestedB · mayA · arrestedB · brawnC · bayonet · pawnC · it · usD · usD · usD · usD · be · destiny · warE · dogsF · hogsF · minotaurE
- 19 ----------------------A--A pigs · acquits · incongruous · reposing · nation · all · arms · deceived · boars · you · proud · only · care · innocent · wait · tread · it · still · causeway · yeomanry · constables · uninjured · iA · myself · prepared · beA
- 20 A-A noteA · irish · noteA
- 25 AA allA · fallA
- 27 AAB-----CCD-D-EE-BB paleA · hailA · theeB · cybele · famine · cramming · lords · words · fruitsC · rootsC · fatD · lean · thatD · been · priestsE · feastsE · dynasty · seaB · beB
- 28 -A-B--A-B- mammon · lostA · have · dishB · cook · table · costA · families · dishB · disagree
- 36 -A-ABBCDCD famine · ragsA · damning · bagsA · risestB · wisestB · formC · aboutD · stormC · shoutD
- 37 -ABBACCDD famine · earthA · possessionsB · oppressionsB · mirthA · gravesC · slavesC · trainD · againD
- 43 --AABB----CC-D-DEEFF- impatient · test · wifeA · lifeA · suchB · touchB · cramming · famine · multitude · blood · foisonC · poisonC · revenge · stillD · change · fillD · ageE · rageE · lowF · foeF · now
- 45 A-B--CBC---A-A hoA · down · ottersB · men · pigs · beaglesC · criesB · bellsC · holiday · music · blood · hoA · desert · hoA
- 46 AABBA tallyhoA · snowA · briarB · mireB · goA
- 47 A-BBA tallyhoA · slough · themB · themB · tallyhoA
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 |
|---|---|---|
| PURGANAX: | 3 | ··· |
| Oh no! | 2 | ·· |
| But like a standard of an admiral's ship, | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Or like the banner of a conquering host, | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Or like a cloud dyed in the dying day, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Unravelled on the blast from a white mountain; | 11 | ˘/˘······/˘ |
| Or like a meteor, or a war-steed's mane, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Or waterfall from a dizzy precipice | 11 | ·/˘···/˘/˘˘ |
| Scattered upon the wind. | 6 | /˘···· |
| FIRST BOAR: | 2 | ·· |
| Or a cow's tail. | 4 | ···· |
| SECOND BOAR: | 3 | /˘· |
| Or ANYTHING, as the learned Boar observed. | 10 | ·/˘·····˘/ |
| PURGANAX: | 3 | ··· |
| Gentlemen Boars, I move a resolution, | 11 | /˘˘·····˘/˘ |
| That her most sacred Majesty should be | 10 | ···/˘/˘˘·· |
| Invited to attend the feast of Famine, | 11 | ˘/˘·˘/···/˘ |
| And to receive upon her chaste white body | 11 | ··˘/·····/˘ |
| Dews of Apotheosis from this BAG. | 10 | ··˘·˘/˘··· |
| No! Yes! | 2 | ·· |
| Yes! No! | 2 | ·· |
| A law! | 2 | ·· |
| A flaw! | 2 | ·· |
| Porkers, we shall lose our wash, | 8 | /˘···/˘· |
| Or must share it with the Lean-Pigs! | 8 | ········ |
| FIRST BOAR: | 2 | ·· |
| Order! order! be not rash! | 7 | /˘/˘··· |
| Was there ever such a scene, Pigs! | 8 | ··/˘···· |
| I never saw so fine a dash | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Since I first began to wean Pigs. | 8 | ···˘/··· |
| The Queen will be an angel time enough. | 10 | ·····/˘·˘/ |
| I vote, in form of an amendment, that | 10 | ······˘/˘· |
| Purganax rub a little of that stuff | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Upon his face. | 4 | ···· |
| Gods! What would ye be at? | 6 | ······ |
| Purganax has plainly shown a | 8 | ····/˘·· |
| Cloven foot and jackdaw feather. | 8 | /˘··/˘/˘ |
| I vote Swellfoot and Iona | 8 | ·····˘/˘ |
| Try the magic test together; | 8 | ··/˘·˘/˘ |
| Whenever royal spouses bicker, | 9 | ˘/˘/˘/˘/˘ |
| Both should try the magic liquor. | 8 | ····/˘/˘ |
| A miserable state is that of Pigs, | 10 | ·/˘˘˘····· |
| For if their drivers would tear caps and wigs, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| The Swine must bite each other's ear therefore. | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| A wretched lot Jove has assigned to Swine, | 10 | ·/˘···˘/·· |
| Squabbling makes Pig-herds hungry, and they dine | 10 | /˘···/˘··· |
| On bacon, and whip Sucking-Pigs the more. | 10 | ·/˘··/˘··· |
| CHORUS: | 2 | /˘ |
| Hog-wash has been ta'en away: | 7 | ·····˘/ |
| If the Bull-Queen is divested, | 8 | ·····˘/˘ |
| We shall be in every way | 8 | ····/˘˘· |
| Hunted, stripped, exposed, molested; | 10 | /˘·˘˘/˘˘/˘ |
| Let us do whate'er we may, | 8 | ···˘˘/·· |
| That she shall not be arrested. | 8 | ·····˘/˘ |
| QUEEN, we entrench you with walls of brawn, | 9 | ··˘/····· |
| And palisades of tusks, sharp as a bayonet: | 12 | ··˘/·····/˘· |
| Place your most sacred person here. We pawn | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| Our lives that none a finger dare to lay on it. | 12 | /····/˘····· |
| Those who wrong you, wrong us; | 6 | ······ |
| Those who hate you, hate us; | 6 | ······ |
| Those who sting you, sting us; | 6 | ······ |
| Those who bait you, bait us; | 6 | ······ |
| The ORACLE is now about to be | 10 | ·/˘˘······ |
| Fulfilled by circumvolving destiny; | 10 | ˘/·····/˘˘ |
| Which says: 'Thebes, choose REFORM or CIVIL WAR, | 10 | ····˘/·/˘· |
| When through your streets, instead of hare with dogs, | 10 | ····˘/···· |
| A CONSORT QUEEN shall hunt a KING with Hogs, | 10 | ·˘/······· |
| Riding upon the IONIAN MINOTAUR.' | 12 | /˘···˘/˘˘/˘˘ |
| Gentlemen Swine, and gentle Lady-Pigs, | 10 | /˘˘··/˘/˘· |
| The tender heart of every Boar acquits | 10 | ·/˘··/˘·˘/ |
| Their QUEEN, of any act incongruous | 10 | ···/˘·˘/˘˘ |
| With native Piggishness, and she, reposing | 11 | ·/˘·····/·˘ |
| With confidence upon the grunting nation, | 11 | ·/˘˘···/˘/˘ |
| Has thrown herself, her cause, her life, her all, | 10 | ··˘/······ |
| Her innocence, into their Hoggish arms; | 10 | ·/˘˘···/˘· |
| Nor has the expectation been deceived | 10 | ····˘/˘·˘/ |
| Of finding shelter there. Yet know, great Boars, | 10 | ·/˘/˘····· |
| (For such whoever lives among you finds you, | 11 | ··˘/˘······ |
| And so do I), the innocent are proud! | 10 | ·····/˘˘·· |
| I have accepted your protection only | 11 | ··˘/˘·˘/˘/˘ |
| In compliment of your kind love and care, | 10 | ·/˘˘······ |
| Not for necessity. The innocent | 10 | ··˘/˘˘·/˘˘ |
| Are safest there where trials and dangers wait; | 11 | ·/˘··/˘·/˘· |
| Innocent Queens o'er white-hot ploughshares tread | 10 | /˘˘····/˘· |
| Unsinged, and ladies, Erin's laureate sings it, | 11 | ···/˘/˘/˘·· |
| Decked with rare gems, and beauty rarer still, | 10 | ·····/˘/˘· |
| Walked from Killarney to the Giant's Causeway, | 11 | ·······/˘/· |
| Through rebels, smugglers, troops of yeomanry, | 10 | ·/˘/˘··/˘˘ |
| White-boys and Orange-boys, and constables, | 10 | ···/˘··/˘˘ |
| Tithe-proctors, and excise people, uninjured! | 11 | ·/˘·˘//˘˘/˘ |
| Thus I!-- | 2 | ·· |
| Lord Purganax, I do commit myself | 10 | ······˘/·/ |
| Into your custody, and am prepared | 10 | ···/˘˘··˘/ |
| To stand the test, whatever it may be! | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| NOTE: | 1 | · |
| (173 'Rich and rare were the gems she wore.' See Moore's "Irish | 12 | ··········/˘ |
| Melodies".-- [SHELLEY'S NOTE.]) | 6 | /˘˘/˘· |
| PURGANAX: | 3 | ··· |
| This magnanimity in your sacred Majesty | 12 | ········/˘/˘ |
| Must please the Pigs. You cannot fail of being | 11 | ·····/˘··/˘ |
| A heavenly angel. Smoke your bits of glass, | 10 | ·/˘/˘····· |
| Ye loyal Swine, or her transfiguration | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Will blind your wondering eyes. | 7 | ···/˘˘· |
| Take care, my Lord, | 4 | ···· |
| They do not smoke you first. | 6 | ······ |
| PURGANAX: | 3 | ··· |
| At the approaching feast | 6 | ··˘/˘· |
| Of Famine, let the expiation be. | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| SWINE: | 1 | · |
| Content! content! | 4 | /˘/˘ |
| I, most content of all, | 6 | ··/˘·· |
| Know that my foes even thus prepare their fall! | 10 | ····/·˘/·· |
| SCENE 2.2: | 1 | · |
| GODDESS bare, and gaunt, and pale, | 7 | /˘····· |
| Empress of the world, all hail! | 7 | /˘····· |
| What though Cretans old called thee | 7 | ······· |
| City-crested Cybele? | 7 | /˘/˘··· |
| We call thee FAMINE! | 5 | ···/˘ |
| Goddess of fasts and feasts, starving and cramming! | 11 | /˘····/˘·/˘ |
| Through thee, for emperors, kings, and priests and lords, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Who rule by viziers, sceptres, bank-notes, words, | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| The earth pours forth its plenteous fruits, | 9 | ·····/˘˘· |
| Corn, wool, linen, flesh, and roots-- | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| Those who consume these fruits through thee grow fat, | 10 | ··˘/······ |
| Those who produce these fruits through thee grow lean, | 10 | ··˘/······ |
| Whatever change takes place, oh, stick to that! | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| And let things be as they have ever been; | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| At least while we remain thy priests, | 8 | ····˘/·· |
| And proclaim thy fasts and feasts. | 7 | ·˘/···· |
| Through thee the sacred SWELLF00T dynasty | 10 | ···/˘··/˘˘ |
| Is based upon a rock amid that sea | 10 | ······˘/·· |
| Whose waves are Swine--so let it ever be! | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| MAMMON: | 2 | /˘ |
| I fear your sacred Majesty has lost | 10 | ···/˘/˘˘·· |
| The appetite which you were used to have. | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| Allow me now to recommend this dish-- | 10 | ˘/····˘/·· |
| A simple kickshaw by your Persian cook, | 10 | ·/˘/˘··/˘· |
| Such as is served at the great King's second table. | 12 | ········/˘/˘ |
| The price and pains which its ingredients cost | 10 | ······˘/˘· |
| Might have maintained some dozen families | 10 | ··˘/·/˘/˘˘ |
| A winter or two--not more--so plain a dish | 11 | ·/˘········ |
| Could scarcely disagree.-- | 6 | ·/˘˘˘/ |
| SWELLFOOT: | 2 | ·· |
| After the trial, | 5 | ···/˘ |
| And these fastidious Pigs are gone, perhaps | 10 | ··˘/˘···˘/ |
| I may recover my lost appetite,-- | 10 | ··˘/˘··/˘· |
| I feel the gout flying about my stomach-- | 11 | ····/˘···/˘ |
| Give me a glass of Maraschino punch. | 10 | ······˘/˘· |
| The glorious Constitution of the Pigs! | 10 | ·/˘·˘/˘··· |
| ALL: | 1 | · |
| A toast! a toast! stand up, and three times three! | 10 | ·········· |
| DAKRY: | 2 | ·· |
| No heel-taps--darken daylights! -- | 7 | ···/˘/· |
| LAOCTONOS: | 3 | ··· |
| Claret, somehow, | 4 | /˘/· |
| Puts me in mind of blood, and blood of claret! | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| SWELLFOOT: | 2 | ·· |
| Laoctonos is fishing for a compliment, | 11 | ····/˘··/˘˘ |
| But 'tis his due. Yes, you have drunk more wine, | 10 | ·········· |
| And shed more blood, than any man in Thebes. | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| For God's sake stop the grunting of those Pigs! | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| PURGANAX: | 3 | ··· |
| We dare not, Sire, 'tis Famine's privilege. | 10 | ···/˘·/˘/˘ |
| Hail to thee, hail to thee, Famine! | 8 | ······/˘ |
| Thy throne is on blood, and thy robe is of rags; | 11 | ··········· |
| Thou devil which livest on damning; | 9 | ·/˘····/˘ |
| Saint of new churches, and cant, and GREEN BAGS, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Till in pity and terror thou risest, | 10 | ··/˘·/˘··· |
| Confounding the schemes of the wisest; | 9 | ˘/˘····/˘ |
| When thou liftest thy skeleton form, | 9 | ··/˘·/˘˘· |
| When the loaves and the skulls roll about, | 9 | ········· |
| We will greet thee-the voice of a storm | 9 | ········· |
| Would be lost in our terrible shout! | 10 | ····/˘/˘˘· |
| Then hail to thee, hail to thee, Famine! | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| Hail to thee, Empress of Earth! | 7 | ···/˘·· |
| When thou risest, dividing possessions; | 10 | ····˘/˘˘/˘ |
| When thou risest, uprooting oppressions, | 10 | ····˘/˘˘/˘ |
| In the pride of thy ghastly mirth; | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Over palaces, temples, and graves, | 9 | ··/˘˘/˘·· |
| We will rush as thy minister-slaves, | 9 | ·····/˘˘· |
| Trampling behind in thy train, | 7 | /˘····· |
| Till all be made level again! | 8 | ····/˘˘/ |
| MAMMON: | 2 | /˘ |
| I hear a crackling of the giant bones | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Of the dread image, and in the black pits | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Which once were eyes, I see two livid flames. | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| These prodigies are oracular, and show | 10 | ·/˘·˘/˘˘·· |
| The presence of the unseen Deity. | 10 | ·/˘··˘//˘˘ |
| Mighty events are hastening to their doom! | 10 | /˘˘/·/˘··· |
| SWELLFOOT: | 2 | ·· |
| I only hear the lean and mutinous Swine | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| Grunting about the temple. | 7 | /˘···/˘ |
| DAKRY: | 2 | ·· |
| In a crisis | 4 | ··/˘ |
| Of such exceeding delicacy, I think | 10 | ··˘/˘/˘˘·· |
| We ought to put her Majesty, the QUEEN, | 10 | ·····/˘˘·· |
| Upon her trial without delay. | 9 | ···/˘··˘/ |
| MAMMON: | 2 | /˘ |
| Is here. | 2 | ·· |
| PURGANAX: | 3 | ··· |
| I have rehearsed the entire scene | 10 | ··˘/˘·˘/˘· |
| With an ox-bladder and some ditchwater, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| On Lady P--; it cannot fail. | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| Your Majesty | 4 | ·/˘˘ |
| In such a filthy business had better | 10 | ···/˘/˘·/˘ |
| Stand on one side, lest it should sprinkle you. | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| A spot or two on me would do no harm, | 10 | ·········· |
| Nay, it might hide the blood, which the sad Genius | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| Of the Green Isle has fixed, as by a spell, | 10 | ·········· |
| Upon my brow--which would stain all its seas, | 10 | ·········· |
| But which those seas could never wash away! | 10 | ·····/˘·˘/ |
| My Lord, I am ready--nay, I am impatient | 12 | ····/˘···˘/˘ |
| To undergo the test. | 6 | ··˘/·· |
| Mighty Empress! Death's white wife! | 7 | /˘/˘··· |
| Ghastly mother-in-law of Life! | 8 | /˘/˘···· |
| By the God who made thee such, | 7 | ······· |
| By the magic of thy touch, | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| By the starving and the cramming | 8 | ··/˘··/˘ |
| Of fasts and feasts! by thy dread self, O Famine! | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| I charge thee! when thou wake the multitude, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Thou lead them not upon the paths of blood. | 10 | ·········· |
| The earth did never mean her foison | 9 | ···/˘··/˘ |
| For those who crown life's cup with poison | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| Of fanatic rage and meaningless revenge-- | 10 | ·˘/˘··/˘˘/ |
| But for those radiant spirits, who are still | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| The standard-bearers in the van of Change. | 10 | ·/˘/˘····· |
| Be they th' appointed stewards, to fill | 9 | ··˘/˘/˘·· |
| The lap of Pain, and Toil, and Age!-- | 8 | ········ |
| Remit, O Queen! thy accustomed rage! | 10 | ˘/···˘/˘˘· |
| Be what thou art not! In voice faint and low | 10 | ·········· |
| FREEDOM calls "Famine",--her eternal foe, | 10 | /˘·/˘·˘/˘· |
| To brief alliance, hollow truce.--Rise now! | 10 | ··˘/˘/˘··· |
| MINOTAUR: | 3 | /˘˘ |
| I am the Ionian Minotaur, the mightiest | 13 | ···˘/˘˘/˘˘·/˘ |
| Of all Europa's taurine progeny-- | 10 | ··˘/˘/˘/˘˘ |
| I am the old traditional Man-Bull; | 10 | ····˘/˘˘·· |
| And from my ancestors having been Ionian, | 13 | ···/·˘/˘·˘/˘˘ |
| I am called Ion, which, by interpretation, | 12 | ···/···˘·˘/˘ |
| Is JOHN; in plain Theban, that is to say, | 10 | ····/˘···· |
| My name's JOHN BULL; I am a famous hunter, | 11 | ·······/˘/˘ |
| And can leaf any gate in all Boeotia, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Even the palings of the royal park, | 10 | /˘·····/˘· |
| Or double ditch about the new enclosures; | 11 | ·/˘·····˘/˘ |
| And if your Majesty will deign to mount me, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| At least till you have hunted down your game, | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| I will not throw you. | 5 | ····· |
| Hoa! hoa! tallyho! tallyho! ho! ho! | 10 | ···˘/·˘/·· |
| Come, let us hunt these ugly badgers down, | 10 | ·····/˘/˘· |
| These stinking foxes, these devouring otters, | 11 | ·/˘/˘·˘/˘/˘ |
| These hares, these wolves, these anything but men. | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Hey, for a whipper-in! my loyal Pigs | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Now let your noses be as keen as beagles', | 11 | ···/˘····/˘ |
| Your steps as swift as greyhounds', and your cries | 10 | ·········· |
| More dulcet and symphonious than the bells | 11 | ·/˘·˘/˘˘··· |
| Of village-towers, on sunshine holiday; | 10 | ·/˘/·/·/˘· |
| Wake all the dewy woods with jangling music. | 11 | ···/˘··/˘/˘ |
| Give them no law (are they not beasts of blood?) | 10 | ·········· |
| But such as they gave you. Tallyho! ho! | 10 | ·······˘/· |
| Through forest, furze, and bog, and den, and desert, | 11 | ·/˘······/˘ |
| Pursue the ugly beasts! tallyho! ho! | 10 | ˘/·/˘··˘/· |
| Tallyho! tallyho! | 6 | ·˘/·˘/ |
| Through rain, hail, and snow, | 5 | ····· |
| Through brake, gorse, and briar, | 6 | ····/˘ |
| Through fen, flood, and mire, | 5 | ····· |
| We go! we go! | 4 | ···· |
| Tallyho! tallyho! | 6 | ·˘/·˘/ |
| Through pond, ditch, and slough, | 5 | ····· |
| Wind them, and find them, | 5 | ····· |
| Like the Devil behind them, | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| Tallyho! tallyho! | 6 | ·˘/·˘/ |
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.