The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (748 page)

The things he lacks with the things he has,

Full surfeits, and the dryness of his bones,

Full amounts, and the dryness of his bones,

Call on him for't: but to confound such time,

Call on him for it: but to use up such time,

That drums him from his sport, and speaks as loud

That takes him from his fun, and speaks as loud

As his own state and ours,--'tis to be chid

As his own situation and ours, -- it is to be scolded

As we rate boys, who, being mature in knowledge,

The way we consider boys, who, being mature in knowledge,

Pawn their experience to their present pleasure,

Trade their experience for their current pleasure,

And so rebel to judgment.

And in that way rebel against better judgment.

Enter a Messenger

LEPIDUS

Here's more news.

Here's some more news.

Messenger

Thy biddings have been done; and every hour,

Your commands have been done; and once every hour,

Most noble Caesar, shalt thou have report

Noblest Caesar, you shall have a report

How 'tis abroad. Pompey is strong at sea;

Of how things are abroad. Pompey's forces are strong at sea'

And it appears he is beloved of those

And it appears that he is loved by those

That only have fear'd Caesar: to the ports

That have only feared [rather than loved] Caesar: to the ports

The discontents repair, and men's reports

The people who are not content go, and the reports of him

Give him much wrong'd.

Say he has been much wronged.

OCTAVIUS CAESAR

I should have known no less.

I should have known it.

It hath been taught us from the primal state,

It has been taught to us from the very beginning,

That he which is was wish'd until he were;

That he who is in power was wanted until he made it;

And the ebb'd man, ne'er loved till ne'er worth love,

And the man in a bad situation, never loved until he was never worth love

Comes dear'd by being lack'd. This common body,

Becomes loved by being gone. The common people,

Like to a vagabond flag upon the stream,

Is like a torn flag floating on the stream,

Goes to and back, lackeying the varying tide,

Going to and fro, traveling with the changing tine,

To rot itself with motion.

Rotting with its motion.

Messenger

Caesar, I bring thee word,

Caesar, I bring you news,

Menecrates and Menas, famous pirates,

Menecrates and Menas, well-known pirates,
Make the sea serve them, which they ear and wound

Are ruling the sea, where they cut people's ears off and wound

With keels of every kind: many hot inroads

On all sorts of ships: a lot of progress

They make in Italy; the borders maritime

They make in Italy; those on the coasts

Lack blood to think on't, and flush youth revolt:

Do not have the courage to deal with it, and protest:

No vessel can peep forth, but 'tis as soon

No ship can go out without immediately being

Taken as seen; for Pompey's name strikes more

Spotted, for Pompey's name means more

Than could his war resisted.

Than his war can be reisisted.

OCTAVIUS CAESAR

Antony,

Mark Antony,
Leave thy lascivious wassails. When thou once

Leave your immoral games. When you once

Wast beaten from Modena, where thou slew'st

Were chased from Modena, when you killed

Hirtius and Pansa, consuls, at thy heel

Hirtius and Pansa, officials, after you

Did famine follow; whom thou fought'st against,

Famine followed; which you fought against,

Though daintily brought up, with patience more

Though raised in comfort, with more patience

Than savages could suffer: thou didst drink

Than savages could endure: you drank

The stale of horses, and the gilded puddle

Horse urine, and dirty puddles

Which beasts would cough at: thy palate then did deign

Which animals would refuse: your appetite was humble enough

The roughest berry on the rudest hedge;

To eat tough berries from tougher bushes;

Yea, like the stag, when snow the pasture sheets,

Yes, like the stag deer, when the pastures are covered in snow,

The barks of trees thou browsed'st; on the Alps

You ate the bark of trees; on the Alps

It is reported thou didst eat strange flesh,

Rumor has it you ate strange meat,
Which some did die to look on: and all this--

Which some died to see: and all this --

It wounds thine honour that I speak it now--

It injures your honor that I say it now --

Was borne so like a soldier, that thy cheek

Was tolerated so much like a soldier, that your face

So much as lank'd not.

Never lost strength.

LEPIDUS

'Tis pity of him.

It is a real shame.

OCTAVIUS CAESAR

Let his shames quickly

May his shames quickly

Drive him to Rome: 'tis time we twain

Push him to Rome: it is time the two of us

Did show ourselves i' the field; and to that end

Showed ourselves in the field; and to that purpose

Assemble we immediate council: Pompey

We will immediately gather together: Pompey

Thrives in our idleness.

Becomes stronger as we do nothing.

LEPIDUS

To-morrow, Caesar,

Tomorrow, Caesar,

I shall be furnish'd to inform you rightly

I will have the ability to tell you correctly

Both what by sea and land I can be able

What by sea and land I will be able

To front this present time.

To manage at this time.

OCTAVIUS CAESAR

Till which encounter,

Until that meeting,

It is my business too. Farewell.

It is my work too. Farewell.

LEPIDUS

Farewell, my lord: what you shall know meantime

Farewell, my lord: whatever you find out in the meantime

Of stirs abroad, I shall beseech you, sir,

About foreign issues, please, sir,

To let me be partaker.

Fill me in as well.

OCTAVIUS CAESAR

Doubt not, sir;

Do not doubt it, sir;

I knew it for my bond.

I knew it as part of my promise.

Exeunt

Enter CLEOPATRA, CHARMIAN, IRAS, and MARDIAN

CLEOPATRA

Charmian!

Charmian!

CHARMIAN

Madam?

Madam?

CLEOPATRA

Ha, ha!

Ha ha!
Give me to drink mandragora.  

Give me a sleeping potion to drink.

CHARMIAN

Why, madam?

Why, madam?

CLEOPATRA

That I might sleep out this great gap of time

So I may sleep away the huge length of time

My Antony is away.

My Mark Antony is away.

CHARMIAN

You think of him too much.

You think about him too much.

CLEOPATRA

O, 'tis treason!

Oh, that is treason!

CHARMIAN

Madam, I trust, not so.

Madam, I'm sure it isn't.

CLEOPATRA

Thou, eunuch Mardian!

Hey you, Mardian the eunuch!

MARDIAN

What's your highness' pleasure?

What does your highness wish?

CLEOPATRA

Not now to hear thee sing; I take no pleasure

Not to hear you sing right now; I have no enjoyment

In aught an eunuch has: 'tis well for thee,

In anything a eunuch has: it is good for you,

That, being unseminar'd, thy freer thoughts

That, not having an education, your freer thoughts

May not fly forth of Egypt. Hast thou affections?

Will not go away from Egypt. Do you have romantic feelings?

MARDIAN

Yes, gracious madam.

Yes, kind lady.

CLEOPATRA

Indeed!

You do?

MARDIAN

Not in deed, madam; for I can do nothing

I have not acted on them, madam; for I can do nothing

But what indeed is honest to be done:

Except for what can be honestly done:

Yet have I fierce affections, and think

Yet I have have passionate feelings, and think

What Venus did with Mars.

About how Venus did to Mars.

CLEOPATRA

O Charmian,

Oh, Charmian,

Where think'st thou he is now? Stands he, or sits he?

Where do you think he is now? Is he standing or sitting?

Or does he walk? or is he on his horse?

Or is he walking? Or is he on his horse?

O happy horse, to bear the weight of Antony!

Oh, lucky horse, to carry the weight of Antony!

Do bravely, horse! for wot'st thou whom thou movest?

Be brave, horse! For do you know whom you are moving?

The demi-Atlas of this earth, the arm

The holder-up of this earth, the arm

And burgonet of men. He's speaking now,

And ruler of men. He's speaking now,

Or murmuring 'Where's my serpent of old Nile?'

Or murmuring, "Where is my snake of the old Nile?"

For so he calls me: now I feed myself

Because he calls me that: now I feed myself

With most delicious poison. Think on me,

With delicious poison. Think about me,

That am with Phoebus' amorous pinches black,

That am bruised with the pinches of love,

And wrinkled deep in time? Broad-fronted Caesar,

And struggling with time? Wide and strong Caesar,

When thou wast here above the ground, I was

When you were here above the ground, I was

A morsel for a monarch: and great Pompey