ACT II
Scène i.-^Page 34. i Cependant que, wkile. This expression was synonymous with pendant que. Vaugelas condemned jt. It is now used only in poetry, and is even then rare.
Page 35. 6 le sien, her heart.
7 et ne prétendrais rien, and would claitn notking. Prétendre^ now generally neuter and foilowed by à, was transitive in the seventeenth century.
157 tiendront votre amour à bonheur, will consider your love a happiness^
16 pensers, an infinitive^jised as a noun, synonymous vr'ith pensées, mon âme se ravale, my soûl should Icnver itself,
18 Elle en a mieux usé, she has acted better.
I l6 NOTES.
Page 36. 15 Je ne suis plus à moi, I am beside inyself,
TsiSe 37. 6 Faibles soulagements d'un malheur sans remède. FeebU consolation for a mis/or tune without remedy. Compare, say ail commentators :
** Solatia luctus Exigua ingentis." {j^ueid^ xi. 62.)
Page 38. 3 Je ne veux que la voir, soupirer et mourir. This yearning after death of the levers in Corneille sometimes strikes students as ludicrous. It was, however, the language of the epoch, when ail knew by heart in 1654 la Carte de Tendre^ and vvhen the Duke of Montausier courted Mademoiselle de Rambouillet for twelve years before obtaining her hand. The beauties in Polyeucte, the interest of the play, make us excuse, with Voltaire, some inconsistencies, as, in Le Cîdy we easily pardon Rodrigue for offering so often his head to Chimène.
4 Vous vous échapperez, you will not be abU to control yourseîf.
1 1 accuser qui, accuse her who,
13 mon malheur, et son père. Subjects by ellipsis of m^a trahi
17 run par l'autre. An obscure expression. Vun probably refers to Félix, the father ; Vautre to fortune, or, according to Voltaire, to Pauline.
19 This verse is almost the same as verse 3 above. This lyrical refrain reminds us of RodrigueV soliloquy (Act I., Scène 7).
Page 39. i mouvements, émotions.
Scène 2. — Page 40. 8 un peu de soupirs, a few sighs, " One cannot say correctly wt peu de soupirs, as one says un peu cTeati " (Voltaire).
24 O trop aimable objet. O being too amiable. In the seventeenth century objet often refers to the person loved.
Page 41. 9 Un je ne sais quel charme, a charm which I cannct express.
17 qui le vainquit, 7vhich vanquished it (the nr.erit). The le is hère a little ambiguous. Voltaire says that it refers to espoir in the preceding verse. The sentence, however, is much clearer by referring le to mérite in verse 10.
18 dessous les lois. In the seventeenth century dessous was used both as prcposilion and as adverb.
Page 42. 10 avecque mon amour. Both avec and avecque were iised in prose and in verse in the seventeenth century. Avecque is now used only in poetry, for the sake of the verse.
22 Qui ne font qu'irriter, ivhkh only irritate.
Page 43. 5 Ma gloire, viy réputation^ my honor. Net taken in ordinary sensé oiglory.
1 2 par une mort pompeuse, by a glorious death.
15 J'ai de la vie assez, / hâve eivough iife.
17 même en votre sacrifice, even atyour sacrifice.
Page 44. 5 Puisse trouver Sévère, {oy puisse Séz'ère trouver, tnay Sévèrefind.
10 Adieu, trop malheureux et trop parfait amant. In this conversation between Sévère and Pauline, their regrets are as beautiful as those of Chimène and Rodrigue (Act III., Scène 4), beginning with:
Don Rodrigue. — O miracle d'amour!
Chimène. — O comble de misères I
SCEME 3. — Page 45. 2 Au fort de ma douleur, in the height of
! 3 Souffre un peu de relâche, allow a little rest.
9 Malgré sa retenue, in spite of his modération.
Scène 4. — Page 46. 3 vos Dieux, your £ods. Polyeucte hère déclares that he is now a Christian, and that Pauline's gods are no longer his.
16 Mais j'ai gagné sur \\i\y but I hâve obtained the promise front htm.
Page 47. I Je ferais à tous trois un trop sensible outrage. The whole answer of Pauline is admirable. It shows her good sensé, her modesty, her confidence both in Polyeucte and in Sévère, and her virtue, in spite of Voltaire's unjust criticism.
Scène 6. — Page 49. 4 ou les y terrasser, or overcome them there. This zeal of Polyeucte was considered excessive by r Hôtel de Rambouillet, and was very much blamed. They should hâve remembered that the destruction of statues of the pagan gods by the martyrs really happened. Besides, Polyeucte is anxious to hi a martyr, for, says he, page 50, line 8, —
" But already, in heaven, the crown îs prepared."
Il8 NOTES.
Page 50. 3 que Ton s'y précipite, that one should rush to it {death).
Page 51. I en vivant, if I live. Incorrect French at présent, but adinitted in the seventeenth century.
2 mettre au hasard, leave to chance, mettre for remettre,
7 ménagez votre vie, spare yottr life.
13 assurément, with assurance. This meaning of assurément is now lost.
Page 52. 8 and 9 are a répétition of verses 16 and 17, page iS.
13 grand' peine. ^x\\Xt\\X\\i^ grand'* m^re^grand^ messe y^\.Q..^'v\\}Bi an apostrophe for grande, which form of the féminine was not correct, grand from grandis having originally the same form for the masculine and the féminine.
Page 52. 19 exténuée, weakened. The ordinary meaning is overwhelmed with fatigue.
20 aux grands effets, tn serions matters. 22 défenses, excuses.
Page 53. 3 à me fortifier ; à instead of pour^ common in the seventeenth century.
4 and 5 are a répétition of 5 and 6, page 49.
6 Puissé-je vous donner, may I give you. Puissèje recalls immediately the celebrated imprécations of Camille, which end thus (Horace, Act IV., Scène 5):
*• Puissé-je de mes yeux y voir tomber ce foudre. Voir ses maisons en cendre, et tes lauriers en poudre, Voir le dernier Romain à son dernier soupir. Moi seule en être cause, et mourir de plaisir I" 1 3 Dont arme un bois pourri ce peuple trop crédule. With which this too credulous peuple arms a pièce of decayed wood.
17 Faisons triompher Dieu. The end of the second act leaves us prepared for the catastrophe. The éloquence with which Polyeucte brings Néarque to share his opinion, his sincère priety, will not permit us to suspect one moment that any influence, even his love for Pauline, wîll make him abandon his faith.
ACT m.
SCKNË I. — This monologue of Pauline is expressed in heautifol and poetical language. Voltaire criticises it as being very cold, but !t was well received by the audiences of the seventcenth century, who Hked pyschological monologues. Corneille seems to hâve been singularly fortunate in this respect in Le Cid, Horac€r and Cinna,
Page 54. 4 Que ton divin rayon tarde à les éclairer! k<nv slow is yùur divine beam in skedding light upon them l
13 Sévère incessamment brouille ma fantaisie. Sévère incessantly disturbs my imagination.
1 5 d'un oeil bien égal, with a very indiffèrent eye.
Page 55. 2 L*un voit aux mains d'autrui, the one (Sévère) sees in the hands ofanother (Polyeuctc).
19 las! for Hélas ! The interjection originally was Hé î and las, an adjective from lassus, was variable and not joined to the interjection. A woman would say, Hé ! lasse.
