The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (1101 page)

BOOK: The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated)
7.15Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub

You are too bitter to your country-woman.

 

You are too bitter towards your countrywoman.

 

DIOMEDES.

She's bitter to her country. Hear me, Paris:

For every false drop in her bawdy veins

A Grecian's life hath sunk; for every scruple

Of her contaminated carrion weight

A Troyan hath been slain; since she could speak,

She hath not given so many good words breath

As for her Greeks and Troyans suff'red death.

 

She is bitter to her country. Listen to me, Paris:

for every drop of blood in her lusty veins

a Greek has lost his life; for every tiny part

of the weight of her rotting carcass

a Trojan has been killed; since she learned to speak

she has not spoken as many words as the number

of Greeks and Trojanswho have died for her.

 

PARIS.

Fair Diomed, you do as chapmen do,

Dispraise the thing that you desire to buy;

But we in silence hold this virtue well:

We'll not commend what we intend to sell.

Here lies our way.

 

Good Diomedes,, you're doing what merchants do,

running down the thing that you want to buy.

But we won't do the same thing;

we won't praise what we mean to get a high price for.

This is our way.

 

Exeunt

 

Enter TROILUS and CRESSIDA

 

TROILUS.

Dear, trouble not yourself; the morn is cold.

 

Dearest, don't let's get up. The morning is cold.

 

CRESSIDA.

Then, sweet my lord, I'll call mine uncle down;

He shall unbolt the gates.

 

Then, my sweet lord, I'll call my uncle down;

he shall unbolt the gates.

 

TROILUS.

Trouble him not;

To bed, to bed! Sleep kill those pretty eyes,

And give as soft attachment to thy senses

As infants' empty of all thought!

 

Don't bother him;

come back to bed! Close those pretty eyes in sleep,

and empty your mind of thought,

be like a child!

 

CRESSIDA.

Good morrow, then.

 

Good day to you, then.

 

TROILUS.

I prithee now, to bed.

 

Please, go to bed.

 

CRESSIDA.

Are you aweary of me?

 

Are you tired of me?

 

TROILUS.

O Cressida! but that the busy day,

Wak'd by the lark, hath rous'd the ribald crows,

And dreaming night will hide our joys no longer,

I would not from thee.

 

Oh Cressida! If it weren't for the fact that the day,

awoken by the lark, has aroused the raucous crows,

and that the dreaming night will no longer keep our pleasures secret,

I wouldn't leave you.

 

CRESSIDA.

Night hath been too brief.

 

The night has been too short.

 

TROILUS.

Beshrew the witch! with venomous wights she stays

As tediously as hell, but flies the grasps of love

With wings more momentary-swift than thought.

You will catch cold, and curse me.

 

Dam the witch! With those who are evil spirited she stays

eternally, but she flies away from love

with wings as swift as thought.

You will catch cold, and curse me.

 

CRESSIDA.

Prithee tarry.

You men will never tarry.

O foolish Cressid! I might have still held off,

And then you would have tarried. Hark! there's one up.

 

Please stay,

you men never stay.

O foolish Cressida! I might still have waited,

and then you would have stayed. Listen! Someone is up.

 

PANDARUS.

[Within] What's all the doors open here?

 

Why are all the doors open here?

 

TROILUS.

It is your uncle.

 

It is your uncle.

 

Enter PANDARUS

 

CRESSIDA.

A pestilence on him! Now will he be mocking.

I shall have such a life!

 

Damnation to him! Now he will mock me.

I shall have such a time of it!

 

PANDARUS.

How now, how now! How go maidenheads?

Here, you maid! Where's my cousin Cressid?

 

Hello there, hello there! What price for virginity?

Hey, you girl! Where's my cousin Cressida?

 

CRESSIDA.

Go hang yourself, you naughty mocking uncle.

You bring me to do, and then you flout me too.

 

Go and hang yourself, you naughty mocking uncle.

You encourage me to do this, and now you mock me for it.

 

PANDARUS.

To do what? to do what? Let her say what.

What have I brought you to do?

 

To do what? To do what? Let her tell me what.

What have I encouraged you to do?

 

CRESSIDA.

Come, come, beshrew your heart! You'll ne'er be good,

Nor suffer others.

 

Enough of this, curses on your heart! You've got such a dirty mind,

you can't believe anyone else is different.

 

PANDARUS.

Ha, ha! Alas, poor wretch! a poor capocchia! hast not

slept to-night? Would he not, a naughty man, let it sleep? A

bugbear take him!

 

Ha, ha! Alas, poor wretch! Poor simpleton! Haven’t you

slept tonight? Wouldn't that naughty man let you sleep? May

a goblin take him away!

 

CRESSIDA.

Did not I tell you? Would he were knock'd i' th' head!

[One knocks]

Who's that at door? Good uncle, go and see.

My lord, come you again into my chamber.

You smile and mock me, as if I meant naughtily.

 

What did I say? I wish someone would bash him on the head!

[Somebody knocks]

Who's that at the door? Good uncle, go and see.

My lord, you come back into my bedroom.

You smile and laugh at me, as if I had naughty intentions.

 

TROILUS.

Ha! ha!

 

Ha! Ha!

 

CRESSIDA.

Come, you are deceiv'd, I think of no such thing.

[Knock]

How earnestly they knock! Pray you come in:

I would not for half Troy have you seen here.

 

Come, you are mistaken, I'm thinking of no such thing.

[Knock]

How persistently they knock! Please come in:

I wouldn't want have you seen here for half of Troy.

 

Exeunt TROILUS and CRESSIDA

 

PANDARUS.

Who's there? What's the matter? Will you beat down the

door? How now? What's the matter?

 

Who's there? What's the matter? Do you want to knock down the

door? What's going on? What's the matter?

 

Enter AENEAS

 

AENEAS.

Good morrow, lord, good morrow.

 

Good day to you, lord, good day.

 

PANDARUS.

Who's there? My lord Aeneas? By my troth,

I knew you not. What news with you so early?

 

Who's that? My lord Aeneas? I swear,

I didn't know it was you. What brings you here so early?

 

AENEAS.

Is not Prince Troilus here?

 

Isn't Prince Troilus here?

 

PANDARUS.

Here! What should he do here?

 

Here! What would he be doing here?

 

AENEAS.

Come, he is here, my lord; do not deny him.

It doth import him much to speak with me.

 

Come, he is here, my lord; don't deny it.

It's very important that he should speak with me.

 

PANDARUS.

Is he here, say you? It's more than I know, I'll be

sworn. For my own part, I came in late. What should he do here?

 

He's here, you say? That's more than I know, I'll

swear. As for me, I came in late. What would he be doing here?

 

AENEAS.

Who!-nay, then. Come, come, you'll do him wrong ere you are

ware; you'll be so true to him to be false to him. Do not you

know of him, but yet go fetch him hither; go.

 

What!–No, then. Come, come, you'll do him harm without

knowing it; your loyalty will actually make you disloyal. You can say you

don't know he's here, but still, go and get him; go.

 

Re-enter TROILUS

 

TROILUS.

How now! What's the matter?

 

What's this! What's the matter?

 

AENEAS.

My lord, I scarce have leisure to salute you,

My matter is so rash. There is at hand

Paris your brother, and Deiphobus,

The Grecian Diomed, and our Antenor

Deliver'd to us; and for him forthwith,

Ere the first sacrifice, within this hour,

We must give up to Diomedes' hand

The Lady Cressida.

 

My Lord, I hardly have time to greet you,

my business is so urgent. Nearby there is

Paris your brother, and Deiphobus,

the Greek Diomedes, and our Antenor

returned to us; and in return for him at once,

before the first sacrifice has been made, within the hour,

we must hand over the lady Cressida

to Diomedes.

 

TROILUS.

Is it so concluded?

 

This is what's been decided?

 

AENEAS.

By Priam, and the general state of Troy.

They are at hand and ready to effect it.

 

By Priam, and the general assembly of Troy.

They are almost here and ready to carry out the order.

 

TROILUS.

How my achievements mock me!

I will go meet them; and, my lord Aeneas,

We met by chance; you did not find me here.

 

How the fates mock what I have done!

I will go and meet them; and, my lord Aeneas,

we met by chance; you did not find me here.

Other books

Death's Rival by Faith Hunter
Dragonkin by Crymsyn Hart
Cross My Heart by Phyllis Halldorson
Grievous Sin by Faye Kellerman
Bite at First Sight by Brooklyn Ann
The Book of Someday by Dianne Dixon
Tiempo de arena by Inma Chacón