PRIZE COMPOSITIONS, 1852-1853.
[The names of those whose Exercises were creditable, though unsuccessful, are printed, in each case, under the line.]
ROMEO AND JULIET.-ACT iii., SCENE 5.
JUL. Wilt thou be gone? it is not yet near day;
It was the nightingale, and not the lark,
That pierced the fearful hollow of thine ear;
Nightly she sings on yon pomegranate tree;
Believe me, love, it was the nightingale.
ROM. It was the lark, the herald of the morn,
No nightingale; look, love, what envious streaks
Do lace the severing clouds in yonder east:
Night's candles are burnt out, and jocund day
Stands tiptoe on the misty mountains' tops;
I must be gone and live, or stay and die.
Yon light is not daylight, I know it, I :
It is some meteor that the sun exhales,
To be to thee this night a torch-bearer,
And light thee on thy way to Mantua;
Therefore stay yet, thou need'st not to be gone.
ROM. Let me be ta'en, let me be put to death;
I am content, so thou wilt have it so,
I'll say, yon grey is not the morning's eye,
"Tis but the pale reflex of Cynthia's brow;
Nor that is not the lark, whose notes do beat
The vaulty heaven so high above our heads:
I have more care to stay, than will to go;-
Come, death and welcome! Juliet wills it so.
How is't, my soul? let's talk, it is not day.
ΙΟΥΛ. Η χρή σ ̓ ἀπελθεῖν; οὐ γὰρ ἐγγὺς ἡμέρα.
Αηδόνος γάρ, οὐδὲ κόρυθος, ἀρτίως
φθογγὸς δι ̓ ὦτων τῶν φόβῳ πεπλησμένων
βαλών σ ̓ ἔπληξεν, ἥτις ἐν ῥοίᾳ πάθη
κείνῃ "μελίζουσ ̓ εὐστομεῖ νύκτας δία
ἦν δή, φίλιστε, φθέγμα τῆς ἀηδόνος.
ΡΩΜ. ̓Αλλ ̓ ἦν γὰρ ἡ ̓νισποῦσα τὴν ἕω κόρυς,
κούπως ἀηδών ὦ φίλον κάρα, βλέπε
πρὸς τὴν ἀνατολήν, ὡς ἐπίφθονοι φάους
ἀκτῖνες ἔνθα, τοῦ πυκνοῦ νεφῶν στρατοῦ
ἤδη ῥαγέντος, ποικιλοῦσι τὸν πόλον.
καὶ τῶν φαεινῶν εὐφρόνης ἤδη λύχνων
ἐσβεσμένων, ἕστηκε θἡμέρας φάος
καραδοκούσης περιχαρεί προθυμία
ἐν ταῖς δυσαιθρίοισι τῶν ὅρεων ἄκραις.
̓Ανθ' ὧν ἀπελθεῖν χρή με, καὶ σώζειν βίον,
εἶτ ̓ αὖ μένοντα θανάσιμον πίπτειν μόρον.
ΙΟΥΛ. Εγᾴδα τοῦτ ̓ ἂν οὐ τὸ τῆς ἕω φάος,
ἀλλ ̓ ἀτμόν, ὅνπερ ἥλιος πέμπειν θέλει,
ὡς τῇδε νυκτὶ λαμπαδηφόρος πέλῃ,
κεἰς Μαντύαν ἰόντι σοι φέγγος διδῷ
τοιγὰρ μένειν ἔτ ̓, οὐ γὰρ οἴχεσθαί σε χρή.
ΡΩΜ Η δῆθ ̓ ἁλῶ, καὶ τὴν ἐμὴν μοῖραν τελῶ·
ἐμοὶ γὰρ ἀρκεῖ, σοίπερ εἰ δοκεῖ τόδε,
μὴ τοῦτο φέγγος γλαυκὸν ὄμμα τῆς ἕω,
ἀκτῖνα δ ̓ ὠχρὰν τῆς σεληναίας ἄπυ
ἀντίτυπον εἶναι μηδὲ τὴν κόρυν τυχεῖν
τὴν τῷ μέλει τὸν αἰπὺν οὐρανοῦ πόλον
ὑψοῦ βαλοῦσαν τῆςδε τῆς γαίας υπερ.
μένειν δ ̓ ἀρέσκει μᾶλλον ἢ ξελθεῖν ἐμοί.
Χαῖρ', ἐλθέ, μοῖρα, τῇδ ̓ Ἰουλίᾳ δοκεῖ
Τί σοὶ δοκεῖ ; λόγοισιν, ὦ φίλον κάρα,
ἤδη ξυνώμεν, οὐ γὰρ ἦμαρ ἦλθέ πω.
+ Soph. (Ed. Col. 16.
§ Soph. Εl. 1457.
JUL. It is, it is, hie hence! be gone! away!
It is the lark that sings so out of tune,
Straining harsh discords, and unpleasing sharps.
Some say, the lark makes sweet division;
This doth not so, for she divideth us:
Some say, the lark and loathed toad change eyes; Oh, now I would they had changed voices too! Since arm from arm that voice doth us affray, Hunting thee hence with hunts-up to the day. O, now be gone ;-more light and light it grows. ROM. More light and light?-more dark and dark our
ΙΟΥΛ. ̓́Απελθε δ', ἦν γὰρ ἡ κακόγλωσσος κόρυς,
ἦτ ̓ ὀξύφωνοις φθέγμασίν θ' ὑπερπίκροις
χωρεῖν κελεύει σ ̓ ἔνθεν ὡς ἔχεις τάχους
ἡδέως διαιρεῖν τὴν κόρυν φασίν τινες,
ἀλλ ̓ ἥδε γ ̓ ἡμᾶς πλημμελῶς διήρεσεν
τὴν δ ̓ αὖ κόρυν τῆς κακοπινοῦς φρύνης τινὲς
λέγουσιν *ἀλλάξασαν ὀφθαλμοὺς ἔχειν,
εἴθ ̓ ὤφελεν καὶ φθέγματ ̓ ἀλλάξαι τανῦν
ἐπεὶ διαιρεῖν οὗτος ὁ φθογγὸς φόβῳ
ἡμᾶς ἐν ἀγκάλαισι μιχθέντας σθένει
ὅςτις σε μολπαῖς ὥσπερ εἰς κυνηγίαν
ἑωθιναῖσιν ἔνθεν ἐκκυνηγετεί.
*Απελθε δὴ νῦν, αἱ γὰρ ἡλίου βολαί
πελάθουσιν ἤδη.
Καὶ πελαζουσῶν βολῶν
ἡμῖν ὑπάρχουσ' αἱ πάθαι μελάντεραι.
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