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The Winter's Tale

Act IV, Scene 1

[Enter Time, the Chorus]
 
TIME
           ,             ,         ,          ,         ,      o
      I* that | please^some,| try^all:| both joy | and ter|ror
           ,         ,           ,          ,        ,     o
      Of good,| and bad:| that makes,| and un|folds^er|ror,   (hex with prev)
       T    T  . T     ,             ,         ,
      Now take upon | me (in | the name | of Time)
          ,         ,         ,        ,        ,
      To use | my wings:| Impute | it not | a crime
          ,             ,    ,          ,        ,
      To me,| or my / swift pas|sage, that | I slide
           ,         ,           ,            ,         ,
      Ore six|teen^years,| and leave | the growth | untried
                  ,   ,      ,            ,        x
      Of that / wide gap,| since it | is in | my power
       .  T   T    T       2    ,      T    T    T
      To orethrow law,| and in one | self-born hour
           ,      .   T   T    T        ,         ,
      To plant,| and orewhelm cust|om. Let | me pass
            ,       ,        ,          ,      ,
      The same | I am,| ere an|cientst^ord|er was,
           ,        ,         ,        ,        ,
      Or what | is now | received.| I wit|ness to
            ,             ,            ,        ,        ,
      The times | that brought | them in,| so shall | I do
        2      ,          ,            ,                ,    ,
      To the fresh|est things | now* reign|ing, and / make stale
            ,      ,      2       ,        ,        ,
      The glis|tering | of this pres|ent, as | my tale
            ,       2      ,     ,           ,      ,
      Now seems | to it: Your | patience | this al|lowing,
          ,         ,           ,         ,             x
      I turn | my glass,| and give | my scene | such^growing
          ,          ,         ,        ,       ,      3->
      As you | had slept | between:| Leon|tes leav||ing
         3    ,       2      ,      ,      ,          ,
      The effects | of his fond | jealou|sies, so | grieving
                  ,    ,        ,      ,       ,
      That he / shuts up | himself.| Imag|ine me
         ,        ,  ,                 ,         ,
      (Gentle | specta/tors) that | I now | may be
           ,       ,   2   ,       ,        ,
      In fair | Bohem|ia, and | remem|ber well,
          ,       2   ,      2       ,            ,     ,
      I ment|ioned a son | of the king's,| which Flo|rizel
         ,      ,        ,                ,          ,
      I now | name to | you: and | with speed | so pace
           ,         ,   ,      T    T    .   T
      To speak | of Per|dita,| now grown in grace
       ,             ,           ,        ,        ,
      Equal | with wonde|ring. What | of her | ensues
          ,          ,     ,    .   T     T     T
      I list | not proph|ecy:| but let Time's news
           ,            ,       T      T    .   T            ,      2->
      Be known | when 'tis | brought forth. A shep|herd's daught||er
            ,     ,    2     ,            ,         ,
      And what | to her ad|heres, which^|follows | after,
        2     ,     ,         ,         ,       ,
      Is the arg|ument | of Time.| Of this | allow,
           x     ,           T     T    T          ,
      If ever | you have | spent time worse,| ere now:
          ,       ,           ,         ,          ,
      If nev|er, yet | that Time | himself | doth^say,
           ,       ,      ,        ,      ,
      He wish|es earn|estly,| you nev|er may.
 
[Exit]

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