Penny Dreadfuls, 1812 · page 80 of 258
Psyche, and other poems — page 80: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Page 62 of a Victorian Penny Dreadful This page contains running verse narrative prose—poetry printed in a narrative format typical of serialized Victorian sensation fiction. The text depicts an action scene in which a female character named Psyche is attacked by serpents summoned by an unseen antagonist, while her male champion defends her. The passage describes serpents with "forked tongues" and "poisonous fire" emerging from "secret dens," the champion's heroic defense, and ultimately the revelation that their beautiful adversary—described as a "fair and treacherous queen"—has vanished along with her enchantments. The language is melodramatic and gothic in tone, characteristic of penny dreadful adventure narratives.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
7 62 Regardless of her supplicating tears | Each eye with vengeful rage the insult sees, | Her knight’s protection now in vain appears ; The offended sovereign anxious to appease, A thousand hands prepare the dove to seize: Nor was this all, for as the tumult rose, Sudden more thick than swarm of summer bees, The secret dens their venomed hoards disclose, And horror at the sight her vital spirits froze. , Hissing aloud with undulations dire, Their forked tongues unnumbered serpents show, Their tainted breath emitting poisonous fire, All turn on Psyche as their mortal foe ; - But he, whose arm was never weak or slow, - Now rushed before her with resistless spring, On either side the oft repeated blow Repulsed the malice of their deadly sting, While sparks of wrathful fire from their fierce jaws they fling. ‘Fly, Psyche! these are slander’s hellish brood! ‘Contest I know is vain,” her champion cried. Her passage now the opposing train withstood ; : Struck with disgust their hideous form she spied, For lo! each silken veil is thrown aside, And foul deformity, and filth obscene, With monstrous shapes appear on every side ; But vanished is their fair and treacherous queen, And with her every charm that decked the enchanted scene. ~ > cComichbooksteom