The Step-Mother: Act the Third: Scene VIII
LACH. Did not you sayShe only waited my son's coming?LACH. They say that he's arriv'd. Let us return then!
PAM. (behind). What reason I shall frame to give my father,For not recalling her, I can not tell.
LACH. (overhearing). Whose voice was that?
PAM. (to himself). And yet I am resolv'dTo stand to my first purpose.
LACH. (seeing PAMPHILUS). He himself,Whom I was speaking of!PAM. (going up). My father, save you!
LACH. Save you, my son!
PHID. Pamphilus, welcome home!I'm glad to see you safe, and in good health.
PAM. I do believe it.
LACH. Are you just now come?
PAM. Just now, Sir.
LACH. Well; and tell me, Pamphilus,What has our kinsman Phania left us?
PAM. Ah, Sir,He, his whole lifetime, was a man of pleasure,And such men seldom much enrich their heirs.Yet he has left at least this praise behind him,"While he liv'd, he liv'd well."
LACH. And have you broughtNothing home with you but this single sentence?
PAM. What he has left, though small, is of advantage.
LACH. Advantage? No, it is a disadvantage:For I could wish he was alive and well.
PHID. That you may safely; for your wishing for'tWill never bring the man to life again:Yet I know well enough which you'd like best. (Aside.)
LACH. (to PAMPHILUS). Phidippus order'd that PhilumenaShould be sent over to him yesterday.--Say that you order'd it. (Aside to PHIDIPPUS, thrusting him.)
PHID. (aside to LACHES). Don't thrust me so.----I did. (Aloud.)
LACH. But now he'll send her home again.
PAM. Nay, nay, I know the whole affair.Since my arrival, I have heard it all.
LACH. Now plague upon these envious tale-bearers,Who are so glad to fetch and carry news!
PAM. (to PHIDIPPUS). That I've endeavor'd to deserve no blameFrom any of the family, I'm conscious.Were it my inclination to relateHow true I've been, how kind and gentle tow'rd her,I well might do it: but I rather chooseYou should collect it from herself. For whenShe, although now there's enmity between us,Bespeaks me fair, you will the sooner creditMy disposition tow'rd her. And I callThe Gods to witness that this separationHas not arisen from my fault. But sinceShe thinks it is beneath her to complyWith Sostrata, and bear my mother's temper;And since no other means are to be foundOf reconciliation, I, Phidippus,Must leave my mother or Philumena.Duty then calls me to regard my mother.
LACH. My Pamphilus, I can not be displeas'dThat you prefer to all the world a parent.But take heed your resentment don't transport youBeyond the bounds of reason, Pamphilus.
PAM. Ah, what resentment can I bear to her,Who ne'er did any thing I'd wish undone,But has so often deserv'd well of me?I love her, own her worth, and languish for her;For I have known her tenderness of soul:And Heaven grant that with some other husbandShe find that happiness she miss'd in me;From whom the strong hand of necessityDivorces her forever!
PHID. That event'Tis in your pow'r to hinder.
LACH. If you're wise,Take your wife home again!
PAM. I can not, father.I must not slack my duty to my mother. (Going.)LACH. Where are you going? (Exit PAMPHILUS.
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,]
- kinsman n.
- A man of the same race or family; one related by blood.
- lifetime n.
- The time that life continues.
- laches n.
- Neglect; negligence; remissness; neglect to do a thing at the proper time; delay to assert a claim. [OF. lachesse, fr. lache lax, indolent, F. lâche, ultimately fr. L. laxus loose, lax. See Lax.]
- aloud adv.
- With a loud voice, or great noise; loudly; audibly. [Pref. a- + loud.]
- envious a.
- Malignant; mischievous; spiteful. [OF. envios, F. envieux, fr. L. invidiosus, fr. invidia envy. See Envy, and cf. Invidious.]
- undone a.
- Not done or performed; neglected. [Pref. un- not + done.]
- languish v. i.
- To cause to dr Shak.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Step-Mother: Act the Third: Scene VIII 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 Third: Scene VIII, in The Comedies of Terence (1765), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #22695, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/terence-comedies/the-step-mother-act-the-third-scene-viii.html, id L25869.
Form and metre
The Step-Mother: Act the Third: Scene VIII is 79 lines in 27 stanzas. The metre is trochaic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 77%).
See other poems in trochaic 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.
- 21 AA bearersA · newsA
- 22 -----A---A------- blame · conscious · relate · her · choose · whenA · us · credit · call · separationA · since · comply · temper · found · phidippus · philumena · mother
- 24 A-BA--B-- herA · undone · meB · herA · soul · husband · meB · necessity · forever
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 trochaic pentameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| LACH. Did not you say | 5 | ····· |
| She only waited my son's coming? | 9 | ·/˘/˘··/˘ |
| LACH. They say that he's arriv'd. Let us return then! | 12 | ·····˘/··˘/· |
| PAM. (behind). What reason I shall frame to give my father, | 14 | ····/˘······/˘ |
| For not recalling her, I can not tell. | 10 | ··˘/˘····· |
| LACH. (overhearing). Whose voice was that? | 9 | ··˘/˘···· |
| PAM. (to himself). And yet I am resolv'd | 10 | ··˘/····˘/ |
| To stand to my first purpose. | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| LACH. (seeing PAMPHILUS). He himself, | 9 | ·/˘····˘/ |
| Whom I was speaking of! | 6 | ···/˘· |
| PAM. (going up). My father, save you! | 9 | ·/˘··/˘·· |
| LACH. Save you, my son! | 5 | ····· |
| PHID. Pamphilus, welcome home! | 7 | ····/˘· |
| I'm glad to see you safe, and in good health. | 10 | ·········· |
| PAM. I do believe it. | 6 | ···˘/· |
| LACH. Are you just now come? | 6 | ······ |
| PAM. Just now, Sir. | 4 | ···· |
| LACH. Well; and tell me, Pamphilus, | 8 | ········ |
| What has our kinsman Phania left us? | 10 | ··/˘/····· |
| PAM. Ah, Sir, | 3 | ··· |
| He, his whole lifetime, was a man of pleasure, | 11 | ···/·····/˘ |
| And such men seldom much enrich their heirs. | 10 | ···/˘·˘/·· |
| Yet he has left at least this praise behind him, | 11 | ··········· |
| "While he liv'd, he liv'd well." | 6 | ······ |
| LACH. And have you brought | 5 | ····· |
| Nothing home with you but this single sentence? | 11 | /˘·····/˘/˘ |
| PAM. What he has left, though small, is of advantage. | 12 | ·········˘/˘ |
| LACH. Advantage? No, it is a disadvantage: | 12 | ·˘/˘·····˘/˘ |
| For I could wish he was alive and well. | 10 | ······˘/·· |
| PHID. That you may safely; for your wishing for't | 11 | ····/˘··/˘· |
| Will never bring the man to life again: | 10 | ·/˘·····˘/ |
| Yet I know well enough which you'd like best. (Aside.) | 12 | ····˘/····˘/ |
| LACH. (to PAMPHILUS). Phidippus order'd that Philumena | 15 | ········/˘····· |
| Should be sent over to him yesterday. | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| --Say that you order'd it. (Aside to PHIDIPPUS, thrusting him.) | 15 | ···/˘·˘/····/˘· |
| PHID. (aside to LACHES). Don't thrust me so.---- | 10 | ·˘/·/˘···· |
| I did. (Aloud.) | 4 | ··˘/ |
| LACH. But now he'll send her home again. | 9 | ·······˘/ |
| PAM. Nay, nay, I know the whole affair. | 9 | ·······˘/ |
| Since my arrival, I have heard it all. | 10 | ··˘/˘····· |
| LACH. Now plague upon these envious tale-bearers, | 11 | ······/˘·/˘ |
| Who are so glad to fetch and carry news! | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| PAM. (to PHIDIPPUS). That I've endeavor'd to deserve no blame | 15 | ·······˘/˘·˘/·· |
| From any of the family, I'm conscious. | 11 | ·/˘··/˘˘·/˘ |
| Were it my inclination to relate | 10 | ····˘/˘·˘/ |
| How true I've been, how kind and gentle tow'rd her, | 11 | ·······/˘·· |
| I well might do it: but I rather choose | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| You should collect it from herself. For when | 10 | ··˘/··˘/·· |
| She, although now there's enmity between us, | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Bespeaks me fair, you will the sooner credit | 11 | ˘/·····/˘/˘ |
| My disposition tow'rd her. And I call | 10 | ··˘/˘····· |
| The Gods to witness that this separation | 11 | ···/˘···˘/˘ |
| Has not arisen from my fault. But since | 10 | ··˘/˘····· |
| She thinks it is beneath her to comply | 10 | ········˘/ |
| With Sostrata, and bear my mother's temper; | 11 | ·······/˘/˘ |
| And since no other means are to be found | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Of reconciliation, I, Phidippus, | 11 | ··˘·˘/˘···· |
| Must leave my mother or Philumena. | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Duty then calls me to regard my mother. | 11 | /˘····˘/·/˘ |
| LACH. My Pamphilus, I can not be displeas'd | 11 | ·········˘/ |
| That you prefer to all the world a parent. | 11 | ··˘/·····/˘ |
| But take heed your resentment don't transport you | 11 | ····˘/˘·˘/· |
| Beyond the bounds of reason, Pamphilus. | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| PAM. Ah, what resentment can I bear to her, | 11 | ···˘/˘····· |
| Who ne'er did any thing I'd wish undone, | 10 | ···/˘···˘/ |
| But has so often deserv'd well of me? | 10 | ···/˘˘/··· |
| I love her, own her worth, and languish for her; | 11 | ·······/˘·· |
| For I have known her tenderness of soul: | 10 | ·····/˘˘·· |
| And Heaven grant that with some other husband | 11 | ·/˘····/˘/˘ |
| She find that happiness she miss'd in me; | 10 | ···/˘˘···· |
| From whom the strong hand of necessity | 10 | ······˘/˘˘ |
| Divorces her forever! | 7 | ˘/˘·˘/˘ |
| PHID. That event | 4 | ··˘/ |
| 'Tis in your pow'r to hinder. | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| LACH. If you're wise, | 4 | ···· |
| Take your wife home again! | 6 | ····˘/ |
| PAM. I can not, father. | 6 | ····/˘ |
| I must not slack my duty to my mother. (Going.) | 12 | ·····/˘··/˘/ |
| LACH. Where are you going? (Exit PAMPHILUS. | 10 | ····//˘··· |
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