Prologue to the 'Maid's Tragedy'
Scarce should we have the boldness to pretendSo long-renown'd a tragedy to mend,Had not already some deserved your praiseWith like attempt. Of all our elder playsThis and Philaster have the loudest fame;Great are their faults, and glorious is their flame.In both our English genius is express'd;Lofty and bold, but negligently dress'd.
Above our neighbours our conceptions are;But faultless writing is th'effect of care.Our lines reform'd, and not composed in haste,Polished like marble, would like marble last.But as the present, so the last age writ;In both we find like negligence and wit.Were we but less indulgent to our faults,And patience had to cultivate our thoughts,Our Muse would flourish, and a nobler rageWould honour this than did the Grecian stage.
Thus says our author, not content to seeThat others write as carelessly as he;Though he pretends not to make things complete,Yet, to please you, he'd have the poets sweat.
In this old play, what's new we have express'dIn rhyming verse, distinguish'd from the rest;That as the Rhone its hasty way does make(Not mingling waters) through Geneva's lake,So having here the different styles in view,You may compare the former with the new.
If we less rudely shall the knot untie,Soften the rigour of the tragedy,And yet preserve each person's character,Then to the other this you may prefer.'Tis left to you: the boxes and the pit,Are sov'reign judges of this sort of wit.In other things the knowing artist mayJudge better than the people; but a play,(Made for delight, and for no other use)If you approve it not, has no excuse.
'Maid's Tragedy': Waller altered this tragedy without success.'Marble last': these lines occur in a previous poem.
Words in this poem
- 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]
- glorious a.
- Exhibiting attributes, qualities, or acts that are worthy of or receive glory; noble; praiseworthy; excellent; splendid; illustrious; inspiring admiration; as, glorious deeds. [OF. glorios, glorious, F. glorieux, fr. L. gloriosus. See Glory, n.]
- negligently adv.
- In a negligent manner.
- faultless a.
- Without fault; not defective or imperfect; free from blemish; free from incorrectness, vice, or offense; perfect; as, a faultless poem.
- honour n.
- Esteem due or paid to worth; high estimation; respect; consideration; reverence; veneration; manifestation of respect or reverence. [OE. honor, honour, onour, onur, OF. honor, onor, honur, onur, honour, onour, F. honneur, fr. L. honor, honos.]
- 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,]
- rigour n.
- Rigidity; stiffness. [L. See Rigor., below.]
- artist n.
- One who practices some mechanic art or craft; an artisan. [F. artiste, LL. artista, fr. L. ars. See Art, n., and cf. Artiste.]
- waller n.
- One who builds walls.
- occur v. i.
- To meet; to clash. [L. occurrere, occursum; ob (see Ob-) + currere to run. See Course.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Prologue to the 'Maid's Tragedy' is in the public domain. This text is taken from Poetical Works of Edmund Waller and Sir John Denham, Project Gutenberg ebook #12322; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Edmund Waller, Prologue to the 'Maid's Tragedy', in Cooper's Hill, and Other Poems (1645–1668), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #12322, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/waller-denham/prologue-to-the-maid-s-tragedy.html, id L09115.
Form and metre
Prologue to the 'Maid's Tragedy' is 40 lines in 6 verse paragraphs. It is in rhyming couplets, 65% of the lines: heroic couplets. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 84%). 89% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 10.2 syllables. 2 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 20% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in heroic couplets, 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 AABBCCDD pretendA · mendA · praiseB · playsB · fameC · flameC · express'dD · dress'dD
- 2 ----AA--BB are · care · haste · last · writA · witA · faults · thoughts · rageB · stageB
- 3 AA-- seeA · heA · complete · sweat
- 4 AABBCC express'dA · restA · makeB · lakeB · viewC · newC
- 5 ----AABBCC untie · tragedy · character · prefer · pitA · witA · mayB · playB · useC · excuseC
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Scarce should we have the boldness to pretend | 10 | ·····/˘·˘/ |
| So long-renown'd a tragedy to mend, | 10 | ··˘/·/˘˘·· |
| Had not already some deserved your praise | 10 | ··˘/˘·˘/·· |
| With like attempt. Of all our elder plays | 10 | ··˘/··//˘· |
| This and Philaster have the loudest fame; | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Great are their faults, and glorious is their flame. | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| In both our English genius is express'd; | 10 | ··//˘/˘·˘/ |
| Lofty and bold, but negligently dress'd. | 10 | /˘···/˘˘˘· |
| Above our neighbours our conceptions are; | 10 | ··//˘/˘/˘· |
| But faultless writing is th'effect of care. | 10 | ·/˘/˘····· |
| Our lines reform'd, and not composed in haste, | 10 | /·˘/··˘/·· |
| Polished like marble, would like marble last. | 10 | /˘·/˘··/˘· |
| But as the present, so the last age writ; | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| In both we find like negligence and wit. | 10 | ·····/˘˘·· |
| Were we but less indulgent to our faults, | 10 | ····˘/˘·/· |
| And patience had to cultivate our thoughts, | 10 | ·/˘··/˘·/· |
| Our Muse would flourish, and a nobler rage | 10 | /··/˘··/˘· |
| Would honour this than did the Grecian stage. | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| Thus says our author, not content to see | 10 | ··//˘·˘/·· |
| That others write as carelessly as he; | 10 | ·/˘··/˘˘·· |
| Though he pretends not to make things complete, | 10 | ··˘/····˘/ |
| Yet, to please you, he'd have the poets sweat. | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| In this old play, what's new we have express'd | 10 | ········˘/ |
| In rhyming verse, distinguish'd from the rest; | 10 | ·/˘·˘/˘··· |
| That as the Rhone its hasty way does make | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| (Not mingling waters) through Geneva's lake, | 10 | ·/˘/˘·˘/˘· |
| So having here the different styles in view, | 10 | ·/˘··/˘··· |
| You may compare the former with the new. | 10 | ··˘/·/˘··· |
| If we less rudely shall the knot untie, | 10 | ···/˘···˘/ |
| Soften the rigour of the tragedy, | 10 | /˘·/˘··/˘˘ |
| And yet preserve each person's character, | 10 | ··˘/·/˘/˘˘ |
| Then to the other this you may prefer. | 10 | ···/˘···˘/ |
| 'Tis left to you: the boxes and the pit, | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Are sov'reign judges of this sort of wit. | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| In other things the knowing artist may | 10 | ·/˘··/˘/˘· |
| Judge better than the people; but a play, | 10 | ·/˘··/˘··· |
| (Made for delight, and for no other use) | 10 | ··˘/···/˘· |
| If you approve it not, has no excuse. | 10 | ··˘/····˘/ |
| 'Maid's Tragedy': Waller altered this tragedy without success. | 14 | ·/˘/˘/˘·/˘··˘/ |
| 'Marble last': these lines occur in a previous poem. | 12 | /˘···˘/··/˘/ |
Notes from the edition 1
George Gilfillan's notes to the Poetical Works of Edmund Waller and Sir John Denham (1857; Project Gutenberg #12322).
- Stanza 2, line 4 'Marble last': these lines occur in a previous poem.
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