Titus Andronicus, Act 2 Scene 4

ACT II. SCENE IV.
Another part of the forest

Enter the Empress' sons, DEMETRIUS and CHIRON, with LAVINIA,
her hands cut off, and her tongue cut out, and ravish'd

DEMETRIUS So, now go tell, an if thy tongue can speak,
  Who 'twas that cut thy tongue and ravish'd thee.

bewray to disclose or betray. (archaic)

scribe One who writes; a draughtsman; a notary; a copyist.

CHIRON Write down thy mind, bewray thy meaning so,
  An if thy stumps will let thee play the scribe.

DEMETRIUS See how with signs and tokens she can scrowl.

CHIRON Go home, call for sweet water, wash thy hands.

DEMETRIUS She hath no tongue to call, nor hands to wash;
  And so let's leave her to her silent walks.

CHIRON An 'twere my cause, I should go hang myself.

DEMETRIUS If thou hadst hands to help thee knit the cord.

Exeunt DEMETRIUS and CHIRON
         Wind horns. Enter MARCUS, from hunting

hew'd To cut with a ax.

Tereus Tereus is a man in Greek Mythology, who seduced his wife (Procne)'s sister (Philomela) and raped her and cut her tongue to prevent her from telling. Philomela told her story by sewing a tapestry. Tereus

aspen Aspens are trees of the willow family so called from the trembling of its leaves, which move with the slightest impulse of the air. Aspen

Cerberus Cerberus is a 3-headed dog guarding the gate to Hades (underworld). Cerberus

Thracian The ancient Thracians were a group of Indo-European tribes who spoke the extinct Thracian language - a scarcely attested branch of the Indo-European language family. Those peoples inhabited the Eastern, Central and Southern part of the Balkan peninsula, as well as the adjacent parts of Eastern Europe. Thracian

MARCUS Who is this?- my niece, that flies away so fast? 
  Cousin, a word: where is your husband?
  If I do dream, would all my wealth would wake me!
  If I do wake, some planet strike me down,
  That I may slumber an eternal sleep!
  Speak, gentle niece. What stern ungentle hands
  Hath lopp'd, and hew'd, and made thy body bare
  Of her two branches- those sweet ornaments
  Whose circling shadows kings have sought to sleep in,
  And might not gain so great a happiness
  As half thy love? Why dost not speak to me?
  Alas, a crimson river of warm blood,
  Like to a bubbling fountain stirr'd with wind,
  Doth rise and fall between thy rosed lips,
  Coming and going with thy honey breath.
  But sure some Tereus hath deflowered thee,
  And, lest thou shouldst detect him, cut thy tongue.
  Ah, now thou turn'st away thy face for shame!
  And notwithstanding all this loss of blood-
  As from a conduit with three issuing spouts-
  Yet do thy cheeks look red as Titan's face
  Blushing to be encount'red with a cloud.
  Shall I speak for thee? Shall I say 'tis so?
  O, that I knew thy heart, and knew the beast,
  That I might rail at him to ease my mind!
  Sorrow concealed, like an oven stopp'd,
  Doth burn the heart to cinders where it is.
  Fair Philomel, why she but lost her tongue,
  And in a tedious sampler sew'd her mind;
  But, lovely niece, that mean is cut from thee.
  A craftier Tereus, cousin, hast thou met,
  And he hath cut those pretty fingers off
  That could have better sew'd than Philomel.
  O, had the monster seen those lily hands
  Tremble like aspen leaves upon a lute
  And make the silken strings delight to kiss them,
  He would not then have touch'd them for his life!
  Or had he heard the heavenly harmony
  Which that sweet tongue hath made,
  He would have dropp'd his knife, and fell asleep,
  As Cerberus at the Thracian poet's feet. 
  Come, let us go, and make thy father blind,
  For such a sight will blind a father's eye;
  One hour's storm will drown the fragrant meads,
  What will whole months of tears thy father's eyes?
  Do not draw back, for we will mourn with thee;
  O, could our mourning case thy misery!

Exeunt