Tasso, Torquato / Reynolds, Henry · published 1628 · first performed or written 1628 (Annals) pastoral T1 Death, grief and revenge typicality 0.87 · 483 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T1: death, life, dead, die, blood, revenge, soul, father, heart, heaven.
Wretched Aminta. Ay me, ay me. Why didst not hinder him? Perhaps the oath thou took'st barred thee to do't? Not so; for setting all such oaths at nought, (Vain doubtless in such cases) when I saw Wither his fond and heady madness tended, I reached at him; and (as ill hap would have it) Laid hold but of this thin scarf, wherewithal He girt himself; which (all too weak to bear His body's weight, that rested all upon't) Remained broke in my hand. And what became Of the unhappy carcase? I know not; For I was so dead strucken at the sight, As my heart would not suffer me, to look And see him dashed to pieces. O strange fate. Ay me, were I not made of stone indeed, This news would kill me. Ah if the false death Of me that cared no more for him, was cause Enough to end his life; Much more cause is there that the certain death Of him that loved me so, should be enough To end my life; and it shall end my life; And if grief cannot do't, the sharp steel shall; Or else this girdle here, which justly stays As loath to follow his sweet Master's ruins, Till it have done on me the due revenge Of his sad death, and my ingratitude. Unhappy girdle (relic of a more Unhappy Master) ah do not disdain T'abide a while with one so odious; For thou shalt stay but to be th'instrument Of his revenge, and of my punishment. I might have been, alas I should have been Yoke-fellow with Aminta here on earth; But since that cannot be, by thy help now I'll find him out among th'infernal shades, And there go bear him better company. Content thee (thou sad soul) 'tis Fortune's fault, And not by thy mean, that this ill is wrought. Shepherds why plain ye? if ye moan my woes, I do deserve no pity; that have been Myself so pitiless; if ye wail the death Of the poor Innocent, ab t is too small; Grief is too poor to pay his deed withal. And Daphne thou I prithee dry thy tears; If for my sake thou weep'st; for my sake cease. And for his sake that was a thousand times More worth than I; and go along and help me To find th'unhappy bones; and bury them; 'Tis that alone that keeps me still alive, And that I do not even now kill myself. It is the least and last duty is left For me to do him, for the love he bore me; And though this vile hand of mine, might perhaps Blemish the pi'ety of so just a deed; Yet he I know will like the deed the better, For being done by it; for I am sure He loves me still; his death assures it me.
nodes 1715–1776 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 28 of 33 in this edition
Length
483 words · 637 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T1 — Death, grief and revengecross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.871 (cosine to the topic centroid)
Other seeds
seed 43: T10 · seed 44: T1 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
VVretched Aminta. Ay mee, ay mee. Why didſt not hinder him? Perhaps the oath thou took'ſt barr'd thee to doo't? Not ſo; for ſetting all ſuch oathes at nought, (Vaine doubtleſſe in ſuch caſes) when I ſaw VVhither his fond and headdy madneſſe tended, I reacht at him; and (as ill hap would haue it) Layd hold but of this thinne ſcarfe, wherewithall He girt himſelfe; which (all too weake to beare His bodies weight, that reſted all vpon't) Remayn'd broke in my hand. And what became Of the vnhappy carkaſs? I know not; For I was ſo dead ſtrucken at the ſight, As my heart would not ſuffer me, to looke And ſee him daſht to peeces. O ſtrange fate. Ay mee, were I not made of ſtone indeede, This newes would kill me. Ah if the falſe death Of me that car'd no more for him, was cauſe Enough to end his life; Much more cauſe is there that the certaine death Of him that lou'd me ſo, ſhould be enough To end my life; and it ſhall end my life; And if griefe cannot do't, the ſharpe ſteele ſhall; Or elſe this girdle heere, which iuſtly ſtayes As loath to follow his ſweet Maſters ruines, Till it haue done on me the due reuenge Of his ſad death, and my ingratitude. Vnhappy girdle (relique of a more Vnhappy Maſter) ah do not diſdaine T'abide a while with one ſo odious; For thou ſhalt ſtay but to be th'inſtrument Of his reuenge, and of my puniſhment. I might haue bin, alas I ſhould haue bin Yoke-fellow with Aminta heere on earth; But ſince that cannot be, by thy helpe now I'le finde him out among th'infernall ſhades, And there goe beare him better company. Content thee (thou ſad ſoule) 'tis Fortunes fault, And not by thy meane, that this ill is wrought. Shepherds why plaine yee? if yee moane my woes, I do deſerue no pitty; that haue bin My ſelfe ſo pittileſſe; if yee wayle the death Of the poore Innocent, ab tis too ſmall; Griefe is too poore to pay his deede withall. And Daphne thou I prethee dry thy teares; If for my ſake thou weep'ſt; for my ſake ceaſe. And for his ſake that was a thouſand times More worth then I; and go along and helpe me To finde th'vnhappy bones; and bury them; 'Tis that alone that keepes me ſtill aliue, And that I do not eu'n now kill my ſelfe. It is the leaſt and laſt duty is left For me to do him, for the loue he bore me; And though this vile hand of mine, might perhaps Blemiſh the pi'ety of ſo iuſt a deede; Yet he I know will like the deede the better, For being done by it; for I am ſure He loues me ſtill; his death aſsures it me.