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


¶Her lillie hand, her ro
sie cheeke lies vnder,
¶Coo
sning the pillow of a lawfull ki
sse:
¶VVho therefore angrie seemes to part in
sunder,
¶Swelling on either
side to want his bli
sse.
390Betweene who
se hils her head intombed is;
¶_VVhere like a vertuous Monument
shee lies,
¶_To be admir'd of lewd vnhallowed eyes.
¶VVithout the bed her other faire hand was,
¶On the greene couerlet who
se perfect white
395Showed like an Aprill dazie on the gra
sse,
¶VVith pearlie
swet re
sembling dew of night.
¶Her eyes like Marigolds had
sheath'd their light,
¶_And canopied in darkene
sse
sweetly lay,
¶_Till they might open to adorne the day.
400Her haire like goldē threeds playd with her breath,
¶O mode
st wantons, wanton mode
stie!
¶Showing lifes triumph in the map of death,
¶And deaths dim looke in lifes mortalitie.
¶Ech in her
sleepe them
selues
so beautifie,
405_As if betweene them twaine there were no
strife,
¶_But that life liu'd in death, and death in life.
¶Her brea
sts like Iuory globes circled with blew,
¶A paire of maiden worlds vnconquered,
¶Saue of their Lord, no bearing yoke they knew,
410And him by oath they truely honored.
¶The
se worlds in
TARQVIN new ambition bred,
¶_VVho like a fowle v
surper went about,
¶_From this faire throne to heaue the owner out.
¶VVhat could he
see but mightily he noted?
415VVhat did he note, but
strongly he de
sired?
¶VVhat he beheld, on that he firmely doted,
¶And in his will his wilfull eye he tyred.
¶VVith more then admiration he admired
¶_Her azure vaines, her alabla
ster skinne,
420_Her corall lips, her
snow-white dimpled chin.

