Lucrece (Quarto, 1594)
Author: William ShakespeareEditor: Hardy M. CookNot Peer Reviewed


¶Here with a
sigh as if her heart would breake,
¶Shee throwes forth TARQVINS name: he he,
she
saies,
¶But more then he, her poore tong could not
speake,
¶Till after manie accents and delaies,
1720Vntimelie breathings,
sicke and
short a
ssaies,
¶_Shee vtters this, he he faire Lords, tis he
¶_That guides this hand to giue this wound to me.
¶Euen here
she
sheathed in her harmle
sse brea
st
¶A harmfull knife, that thence her
soule vn
sheathed,
1725That blow did baile it from the deepe vnre
st
¶Of that polluted pri
son, where it breathed:
¶Her contrite
sighes vnto the clouds bequeathed
¶_Her winged
sprite, & through her woūds doth flie
¶_Liues la
sting date, from cancel'd de
stinie.
1730Stone
still, a
stoni
sht with this deadlie deed,
¶Stood
COLATINE, and all his Lordly crew,
¶Till
LVCRECE Father that beholds her bleed,
¶Him
selfe, on her
selfe-
slaughtred bodie threw,
¶And from the purple fountaine
BRVTVS drew
1735_The murdrous knife, and as it left the place,
¶_Her blood in poore reuenge, held it in cha
se.
¶And bubling from her bre
st, it doth deuide
¶In two
slow riuers, that the crim
son bloud
¶Circles her bodie in on euerie
side,
1740VVho like a late
sack't Iland va
stlie
stood
¶Bare and vnpeopled, in this fearfull flood.
¶_Some of her bloud
still pure and red remain'd,
¶_And
som look'd black, & that fal
se TARQVIN
stain'd.
¶About the mourning and congealed face
1745Of that blacke bloud, a watrie rigoll goes,
¶VVhich
seemes to weep vpon the tainted place,
¶And euer
since as pittying
LVCRECE woes,
¶Corrupted bloud,
some waterie token
showes,
¶_And bloud vntainted,
still doth red abide,
1750_Blu
shing at that which is
so putrified.

