Romeo and Juliet

I sent the Nurse at nine o'clock. Maybe she can’t find him. That can’t be. Oh, she’s slow! Love’s messengers should be thoughts, which fly ten times faster than sunbeams. They should be strong enough to push shadows over the dark hills. That’s the way doves carry Venus so fast, and that’s why Cupid has wings that let him fly as fast as the wind. Now it’s noon. That’s three hours since nine o'clock, but she hasn’t come back. If she was young and passionate, she’d move as fast as a ball. My words would bounce her to my sweet love, and his words would bounce her back to me. But a lot of old people act like they’re already dead—sluggish, slow, fat, and colorless, like lead.

Oh my God, here she comes! Oh sweet Nurse, what news do you bring? Have you spoken to him? Send your man away.

Peter, wait for me at the gate.

Now, good sweet Nurse—Oh Lord, why do you look so sad? Even if the news is sad, tell me with a smile on your face. If the news is good, you’re ruining the sweet news by playing a trick with a sour face like that.