Beshrew that heart that makes my heart to groan For that deep wound it gives my friend and me; Is’t not enough to torture me alone, But slave to slavery my sweet’st friend must be? 5 Me from myself thy cruel eye hath taken, And my next self thou harder hast engrossed; Of him, myself, and thee I am forsaken, A torment thrice threefold thus to be crossed. Prison my heart in thy steel bosom’s ward, 10 But then my friend’s heart let my poor heart bail. Whoe'er keeps me, let my heart be his guard; Thou canst not then use rigor in my jail. And yet thou wilt, for I being pent in thee, Perforce am thine, and all that is in me.
Curse that heart that makes my heart groan
For that deep wound it gives to my friend and me;
Is it not enough to torture me,
Must you also completely make my friend your slave?
Your cruel eye has taken me from myself,
And you have possessed my next self even more powerfully;
I have been deserted by him, myself, and you,
A triple torment multiplied three times to be crucified like this.
Prison my heart in the steel custody of your chest,
But let my poor heart be the bail for my friend's heart.
Whoever imprisons me, let my heart protect him;
Then you cannot use cruelty in my prison.
And yet you will, since I am imprisoned in you,
I am yours by force, and all that is in me is yours.
Suzy Kim is a graduate student studying Victorian literature at Brown University. She studied English and Psychology at University of Pennsylvania, and some of her creative work can be found in the upcoming volume of The Graphic Canon: Tales of Crime and Mystery Vol. 1. She is from Seoul, and currently lives in Providence, Rhode Island.