20614361436And from the strand of Dardan where they fought

14371437To Simois' reedy banks the red blood ran,

14381438Whose waves to imitate the battle sought

14391439With swelling ridges, and their ranks began

14401440To break upon the gallèd shore, and then

14411441Retire again, till meeting greater ranks

14421442They join and shoot their foam at Simois' banks.

20714431443To this well-painted piece is Lucrece come,

14441444To find a face where all distress is stelled.

14451445Many she sees where cares have carvèd some,

14461446But none where all distress and dolor dwelled

14471447Till she despairing Hecuba beheld,

14481448Staring on Priam's wounds with her old eyes,

14491449Which bleeding under Pyrrhus' proud foot lies.

20814501450In her the painter had anatomized

14511451Time's ruin, beauty's wrack, and grim care's reign.

14521452Her cheeks with chaps and wrinkles were disguised;

14531453Of what she was no semblance did remain.

14541454Her blue blood, changed to black in every vein,

14551455Wanting the spring that those shrunk pipes had fed,

14561456Showed life imprisoned in a body dead.

20914571457On this sad shadow Lucrece spends her eyes

14581458And shapes her sorrow to the beldame's woes,

14591459Who nothing wants to answer her but cries

14601460And bitter words to ban her cruel foes.

14611461The painter was no god to lend her those,

14621462And therefore Lucrece swears he did her wrong

14631463To give her so much grief and not a tongue.

21014641464"Poor instrument," quoth she, "without a sound,

14651465I'll tune thy woes with my lamenting tongue,

14661466And drop sweet balm in Priam's painted wound,

14671467And rail on Pyrrhus that hath done him wrong,

14681468And with my tears quench Troy that burns so long,

14691469And with my knife scratch out the angry eyes

14701470Of all the Greeks that are thine enemies."