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Pericles, Prince of Tyre

Act III, Prologue

[Enter GOWER]
 
GOWER
       ,          T      T     T          ,
      Now the | sleep slaked hath | the rout,
       T  T   .     T           ,         ,
      No din but snores | the house |  about,
             ,      ,    .   T   T     T
      Made^loud|er by | the ore-fed breast,
           ,           ,       ,          ,
      Of this | most pomp|ous mar|riage-feast:
           ,           ,         ,        ,
      The cat,| with eyne | of burn|ing coal,
             ,        ,          ,        ,
      Now crouch|es fore | the mouse|'s hole;
            ,         ,      2     ,        ,
      And crick|ets sing | at the ov|en's mouth,
       ,          ,        ,            __
      Ere the | blither | for their | drouth:
       ,              ,            ,         ,
      Hymen | hath brought | the bride | to bed,
              ,         ,         ,      ,
      Where* by | the loss | of maid|enhead,
          ,         ,       ,       ,
      A babe | is mold|ed, by | attent,
            ,          ,        ,        ,
      And time | that is | so brief|ly spent,
        .    T    T   T          ,        ,
      With^your fine fan|cies quaint|ly each,
               ,         ,           ,             ,
      What's dumb | in show,| I'll plain | with speech.
 
DUMB SHOW.
 
Enter PERICLES and SIMONIDES at one door with Attendants, a Messenger meets them, kneels, and gives PERICLES a letter, PERICLES shows it SIMONIDES, the Lords kneel to him; Then enter THAISA with child, with LYCHORIDA a nurse, the KING shows her the letter, she rejoices: she and PERICLES takes leave of her father, and depart with LYCHORIDA and their Attendants. Then exeunt SIMONIDES and the rest.
 
GOWER
           x        ,          ,        ,
      By many | a dern | and pain|ful perch
          ,     ,          ,         ,
      Of Per|icles,| the care|ful search,
       ,         ,      ,         __
      By the | four op|posing | coigns,
        ,           ,        ,       ___
      Which the | world to|gether | joins,
           ,      .   T   T   T     ,
      Is made | with^all due dil|igence,
             ,           ,          ,        ,
      That horse | and sail,| and high | expense,
            ,           ,          ,           ,
      Can stead | the quest.| At last | from Tyre,
        ,   ,                       ,          ,
      Fame ans/wering the | most^strange | inquire,
        2      ,          ,       ,    ,         ,
      To the court | of King | Simon|ides,
           ,          ,           ,       ,
      Are let|ters brought,| the ten|or these:
          x       ,           ,        ,
      Antioch|us and | his daught|er dead,
           ,        ,       ,         ,
      The men | of Tyr|us, on | the head
          ,    ,       ,          ,
      Of Hel|ican|us would | set^on
            ,          ,         ,          ,
      The crown | of Tyre,| but he | will none:
           ,   2   ,             ,       2    ,
      The mut|iny he | there* hastes | to oppress,
        ,         T    .   T   T     ,
      Says to | them, if King Per|icles
        T   T    T     .   T    T    T
      Come not home | in twice six moons,
       ,     ,  2      ,          ___
      He, o|bedient | to their | dooms,
             ,          ,          ,         ,
      Will take | the crown:| the sum | of this
         T      Tx    T       ,    ,
      Brought hither to | Penta|polis,
       ,        ,         ,         ___
      Irony | shed the | regions | round,
           ,      ,           ,           ,
      And eve|ry one | with claps | can sound,
            ,      ,       ,       ,
      Our heir-|appar|ent is | a king:
             ,            ,           ,        ,
      Who dreamt?| Who thought | of such | a thing?
        ,                ,         ,         ,
      Brief, he | must hence | depart | to Tyre,
            ,            ,            ,        ,
      His queen | with child,| makes^her | desire,
             ,            ,        ,        ,
      Which^who | shall cross | along | to go,
        ,        ,            ,         ,
      Omit | we all | their dole | and woe:
          ,    ,         ,           ,
      Lychor|ida | her nurse | she takes,
           ,       ,           ,         ,
      And so | to sea;| their ves|sel shakes,
           ,         ,         ,          ,
      On Nept|une's bil|low, half | the flood,
             ,       T   T    .    T          ,
      Hath^their | keel cut: but fort|une's mood
       ,          ,          ,       ,
      Varies | again,| the gris|ly north
           ,       ,        ,        ,
      Disgorg|es such | a temp|est forth,
            ,       ,          ,           ,
      That as | a duck | for life | that dives,
          ,         ,     .    T    T     T
      So up | and down | the poor ship drives:
           ,       ,            ,       ,
      The la|dy shrieks,| and well-|a-near,
             ,     .  T   T    T          ,
      Does fall | in travail with | her fear:
            ,        ,     .   T    T    T
      And what | ensues | in this fell storm,
             ,        ,        ,         ,
      Shall for | itself | itself | perform:
          ,        ,     ,       ___
      I nill | relate,| action | may
          ,       ,         ,        ,
      Conven|iently | the rest | convey;
              ,             ,        ,        ,
      Which might | not*? What | by me | is told,
           ,      ,    ,        ,
      In your | imag|ina|tion hold:
             ,           ,    . T    T     T
      This stage,| the ship,| upon whose deck,
       .   T     T    T     ,        ,          ,
      The sea-tossed Per|icles,| appears | to speak.
 
[Exit]

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