Беспокойное бессмертие: 450 лет со дня рождения Уильяма Шекспира

Poor key-cold figure of a holy king,
Pale ashes of the house of Lancaster,
Thou bloodless remnant of that royal blood,
Be it lawful that I invocate thy ghost
To hear the lamentations of poor Anne,
Wife to thy Edward, to thy slaughtered son,
Stabbed by the selfsame hand that made these wounds.
Lo, in these windows that let forth thy life,
I pour the helpless balm of my poor eyes.
Oh, cursèd be the hand that made these holes,
Cursed the heart that had the heart to do it,
Cursed the blood that let this blood from hence.
More direful hap betide that hated wretch
That makes us wretched by the death of thee
Than I can wish to wolves, to spiders, toads,
Or any creeping venomed thing that lives.
If ever he have child, abortive be it,
Prodigious, and untimely brought to light,
Whose ugly and unnatural aspèct
May fright the hopeful mother at the view,
And that be heir to his unhappiness.
If ever he have wife, let her be made
More miserable by the death of him
Than I am made by my young lord and thee.
Come now towards Chertsey with your holy load,
Taken from Paul’s to be interrèd there.
And still as you are weary of this weight,
Rest you while I lament King Henry’s corpse.

^{Enter Richard duke of Gloucester.}

Richard

Stay, you that bear the corpse, and set it down.

Anne

What black magician conjures up this fiend
To stop devoted charitable deeds?

Richard

Villains, set down the corpse, or by Saint Paul,
I’ll make a corpse of him that disobeys.

Gentleman

My lord, stand back and let the coffin pass.

Richard

Unmannered dog, stand thou when I command.
Advance thy halberd higher than my breast,
Or by Saint Paul, I’ll strike thee to my foot
And spurn upon thee, beggar, for thy boldness.

^{The bearers set down the hearse.}

Anne

What, do you tremble? Are you all afraid?
Alas, I blame you not, for you are mortal,
And mortal eyes cannot endure the devil.
Avaunt, thou dreadful minister of hell.
Thou hadst but power over his mortal body;
His soul thou canst not have. Therefore be gone.

Richard

Sweet saint, for charity, be not so curst.

Anne