The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (1102 page)

AENEAS.

Good, good, my lord, the secrets of nature

Have not more gift in taciturnity.

Very well, my good lord, nature won't reveal her mysteries

any slower than I will give up your secret.

Exeunt TROILUS and AENEAS

PANDARUS.

Is't possible? No sooner got but lost? The devil take

Antenor! The young prince will go mad. A plague upon Antenor! I

would they had broke's neck.

Is this possible? No sooner does he get than lose her? Damnation to

Antenor! The young prince will go mad. A plague upon Antenor! I

wish they had broken his neck.

Re-enter CRESSIDA

CRESSIDA.

How now! What's the matter? Who was here?

Hello there! What's the matter?Who was here?

PANDARUS.

Ah, ah!

Ah, ah!

CRESSIDA.

Why sigh you so profoundly? Where's my lord? Gone? Tell

me, sweet uncle, what's the matter?

Why do you sigh so deeply? Where is my lord? Gone? Tell

me, sweet uncle, what's the matter?

PANDARUS.

Would I were as deep under the earth as I am above!

I wish I was as deep under the earth as I am above it!

CRESSIDA.

O the gods! What's the matter?

By the gods! What's the matter?

PANDARUS.

Pray thee, get thee in. Would thou hadst ne'er been born!

I knew thou wouldst be his death! O, poor gentleman! A plague

upon Antenor!

Please, get inside. I wish you had never been born!

I knew you would be the death of him! Oh, poor gentleman! A plague

on Antenor!

CRESSIDA.

Good uncle, I beseech you, on my knees I beseech you,

what's the matter?

Good uncle, I beg you, on my knees I beg you,

what's the matter?

PANDARUS.

Thou must be gone, wench, thou must be gone; thou art

chang'd for Antenor; thou must to thy father, and be gone from

Troilus. 'Twill be his death; 'twill be his bane; he cannot bear

it.

You must go, wench, you must go; you are to be

exchanged for Antenor; you must go to your father, and leave

Troilus. It will be the death of him; it will ruin him; he won't be able to

bear it.

CRESSIDA.

O you immortal gods! I will not go.

Oh you immortal gods! I will not go.

PANDARUS.

Thou must.

You must.

CRESSIDA.

I will not, uncle. I have forgot my father;

I know no touch of consanguinity,

No kin, no love, no blood, no soul so near me

As the sweet Troilus. O you gods divine,

Make Cressid's name the very crown of falsehood,

If ever she leave Troilus! Time, force, and death,

Do to this body what extremes you can,

But the strong base and building of my love

Is as the very centre of the earth,

Drawing all things to it. I'll go in and weep-

I will not, uncle. I have forgotten my father;

I feel no sense of blood relations,

no kinship, no love, no blood, no soul, is so dear to me

as the sweet Troilus. Oh you divine gods,

make Cressida's name proverbial for falsehood,

if she ever leaves Troilus! Time, compulsion, and death,

do whatever you can to this body,

but the strong foundation and building of my love

is like the very centre of the earth,

drawing all things to it. I'll go in and weep-

PANDARUS.

Do, do.

Yes, do that.

CRESSIDA.

Tear my bright hair, and scratch my praised cheeks,

Crack my clear voice with sobs and break my heart,

With sounding 'Troilus.' I will not go from Troy.

Tear my shining hair, and scratch my admired cheeks,

crack my sweet voice with sobs and break my heart,

saying ‘Troilus.’ I will not leave Troy.

Exeunt

Enter PARIS, TROILUS, AENEAS, DEIPHOBUS, ANTENOR, and DIOMEDES

PARIS.

It is great morning; and the hour prefix'd

For her delivery to this valiant Greek

Comes fast upon. Good my brother Troilus,

Tell you the lady what she is to do

And haste her to the purpose.

It's well on into the morning; and the time set

to hand her over to this brave Greek

is almost here. My good brother Troilus,

tell the lady what she is to do

and tell her to hurry.

TROILUS.

Walk into her house.

I'll bring her to the Grecian presently;

And to his hand when I deliver her,

Think it an altar, and thy brother Troilus

A priest, there off'ring to it his own heart.

Go in to her house.

I'll bring her to the Greek shortly;

and when I give her over to his hand,

think of it as an altar, with your brother Troilus

as a priest, sacrificing his own heart.

Exit

PARIS.

I know what 'tis to love,

And would, as I shall pity, I could help!

Please you walk in, my lords.

I know what it's like to love,

and I wish I could give as much help as I will pity!

Please go in, my lords.

Exeunt

Enter PANDARUS and CRESSIDA

PANDARUS.

Be moderate, be moderate.

Calm down, calm down.

CRESSIDA.

Why tell you me of moderation?

The grief is fine, full, perfect, that I taste,

And violenteth in a sense as strong

As that which causeth it. How can I moderate it?

If I could temporize with my affections

Or brew it to a weak and colder palate,

The like allayment could I give my grief.

My love admits no qualifying dross;

No more my grief, in such a precious loss.

Why are you telling me to calm down?

This grief is fine, great, perfect, I can taste it,

and it's as terrible and violent

as the thing which is causing it. How can I calm it?

If I could negotiate with my passion,

or dilute it to suit someone with a weaker and colder appetite,

then I could do the same with my grief.

My love is absolutely pure;

so my grief is the same, when I suffer such a terrible loss.

Enter TROILUS

PANDARUS.

Here, here, here he comes. Ah, sweet ducks!

Here, here, here he comes. Ah, sweet ducks!

CRESSIDA.

O Troilus! Troilus! [Embracing him]

Oh Troilus! Troilus!

PANDARUS.

What a pair of spectacles is here! Let me embrace too. 'O

heart,' as the goodly saying is,

O heart, heavy heart,

Why sigh'st thou without breaking?

where he answers again

 Because thou canst not ease thy smart

By friendship nor by speaking.

There was never a truer rhyme. Let us cast away nothing, for we

may live to have need of such a verse. We see it, we see it. How

now, lambs!

What a sight this is! Let me be hugged too.

‘Oh heart,’ as the proverb has it,

‘O heart, heavy heart,

why do you sigh without breaking?

And he answers

because you cannot ease your pain

with friendship or with talk.’

There was never a truer song. Let's not throw anything away, for we

may need a verse such as this someday. I've seen it happen. What

shall you do, lambs!

TROILUS.

Cressid, I love thee in so strain'd a purity

That the bless'd gods, as angry with my fancy,

More bright in zeal than the devotion which

Cold lips blow to their deities, take thee from me.

Cressida, Ilove you in such a pure way

that the blessed gods, angry with my love,

because it is brighter than the prayers

they get from cold lips, are taking you from me.

CRESSIDA.

Have the gods envy?

Are the gods jealous?

PANDARUS.

Ay, ay, ay; 'tis too plain a case.

Yes, yes, yes; it's obvious.

CRESSIDA.

And is it true that I must go from Troy?

And is it true that I must leave Troy?

TROILUS.

A hateful truth.

A horrible truth.

CRESSIDA.

What, and from Troilus too?

What, and leave Troilus as well?

TROILUS.

From Troy and Troilus.

You must leave Troy and Troilus.

CRESSIDA.

Is't possible?

Is this really happening?

TROILUS.

And suddenly; where injury of chance

Puts back leave-taking, justles roughly by

All time of pause, rudely beguiles our lips