The Arden Shakespeare Complete Works
Page 440
But here’s the regent, sir, of Mytilene,
Speaks nobly of her.
LYSIMACHUS She never would tell
Her parentage; being demanded that,
She would sit still and weep.
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PERICLES O Helicanus, strike me, honour’d sir!
Give me a gash, put me to present pain,
Lest this great sea of joys rushing upon me
O’erbear the shores of my mortality,
And drown me with their sweetness. O, come hither,
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Thou that beget’st him that did thee beget;
Thou that wast born at sea, buried at Tharsus,
And found at sea again. O Helicanus,
Down on thy knees! thank the holy gods as loud
As thunder threatens us: this is Marina.
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What was thy mother’s name? tell me but that,
For truth can never be confirm’d enough,
Though doubts did ever sleep.
MARINA First, sir, I pray, what is your title?
PERICLES I am Pericles of Tyre: but tell me now
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My drown’d queen’s name, as in the rest you said
Thou hast been godlike perfect, the heir of kingdoms,
And another life to Pericles thy father.
MARINA Is it no more to be your daughter than
To say my mother’s name was Thaisa?
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Thaisa was my mother, who did end
The minute I began.
PERICLES Now, blessing on thee! rise; thou art my child.
Give me fresh garments. Mine own, Helicanus,
She is not dead at Tharsus, as she should have been,
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By savage Cleon; she shall tell thee all,
When thou shalt kneel, and justify in knowledge
She is thy very princess. Who is this?
HELICANUS Sir, ’tis the governor of Mytilene,
Who, hearing of your melancholy state,
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Did come to see you.
PERICLES I embrace you.
Give me my robes; I am wild in my beholding.
O heavens bless my girl! But hark, what music?
Tell Helicanus, my Marina, tell him
O’er point by point, for yet he seems to doubt,
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How sure you are my daughter. [Music.]
But what music?
HELICANUS My lord, I hear none.
PERICLES None?
The music of the spheres! List, my Marina.
LYSIMACHUS It is not good to cross him; give him way.
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PERICLES Rarest sounds! Do ye not hear?
LYSIMACHUS Music, my Lord? I hear.
PERICLES Most heavenly music!
It nips me unto list’ning, and thick slumber
Hangs upon mine eyes; let me rest. [Sleeps.]
LYSIMACHUS A pillow for his head. So, leave him all.
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Well, my companion friends,
If this but answer to my just belief,
I’ll well remember you. Exeunt all but Pericles.
DIANA appears to Pericles in a vision.
DIANA My temple stands in Ephesus; hie thee thither,
And do upon mine altar sacrifice.
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There, when my maiden priests are met together,
[ ] before the people all,
Reveal how thou at sea didst lose thy wife.
To mourn thy crosses, with thy daughter’s, call
And give them repetition to the life.
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Or perform my bidding, or thou liv’st in woe;
Do’t, and happy; by my silver bow!
Awake, and tell thy dream. Disappears.
PERICLES Celestial Dian, goddess argentine,
I will obey thee. Helicanus!
Enter LYSIMACHUS, HELICANUS and MARINA.
HELICANUS Sir?
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PERICLES My purpose was for Tharsus, there to strike
The inhospitable Cleon; but I am
For other service first; toward Ephesus
Turn our blown sails: eftsoons I’ll tell thee why.
Shall we refresh us, sir, upon your shore,
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And give you gold for such provision
As our intents will need?
LYSIMACHUS Sir,
With all my heart; and when you come ashore,
I have another suit.
PERICLES You shall prevail,
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Were it to woo my daughter; for it seems
You have been noble towards her.
LYSIMACHUS Sir, lend me your arm.
PERICLES Come, my Marina.
Exeunt.
5.2 Enter GOWER.
The temple of Diana at Ephesus; THAISA standing near the altar, as high priestess; a number of virgins on each side; CERIMON and other inhabitants of Ephesus attending.
GOWER Now our sands are almost run;
More a little, and then dumb.
This, my last boon, give me,
For such kindness must relieve me,
That you aptly will suppose
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What pageantry, what feats, what shows,
What minstrelsy and pretty din,
The regent made in Mytilin
To greet the king. So he thriv’d,
That he is promis’d to be wiv’d
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To fair Marina; but in no wise
Till he had done his sacrifice,
As Dian bade: whereto being bound,
The interim, pray you, all confound.
In feather’d briefness sails are fill’d,
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And wishes fall out as they’re will’d.
At Ephesus the temple see
Our king and all his company.
That he can hither come so soon,
Is by your fancies’ thankful doom. Exit.
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5.3 Enter PERICLES, with his train; LYSIMACHUS, HELICANUS and MARINA.
PERICLES Hail, Dian! to perform thy just command,
I here confess myself the king of Tyre;
Who, frighted from my country, did wed
At Pentapolis the fair Thaisa.
At sea in childbed died she, but brought forth
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A maid-child call’d Marina; who, O goddess,
Wears yet thy silver livery. She at Tharsus
Was nurs’d with Cleon, who at fourteen years
He sought to murder; but her better stars
Brought her to Mytilene; ‘gainst whose shore
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Riding, her fortunes brought the maid aboard us,
Where, by her own most clear remembrance, she
Made known herself my daughter.
THAISA Voice and favour!
You are, you are – O royal Pericles! [Faints.]
PERICLES
What means the nun? she dies, help, gentlemen!
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CERIMON Noble sir,
If you have told Diana’s altar true,
This is your wife.
PERICLES Reverend appearer, no:
I threw her overboard with these very arms.
CERIMON Upon this coast, I warrant you.
PERICLES ’Tis most certain.
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CERIMON Look to the lady. O, she’s but o’erjoy’d.
Early one blustering morn this lady was
Thrown upon this shore. I op’d the coffin,
Found there rich jewels; recover’d her, and plac’d her
Here in Diana’s temple.
PERICLES May we see them?
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CERIMON
Great sir, they shall be brought you to my house,
Whither I invite you. Look, Thaisa is
Recovered.
THAISA O, let me look!
If he be none of mine, my sanctity
Will to
my sense bend no licentious ear,
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But curb it, spite of seeing. O, my lord,
Are you not Pericles? Like him you spake,
Like him you are. Did you not name a tempest,
A birth and death?
PERICLES The voice of dead Thaisa!
THAISA That Thaisa am I, supposed dead
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And drown’d.
PERICLES Immortal Dian!
THAISA Now I know you better.
When we with tears parted Pentapolis,
The king my father gave you such a ring.
[Points to his ring.]
PERICLES
This, this: no more. You gods, your present kindness
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Makes my past miseries sports. You shall do well,
That on the touching of her lips I may
Melt and no more be seen. O come, be buried
A second time within these arms.
MARINA My heart
Leaps to be gone into my mother’s bosom.
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[Kneels to Thaisa.]
PERICLES
Look, who kneels here, flesh of thy flesh, Thaisa;
Thy burden at the sea, and call’d Marina
For she was yielded there.
THAISA Bless’d, and mine own!
HELICANUS Hail, madam, and my queen!
THAISA I know you not.
PERICLES
You have heard me say, when I did fly from Tyre,
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I left behind an ancient substitute;
Can you remember what I call’d the man?
I have nam’d him oft.
THAISA ’Twas Helicanus then.
PERICLES Still confirmation!
Embrace him, dear Thaisa; this is he.
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Now do I long to hear how you were found,
How possibly preserv’d, and who to thank,
Besides the gods, for this great miracle.
THAISA Lord Cerimon, my lord; this man,
Through whom the gods have shown their power; that can
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From first to last resolve you.
PERICLES Reverend sir,
The gods can have no mortal officer
More like a god than you. Will you deliver
How this dead queen re-lives?
CERIMON I will, my lord.
Beseech you, first go with me to my house,
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Where shall be shown you all was found with her;
How she came plac’d here in the temple;
No needful thing omitted.
PERICLES Pure Dian,
I bless thee for thy vision, and will offer
Night-oblations to thee. Thaisa,
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This prince, the fair betrothed of your daughter,
Shall marry her at Pentapolis. And now
[ ] this ornament
Makes me look dismal will I clip to form;
And what this fourteen years no razor touch’d
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To grace thy marriage-day I’ll beautify.
THAISA Lord Cerimon hath letters of good credit, sir,
My father’s dead.
PERICLES
Heavens make a star of him! Yet there, my queen,
We’ll celebrate their nuptials, and ourselves
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Will in that kingdom spend our following days.
Our son and daughter shall in Tyrus reign.
Lord Cerimon, we do our longing stay
To hear the rest untold: sir, lead’s the way. Exeunt.
EPILOGUE
Enter GOWER.
GOWER
In Antiochus and his daughter you have heard
Of monstrous lust the due and just reward.
In Pericles, his queen and daughter, seen,
Although assail’d with fortune fierce and keen,
Virtue preserv’d from fell destruction’s blast,
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Led on by heaven, and crown’d with joy at last.
In Helicanus may you well descry
A figure of truth, of faith, of loyalty.
In reverend Cerimon there well appears
The worth that learned charity aye wears.
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For wicked Cleon and his wife, when fame
Had spread his cursed deed to th’ honour’d name
Of Pericles, to rage the city turn,
That him and his they in his palace burn:
The gods for murder seemed so content
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To punish; although not done, but meant.
So on your patience evermore attending,