Classic and Contemporary Poetry
LUCRETIA; A MONODRAMA, by ROBERT SOUTHEY Poet Analysis Poet's Biography First Line: Welcome, my father! Good valerius Last Line: (stabs herself.) Subject(s): Honor; Rape; Rome, Italy; Sacrifices; Suicide; Women | ||||||||
Scene, the house of COLLATINE. WELCOME, my father! good Valerius, Welcome! and thou too, Brutus! ye were both My wedding guests, and fitly ye are come. My husbandCollatinealas! no more Lucretia's husband, for thou shalt not clasp Pollution to thy bosom,hear me on! For I will tell thee all. I sate at eve Spinning amid my maidens as I wont, When from the camp at Ardea Sextus came. Curb down thy swelling feelings, Collatine! I little liked the man; yet, for he came From Ardea, for he brought me news of thee, I gladly gave him welcome, gladly listen'd, Thou canst not tell how gladly! to his tales Of battles, and the long and perilous siege, And when I laid me down at night to sleep, 'Twas with a lighten'd heart,I knew thee safe. My visions were of thee. Nay hear me out! And be thou wise in vengeance, so thy wife Not vainly shall have suffered. I have wrought My soul up to the business of this hour That it may stir your noble spirits, prompt Such glorious deeds that ages yet unborn Shall bless my fate. At midnight I awoke For by my bed the villain Tarquin stood. My chamber lamp gleam'd on his unsheath'd sword; That was not half so fearful as his eye, His hot, red, eye!O Collatinemy husband! Where wert thou then! gone was my rebel strength All power of utterance gone! astonish'dstunn'd, I saw the coward ruffian, heard him urge His damned suit, and bid me tamely yield Yield to dishonour. When he proffer'd death Oh I had leapt to meet the merciful sword! But that with most accursed vows he vow'd That he would lay a dead slave by my side, Murdering my spotless honour.Collatine! From what an anguish have I rescued thee! And thou, my fatherwretched as thou art Thou miserable, childless, poor old man Think, father, what that agony had been! Now thou mayst sorrow for me, thou mayst bless The memory of thy poor, polluted child. Look if it have not kindled Brutus' eye! Mysterious man! at last I know thee now, I see thy dawning glories,to the grave Not unrevenged Lucretia shall descend Not always shall her wretched country wear The Tarquins' yoke,ye will deliver Rome And I have comfort in this dreadful hour. Thinkest thou, my husband, that I dreaded death? O Collatine! the weapon that had gored My bosom, had been ease, been happiness Elysium to the hell of his hot grasp. Judge if Lucretia could have fear'd to die! (Stabs herself.) | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...ARISTOTLE TO PHYLLIS by JOHN HOLLANDER A WOMAN'S DELUSION by SUSAN HOWE JULIA TUTWILER STATE PRISON FOR WOMEN by ANDREW HUDGINS THE WOMEN ON CYTHAERON by ROBINSON JEFFERS TOMORROW by ANNA LETITIA BARBAULD LADIES FOR DINNER, SAIPAN by KENNETH KOCH GOODBYE TO TOLERANCE by DENISE LEVERTOV BISHOP BRUNO by ROBERT SOUTHEY |
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