.

And by a prudent flight and cunning save A life which valour could not, from the grave. A better buckler I can soon regain, But who can get another life again? Archilochus

Wednesday, December 31, 2014

The Dialectic

SAMPSON

A dog of the house of Montague moves me.

GREGORY

To move is to stir; and to be valiant is to stand:
therefore, if thou art moved, thou runn'st away.

SAMPSON

A dog of that house shall move me to stand: I will
take the wall of any man or maid of Montague's.

GREGORY

That shows thee a weak slave; for the weakest goes
to the wall.

SAMPSON

True; and therefore women, being the weaker vessels,
are ever thrust to the wall: therefore I will push
Montague's men from the wall, and thrust his maids
to the wall.

GREGORY

The quarrel is between our masters and us their men.

SAMPSON

'Tis all one, I will show myself a tyrant: when I
have fought with the men, I will be cruel with the
maids, and cut off their heads.

GREGORY

The heads of the maids?

SAMPSON

Ay, the heads of the maids, or their maidenheads;
take it in what sense thou wilt.

GREGORY

They must take it in sense that feel it.
- William Shakespeare, "Romeo and Juliet" (Act I, Sc I)

4 comments:

FreeThinke said...

__________ Purgatory __________


And suppose the darlings get to Mantua,

suppose they cheat the crypt, what next? Begin

with him, unshaven. Though not, I grant you, a

displeasing cockerel, there’s egg yolk on his chin.


His seedy robe’s aflap, he’s got the rheum.

Poor dear, the cooking lard has smoked her eyes.

Another Montague is in the womb

although the first babe’s bottom’s not yet dry.

She scrolls a weekly letter to her Nurse

who dares to send a smock through Balthasar,

and once a month, his father posts a purse.

News from Verona? Always news of war.


Such sour years it takes to right this wrong!

The fifth act runs unconscionably long.


~ Maxine Kumin (1925 - )

Thersites said...

lol!

FreeThinke said...

Magnificent pianist!

-FJ the Dangerous and Extreme MAGA Jew said...

Thanks. It is BIG/GRAND, isn't it! ;)