Page:Coriolanus (1924) Yale.djvu/114

102

Against my canker'd country with the spleen

Of all the under fiends. But if so be

Thou dar'st not this, and that to prove more fortunes

Th' art tir'd, then, in a word, I also am

Longer to live most weary, and present

My throat to thee and to thy ancient malice;

Which not to cut would show thee but a fool,

Since I have ever follow'd thee with hate,

Drawn tuns of blood out of thy country's breast,

And cannot live but to thy shame, unless

It be to do thee service.

Auf. O Martius, Martius!

Each word thou hast spoke hath weeded from my heart

A root of ancient envy. If Jupiter

Should from yond cloud speak divine things,

And say, Tis true,' I'd not believe them more

Than thee, all noble Martius. Let me twine

Mine arms about that body, where against

My grained ash an hundred times hath broke,

And scarr'd the moon with splinters: here I clip

The anvil of my sword, and do contest

As hotly and as nobly with thy love

As ever in ambitious strength I did

Contend against thy valour. Know thou first,

I lov'd the maid I married; never man

Sigh'd truer breath; but that I see thee here,

Thou noble thing! more dances my rapt heart

Than when I first my wedded mistress saw

 97 canker'd: malevolent

spleen: anger

99 prove fortunes: try your fortune further

105 tuns: huge barrels

109 A root envy: one of the old sources of my hate

113 where against: against which

114 grained ash: spear-shaft of tough ash

115 clip: embrace

121 Sigh'd breath: uttered sincerer love sighs

122 dances: makes leap

rapt: enraptured

