SCENE I.
Enter Pericles, on a Ship at Sea.
Per.
Thou God of this great vast, rebuke these surges7 note
,
Which wash both heaven and hell; and thou, that hast
-- 103 --
Upon the winds command, bind them in brass,
Having call'd them from the deep! O still8 note
thy deaf'ning,
Thy dreadful thunders; gently quench thy nimble,
Sulphureous flashes!—O how, Lychorida,
How does my queen?—Thou storm, thou! venomously
Wilt thou spit all thyself9 note
?—The seaman's whistle
Is as a whisper in the ears of death1 note
,
-- 104 --
Unheard.—Lychorida!—Lucina, O
Divinest patroness, and midwife2 note
, gentle
To those that cry by night, convey thy deity
Aboard our dancing boat; make swift the pangs
Of my queen's travails!—Now, Lychorida—
Enter Lychorida, with an Infant.
Lyc.
Here is a thing
Too young for such a place, who if it had
Conceit3 note
, would die as I am like to do.
Take in your arms this piece of your dead queen.
Per.
How! how, Lychorida!
Lyc.
Patience, good sir; do not assist the storm.4 note
-- 105 --
Here's all that is left living of your queen,—
A little daughter; for the sake of it,
Be manly, and take comfort.
Per.
O you gods!
Why do you make us love your goodly gifts,
And snatch them straight away? We, here below,
Recall not what we give, and therein may
Use honour with you5 note
.
Lyc.
Patience, good sir,
Even for this charge.
Per.
Now, mild may be thy life!
For a more blust'rous birth had never babe:
-- 106 --
Quiet and gentle thy conditions6 note
!
For thou'rt the rudeliest welcom'd7 note to this world,
That e'er was prince's child. Happy what follows!
Thou hast as chiding a nativity8 note
,
As fire, air, water, earth, and heaven can make,
To herald thee from the womb9 note
: even at the first,
Thy loss is more than can thy portage quit1 note
,
-- 107 --
With all thou canst find here.—Now the good gods
Throw their best eyes upon it!
Enter Two Sailors.
1 Sail.
What courage, sir? God save you.
Per.
Courage enough: I do not fear the flaw2 note
;
It hath done to me the worst3 note
. Yet, for the love
Of this poor infant, this fresh-new sea-farer4 note
,
I would, it would be quiet.
1 Sail.
Slack the bolins there5 note
; thou wilt not,
wilt thou? Blow, and split thyself6 note
.
-- 108 --
2 Sail.
But sea-room, an the brine and cloudy
billow kiss the moon, I care not7 note.
1 Sail.
Sir, your queen must overboard; the
sea works high, the wind is loud, and will not lie
till the ship be cleared of the dead8 note
.
Per.
That's your superstition.
1 Sail.
Pardon us, sir; with us at sea it still
hath been observed; and we are strong in earnest9 note
.
-- 109 --
Therefore briefly yield her; for she must overboard
straight1 note.
Per.
Be it as you think meet.—Most wretched queen!
Lyc.
Here she lies, sir.
Per.
A terrible child-bed hast thou had, my dear;
No light, no fire: the unfriendly elements
Forgot thee utterly; nor have I time
To give thee hallow'd to thy grave2 note
, but straight
Must cast thee, scarcely coffin'd, in the ooze3 note
;
Where, for a monument upon thy bones,
And aye-remaining lamps4 note
, the belching whale5 note
,
-- 110 --
And humming water must o'erwhelm thy corpse6 note
,
Lying with simple shells. Lychorida,
-- 111 --
Bid Nestor bring me spices, ink and paper7 note,
My casket and my jewels; and bid Nicander
Bring me the sattin coffer8 note
: lay the babe
Upon the pillow; hie thee, whiles I say
A priestly farewell to her: suddenly, woman.
[Exit Lychorida.
2 Sail.
Sir, we have a chest beneath the hatches,
caulk'd and bitumed ready.
Per.
I thank thee. Mariner, say what coast is this?
-- 112 --
2 Sail.
We are near Tharsus.
Per.
Thither, gentle mariner,
Alter thy course for Tyre9 note. When can'st thou reach it?
2 Sail.
By break of day, if the wind cease.
Per.
O make for Tharsus.
There will I visit Cleon, for the babe
Cannot hold out to Tyrus: there I'll leave it
At careful nursing. Go thy ways, good mariner;
I'll bring the body presently.
[Exeunt.
James Boswell [1821], The plays and poems of William Shakspeare, with the corrections and illustrations of various commentators: comprehending A Life of the Poet, and an enlarged history of the stage, by the late Edmond Malone. With a new glossarial index (J. Deighton and Sons, Cambridge) [word count] [S10201].
