by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616)
Give me my robe, put on my crown; I have
Language: English
Cleopatra Give me my robe, put on my crown; I have Immortal longings in me: now no more The juice of Egypt's grape shall moist this lip: Yare, yare, good Iras; quick. Methinks I hear Antony call; I see him rouse himself To praise my noble act; I hear him mock The luck of Caesar, which the gods give men To excuse their after wrath: husband, I come: Now to that name my courage prove my title! I am fire and air; my other elements I give to baser life. So; have you done? Come then, and take the last warmth of my lips. Farewell, kind Charmian; Iras, long farewell. [Kisses them. IRAS falls and dies] Have I the aspic in my lips? Dost fall? If thou and nature can so gently part, The stroke of death is as a lover's pinch, Which hurts, and is desired. Dost thou lie still? If thus thou vanishest, thou tell'st the world It is not worth leave-taking. Charmian. Dissolve, thick cloud, and rain; that I may say, The gods themselves do weep! Cleopatra. This proves me base: If she first meet the curled Antony, He'll make demand of her, and spend that kiss Which is my heaven to have. Come, thou mortal wretch, [To an asp, which she applies to her breast] With thy sharp teeth this knot intrinsicate Of life at once untie: poor venomous fool Be angry, and dispatch. O, couldst thou speak, That I might hear thee call great Caesar ass Unpolicied! Charmian. O eastern star! Cleopatra. Peace, peace! Dost thou not see my baby at my breast, That sucks the nurse asleep? Charmian. O, break! O, break! Cleopatra. As sweet as balm, as soft as air, as gentle, — O Antony! — Nay, I will take thee too. [Applying another asp to her arm] What should I stay — [Dies]
About the headline (FAQ)
Note: J. Reise's setting begins "I have immortal longings in me", and is abridged.
Authorship:
- by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), no title, appears in Antony and Cleopatra, Act V, Scene 2 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Jay Reise , "Cleopatra", subtitle: "A dramatic aria", 1979, first performed 1979 [soprano, flute, oboe, violin, cello, piano] [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist [an adaptation] FRE FRE ; composed by Walter Braunfels.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (François Pierre Guillaume Guizot) , no title
- FRE French (Français) (François-Victor Hugo) , no title
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2016-11-19
Line count: 49
Word count: 312