The Eunuch: Act the Fifth: Scene IX
CHAER. Lives there, my countrymen, a happier manTo-day than I?--Not one.--For on my headThe gods have plainly emptied all their store,On whom they've pour'd a flood of bliss at once.PAR. What's he so pleas'd at?
CHAER. (seeing him.) Oh my ParmenoInventor, undertaker, perfecterOf all my pleasures, know'st thou my good fortunes?Know'st thou my Pamphila's a citizen?
PAR. I've heard so.
CHAER. Know'st thou she's betroth'd my wife?
PAR. Oh brave, by Heav'n!
GNAT. Hear you what he says? (To THRASO.)
CHAER. Then I rejoice, my brother Phaedria's loveIs quietly secur'd to him forever:We're now one family: and Thais hasFound favor with my father, and resign'dHerself to us for patronage and care.PAR. She's then entirely Phaedria's!
CHAER. Aye, entirely.
PAR. Another cause of joy: the Captain routed!
CHAER. See, Parmeno, my brother (wheresoe'erHe be) know this, as soon as possible!PAR. I'll see if he's at home. (Exit.
THRASO. Hast any doubt,Gnatho, but I'm entirely ruin'd?
GNAT. None at all.
CHAER. What shall I mention first? whom praise the most!Him that advis'd this action? or myselfThat durst to undertake it?--or extolFortune, the governess of all, who deign'd,Events so many, of such moment too,So happily to close within one day?Or shall I praise my father's frank good-humor,And gay festivity?----Oh, Jupiter,Make but these blessings sure!
HarperPAR. Oh brave, by Heav'n!Colman 1768PAR. Good news, by heaven!
HarperMake but these blessings sure!Colman 1768
Words in this poem
- undertaker n.
- One who undertakes; one who engages in any project or business.
- perfecter n.
- One who, or that which, makes perfect.
- hast
- , 2d pers. sing. pres. of. Fave, contr. of havest.
- 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,]
- extol v. t.
- To place on high; to lift up; to elevate. [L. extollere; ex out + tollere to lift, take up, or raise: cf. OF. extoller. See Tollerate, and cf. Flate.]
- happily adv.
- By chance; peradventure; haply. Piers Plowman. [From Happy.]
- harper n.
- A player on the harp; a minstrel. [AS. hearpere.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Eunuch: Act the Fifth: Scene IX 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 Eunuch: Act the Fifth: Scene IX, in The Comedies of Terence (1765), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #22695, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/terence-comedies/the-eunuch-act-the-fifth-scene-ix.html, id L25784.
Form and metre
The Eunuch: Act the Fifth: Scene IX is 43 lines in 15 stanzas. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 84%).
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 |
|---|---|---|
| CHAER. Lives there, my countrymen, a happier man | 10 | ····/˘·/˘· |
| To-day than I?--Not one.--For on my head | 10 | ·········· |
| The gods have plainly emptied all their store, | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| On whom they've pour'd a flood of bliss at once. | 10 | ·········· |
| PAR. What's he so pleas'd at? | 6 | ······ |
| CHAER. (seeing him.) Oh my Parmeno | 9 | ·/˘······ |
| Inventor, undertaker, perfecter | 10 | ˘/˘/˘·˘/˘˘ |
| Of all my pleasures, know'st thou my good fortunes? | 11 | ···/˘····/˘ |
| Know'st thou my Pamphila's a citizen? | 10 | ·······/˘˘ |
| PAR. I've heard so. | 4 | ···· |
| CHAER. Know'st thou she's betroth'd my wife? | 8 | ········ |
| PAR. Oh brave, by Heav'n! | 5 | ····· |
| GNAT. Hear you what he says? (To THRASO.) | 9 | ········· |
| CHAER. Then I rejoice, my brother Phaedria's love | 11 | ···˘/·/˘··· |
| Is quietly secur'd to him forever: | 11 | ·/˘˘˘/··˘/˘ |
| We're now one family: and Thais has | 9 | ···/˘˘··· |
| Found favor with my father, and resign'd | 10 | ·/˘··/˘·˘/ |
| Herself to us for patronage and care. | 10 | ˘/···/˘˘·· |
| PAR. She's then entirely Phaedria's! | 9 | ···˘/˘˘·· |
| CHAER. Aye, entirely. | 6 | ··˘/˘˘ |
| PAR. Another cause of joy: the Captain routed! | 12 | ·˘/˘····/˘/˘ |
| CHAER. See, Parmeno, my brother (wheresoe'er | 11 | ······/˘··· |
| He be) know this, as soon as possible! | 10 | ·······/˘˘ |
| PAR. I'll see if he's at home. (Exit. | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| THRASO. Hast any doubt, | 6 | ···/˘· |
| Gnatho, but I'm entirely ruin'd? | 10 | ····˘/˘˘/˘ |
| GNAT. None at all. | 4 | ···· |
| CHAER. What shall I mention first? whom praise the most! | 11 | ····/˘····· |
| Him that advis'd this action? or myself | 10 | ··˘/·/˘··/ |
| That durst to undertake it?--or extol | 10 | ···/˘···˘/ |
| Fortune, the governess of all, who deign'd, | 10 | /˘·/˘˘···· |
| Events so many, of such moment too, | 10 | ˘/·/˘··/˘· |
| So happily to close within one day? | 10 | ·/˘˘······ |
| Or shall I praise my father's frank good-humor, | 11 | ·····/˘··/˘ |
| And gay festivity?----Oh, Jupiter, | 10 | ··˘/˘˘·/˘˘ |
| Make but these blessings sure! | 6 | ···/˘· |
| Harper | 2 | /˘ |
| PAR. Oh brave, by Heav'n! | 5 | ····· |
| Colman 1768 | 2 | /˘ |
| PAR. Good news, by heaven! | 6 | ····/˘ |
| Harper | 2 | /˘ |
| Make but these blessings sure! | 6 | ···/˘· |
| Colman 1768 | 2 | /˘ |
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