The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (708 page)

came across his better.  I have heard

two battling nightingales singing their

competing songs in the night, one louder

then the other, then the first again,

then the second, until one

couldn't judge between them.  It was like this

for a long time between these kinsmen; until the heavens

just allowed one to edge it.  Wear the garland

you have won with joy.  For the losers,

execute my sentence on them at once, for I know

their lives are now painful to them.  Let it be done here.

We don't want to see it, let's leave,

very happy but with some sorrow. - Take your prize,

I know you won't let her go.- Hippolyta,

I can see there is a tear in your eye,

about to fall.

EMILIA

Is this winning?

O all you heavenly powers, where is your mercy?

But that your wills have said it must be so,

And charge me live to comfort this unfriended,

This miserable prince, that cuts away

A life more worthy from him than all women,

I should and would die too.

Is this victory?

Oh all you gods, where is your mercy?

If it wasn't for the fact that you have decreed it,

and ordered me to live to make happy this friendless

miserable prince, who has taken from himself

a life more worthy than all woman combined,

I would wish to die as well.

HIPPOLYTA

Infinite pity

That four such eyes should be so fix’d on one

That two must needs be blind for’t!

It's a horrible shame

that four eyes like these should have chosen to look at one woman,

so that two of them had to be blinded to settle it!

THESEUS

So it is.

Indeed it is.

Flourish. Exeunt

A place near the Lists. A block prepared.

(Palamon, Three Knights, Jailer, Executioner, Guard, Second Messenger, Pirithous, Theseus, Hippolyta, Emilia, Arcite)

A block ready. Enter Palamon and his Knights pinion’d, Jailer, Executioner, etc., Guard.

PALAMON

There’s many a man alive that hath outliv’d

The love o’ th’ people, yea, i’ th’ self-same state

Stands many a father with his child. Some comfort

We have by so considering: we expire,

And not without men’s pity; to live still,

Have their good wishes; we prevent

The loathsome misery of age, beguile

The gout and rheum, that in lag hours attend

For grey approachers; we come towards the gods

Young and unwapper’d, not halting under crimes

Many and stale. That sure shall please the gods

Sooner than such, to give us nectar with ’em,

For we are more clear spirits. My dear kinsmen,

Whose lives (for this poor comfort) are laid down,

You have sold ’em too too cheap.

There are many men alive who have outlived

the love of the people, and many fathers

outlive the love of their children. This is

a comforting thought: we are dying

with men pitying us; if we lived,

we should have their good wishes; we're avoiding

the horrible misery of growing old, cheat the

gout and rheumatism that attack greybeards

in later life; we approach the gods

young and still fresh, not limping under the burden

of numerous ancient crimes. The gods are bound to

prefer us to that type, to let us drink nectar with them,

for we are the purer spirits. My dear kinsmen,

whose lives are being sacrificed for this poor comfort,

you have sold them far too cheap.

FIRST KNIGHT

What ending could be

Of more content? O’er us the victors have

Fortune, whose title is as momentary

As to us death is certain. A grain of honor

They not o’erweigh us.

What happier ending could

we have? The ones who triumphed over us

had luck, which is as ephemeral as

our death is certain. They do not outweigh us

in honour by an ounce.

SECOND KNIGHT

Let us bid farewell;

And with our patience anger tott’ring Fortune,

Who at her certain’st reels.

Let us say goodbye;

and let our stoicism anger wavering fortune,

who is shaky at her firmest.

THIRD KNIGHT

Come! Who begins?

Come! Who shall go first?

PALAMON

Ev’n he that led you to this banquet shall

Taste to you all.

To the Jailer.

Ah ha, my friend, my friend,

Your gentle daughter gave me freedom once;

You’ll see’t done now forever. Pray how does she?

I heard she was not well; her kind of ill

Gave me some sorrow.

The one who brought you to this banquet shall

taste the food for you all.

[To the jailer]

Aha, my friend, my friend,

your sweet daughter gave me my freedom once;

now you'll give it to me for eternity. Tell me, how is she?

I heard she was not well; for her to be ill

made me sad.

JAILER

Sir, she’s well restor’d,

And to be married shortly.

Sir, she's back in good health,

and will be married shortly.

PALAMON

By my short life,

I am most glad on’t. ’Tis the latest thing

I shall be glad of, prithee tell her so.

Commend me to her, and to piece her portion

Tender her this.

I swear by my short life,

that makes me very happy. It's the last thing

I shall be happy about, please tell her so.

Remember me to her, and give her this

as a dowry.

Gives purse.

FIRST KNIGHT

Nay, let’s be offerers all.

Let's all put in for this.

SECOND KNIGHT

Is it a maid?

Is she a good girl?

PALAMON

Verily I think so,

A right good creature, more to me deserving

Than I can quite or speak of.

I certainly think so,

a very fine creature, whom I owe more

than I can repay or describe.

ALL THREE KNIGHTS

Commend us to her.

Remember us to her.

They give their purses.

JAILER

The gods requite you all, and make her thankful!

May the gods repay you all, and make her grateful!

PALAMON

Adieu; and let my life be now as short

As my leave-taking.

Goodbye; and now let my life be as short

as the time it takes to leave.

Lies on the block.

THIRD KNIGHT

Lead, courageous cousin.

Lead on, brave cousin.

BOTH FIRST KNIGHT AND SECOND KNIGHT

We’ll follow cheerfully.

We shall gladly follow.

A great noise within crying “Run! Save! Hold!”

Enter in haste a Messenger.

2. MESSENGER

Hold, hold! O, hold, hold, hold!

Wait, wait! Oh, wait, wait, wait!

Enter Pirithous in haste.

PIRITHOUS

Hold ho! It is a cursed haste you made

If you have done so quickly. Noble Palamon,

The gods will show their glory in a life

That thou art yet to lead.

Wait there! Your haste will be cursed

if you finish the job so quickly. Noble Palamon,

the gods will show their glory in

your future life.

PALAMON

Can that be, when

Venus I have said is false? How do things fare?

How can that be, when

what Venus has said is false? What's going on?

PIRITHOUS

Arise, great sir, and give the tidings ear

Palamon rises.

That are most dearly sweet and bitter.

Arise, great Sir, and listen to the news

that is both wonderful and bitter.

PALAMON

What

Hath wak’d us from our dream?

What

has woken us from our dream?

PIRITHOUS

List then: your cousin,

Mounted upon a steed that Emily

Did first bestow on him—a black one, owing

Not a hair-worth of white, which some will say

Weakens his price, and many will not buy

His goodness with this note; which superstition

Here finds allowance—on this horse is Arcite

Trotting the stones of Athens, which the calkins

Did rather tell than trample; for the horse

Would make his length a mile, if’t pleas’d his rider

To put pride in him. As he thus went counting

The flinty pavement, dancing as ’twere to th’ music

His own hoofs made (for as they say from iron

Came music’s origin), what envious flint,

Cold as old Saturn, and like him possess’d

With fire malevolent, darted a spark,

Or what fierce sulphur else, to this end made,

I comment not—the hot horse, hot as fire,

Took toy at this, and fell to what disorder

His power could give his will, bounds, comes on end,

Forgets school-doing, being therein train’d,

And of kind manage; pig-like he whines

At the sharp rowel, which he frets at rather

Than any jot obeys; seeks all foul means

Of boist’rous and rough jad’ry, to disseat

His lord that kept it bravely. When nought serv’d,

When neither curb would crack, girth break, nor diff’ring plunges

Disroot his rider whence he grew, but that

He kept him ’tween his legs, on his hind hoofs

On end he stands,

That Arcite’s legs, being higher than his head,

Seem’d with strange art to hang. His victor’s wreath