Oh, Byron, so true.

The poor, scorned Sultana:

"Her first thought was to cut off Juan's head;
Her second, to cut only his--acquaintance;
Her third, to ask him where he had been bred;
Her fourth, to rally him into repentance;
Her fifth, to call her maids and go to bed;
Her sixth, to stab herself; her seventh, to sentence
The lash to Baba:--but her grand resource
Was to sit down again, and cry of course.

"She thought to stab herself, but then she had
The dagger close at hand, which made it awkward;
For eastern stays are little made to pad,
So that a poniard pierces if 'tis stuck hard:
She thought of killing Juan--but, poor lad!
Though he deserved it well for being so backward,
The cutting off his head was not the art
Most likely to attain her aim--his heart."


From Don Juan, Canto V.