Pericles, Prince of Tyre (Modern)
Not Peer Reviewed
1369.1
[4.0]
1370
Enter Gower.
¶Gower Imagine Pericles arrived at Tyre,
¶Welcomed and settled to his own desire;
¶His woeful queen we leave at Ephesus,
¶Unto Diana there's a votaress.
1375Now to Marina bend your mind,
¶Whom our fast-growing scene must find
¶At Tharsus, and by Cleon trained
¶In music's letters, who hath gained
¶Of education all the grace,
1380Which makes her both the heart and place
¶Of general wonder. But, alack,
¶That monster envy, oft the wrack
¶Of earnèd praise, Marina's life
¶Seeks to take off by treason's knife,
1385And in this kind: our Cleon has
¶One daughter and a full-grown lass,
¶Even ripe for marriage-rite. This maid
¶Hight Philoten, and it is said
¶For certain in our story she
1390Would ever with Marina be.
¶Be't when they weaved the sleded silk,
¶With fingers long, small, white as milk,
¶Or when she would with sharp needle wound
¶The cambric, which she made more sound
1395By hurting it, or when to th'lute
¶She sung, and made the night-bird mute,
¶That still records with moan, or when
¶She would with rich and constant pen
¶Vail to her mistress Dian, still
1400This Philoten contends in skill
¶With absolute Marina; so
¶With dove of Paphos might the crow
¶Vie feathers white. Marina gets
¶All praises, which are paid as debts
1405And not as given. This so darks
¶In Philoten all graceful marks
¶That Cleon's wife with envy rare
¶A present murder does prepare
¶For good Marina, that her daughter
1410Might stand peerless by this slaughter.
¶The sooner her vile thoughts to stead,
¶Lychorida, our nurse, is dead,
¶And cursed Dionyza hath
¶The pregnant instrument of wrath
1415Prest for this blow. The unborn event
¶I do commend to your content.
¶Only, I carried wingèd time
¶Post on the lame feet of my rhyme,
¶Which never could I so convey,
1420Unless your thoughts went on my way.
¶Dionyza does appear,
¶With Leonine, a murderer.
Exit.