SCENE II. Capulet's orchard.
Enter ROMEO ROMEO
He jests at scars that never felt a wound.
JULIET appears above at a window But, soft! what light
through yonder window breaks?
It is the east, and Juliet is
the sun.
Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious
moon,
Who is already sick and pale with grief,
That thou her maid art far more fair than she:
Be not
her maid, since she is envious;
Her vestal livery is but sick
and green
And none but fools do wear it; cast it
off.
It is my lady, O, it is my love!
O,
that she knew she were!
She speaks yet she says nothing:
what of that?
Her eye discourses; I will answer
it.
I am too bold, 'tis not to me she speaks:
Two of the fairest stars in all the heaven,
Having
some business, do entreat her eyes
To twinkle in their
spheres till they return.
What if her eyes were there, they
in her head?
The brightness of her cheek would shame those
stars,
As daylight doth a lamp; her eyes in heaven
Would through the airy region stream so bright
That
birds would sing and think it were not night.
See, how she
leans her cheek upon her hand!
O, that I were a glove upon
that hand,
That I might touch that
cheek!
JULIET
Ay me!
ROMEO
She speaks:
O, speak again, bright
angel! for thou art
As glorious to this night, being o'er my
head
As is a winged messenger of heaven
Unto the white-upturned wondering eyes
Of mortals
that fall back to gaze on him
When he bestrides the
lazy-pacing clouds
And sails upon the bosom of the
air.
JULIET
O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?
Deny thy father and refuse thy name;
Or, if thou
wilt not, be but sworn my love,
And I'll no longer be a
Capulet.
ROMEO
[Aside] Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at
this?
JULIET
'Tis but thy name that is my enemy;
Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.
What's
Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot,
Nor arm, nor face, nor
any other part
Belonging to a man. O, be some other
name!
What's in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;
So Romeo
would, were he not Romeo call'd,
Retain that dear perfection
which he owes
Without that title. Romeo, doff thy
name,
And for that name which is no part of thee
Take all myself.
ROMEO
I take thee at thy word:
Call me but
love, and I'll be new baptized;
Henceforth I never will be
Romeo.
JULIET
What man art thou that thus bescreen'd in
night
So stumblest on my counsel?
ROMEO
By a name
I know not how to tell thee
who I am:
My name, dear saint, is hateful to
myself,
Because it is an enemy to thee;
Had I it written, I would tear the word.
JULIET
My ears have not yet drunk a hundred words
Of that tongue's utterance, yet I know the sound:
Art thou not Romeo and a Montague?
ROMEO
Neither, fair saint, if either thee
dislike.
JULIET
How camest thou hither, tell me, and
wherefore?
The orchard walls are high and hard to
climb,
And the place death, considering who thou
art,
If any of my kinsmen find thee
here.
ROMEO
With love's light wings did I o'er-perch these
walls;
For stony limits cannot hold love out,
And what love can do that dares love attempt;
Therefore thy kinsmen are no let to me.
JULIET
If they do see thee, they will murder
thee.
ROMEO
Alack, there lies more peril in thine eye
Than twenty of their swords: look thou but sweet,
And I am proof against their enmity.
JULIET
I would not for the world they saw thee
here.
ROMEO
I have night's cloak to hide me from their
sight;
And but thou love me, let them find me
here:
My life were better ended by their hate,
Than death prorogued, wanting of thy love.
JULIET
By whose direction found'st thou out this
place?
ROMEO
By love, who first did prompt me to inquire;
He lent me counsel and I lent him eyes.
I am no
pilot; yet, wert thou as far
As that vast shore wash'd with
the farthest sea,
I would adventure for such
merchandise.
JULIET
Thou know'st the mask of night is on my face,
Else would a maiden blush bepaint my cheek
For that
which thou hast heard me speak to-night
Fain would I dwell
on form, fain, fain deny
What I have spoke: but farewell
compliment!
Dost thou love me? I know thou wilt say
'Ay,'
And I will take thy word: yet if thou
swear'st,
Thou mayst prove false; at lovers'
perjuries
Then say, Jove laughs. O gentle Romeo,
If thou dost love, pronounce it faithfully:
Or if
thou think'st I am too quickly won,
I'll frown and be
perverse an say thee nay,
So thou wilt woo; but else, not
for the world.
In truth, fair Montague, I am too
fond,
And therefore thou mayst think my 'havior
light:
But trust me, gentleman, I'll prove more
true
Than those that have more cunning to be
strange.
I should have been more strange, I must
confess,
But that thou overheard'st, ere I was
ware,
My true love's passion: therefore pardon
me,
And not impute this yielding to light love,
Which the dark night hath so discovered.
ROMEO
Lady, by yonder blessed moon I swear
That tips with silver all these fruit-tree
tops--
JULIET
O, swear not by the moon, the inconstant
moon,
That monthly changes in her circled orb,
Lest that thy love prove likewise variable.
ROMEO
What shall I swear by?
JULIET
Do not swear at all;
Or, if thou
wilt, swear by thy gracious self,
Which is the god of my
idolatry,
And I'll believe thee.
ROMEO
If my heart's dear love--
JULIET
Well, do not swear: although I joy in thee,
I have no joy of this contract to-night:
It is too
rash, too unadvised, too sudden;
Too like the lightning,
which doth cease to be
Ere one can say 'It lightens.'
Sweet, good night!
This bud of love, by summer's ripening
breath,
May prove a beauteous flower when next we
meet.
Good night, good night! as sweet repose and
rest
Come to thy heart as that within my
breast!
ROMEO
O, wilt thou leave me so
unsatisfied?
JULIET
What satisfaction canst thou have
to-night?
ROMEO
The exchange of thy love's faithful vow for
mine.
JULIET
I gave thee mine before thou didst request
it:
And yet I would it were to give
again.
ROMEO
Wouldst thou withdraw it? for what purpose,
love?
JULIET
But to be frank, and give it thee again.
And yet I wish but for the thing I have:
My bounty
is as boundless as the sea,
My love as deep; the more I
give to thee,
The more I have, for both are
infinite.
Nurse calls within I hear some noise within; dear
love, adieu!
Anon, good nurse! Sweet Montague, be
true.
Stay but a little, I will come again.
Exit, above ROMEO
O blessed, blessed night! I am afeard.
Being in night, all this is but a dream,
Too
flattering-sweet to be substantial.
Re-enter JULIET, above JULIET
Three words, dear Romeo, and good night
indeed.
If that thy bent of love be honourable,
Thy purpose marriage, send me word to-morrow,
By
one that I'll procure to come to thee,
Where and what time
thou wilt perform the rite;
And all my fortunes at thy foot
I'll lay
And follow thee my lord throughout the
world.
Nurse
[Within] Madam!
JULIET
I come, anon.--But if thou mean'st not well,
I do beseech thee--
Nurse
[Within] Madam!
JULIET
By and by, I come:--
To cease thy
suit, and leave me to my grief:
To-morrow will I
send.
ROMEO
So thrive my soul--
JULIET
A thousand times good night!
Exit, above ROMEO
A thousand times the worse, to want thy
light.
Love goes toward love, as schoolboys from
their books,
But love from love, toward school
with heavy looks.
Retiring
Re-enter JULIET, above JULIET
Hist! Romeo, hist! O, for a falconer's
voice,
To lure this tassel-gentle back again!
Bondage is hoarse, and may not speak aloud;
Else
would I tear the cave where Echo lies,
And make her airy
tongue more hoarse than mine,
With repetition of my Romeo's
name.
ROMEO
It is my soul that calls upon my name:
How silver-sweet sound lovers' tongues by night,
Like softest music to attending ears!
JULIET
Romeo!
ROMEO
My dear?
JULIET
At what o'clock to-morrow
Shall I
send to thee?
ROMEO
At the hour of nine.
JULIET
I will not fail: 'tis twenty years till
then.
I have forgot why I did call thee
back.
ROMEO
Let me stand here till thou remember
it.
JULIET
I shall forget, to have thee still stand
there,
Remembering how I love thy
company.
ROMEO
And I'll still stay, to have thee still
forget,
Forgetting any other home but
this.
JULIET
'Tis almost morning; I would have thee gone:
And yet no further than a wanton's bird;
Who lets
it hop a little from her hand,
Like a poor prisoner in his
twisted gyves,
And with a silk thread plucks it back
again,
So loving-jealous of his
liberty.
ROMEO
I would I were thy bird.
JULIET
Sweet, so would I:
Yet I should
kill thee with much cherishing.
Good night, good night!
parting is such
sweet sorrow,
That I
shall say good night till it be morrow.
Exit above ROMEO
Sleep dwell upon thine eyes, peace in thy
breast!
Would I were sleep and peace, so sweet to
rest!
Hence will I to my ghostly father's cell,
His help to crave, and my dear hap to tell.
Exit
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