The Andrian: Act the Fifth: Scene V
CHREMES. Ah, rather speak at onceYour purpose, Simo, and forbear reproach.
SIMO. As if 'twere possible to utter aughtSeverer than he merits!--Tell me then; (To PAM.)Glycerium is a citizen?
SIMO. They say so!--Oh amazing impudence!----Does he consider what he says? does heRepent the deed? or does his color takeThe hue of shame?--To be so weak of soul,Against the custom of our citizens,Against the law, against his father's will,To wed himself to shame and this vile woman.PAM. Wretch that I am!
SIMO. Ah, Pamphilus! d'ye feelYour wretchedness at last? Then, then, when firstYou wrought upon your mind at any rateTo gratify your passion: from that hourWell might you feel your state of wretchedness.--But why give in to this? Why torture thus,Why vex my spirit? Why afflict my ageFor his distemp'rature? Why rue his sins?--No; let him have her, joy in her, live with her.
SIMO. How, my father!--can I thinkYou want this father? You that for yourselfA home, a wife, and children have acquir'dAgainst your father's will? And witnessesSuborn'd, to prove that she's a citizen?--You've gain'd your point.PAM. My father, but one word!
SIMO. What would you say?
CHREMES. Nay, hear him, Simo.
SIMO. Hear him?What must I hear then, Chremes!
CHREMES. Let him speak.
SIMO. Well, let him speak: I hear him.
PAM. I confess,I love Glycerium: if it be a fault,That too I do confess. To you, my father,I yield myself: dispose me as you please!Command me! Say that I shall take a wife;Leave her; I will endure it, as I may----This only I beseech you, think not ISuborn'd this old man hither.--Suffer meTo clear myself, and bring him here before you.SIMO. Bring him here!
PAM. Let me, father!
CHREMES. 'Tis but just:Permit him!
PAM. Grant me this!
SIMO. Well, be it so. (Exit PAMPHILUS.I could bear all this bravely, Chremes; more,Much more, to know that he deceiv'd me not.
CHREMES. For a great fault a little punishmentSuffices to a father.
Words in this poem
- aught n.
- Property; possession. [AS. , fr. agan to own, p. p. ahte.]
- amazing a.
- Causing amazement; very wonderful; as, amazing grace.
- repent a.
- Prostrate and rooting; -- said of stems. Gray. [L. repens, -entis, creeping, p. pr. of repere to creep.]
- afflict v. t.
- To strike or cast down; to overthrow. [L. afflictus, p. p. of affigere to cast down, deject; ad + fligere to strike: cf. OF. aflit, afflict, p. p. Cf. Flagellate.]
- 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,]
- bravely adv.
- In a brave manner; courageously; gallantly; valiantly; splendidly; nobly.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Andrian: Act the Fifth: Scene V is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Comedies of Terence, Project Gutenberg ebook #22695; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Terence, The Andrian: Act the Fifth: Scene V, in The Comedies of Terence (1765), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #22695, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/terence-comedies/the-andrian-act-the-fifth-scene-v.html, id L25749.
Form and metre
The Andrian: Act the Fifth: Scene V is 54 lines in 16 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.
- 5 --A---A think · yourself · acquir'dA · witnesses · citizen · point · wordA
- 11 ------AA-- confess · fault · father · please · wife · may · iA · meA · you · here
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 |
|---|---|---|
| CHREMES. Ah, rather speak at once | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| Your purpose, Simo, and forbear reproach. | 10 | ·/˘/˘·˘/˘/ |
| SIMO. As if 'twere possible to utter aught | 11 | /˘···/˘·/˘· |
| Severer than he merits!--Tell me then; (To PAM.) | 12 | ·····/˘····· |
| Glycerium is a citizen? | 8 | ·····/˘˘ |
| SIMO. They say so!--Oh amazing impudence!---- | 12 | /˘····˘/˘/˘˘ |
| Does he consider what he says? does he | 10 | ··˘/˘····· |
| Repent the deed? or does his color take | 10 | ˘/·····/˘· |
| The hue of shame?--To be so weak of soul, | 10 | ·········· |
| Against the custom of our citizens, | 11 | ···/˘·/˘/˘˘ |
| Against the law, against his father's will, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| To wed himself to shame and this vile woman. | 11 | ··˘/·····/˘ |
| PAM. Wretch that I am! | 5 | ····· |
| SIMO. Ah, Pamphilus! d'ye feel | 8 | /˘······ |
| Your wretchedness at last? Then, then, when first | 10 | ·/˘˘······ |
| You wrought upon your mind at any rate | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| To gratify your passion: from that hour | 11 | ·/˘··/˘··/˘ |
| Well might you feel your state of wretchedness. | 10 | ·······/˘˘ |
| --But why give in to this? Why torture thus, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Why vex my spirit? Why afflict my age | 10 | ···/˘·˘/·· |
| For his distemp'rature? Why rue his sins? | 10 | ·········· |
| --No; let him have her, joy in her, live with her. | 11 | ··········· |
| SIMO. How, my father!--can I think | 9 | /˘··/˘··· |
| You want this father? You that for yourself | 10 | ···/˘···˘/ |
| A home, a wife, and children have acquir'd | 11 | ·····/˘·˘/˘ |
| Against your father's will? And witnesses | 10 | ···/˘··/˘˘ |
| Suborn'd, to prove that she's a citizen? | 10 | ·······/˘˘ |
| --You've gain'd your point. | 4 | ···· |
| PAM. My father, but one word! | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| SIMO. What would you say? | 6 | /˘···· |
| CHREMES. Nay, hear him, Simo. | 6 | ····/˘ |
| SIMO. Hear him? | 4 | /˘·· |
| What must I hear then, Chremes! | 6 | ······ |
| CHREMES. Let him speak. | 4 | ···· |
| SIMO. Well, let him speak: I hear him. | 9 | /˘······· |
| PAM. I confess, | 4 | ··˘/ |
| I love Glycerium: if it be a fault, | 10 | ·········· |
| That too I do confess. To you, my father, | 11 | ····˘/···/˘ |
| I yield myself: dispose me as you please! | 10 | ···/˘/···· |
| Command me! Say that I shall take a wife; | 10 | ˘/········ |
| Leave her; I will endure it, as I may---- | 10 | ····˘/···· |
| This only I beseech you, think not I | 10 | ·/˘·˘/···· |
| Suborn'd this old man hither.--Suffer me | 10 | ·····/˘/˘· |
| To clear myself, and bring him here before you. | 11 | ···/······· |
| SIMO. Bring him here! | 5 | /˘··· |
| PAM. Let me, father! | 5 | ···/˘ |
| CHREMES. 'Tis but just: | 4 | ···· |
| Permit him! | 3 | ˘/· |
| PAM. Grant me this! | 4 | ···· |
| SIMO. Well, be it so. (Exit PAMPHILUS. | 11 | /˘····/˘··· |
| I could bear all this bravely, Chremes; more, | 9 | ·····/˘·· |
| Much more, to know that he deceiv'd me not. | 10 | ······˘/·· |
| CHREMES. For a great fault a little punishment | 11 | ······/˘/˘˘ |
| Suffices to a father. | 7 | ˘/˘··/˘ |
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