The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (575 page)

HELICANUS

Behold him.

PERICLES discovered

This was a goodly person,

Till the disaster that, one mortal night,

Drove him to this.

Look at him.

This was a fine man,

until the disaster that, one fateful night,

turned him into this.

LYSIMACHUS

Sir king, all hail! the gods preserve you!

Hail, royal sir!

Sir king, all welcome! May the gods preserve you!

Greetings, royal sir!

HELICANUS

It is in vain; he will not speak to you.

There is no point; he won't speak to you.

First Lord

Sir,

We have a maid in Mytilene, I durst wager,

Would win some words of him.

Sir,

there's a girl in Mytilene who, I'd be prepared to bet,

could persuade him to talk.

LYSIMACHUS

'Tis well bethought.

She questionless with her sweet harmony

And other chosen attractions, would allure,

And make a battery through his deafen'd parts,

Which now are midway stopp'd:

She is all happy as the fairest of all,

And, with her fellow maids is now upon

The leafy shelter that abuts against

The island's side.

Whispers a Lord, who goes off in the barge of LYSIMACHUS

Good thinking.

Without question her sweet harmonies,

and other great attractions, could charm him,

and win through his deaf ears,

which are now blocked:

she is as wonderful as a goddess,

and with her girlfriends she is now

in the leafy grove which abuts

the side of the island.

HELICANUS

Sure, all's effectless; yet nothing we'll omit

That bears recovery's name. But, since your kindness

We have stretch'd thus far, let us beseech you

That for our gold we may provision have,

Wherein we are not destitute for want,

But weary for the staleness.

It's certain that nothing will work; but we'll try anything

that looks like a cure. But, as you have been

so kind thus far, please can we ask you

to sell us some provisions;

we don't lack for quantity,

but we are tired of their quality.

LYSIMACHUS

O, sir, a courtesy

Which if we should deny, the most just gods

For every graff would send a caterpillar,

And so afflict our province. Yet once more

Let me entreat to know at large the cause

Of your king's sorrow.

Oh, sir, if we were to deny

you such a courtesy, the most just gods

would send a caterpillar to every plant

to plague our province. But once again

let me beg you to tell me more details

of the cause of your king's sorrow.

HELICANUS

Sit, sir, I will recount it to you:

But, see, I am prevented.

Re-enter, from the barge, Lord, with MARINA, and a young Lady

Sit down, sir, I will tell you about it:

but, you see, this interrupts me.

LYSIMACHUS

O, here is

The lady that I sent for. Welcome, fair one!

Is't not a goodly presence?

Oh, here is

the lady that I sent for. Welcome, beautiful one!

Isn't she wonderful?

HELICANUS

She's a gallant lady.

She's a noble lady.

LYSIMACHUS

She's such a one, that, were I well assured

Came of a gentle kind and noble stock,

I'ld wish no better choice, and think me rarely wed.

Fair one, all goodness that consists in bounty

Expect even here, where is a kingly patient:

If that thy prosperous and artificial feat

Can draw him but to answer thee in aught,

Thy sacred physic shall receive such pay

As thy desires can wish.

She is such a one that if I could be certain

that she came from a gentle, kind and noble family,

I would wish to have no better, and would think I had made a fine marriage.

Beautiful one, you can expect all the best rewards

even here, where the patient is a king:

if all your wonderful and skilful accomplishments

can just get him to say anything to you,

your blessed treatment will be paid for

with anything you desire.

MARINA

Sir, I will use

My utmost skill in his recovery, provided

That none but I and my companion maid

Be suffer'd to come near him.

Sir, I will do

everything I can to help him, provided

that nobody but I and my friend here

are allowed to come near him.

LYSIMACHUS

Come, let us leave her;

And the gods make her prosperous!

MARINA sings

Come, let us leave her;

and may the gods give her success!

LYSIMACHUS

Mark'd he your music?

Did he take any notice of your music?

MARINA

No, nor look'd on us.

No, and he didn't look at us.

LYSIMACHUS

See, she will speak to him.

See, she will speak to him.

MARINA

Hail, sir! my lord, lend ear.

Greetings, sir! My Lord, listen to me.

PERICLES

Hum, ha!

Hmm, ha!

MARINA

I am a maid,

My lord, that ne'er before invited eyes,

But have been gazed on like a comet: she speaks,

My lord, that, may be, hath endured a grief

Might equal yours, if both were justly weigh'd.

Though wayward fortune did malign my state,

My derivation was from ancestors

Who stood equivalent with mighty kings:

But time hath rooted out my parentage,

And to the world and awkward casualties

Bound me in servitude.

Aside

I will desist;

But there is something glows upon my cheek,

And whispers in mine ear, 'Go not till he speak.'

I am a girl,

my Lord, who never before asked anyone to look at me,

but have been stared at as if I was a comet: the one who speaks

to you, my lord, has suffered from sorrows

which might be the equal of yours, if they were fairly compared.

Though changeable fortune brought me low,

I am descended from ancestors

who were the equals of mighty kings;

but time has stripped me of my ancestry, and made me

the plaything of the world

and its accidents.

I will stop;

but there is something inside me which says

I should not leave until he speaks.

PERICLES

My fortunes--parentage--good parentage--

To equal mine!--was it not thus? what say you?

My fortunes–parentage–good parentage–

the equal of mine!–Wasn't that it? What did you say?

MARINA

I said, my lord, if you did know my parentage,

You would not do me violence.

I said, my lord, if you knew my ancestry,

you would not push me away.

PERICLES

I do think so. Pray you, turn your eyes upon me.

You are like something that--What country-woman?

Here of these shores?

I think so. Please, look at me.

You are something like that–what country are you from, woman?

Do you come from these shores?

MARINA

No, nor of any shores:

Yet I was mortally brought forth, and am

No other than I appear.

No, nor from any shores:

and yet I had a mortal birth, and I am

nothing more than I seem to be.

PERICLES

I am great with woe, and shall deliver weeping.

My dearest wife was like this maid, and such a one

My daughter might have been: my queen's square brows;

Her stature to an inch; as wand-like straight;

As silver-voiced; her eyes as jewel-like

And cased as richly; in pace another Juno;

Who starves the ears she feeds, and makes them hungry,

The more she gives them speech. Where do you live?

I am full of sorrow, and will let it out in tears.

My dearest wife was like this girl, she could be

my daughter: she has my queen's square brow;

exactly the same height; just as perfectly straight;

just as silver voiced; her eyes are as jewel like

and in the same rich setting; her carriage like a goddess;

she starves the ears she feeds, the more she speaks

to them, the more they want to hear. Where do you live?

MARINA

Where I am but a stranger: from the deck

You may discern the place.

Where I am just a foreigner: you can see the place

from the deck.

PERICLES

Where were you bred?

And how achieved you these endowments, which

You make more rich to owe?

Where were you brought up?

How did you gain these accomplishments, which

are even richer because they are yours?

MARINA

If I should tell my history, it would seem

Like lies disdain'd in the reporting.

If I told you my story, it would seem like

lies which would be disbelieved even as I spoke them.

PERICLES

Prithee, speak:

Falseness cannot come from thee; for thou look'st

Modest as Justice, and thou seem'st a palace

For the crown'd Truth to dwell in: I will

believe thee,

And make my senses credit thy relation

To points that seem impossible; for thou look'st

Like one I loved indeed. What were thy friends?

Didst thou not say, when I did push thee back--

Which was when I perceived thee--that thou camest

From good descending?

Please, speak:

you would not be capable of lies; you look

as modest as justice, and you are like a palace

where the king of truth would live: I will

believe you,

and I will allow myself to believe your story

however impossible it seems; for you look

like someone I loved very dearly. Who were your family?

Didn't you say when I pushed you away,

which was when I noticed you, that you came

from a good family?