The Step-Mother: Act the Fourth: Scene IV
SOSTRA. Dear son, I'm not to learn that you suppose,Though you dissemble your suspicions to me,That my ill-humor caus'd your wife's departure.But by my trust in Heav'n, and hopes in you,I never knowingly did any thingTo draw her hatred and disgust upon me.I always thought you lov'd me, and to-dayYou have confirm'd my faith: for even nowYour father has been telling me within,How much you held me dearer than your love.Now therefore, on my part, I am resolv'dTo equal you in all good offices;That you may know your mother ne'er withholdsThe just rewards of filial piety;Finding it then both meet for your repose,My Pamphilus, as well as my good name,I have determin'd to retire directlyFrom hence into the country with your father;So shall my presence be no obstacle,Nor any cause remain, but that your wifeReturn immediately.
PAM. What thoughts are these?Shall her perverseness drive you out of town?It shall not be: Nor will I draw, good mother,That censure on me, that my obstinacy,Not your good-nature, was the cause.--Besides,That you should quit relations, friends, diversions,On my account, I can't allow.
SOSTRA. Alas!Those things have no allurements for me now.While I was young, and 'twas the season for them,I had my share, and I am satisfied.'Tis now my chief concern to make my ageEasy to all, that no one may regretMy lengthen'd life, nor languish for my death.Here, although undeservedly, I seeMy presence odious: I had best retire:So shall I best cut off all discontent,Absolve myself from this unjust suspicion,And humor them. Permit me then to shunThe common scandal thrown upon the sex.
PAM. How fortunate in every thing but one,Having so good a mother,--such a wife!
SOSTRA. Patience, my Pamphilus! Is't possibleYou can't endure one inconvenience in her?If in all else, as I believe, you like her,Dear son, be rul'd by me, and take her home!PAM. Wretch that I am!
SOSTRA. And I am wretched too:For this grieves me, my son, no less than you.
HarperFinding it then both meet for your repose,My Pamphilus, as well as my good nameColman 1768Finding it then both meet, my Pamphilus,
Words in this poem
- dissemble v. t.
- To hide under a false semblance or seeming; to feign (something) not to be what it really is; to put an untrue appearance upon; to disguise; to mask. [OF. dissembler to be dissimilar; pref. dis- (L. dis-) + F. sembler to seem, L. simulare to simulate; cf. L. dissimulare to dissemble. See Simulate, and cf. Diss]
- departure n.
- Division; separation; putting away. [From Depart.]
- filial a.
- Of or pertaining to a son or daughter; becoming to a child in relation to his parents; as, filial obedience. [L. filialis, fr. filius son, filia daughter; akin to e. female, feminine. Cf. Fitz.]
- 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,]
- languish v. i.
- To cause to dr Shak.
- scandal n.
- Offense caused or experienced; reproach or reprobation called forth by what is regarded as wrong, criminal, heinous, or flagrant: opprobrium or disgrace. [F. scandale, fr. L. scandalum, Gr. scandle, OF. escandle. See Slander.]
- harper n.
- A player on the harp; a minstrel. [AS. hearpere.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Step-Mother: Act the Fourth: Scene IV 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 Step-Mother: Act the Fourth: Scene IV, in The Comedies of Terence (1765), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #22695, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/terence-comedies/the-step-mother-act-the-fourth-scene-iv.html, id L25875.
Form and metre
The Step-Mother: Act the Fourth: Scene IV is 55 lines in 7 stanzas. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 85%).
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 AB---B-----A--A------ supposeA · meB · departure · you · thing · meB · day · now · within · love · resolv'd · officesA · withholds · piety · reposeA · name · directly · father · obstacle · wife · immediately
- 3 ----------AA- alas · now · them · satisfied · age · regret · death · see · retire · discontent · suspicionA · shunA · sex
- 5 -AA-- possible · herA · herA · home · am
- 6 AA tooA · youA
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 |
|---|---|---|
| SOSTRA. Dear son, I'm not to learn that you suppose, | 12 | ··········˘/ |
| Though you dissemble your suspicions to me, | 11 | ··˘/˘·˘/˘·· |
| That my ill-humor caus'd your wife's departure. | 11 | ···/˘···˘/˘ |
| But by my trust in Heav'n, and hopes in you, | 10 | ·········· |
| I never knowingly did any thing | 10 | ·/˘/˘˘·/˘· |
| To draw her hatred and disgust upon me. | 11 | ···/˘·˘/··· |
| I always thought you lov'd me, and to-day | 10 | ·/········ |
| You have confirm'd my faith: for even now | 10 | ··˘/···/˘· |
| Your father has been telling me within, | 10 | ·/˘··/˘··· |
| How much you held me dearer than your love. | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Now therefore, on my part, I am resolv'd | 10 | ········˘/ |
| To equal you in all good offices; | 10 | ·/˘····/˘˘ |
| That you may know your mother ne'er withholds | 10 | ·····/˘·/· |
| The just rewards of filial piety; | 11 | ··˘/·/˘˘/˘˘ |
| Finding it then both meet for your repose, | 10 | /˘······˘/ |
| My Pamphilus, as well as my good name, | 10 | ·········· |
| I have determin'd to retire directly | 11 | ··˘/˘·˘/˘/˘ |
| From hence into the country with your father; | 11 | ·····/˘··/˘ |
| So shall my presence be no obstacle, | 10 | ···/˘··/˘˘ |
| Nor any cause remain, but that your wife | 10 | ·/˘·˘/···· |
| Return immediately. | 7 | ˘/˘/˘˘˘ |
| PAM. What thoughts are these? | 5 | ····· |
| Shall her perverseness drive you out of town? | 10 | ··˘/˘····· |
| It shall not be: Nor will I draw, good mother, | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| That censure on me, that my obstinacy, | 11 | ·/˘····/˘˘˘ |
| Not your good-nature, was the cause.--Besides, | 10 | ···/˘···˘/ |
| That you should quit relations, friends, diversions, | 11 | ····˘/˘·˘/˘ |
| On my account, I can't allow. | 8 | ··˘/··˘/ |
| SOSTRA. Alas! | 4 | ··˘/ |
| Those things have no allurements for me now. | 11 | ··········· |
| While I was young, and 'twas the season for them, | 11 | ·······/˘·· |
| I had my share, and I am satisfied. | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| 'Tis now my chief concern to make my age | 10 | ····˘/···· |
| Easy to all, that no one may regret | 10 | /˘······˘/ |
| My lengthen'd life, nor languish for my death. | 10 | ·/˘··/˘··· |
| Here, although undeservedly, I see | 10 | ·········· |
| My presence odious: I had best retire: | 10 | ·/˘/˘···˘/ |
| So shall I best cut off all discontent, | 10 | ·······˘˘/ |
| Absolve myself from this unjust suspicion, | 11 | ˘/·/··˘/˘/˘ |
| And humor them. Permit me then to shun | 10 | ·/˘·˘/···· |
| The common scandal thrown upon the sex. | 10 | ·/˘/˘····· |
| PAM. How fortunate in every thing but one, | 10 | ··/˘·/˘··· |
| Having so good a mother,--such a wife! | 10 | /˘···/˘··· |
| SOSTRA. Patience, my Pamphilus! Is't possible | 11 | ··/˘·····/˘ |
| You can't endure one inconvenience in her? | 11 | ··˘/··˘/˘·· |
| If in all else, as I believe, you like her, | 11 | ······˘/··· |
| Dear son, be rul'd by me, and take her home! | 10 | ·········· |
| PAM. Wretch that I am! | 5 | ····· |
| SOSTRA. And I am wretched too: | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| For this grieves me, my son, no less than you. | 10 | ·········· |
| Harper | 2 | /˘ |
| Finding it then both meet for your repose, | 10 | /˘······˘/ |
| My Pamphilus, as well as my good name | 10 | ·········· |
| Colman 1768 | 2 | /˘ |
| Finding it then both meet, my Pamphilus, | 10 | /˘········ |
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