Literary Knitter: Duke Orsino

This month's literary knitter quote was sent to me by my mum, and just for her I'm including an extra long extract as I know she likes it. The quote comes from no lesser a literary figure than the bard himself, William Shakespeare

Twelfth Night - Act 2, Scene 4

 

Orsino
O, fellow, come, the song we had last night -
Mark it, Cesario, it is old and plain;
The spinsters and the knitters in the sun
And the free maids that weave their thread with bones
Do use to chant it, it is silly sooth,
And dallies with the innocence of love.
Like the old age.

Fool
Are you ready, sir?

Orsino
Ay; prithee, sing

Fool (sings)
Come away, come away, death
And in sad cypress let me be laid.
Fly away, fly away breath.
I am slain by a fair cruel maid.
My shroud of white, stuck all with yew.
O, prepare it!
My part of death, no one so true did share it.
Not a flower, not a flower sweet
On my black coffin let there be strown.
Not a friend, not a friend greet
My poor corpse, where my bones shall be thrown.
A thousand thousand sighs to save.
Lay me, O, where
Sad true lover never find my grave
To weep there!


The bones mentioned by Duke Orsino are apparently bone bobbins used in lace making, so it a double crafting quote. Plus, Agatha Cristie took a title for one of her Poirot novel from this extract, and she was a knitter too!