(applause)
Mr. Jones:
When I found out that I had a chance to come to the White
House to deliver two or three minutes in the realm of poetry,
I immediately thought
of Dr. Seuss --
(laughter)
-- or William Shakespeare
and then I remembered that --
how Jesse Jackson had so
well acquitted himself with
Dr. Seuss' Green Eggs and Ham.
(laughter)
You remember that; thank you.
So I decided that best
I stick with Shakespeare.
And I'm going to read General Othello's testimony before the
Senate of Venice to defend himself against the charge of
witchcraft -- in particular,
of bewitching Desdemona,
the daughter of
Senator Brabantio.
Most potent, grave,
and reverend signiors,
My very noble and
approved good masters,
That I have taken away
this good man's daughter,
It is most true; true,
I've married her.
The very head and
front of my offending
Hath this extent, no more.
Rude am I in my speech,
And little bless'd with
the soft phrase of peace:
For since these arms of
mine had seven years' pith,
Til now some nine moons
wasted, they have used
Their dearest action
in the tented field,
And little of this
great world can I speak,
More than pertains to
feats of broil and battle,
And therefore little
shall I grace my cause
In speaking for myself. Yet,
by your gracious patience,
I will a round
unvarnish'd tale deliver
Of my whole course of love;
what drugs, what charms,
What conjuration and
what mighty magic,
For such proceeding
I am charged withal,
Her father loved
me; oft invited me;
Still question'd me
the story of my life,
From year to year, the
battles, sieges, fortunes,
I have passed.
I ran it through, even
from my boyish days,
To the very moment
he bade me tell it;
Wherein I spoke of most
disastrous chances,
Of moving accidents
by flood and field
Of hair-breadth scapes in
the imminent deadly breach,
Of being taken by
the insolent foe
And sold to slavery,
of my redemption thence
And portance in my
travels' history:
Wherein of antres
vast and deserts idle,
Rough quarries, rocks and
hills whose heads touch heaven
It was my hint to
speak,--such was the process;
And of the Cannibals
that each other eat,
The Anthropophagi
and men whose heads
Do grow beneath their shoulders -- ha ha ha ha -- This to hear
Would Desdemona
seriously incline:
But still the house-affairs
would draw her thence:
Which ever as she could
with haste dispatch,
She'd come again,
and with a greedy ear
Devour up my discourse:
which I observing,
Took once a pliant hour,
and found good means
To draw from her a
prayer of earnest heart
That I would all my
pilgrimage dilate,
Whereof by parcels she
had something heard,
But not intentively:
I did consent,
And often did beguile
her of her tears,
When I did speak of
some distressful stroke
my youth suffer'd.
My story being done,
She gave me for my
pains a world of tears:
She swore, in faith, twas
strange, 'twas passing strange,
'Twas pitiful, 'twas
wondrous pitiful:
She wish'd she had not
heard it, and yet she wish'd
That heaven had made for her
such a man: she thank'd me,
And bade me, if I had a
friend that loved her,
I should but teach him
how to tell my story.
And that would woo her.
Upon this hint I spoke:
She loved me for the
dangers I have pass'd,
And I loved her that
she did pity them.
This only is the
witchcraft I have used:
(applause and cheering)
