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Cymbeline

Act II, Scene 2

Imogen's bedchamber in Cymbeline's palace: a trunk in one corner of it.
 
[IMOGEN in bed, reading; a Lady attending]
 
IMOGEN
              ,         ,       x
      Who's there?| My wom|an Helen?
 
LADY
                                        ,          ,
                                     Please you,| madam.
 
IMOGEN
             ,     Tx
      What hour | is it?
 
LADY
                          T  T     ,          ,
                         Almost | midnight,| madam.
 
IMOGEN
       2       ,      T     T     T           ,          ,
      I have read | three hours then:| mine eyes | are weak:
             ,          ,          ,          ,        ,
      Fold^down | the leaf | where I | have left:| to bed:
        T   T  . T         ,           x       ,
      Take not away | the tap|er, leave it | burning;
           ,          ,        ,         ,      2      ,
      And if | thou canst | awake | by four | of the clock,
         ,         ,          ,             ,          ,      ->
      I prith|ee call | me: Sleep | hath seized | me whol||ly.
       ,       2    ,       ,        ,          ,
      To | your protec|tion I | commend | me, gods,
             ,        ,          ,        ,         ,
      From fair|ies, and | the temp|ters of | the night
        ,            ,
      Guard me | beseech | ye.  \\
 
[Sleeps. IACHIMO comes from the trunk]
 
IACHIMO
            ,         ,          ,          ,         ,
      The crick|ets sing,| and man's | ore-lab|ored sense
           ,        ,         ,         ,         ,
      Repairs | itself | by rest:| our Tar|quin thus
            ,       ,           ,       ,        ,       2->
      Did soft|ly press | the rush|es, ere | he wa||kened
            ,     ,        ,        ,  ,  2
      The chast|ity | he woun|ded. Cyth|erea,
       ,    ,          2     ,          T     T    Tx
      How brave/ly thou be|comst thy | bed; fresh lily,
            ,       ,           ,          ,           ,
      And whit|er than | the sheets:| that I | might touch,
       .    T    T    T     ,          ,     ,
      But kiss, one kiss.| Rubies | unpa|ragoned,
            ,              x      ,          ,          ,
      How dear|ly they / do it: 'Tis | her brea|thing that
           ,           ,        ,          ,       2     ,     ->
      Perfumes | the chamb|er thus:| the flame | of the ta||per
        ,       ,            2       ,       ,          ,
      Bows | toward her,| and would und|er-peep | her lids,
          ,       2     ,        T     T   T     ,
      To see | the enclosed | lights, now ca|nopied
       ,   2         T   T     T          ,       ,
      Under these | windows, white | and az|ure laced
             ,     .   Tx      T    T          ,       ,
      With blue | of heaven's own tinct.| But my | design,
           ,          ,   ,    2         T    T    T
      To note | the chamb|er, I will | write all down,
        T    .    T   T           ,          ,         ,
      Such, and such pic|tures: there | the wind|ow, such
         2   ,         x       ,          ,       ,
      The adorn|ment of her | bed; the | arras,| figures,  ??
            ,          ,       2     ,    ,     2       ,
      Why such | and such:| and the con|tents of the | story.
       ,     2        ,  2       ,       ,         ,
      Ah, but some*| natural | notes a|bout her | body,
      .  T   T    T        ,        ,     ,
      Above ten thous|and mean|er move|ables
             ,     ,     2    ,          ,      x
      Would tes|tify,| to enrich | mine in|ventory.
          ,           ,     .   T     T    T        x
      O sleep,| thou ape | of death, lie dull | upon her,
           ,         ,          ,      ,     ,
      And be | her sense | but as | a mon|ument,
        ,    2     ,        ,            ,          ,
      Thus in a | chapel | lying.| Come^off,| come^off:
           ,    2   ,         ,   2    ,          ,
      As slip|pery as | the Gord|ian knot | was hard.
             ,          ,          ,        ,       ,
      'Tis mine,| and this | will wit|ness out|wardly,
            ,       ,        ,            ,        ,
      As strong|ly as | the con|science does | within:
        2     ,        ,         ,               ,     ,
      To the mad|ding of | her lord.| On her / left breast
      .   T     T     T         ,          ,        ,
      A mole cinque-spot|ted, like | the crim|son drops
        2     ,        2     ,   ,       ,         ,
      In the bot|tom of a / cowslip:| here's a | voucher,
        ,     2       ,       ,            ,           ,
      Stronger than | ever | law could | make: this | secret
             ,           ,      2        ,           ,          ,
      Will force | him think | I have picked | the lock,| and tane
            ,    ,    2       ,            ,      2      ,
      The treas|ure of her | honor.| No* more:| To what end?
       ,               ,            ,            ,    ,
      Why should | I write | this down,| that's^riv|eted,
         ,      2      ,  2     ,               ,         ,
      Screwed to my | memory.| She hath | been read|ing late,
            ,        ,  2      ,           ,              ,
      The tale | of Ter|eus, here | the leaf's | turned^down
             ,     ,          ,       ,       ,
      Where Phi|lomel | gave^up.| I have | enough,
        2      ,        ,          ,           ,         ,
      To the trunk | again,| and shut | the spring | of it.
        T      T     T      ,         2      ,            ,      2->
      Swift, swift, you | dragons | of the night,| that dawn||ing
            ,         ,        ,        ,          ,
      May bare | the rav|en's eye:| I lodge | in fear,
                ,         x       ,        ,         ,
      Though* this | a heaven|ly ang|el: hell | is here.
 
[Clock strikes]
      ___   ___    ___     __     __
      One,| two,| three:| time,| time.
 
[Goes into the trunk. The scene closes]

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