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Pericles: Act III, Scene 1

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Pericles
Act III, Scene 1

On a ship at sea.

Here’s all that is left living of your queen: a little daughter.

Louis Rhead, 1918

  1. Enter Pericles a-shipboard.

Pericles

1 - 14
  1. The god of this great vast, rebuke these surges,
  2. Which wash both heaven and hell; and thou that hast
  3. Upon the winds command, bind them in brass,
  4. Having call’d them from the deep! O, still
  5. Thy deaf’ning, dreadful thunders, gently quench
  6. Thy nimble, sulfurous flashes!—O, how, Lychorida!
  7. How does my queen?—Thou storm, venomously
  8. Wilt thou spet all thyself? The seaman’s whistle
  9. Is as a whisper in the ears of death,
  10. Unheard.—Lychorida!—Lucina, O!
  11. Divinest patroness, and midwife gentle
  12. To those that cry by night, convey thy Deity
  13. Aboard our dancing boat, make swift the pangs
  14. Of my queen’s travails!—Now, Lychorida!
  1. Enter Lychorida with an infant.

Lychorida

15 - 18
  1. Here is a thing too young for such a place,
  2. Who, if it had conceit, would die, as I
  3. Am like to do. Take in your arms this piece
  4. Of your dead queen.

Pericles

19
  1.                     How? How, Lychorida?

Lychorida

20 - 23
  1. Patience, good sir, do not assist the storm.
  2. Here’s all that is left living of your queen:
  3. A little daughter. For the sake of it
  4. Be manly, and take comfort.

Pericles

24 - 28
  1.                             O you gods!
  2. Why do you make us love your goodly gifts
  3. And snatch them straight away? We here below
  4. Recall not what we give, and therein may
  5. Use honor with you.

Lychorida

29 - 30
  1.                     Patience, good sir,
  2. Even for this charge.

Pericles

31 - 41
  1.                       Now, mild may be thy life!
  2. For a more blusterous birth had never babe.
  3. Quiet and gentle thy conditions! For
  4. Thou art the rudeliest welcome to this world
  5. That ever was prince’s child. Happy what follows!
  6. Thou hast as chiding a nativity
  7. As fire, air, water, earth, and heaven can make
  8. To herald thee from the womb. Even at the first
  9. Thy loss is more than can thy portage quit
  10. With all thou canst find here. Now the good gods
  11. Throw their best eyes upon’t!
  1. Enter two Sailors.

First Sailor

42
  1. What courage, sir? God save you!

Pericles

43 - 46
  1. Courage enough. I do not fear the flaw,
  2. It hath done to me the worst. Yet for the love
  3. Of this poor infant, this fresh new sea-farer,
  4. I would it would be quiet.

Th’ unfriendly elements forgot thee utterly

Charles Lamb, author; Mary Lamb, author; Louis Rhead; circa 1918

First Sailor

47 - 48
  1. Slack the bolins there!—Thou wilt not, wilt thou? Blow, and
  2. split thyself.

Second Sailor

49 - 50
  1. But sea-room, and the brine and cloudy billow kiss the moon,
  2. I care not.

First Sailor

51 - 53
  1. Sir, your queen must overboard. The sea works high, the wind
  2. is loud, and will not lie till the ship be clear’d of the
  3. dead.

Pericles

54
  1. That’s your superstition.

First Sailor

55 - 57
  1. Pardon us, sir; with us at sea it hath been still observ’d,
  2. and we are strong in custom; therefore briefly yield ’er,
  3. for she must overboard straight.

Pericles

58
  1. As you think meet. Most wretched queen!

Lychorida

59
  1. Here she lies, sir.

Pericles

60 - 73
  1. A terrible child-bed hast thou had, my dear,
  2. No light, no fire. Th’ unfriendly elements
  3. Forgot thee utterly, nor have I time
  4. To give thee hallow’d to thy grave, but straight
  5. Must cast thee, scarcely coffin’d, in the ooze,
  6. Where, for a monument upon thy bones,
  7. The e’er-remaining lamps, the belching whale
  8. And humming water must o’erwhelm thy corpse,
  9. Lying with simple shells. O Lychorida,
  10. Bid Nestor bring me spices, ink and paper,
  11. My casket and my jewels; and bid Nicander
  12. Bring me the satin coffin. Lay the babe
  13. Upon the pillow. Hie thee, whiles I say
  14. A priestly farewell to her. Suddenly, woman.
  1. Exit Lychorida.

Second Sailor

74 - 75
  1. Sir, we have a chest beneath the hatches, caulk’d and
  2. bitum’d ready.

Pericles

76
  1. I thank thee. Mariner, say, what coast is this?

Second Sailor

77
  1. We are near Tharsus.

Pericles

78 - 79
  1. Thither, gentle mariner,
  2. Alter thy course for Tyre. When canst thou reach it?

First Sailor

80
  1. By break of day, if the wind cease.

Pericles

81 - 85
  1. O, make for Tharsus!
  2. There will I visit Cleon, for the babe
  3. Cannot hold out to Tyrus. There I’ll leave it
  4. At careful nursing. Go thy ways, good mariner,
  5. I’ll bring the body presently.
  1. Exeunt.
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