The Works of Charles and Mary Lamb — Volume 3: Books for ChildrenLamb, Charles
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The Works of Charles and Mary Lamb — Volume 3: Books for Children
Lamb, Charles
Children's poetry; Children's stories
his own sudden joy, and doubtful if this could be real, loudly called
for his attendants, who rejoiced at the sound of their beloved king's
voice; and he said to Hellicanus, "O Hellicanus, strike me, give me a
gash, put me to present pain, lest this great sea of joys rushing upon
me overbear the shores of my mortality. O, come hither, thou that wast
born at sea, buried at Tharsus, and found at sea again. O Hellicanus,
down on your knees, thank the holy gods! This is Marina. Now blessings
on thee, my child! Give me fresh garments, mine own Hellicanus! She is
not dead at Tharsus, as she should have been by the savage Dionysia.
She shall tell you all, when you shall kneel to her, and call her
your very princess. Who is this?" (observing Lysimachus for the first
time). "Sir," said Hellicanus, "it is the governor of Metaline, who,
hearing of your melancholy, came to see you." "I embrace you, sir,"
said Pericles. "Give me my robes! I am well with beholding--O heaven
bless my girl! But hark! what music is that?"--for now, either sent by
some kind god, or by his own delighted fancy deceived, he seemed to
hear soft music. "My lord, I hear none," replied Hellicanus. "None,"
said Pericles; "why it is the music of the spheres." As there was
no music to be heard, Lysimachus concluded that the sudden joy had
unsettled the prince's understanding; and he said, "It is not good to
cross him; let him have his way:" and then they told him they heard
the music; and he now complaining of a drowsy slumber coming over him,
Lysimachus persuaded him to rest on a couch, and placing a pillow
under his head, he, quite overpowered with excess of joy, sunk into
a sound sleep, and Marina watched in silence by the couch of her
sleeping parent.
While he slept, Pericles dreamed a dream which made him resolve to go
to Ephesus. His dream was, that Diana, the Goddess of the Ephesians,
appeared to him, and commanded him to go to her temple at Ephesus,
and there before her altar to declare the story of his life and
misfortune; and by her silver bow she swore, that if he performed her
injunction, he should meet with some rare felicity. When he awoke,
being miraculously refreshed, he told his dream, and that his
resolution was to obey the bidding of the Goddess.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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