A Bee his burnished Carriage 1
Drove boldly to a Rose－
Combinedly alighting－
Himself－his Carriage was－
The Rose received his visit 5
With frank tranquillity
Withholding not a Crescent
To his Cupidity－
Their Moment consummated－9
Remained for him－to flee－
Remained for her－of rapture
But the humility.
Drove boldly to a Rose－
Combinedly alighting－
Himself－his Carriage was－
The Rose received his visit 5
With frank tranquillity
Withholding not a Crescent
To his Cupidity－
Their Moment consummated－9
Remained for him－to flee－
Remained for her－of rapture
But the humility.
(F.1351/J.1339)
[1] Bee, burnished Carriage:: Tarquin, a man with eccentric, lustic mind riding a carriage to Lucrece.
[2] Rose:: Lucrece, a beauty.
[5] received, tranquillity:: Lucrece received Tarquin as a kin. "When at Collatium this false Lord arrived, / Well was he welcomed by the Roman dame."
[7] Cupidity:: ardent desire, inordinate longing or lust (OED 1). the "Lust-breathed Tarquin."
[9] consummated:: Tarquin threatened to kill a slave and place the body beside Lucrece, if she denied him.
[11] Rapture:: same as rape (OED 3b).
[12] Humility:: the quality of being humble or having a lowly opinion of oneself; meekness, lowliness, humbleness (OED 1).
This silent war of Lilies and of Roses,
Which TARQUIN viewed in her fair face's field,
. . .
If thou deny, then force must work my way:
For in thy bed I purpose to destroy thee.
That done, some worthless slave of thine I'll slay.
To kill thine Honour with thy life's decay.
And in thy dead arms do I mean to place him,
Swearing I slew him seeing thee embrace him.
The same night he treacherously stealeth into her chamber, violently ravished her, and early in the morning speedeth away. ─ The Rape of Lucrece (1594)
