The Works of Charles and Mary Lamb — Volume 3: Books for ChildrenLamb, Charles
General
The Works of Charles and Mary Lamb — Volume 3: Books for Children
Lamb, Charles
Children's poetry; Children's stories
Pericles arrived in safety at Tyre, and was once more settled in
the quiet possession of his throne, while his woeful queen, whom he
thought dead, remained at Ephesus. Her little babe Marina, whom this
hapless mother had never seen, was brought up by Cleon in a manner
suitable to her high birth. He gave her the most careful education, so
that by the time Marina attained the age of fourteen years, the most
deeply-learned men were not more studied in the learning of those
times than was Marina. She sung like one immortal, and danced as
goddess-like, and with her needle she was so skilful that she seemed
to compose nature's own shapes, in birds, fruits, or flowers, the
natural roses being scarcely more like to each other than they were to
Marina's silken flowers. But when she had gained from education all
these graces, which made her the general wonder, Dionysia, the wife of
Cleon, became her mortal enemy from jealousy, by reason that her own
daughter, from the slowness of her mind, was not able to attain to
that perfection wherein Marina excelled: and finding that all praise
was bestowed on Marina, whilst her daughter, who was of the same age
and had been educated with the same care as Marina, though not with
the same success, was in comparison disregarded, she formed a project
to remove Marina out of the way, vainly imagining that her untoward
daughter would be more respected when Marina was no more seen. To
encompass this she employed a man to murder Marina, and she well timed
her wicked design, when Lychorida, the faithful nurse, had just died.
Dionysia was discoursing with the man she had commanded to commit this
murder, when the young Marina was weeping over the dead Lychorida.
Leoline, the man she employed to do this bad deed, though he was
a very wicked man, could hardly be persuaded to undertake it, so
had Marina won all hearts to love her. He said, "She is a goodly
creature!" "The fitter then the gods should have her," replied her
merciless enemy: "here she comes weeping for the death of her nurse
Lychorida: are you resolved to obey me?" Leoline, fearing to disobey
her, replied, "I am resolved." And so, in that one short sentence, was
the matchless Marina doomed to an untimely death. She now approached,
with a basket of flowers in her hand, which she said she would daily
strew over the grave of good Lychorida. The purple violet and the
marigold should as a carpet hang upon her grave, while summer days did
last. "Alas, for me!" she said, "poor unhappy maid, born in a tempest,
when my mother died. This world to me is like a lasting storm,
hurrying me from my friends." "How now, Marina," said the dissembling
Dionysia, "do you weep alone? How does it chance my daughter is not
with you? Do not sorrow for Lychorida, you have a nurse in me. Your
beauty is quite changed with this unprofitable woe. Come, give me your
flowers, the sea-air will spoil them; and walk with Leoline: the air
is fine, and will enliven you.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account