Alexander, William · published 1637 · first performed or written 1604 (Annals) tragedy T1 Death, grief and revenge typicality 0.73 · 488 words · other edition — not in the analysis
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T1: death, life, dead, die, blood, revenge, soul, father, heart, heaven.
Whilst th'ominous Owls no crosses did devote; The blessing that this marriage did procure, It was too great to have continued long: A thing too vehement cannot endure, Our joys far past the reach of any tongue; We ever did full satisfaction find, Yet with satiety were never cloyed, But seemed two bodies, managed by one mind, Such was the happiness that I enjoyed; He loved me dearly, I obeyed his will, Proud of myself, because that I was his, A harmony remained betwixt us still, Who each in th'other placed their souls chief bliss: This moved th'immortals to a high disdain, That thus two worldlings, who of death were heirs, Should in a Paradise of joys remain, Which did exceed, at least did equal theirs; But chief Iuno did despite it most, Who through a jealousy still jars with Iove, That body-prisoned souls of that could boast, Which she (although heavens Queen) had not above; Thus even for envy of our rare delights, The fatal Sisters (by the heavens suborned) Of my soul's treasure closed the lovely lights, By which they thought the earth too much adorned. O but he is not dead, he lives in me. Ah, but I live not: for I died in him: How can the one without the other be? If death have set his eyes, mine must look dim; Since to my sight that Sun no more appeared, From whom my beauties borrowed all their rays: A long eclipse, that never shall be cleared, Hath darkened all the points of my sad days; Ay me, I live too long, he died too soon, Thus still the worst remain, the best depart, Of him who told how this cursed deed was done, The words (like swords) shall ever wound my heart. Fierce tyrant death, who in thy wrath didst take One half of me, and left one half behind: Take this to thee, or give me th' other back, Be wholly cruel, or be no way kind; But whilst I live (believe) thou canst not dye, O! even in spite of death, yet still my choice, Oft with the inward al-beholding eye, I think I see thee, and I hear thy voice; And to content my languishing desire, To ease my mind, each thing some help affords; Thy fancied form doth oft such faith acquire, That in all sounds I apprehend thy words: Then with such thoughts my memory to wound, I call to mind thy looks, thy words, thy grace, Where thou didst haunt, yet I adore the ground, And where thou stepped, O sacred seems that place! My solitary walks, my widowed bed, My driry sighs, my sheets oft bathed with tears, These shall record what life by me is led, Since first sad news breathed death into mine ears. Though for more pain, yet spared a space by death, Thee first I loved, with thee all love I leave:
Other edition — placed after the fit, excluded from the main statistics
Position
nodes 1946–2004 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 31 of 46 in this edition
Length
488 words · 632 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T1 — Death, grief and revengecross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.729 (cosine to the topic centroid) · placed after the fit (approximate_predict), not counted in the topic statistics
Other seeds
seed 43: unassigned · seed 44: unassigned — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
Whil'ſt th'ominous Owles no croſſes did devote; The bleſſing that this marriage did procure, It was too great to have continued long: "A thing too vehement cannot endure, Our joyes farre paſt the reach of any tongue; We ever did full ſatisfaction finde, Yet with ſatiety were never cloyd, But ſeem'd two bodies, manag'd by one minde, Such was the happineſſe that I enjoy'd; He lov'd me dearely, I obey'd his will, Proud of my ſelfe, becauſe that I was his, A harmony remain'd betwixt us ſtill, Who each in th'other plac'd their ſoules chiefe bliſſe: This mov'd th'immortals to a high diſdaine, That thus two worldlings, who of death were heires, Should in a Paradiſe of joyes remaine, Which did exceed, at leaſt did equall theirs; But chiefly Iuno did deſpight it moſt, Who through a jealouſie ſtill jarres with Iove, That body-priſon'd ſoules of that could boaſt, Which ſhe (although heavens Queen) had not above; Thus even for envy of our rare delights, The fatall Siſters (by the heavens ſuborn'd) Of my ſoules treaſure clos'd the lovely lights, By which they thought the earth too much adorn'd. O but he is not dead, he lives in me. Ah, but I live not: for I dy'd in him: How can the one without the other be? If death have ſet his eyes, mine muſt looke dimme; Since to my ſight that Sunne no more appear'd, From whom my beauties borrowed all their rayes: A long eclipſe, that never ſhall be clear'd, Hath darkened all the poynts of my ſad dayes; Aye me, I live too long, he dy'd too ſoone, Thus ſtill the worſt remaine, the beſt depart, Of him who told how this curs'd deed was done, The words (like ſwords) ſhall ever wound my heart. Fierce tyrant death, who in thy wrath did'ſt take One halfe of me, and left one halfe behinde: Take this to thee, or give me th' other backe, Be wholly cruell, or be no way kinde; But whil'ſt I live (beleeve) thou canſt not dye, O! even in ſpite of death, yet ſtill my choice, Oft with the inward al-beholding eye, I thinke I ſee thee, and I heare thy voyce; And to content my languiſhing deſire, To eaſe my minde, each thing ſome helpe affords; Thy fanci'd forme doth oft ſuch faith acquire, That in all ſounds I apprehend thy words: Then with ſuch thoughts my memory to wound, I call to minde thy lookes, thy words, thy grace, Where thou didſt haunt, yet I adore the ground, And where thou ſtept, O ſacred ſeemes that place! My ſolitary walkes, my widow'd bed, My driry ſighes, my ſheets oft bath'd with teares, Theſe ſhall record what life by me is led, Since firſt ſad newes breath'd death into mine eares. Though for more paine, yet ſpar'd a ſpace by death, Thee firſt I lov'd, with thee all love I leave: