Shakespeare Portal

Act 2, Scene 4

Another part of the Forest.

  1. [Enter DEMETRIUS and CHIRON, with LAVINIA, ravished; her hands cut off, and her tongue cut out.]
  2. Demetrius
  3. 978 So, now go tell, an if thy tongue can speak,
  4. 979 Who 'twas that cut thy tongue and ravish'd thee.
  5. Chiron
  6. 980 Write down thy mind, bewray thy meaning so,
  7. 981 An if thy stumps will let thee play the scribe.
  8. Demetrius
  9. 982 See how with signs and tokens she can scrowl.
  10. Chiron
  11. 983 Go home, call for sweet water, wash thy hands.
  12. Demetrius
  13. 984 She hath no tongue to call, nor hands to wash;
  14. 985 And so let's leave her to her silent walks.
  15. Chiron
  16. 986 An 'twere my case, I should go hang myself.
  17. Demetrius
  18. 987 If thou hadst hands to help thee knit the cord.
  19. [Exeunt DEMETRIUS and CHIRON.]
  20. [Enter MARCUS.]
  21. Marcus Andronicus
  22. 988 Who is this?—my niece,—that flies away so fast?
  23. 989 Cousin, a word; where is your husband?—
  24. 990 If I do dream, would all my wealth would wake me!
  25. 991 If I do wake, some planet strike me down,
  26. 992 That I may slumber an eternal sleep!—
  27. 993 Speak, gentle niece,—what stern ungentle hands
  28. 994 Hath lopp'd, and hew'd, and made thy body bare
  29. 995 Of her two branches,—those sweet ornaments
  30. 996 Whose circling shadows kings have sought to sleep in,
  31. 997 And might not gain so great a happiness
  32. 998 As half thy love? Why dost not speak to me?—
  33. 999 Alas, a crimson river of warm blood,
  34. 1000 Like to a bubbling fountain stirr'd with wind,
  35. 1001 Doth rise and fall between thy rosed lips,
  36. 1002 Coming and going with thy honey breath.
  37. 1003 But sure some Tereus hath deflowered thee,
  38. 1004 And, lest thou shouldst detect him, cut thy tongue.
  39. 1005 Ah, now thou turn'st away thy face for shame:
  40. 1006 And notwithstanding all this loss of blood,—
  41. 1007 As from a conduit with three issuing spouts,—
  42. 1008 Yet do thy cheeks look red as Titan's face
  43. 1009 Blushing to be encounter'd with a cloud.
  44. 1010 Shall I speak for thee? shall I say 'tis so?
  45. 1011 O, that I knew thy heart, and knew the beast,
  46. 1012 That I might rail at him, to ease my mind!
  47. 1013 Sorrow concealed, like an oven stopp'd,
  48. 1014 Doth burn the heart to cinders where it is.
  49. 1015 Fair Philomela, why she but lost her tongue,
  50. 1016 And in a tedious sampler sew'd her mind;
  51. 1017 But, lovely niece, that mean is cut from thee;
  52. 1018 A craftier Tereus, cousin, hast thou met,
  53. 1019 And he hath cut those pretty fingers off
  54. 1020 That could have better sew'd than Philomel.
  55. 1021 O, had the monster seen those lily hands
  56. 1022 Tremble, like aspen leaves, upon a lute,
  57. 1023 And make the silken strings delight to kiss them,
  58. 1024 He would not then have touch'd them for his life!
  59. 1025 Or had he heard the heavenly harmony
  60. 1026 Which that sweet tongue hath made,
  61. 1027 He would have dropp'd his knife, and fell asleep,
  62. 1028 As Cerberus at the Thracian poet's feet.
  63. 1029 Come, let us go, and make thy father blind;
  64. 1030 For such a sight will blind a father's eye:
  65. 1031 One hour's storm will drown the fragrant meads;
  66. 1032 What will whole months of tears thy father's eyes?
  67. 1033 Do not draw back, for we will mourn with thee:
  68. 1034 O, could our mourning case thy misery!
  69. [Exeunt.]