The Eunuch: Act the First: Scene I
PHAED. And what then shall I do? not go? not now?When she herself invites me? or were't bestFashion my mind no longer to endureThese harlots' impudence?--Shut out! recall'd!Shall I return? No, not if she implore me.
PAR. Oh brave! oh excellent! if you maintain it!But if you try, and can't go through with spirit,And finding you can't bear it, uninvited,Your peace unmade, all of your own accord,You come and swear you love, and can't endure it,Good-night! all's over! ruin'd and undoneShe'll jilt you, when she sees you in her pow'r.PHAED. You then, in time consider and advise!
PAR. Master! the thing which hath not in itselfOr measure or advice, advice can't rule.In love are all these ills: suspicions, quarrels,Wrongs, reconcilements, war, and peace again:Things thus uncertain, if by reason's rulesYou'd certain make, it were as wise a taskTo try with reason to run mad. And nowWhat you in anger meditate--I her?That him?--that me? that would not--pardon me!I would die rather: No! she shall perceiveHow much I am a man.--Big words like these,She in good faith with one false tiny drop,Which, after grievous rubbing, from her eyesCan scarce perforce be squeez'd, shall overcome.Nay, she shall swear, 'twas you in fault, not she;You too shall own th' offense, and pray for pardon.
PHAED. Oh monstrous! monstrous! now indeed I seeHow false she is, and what a wretch I am!Spite of myself I love; and knowing, feeling,With open eyes run on to my destruction;And what to do I know not.
PAR. What to do?What should you do, Sir, but redeem yourselfAs cheaply as you can?--at easy ratesIf possible--if not--at any rate----And never vex yourself.PHAED. Is that your counsel?
PAR. Aye, if you're wise; and do not add to loveMore troubles than it has, and those it hasBear bravely! But she comes, our ruin comes;For she, like storms of hail on fields of corn,Beats down our hopes, and carries all before her.
Words in this poem
- 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,]
- unmade a.
- Etym: [Pref. un- not + made.]
- undone a.
- Not done or performed; neglected. [Pref. un- not + done.]
- jilt n.
- A woman who capriciously deceives her lover; a coquette; a flirt. Otway. [Contr. fr. Scot. jillet a giddy girl, a jill-flirt, dim. of jill a jill.]
- scarce a.
- Not plentiful or abundant; in small quantity in proportion to the demand; not easily to be procured; rare; uncommon. [OE. scars, OF. escars, eschars, LL. scarpsus, for L. excerptus, p. p. of excerpere to pick out, and hence to contract, to shorten; ex (see Ex-) + carpere. See C]
- perforce v. t.
- To force; to compel.
- cheaply adv.
- At a small price; at a low value; in a common or inferior manner.
- bravely adv.
- In a brave manner; courageously; gallantly; valiantly; splendidly; nobly.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Eunuch: Act the First: Scene I 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 First: Scene I, in The Comedies of Terence (1765), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #22695, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/terence-comedies/the-eunuch-act-the-first-scene-i.html, id L25755.
Form and metre
The Eunuch: Act the First: Scene I is 45 lines in 6 stanzas. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 86%).
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 AA--A--- itA · spiritA · uninvited · accord · itA · undone · pow'r · advise
- 3 --A-A---B-----B- itself · rule · quarrelsA · again · rulesA · task · now · her · meB · perceive · these · drop · eyes · overcome · sheB · pardon
- 5 -A--A- do · yourselfA · rates · rate · yourselfA · counsel
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 |
|---|---|---|
| PHAED. And what then shall I do? not go? not now? | 11 | ··········· |
| When she herself invites me? or were't best | 11 | ··˘/˘/····· |
| Fashion my mind no longer to endure | 10 | /˘···/˘·˘/ |
| These harlots' impudence?--Shut out! recall'd! | 10 | ···/˘˘··˘/ |
| Shall I return? No, not if she implore me. | 11 | ··˘/····˘/· |
| PAR. Oh brave! oh excellent! if you maintain it! | 11 | ····/˘··˘/· |
| But if you try, and can't go through with spirit, | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| And finding you can't bear it, uninvited, | 11 | ·/˘·····˘/˘ |
| Your peace unmade, all of your own accord, | 10 | ··˘/····˘/ |
| You come and swear you love, and can't endure it, | 11 | ········˘/· |
| Good-night! all's over! ruin'd and undone | 10 | ·····/˘·˘/ |
| She'll jilt you, when she sees you in her pow'r. | 10 | ·········· |
| PHAED. You then, in time consider and advise! | 11 | ·····˘/˘·˘/ |
| PAR. Master! the thing which hath not in itself | 11 | ·/˘······˘/ |
| Or measure or advice, advice can't rule. | 10 | ·/˘·˘/˘/·· |
| In love are all these ills: suspicions, quarrels, | 11 | ······˘/˘/˘ |
| Wrongs, reconcilements, war, and peace again: | 11 | ·········˘/ |
| Things thus uncertain, if by reason's rules | 10 | ··˘/˘··/˘· |
| You'd certain make, it were as wise a task | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| To try with reason to run mad. And now | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| What you in anger meditate--I her? | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| That him?--that me? that would not--pardon me! | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| I would die rather: No! she shall perceive | 10 | ···/˘···˘/ |
| How much I am a man.--Big words like these, | 10 | ·········· |
| She in good faith with one false tiny drop, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Which, after grievous rubbing, from her eyes | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| Can scarce perforce be squeez'd, shall overcome. | 10 | ··˘/···/˘· |
| Nay, she shall swear, 'twas you in fault, not she; | 10 | ·········· |
| You too shall own th' offense, and pray for pardon. | 11 | ····˘/···/˘ |
| PHAED. Oh monstrous! monstrous! now indeed I see | 11 | ··/˘/˘·˘/·· |
| How false she is, and what a wretch I am! | 10 | ·········· |
| Spite of myself I love; and knowing, feeling, | 11 | ···/···/˘/˘ |
| With open eyes run on to my destruction; | 11 | ·/˘·····˘/˘ |
| And what to do I know not. | 7 | ······· |
| PAR. What to do? | 4 | ···· |
| What should you do, Sir, but redeem yourself | 10 | ······˘/˘/ |
| As cheaply as you can?--at easy rates | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| If possible--if not--at any rate---- | 10 | ·/˘˘···/˘· |
| And never vex yourself. | 6 | ·/˘·˘/ |
| PHAED. Is that your counsel? | 6 | ····/˘ |
| PAR. Aye, if you're wise; and do not add to love | 11 | ··········· |
| More troubles than it has, and those it has | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| Bear bravely! But she comes, our ruin comes; | 10 | ·/˘···//˘· |
| For she, like storms of hail on fields of corn, | 10 | ·········· |
| Beats down our hopes, and carries all before her. | 11 | ··/··/˘···· |
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