The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (835 page)

Wilt lay the leaven on all proper men:

Goodly and gallant shall be false and perjur'd

From thy great fail. Come, fellow, be thou honest;

Do thou thy master's bidding; when thou seest him,

A little witness my obedience. Look!

I draw the sword myself; take it, and hit

The innocent mansion of my love, my heart.

Fear not; 'tis empty of all things but grief;

Thy master is not there, who was indeed

The riches of it. Do his bidding; strike.

Thou mayst be valiant in a better cause,

But now thou seem'st a coward.

True and honest men in Aeneas' time were thought

to be false like him, and Sinon's weeping

attracted many good people's sympathy, diverting it

from those who deserved it.In the same way you, Posthumus,

will spoil the reputation of all decent men:

good and brave men will be thought false perjurers

due to your great failings.Come, fellow, be faithful;

Follow your master's orders; when you see him,

you can tell him how obedient I was.Look!

I'm taking out your sword myself; take it, and destroy

that innocent house of love, my heart.

Don't be afraid, there's nothing in it but grief;

your master is not there, who used to be

the best thing in it.Do as he said: strike.

You may be brave in other situations,

but now you seem like a coward.

PISANIO.

Hence, vile instrument!

Thou shalt not damn my hand.

Get away, horrible tool!

You will not curse my hand.

IMOGEN.

Why, I must die;

And if I do not by thy hand, thou art

No servant of thy master's. Against self-slaughter

There is a prohibition so divine

That cravens my weak hand. Come, here's my heart-

Something's afore't. Soft, soft! we'll no defence!-

Obedient as the scabbard. What is here?

The scriptures of the loyal Leonatus

All turn'd to heresy? Away, away,

Corrupters of my faith! you shall no more

Be stomachers to my heart. Thus may poor fools

Believe false teachers; though those that are betray'd

Do feel the treason sharply, yet the traitor

Stands in worse case of woe. And thou, Posthumus,

That didst set up my disobedience 'gainst the King

My father, and make me put into contempt the suits

Of princely fellows, shalt hereafter find

It is no act of common passage but

A strain of rareness; and I grieve myself

To think, when thou shalt be disedg'd by her

That now thou tirest on, how thy memory

Will then be pang'd by me. Prithee dispatch.

The lamb entreats the butcher. Where's thy knife?

Thou art too slow to do thy master's bidding,

When I desire it too.

Why, I have to die,

and if I don't die at your hand you are

no servant to your master.There is such a

holy ban on suicide

that I'm scared to do it.Come on, here's my heart -

there's something in front of it, get away, we'll have no defences!-

as ready to accept your sword as a scabbard.What's this?

The holy words of loyal Leonatus

being blasphemed?Go away,

corrupters of my faith!You will no longer

be wrapped round my heart.This is how poor fools

believe false teachers; though those who are misled

feel the betrayal hard, the ones who led them astray

are in a worse position.And you, Posthumus,

who caused me to disobey my father

the King, and made me treat the offers of princes

with contempt, will find later on

that those were not normal acts, but showed

my special qualities; and it makes me sad

to think, when you have finished with the one

you are now playing with, how your memory

will then be tortured with thoughts of me.Please finish it.

The lamb is begging the butcher.Where's your knife?

You are too slow to follow your master's orders,

when I want you to follow them too.

PISANIO.

O gracious lady,

Since I receiv'd command to do this business

I have not slept one wink.

Oh sweet lady,

since I got the orders to do this thing

I have not slept a wink.

IMOGEN.

Do't, and to bed then.

Then do it and go to bed.

PISANIO.

I'll wake mine eyeballs first.

I'd sooner tear my eyeballs out.

IMOGEN.

Wherefore then

Didst undertake it? Why hast thou abus'd

So many miles with a pretence? This place?

Mine action and thine own? our horses' labour?

The time inviting thee? the perturb'd court,

For my being absent?- whereunto I never

Purpose return. Why hast thou gone so far

To be unbent when thou hast ta'en thy stand,

Th' elected deer before thee?

Then why did you

say you'd do it?Why have you made us travel

so many miles under false pretences?Why this place?

Your effort and mine?The work of our horses?

The time it's taken?The disruption of the court

when they find I've gone? (I intend never

to go back)Why have you taken so much trouble

to get your deer in front of your hide,

only to put down your bow?

PISANIO.

But to win time

To lose so bad employment, in the which

I have consider'd of a course. Good lady,

Hear me with patience.

Just to buy some time

to find a way to avoid this task,

and I have now thought of a way.Good lady,

listen patiently to me.

IMOGEN.

Talk thy tongue weary- speak.

I have heard I am a strumpet, and mine ear,

Therein false struck, can take no greater wound,

Nor tent to bottom that. But speak.

Talk as much as you like.

I have heard I'm a tart, and now my ear

has been assaulted by that I can not be hurt further

by anything else.

PISANIO.

Then, madam,

I thought you would not back again.

Well, madam,

I thought you would not go back.

IMOGEN.

Most like-

Bringing me here to kill me.

Of course you did,

as you brought me here to kill me.

PISANIO.

Not so, neither;

But if I were as wise as honest, then

My purpose would prove well. It cannot be

But that my master is abus'd. Some villain,

Ay, and singular in his art, hath done you both

This cursed injury.

That's not the case;

but if I'm as clever as I am honest then

my plan will be a good one.It can only be

that my master has been tricked.Some scoundrel,

yes and a particularly clever one, has done you both

this damnable mischief.

IMOGEN.

Some Roman courtezan!

Some Roman prostitute!

PISANIO.

No, on my life!

I'll give but notice you are dead, and send him

Some bloody sign of it, for 'tis commanded

I should do so. You shall be miss'd at court,

And that will well confirm it.

No, I swear not!

I'll just inform him that you're dead, and send him

some bloody proof of it, as he orders me

to do.You shall be missed at court, and that will

confirm the truth of it.

IMOGEN.

Why, good fellow,

What shall I do the while? where bide? how live?

Or in my life what comfort, when I am

Dead to my husband?

Well, good fellow,

what shall I do in the meantime?Where shall I live, what shall I live on?

And what happiness can there be in my life, when I am

dead to my husband?

PISANIO.

If you'll back to th' court-

If you'll go back to the court -

IMOGEN.

No court, no father, nor no more ado

With that harsh, noble, simple nothing-

That Cloten, whose love-suit hath been to me

As fearful as a siege.

No court, no father, and no more nonsense

with that harsh, noble, stupid loser -

that Cloten, whose wooing of me has been like

being under siege.

PISANIO.

If not at court,

Then not in Britain must you bide.

If you don't live at court than

you must live out of Britain.

IMOGEN.

Where then?

Hath Britain all the sun that shines? Day, night,

Are they not but in Britain? I' th' world's volume

Our Britain seems as of it, but not in't;

In a great pool a swan's nest. Prithee think

There's livers out of Britain.

Where then?

Does the sun only shine on Britain?Day and night,

do they only exist in Britain?In the whole world,

Britain seems a part of it, though not joined to it;

a swan's nest in a great pool.Please believe

people do live outside Britain.

PISANIO.

I am most glad

You think of other place. Th' ambassador,

Lucius the Roman, comes to Milford Haven

To-morrow. Now, if you could wear a mind

Dark as your fortune is, and but disguise

That which t' appear itself must not yet be

But by self-danger, you should tread a course

Pretty and full of view; yea, haply, near

The residence of Posthumus; so nigh, at least,

That though his actions were not visible, yet

Report should render him hourly to your ear

As truly as he moves.

I'm very glad

you'll consider other places.The ambassador,

Lucius the Roman, comes to Milford Haven

tomorrow.Now, if you can play a part as

dark as your fortune is, and just hide

the things which can only be dangerous for you

if they come out now, you shall walk a safe

and happy path; yes, maybe close

to where Posthumus is; so near, at least,

that although you won't be able to see him

you will be able to hear exactly what he's up to.

IMOGEN.

O! for such means,

Though peril to my modesty, not death on't,

I would adventure.

Oh!For this sort of thing,

though I risk being immodest, not death,

I would take risks.

PISANIO.

Well then, here's the point:

You must forget to be a woman; change