The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated)
Page 29
Be rush'd upon! Thy thrice noble cousin,
Harry Bolingbroke, doth humbly kiss thy hand;
And by the honourable tomb he swears
That stands upon your royal grandsire's bones,
And by the royalties of both your bloods,
Currents that spring from one most gracious head,
And by the buried hand of warlike Gaunt,
And by the worth and honour of himself,
Comprising all that may be sworn or said,
His coming hither hath no further scope
Than for his lineal royalties, and to beg
Enfranchisement immediate on his knees;
Which on thy royal party granted once,
His glittering arms he will commend to rust,
His barbed steeds to stables, and his heart
To faithful service of your Majesty.
This swears he, as he is a prince, is just;
And as I am a gentleman I credit him.
May God forbid that our lord the King
should be attacked in such a rough way
by his own citizens! Your trebly noble cousin,
Harry Bolingbroke, humbly kisses your hand,
and swears by the honourable tomb
that stands over your royal grandfather's bones,
and by the royal blood of both of you,
which streams from the same glorious spring,
and by the buried hand of warlike Gaunt,
and by his own worth and honour,
by anything that can be sworn or said,
that he has only come here to claim
his rightful inheritance, and to beg
his immediate reinstatement on his knees,
and as soon as you, as King, agree to it,
he will leave his glittering weapons to rust,
send his warhorses back to the stables, and give his heart
to the faithful service of your Majesty.
He swears this as he is a prince and an honest man;
and, as a gentleman, I believe him.
KING RICHARD.
Northumberland, say thus the King returns:
His noble cousin is right welcome hither;
And all the number of his fair demands
Shall be accomplish'd without contradiction.
With all the gracious utterance thou hast
Speak to his gentle hearing kind commends.
[To AUMERLE] We do debase ourselves, cousin, do we not,
To look so poorly and to speak so fair?
Shall we call back Northumberland, and send
Defiance to the traitor, and so die?
Northumberland, tell him this is the King's reply:
his noble cousin is very welcome here;
and every one of his reasonable demands
shall be fulfilled without argument.
[To Aumerle] We are lowering ourselves, cousin, aren't we,
to make such a poor show and to speak so fairly?
Shall we call Northumberland back, and send
defiant messages to the traitor, and so die?
AUMERLE.
No, good my lord; let's fight with gentle words
Till time lend friends, and friends their helpful swords.
No, my good lord; let's fight with gentle words
until time gives us friends, and friends lend us the help of their swords.
KING RICHARD.
O God, O God! that e'er this tongue of mine
That laid the sentence of dread banishment
On yon proud man should take it off again
With words of sooth! O that I were as great
As is my grief, or lesser than my name!
Or that I could forget what I have been!
Or not remember what I must be now!
Swell'st thou, proud heart? I'll give thee scope to beat,
Since foes have scope to beat both thee and me.
Oh God, oh God! Why did this tongue of mine
that imposed the dreaded sentence of exile
on that proud man remove it with
appeasing words! I wish I was as great
as my grief, or smaller than my name!
Or that I can forget what I have been!
Or that I could forget what I now have to be!
Are you swelling, proud heart? I'll give you an opportunity to beat,
since your enemies have the opportunity to beat both you and me.
AUMERLE.
Northumberland comes back from Bolingbroke.
Northumberland is coming back from Bolingbroke.
KING RICHARD.
What must the King do now? Must he submit?
The King shall do it. Must he be depos'd?
The King shall be contented. Must he lose
The name of king? A God's name, let it go.
I'll give my jewels for a set of beads,
My gorgeous palace for a hermitage,
My gay apparel for an almsman's gown,
My figur'd goblets for a dish of wood,
My sceptre for a palmer's walking staff,
My subjects for a pair of carved saints,
And my large kingdom for a little grave,
A little little grave, an obscure grave-
Or I'll be buried in the king's high way,
Some way of common trade, where subjects' feet
May hourly trample on their sovereign's head;
For on my heart they tread now whilst I live,
And buried once, why not upon my head?
Aumerle, thou weep'st, my tender-hearted cousin!
We'll make foul weather with despised tears;
Our sighs and they shall lodge the summer corn
And make a dearth in this revolting land.
Or shall we play the wantons with our woes
And make some pretty match with shedding tears?
As thus: to drop them still upon one place
Till they have fretted us a pair of graves
Within the earth; and, therein laid-there lies
Two kinsmen digg'd their graves with weeping eyes.
Would not this ill do well? Well, well, I see
I talk but idly, and you laugh at me.
Most mighty prince, my Lord Northumberland,
What says King Bolingbroke? Will his Majesty
Give Richard leave to live till Richard die?
You make a leg, and Bolingbroke says ay.
Now what must the King do? Must I surrender?
The King shall do it. Must he be overthrown?
The King will be happy. Must he lose
his title of King? In God's name, let it go.
I'll exchange my jewels for a set of beads;
my gorgeous palace for hermit’s cave;
my fine clothes for a beggar's gown;
my ornamental goblets for a wooden dish;
my sceptre for a pilgrim's walking stick;
all my subjects for a pair of statues of saints,
and my great kingdom for a little grave,
a little little grave, an obscure grave,
or I'll be buried in the king's highway,
on some common trade route, where the feet of my subjects
can trample over their king's head by the hour;
for where I am now they are treading on my heart:
once I'm buried, why not on my head?
Aumerle, my tenderhearted cousin, you’re weeping!
We'll make a storm with hated tears;
those and our sighs will beat down the summer corn,
and cause a famine in this rebellious land.
Or shall we be light-hearted with our sorrows,
and make some pretty game with our falling tears?
Like letting them all drop in one place,
until they have gouged out a pair of graves for us
in the earth, and we are placed within them–there lie
two kinsmen who dug their graves with their own tears!
Wouldn't that be funny? Well, well, I see
I'm just joking, and you laugh at me.
Most mighty Prince, my Lord Northumberland,
what does King Bolingbroke say? Will his Majesty
give Richard permission to live until Richard dies?
You go and ask him, and Bolingbroke will say “yes".
NORTHUMBERLAND.
My lord, in the base court he doth attend
To speak with you; may it please you to come down?
My lord, he is waiting to speak with you in the
lower courtyard; would you please come down?
KING RICHARD.
Down, down I come, like glist'ring Phaethon,
Wanting the manage of unruly jades.
In the base court? Base court, where kings grow base,
To come at traitors' calls, and do them grace.
In the base court? Come down? Down, court! down, king!
For night-owls shriek where mounting larks should sing.
Down, down I come, like shining Phaeton,
unable to manage the unruly horses.
In the lower court? Low court, where kings become low,
answering the summonses of traitors, bowing down to them.
In the lower court? Come down? Down, court! Down, King!
Night owls are howling when ascending larks should be singing.
Exeunt from above
BOLINGBROKE.
What says his Majesty?
What does his Majesty say?
NORTHUMBERLAND.
Sorrow and grief of heart
Makes him speak fondly, like a frantic man;
Yet he is come.
Sorrow and heartfelt grief
make him speak foolishly, like a madman;
but he is coming.
Enter the KING, and his attendants, below
BOLINGBROKE.
Stand all apart,
And show fair duty to his Majesty. [He kneels down]
My gracious lord-
Everybody stand aside,
and show due respect to his Majesty.
My gracious lord–
KING RICHARD.
Fair cousin, you debase your princely knee
To make the base earth proud with kissing it.
Me rather had my heart might feel your love
Than my unpleas'd eye see your courtesy.
Up, cousin, up; your heart is up, I know,
[Touching his own head] Thus high at least, although your
knee be low.
Fair cousin, you are insulting your princely knee
by kissing the lowly earth with it.
I would rather that my heart felt your love
than my unimpressed eye see your formal politeness.
Get up cousin, up; I know in your heart you think
that you are at least as high as me, however low
you bend your knees.
BOLINGBROKE.
My gracious lord, I come but for mine own.
My gracious lord, I've only come to claim what is mine.
KING RICHARD.
Your own is yours, and I am yours, and all.
You have what's yours, and I am yours, and so is everything.
BOLINGBROKE.
So far be mine, my most redoubted lord,
As my true service shall deserve your love.
I only want, my most respected lord,
whatever you think I deserve for my true service.
KING RICHARD.
Well you deserve. They well deserve to have
That know the strong'st and surest way to get.
Uncle, give me your hands; nay, dry your eyes:
Tears show their love, but want their remedies.
Cousin, I am too young to be your father,
Though you are old enough to be my heir.
What you will have, I'll give, and willing too;
For do we must what force will have us do.
Set on towards London. Cousin, is it so?
You deserve much. Anyone who knows the
strongest and surest way to get what they want deserves to have it.
Uncle, give me your hands; no, dry your eyes:
tears show love, but don't help anyone.
Cousin, I am too young to be your father,
although you are old enough to take my position.
I'll give you whatever you want, and willingly;
for I must do whatever force tells me to do.
Let's march towards London. Cousin, is that what you want?
BOLINGBROKE.
Yea, my good lord.
Yes, my good lord.
KING RICHARD.
Then I must not say no.
Then I must agree.
Flourish. Exeunt
The DUKE OF YORK's garden
Enter the QUEEN and two LADIES
QUEEN.
What sport shall we devise here in this garden
To drive away the heavy thought of care?
What game shall we play here in this garden
to rid ourselves of our unhappiness?
LADY.
Madam, we'll play at bowls.
Madam, we'll have a game of bowls.
QUEEN.
'Twill make me think the world is full of rubs
And that my fortune runs against the bias.
It will remind me that the world is full of rough spots
and that my luck curves away from me.
LADY.
Madam, we'll dance.
Madam, we'll dance.
QUEEN.
My legs can keep no measure in delight,
When my poor heart no measure keeps in grief;
Therefore no dancing, girl; some other sport.
My legs cannot enjoy delightful music,
when there is no music in my heart;
so no dancing, girl; some other game.
LADY.
Madam, we'll tell tales.
Madam, we can tell stories.
QUEEN.
Of sorrow or of joy?
Sad ones or happy ones?
LADY.
Of either, madam.
Either sort, madam.
QUEEN.
Of neither, girl;
For if of joy, being altogether wanting,
It doth remember me the more of sorrow;
Or if of grief, being altogether had,
It adds more sorrow to my want of joy;
For what I have I need not to repeat,
And what I want it boots not to complain.
Neither sort, girl;
a happy one would remind me of my sorrow,
as I'm completely lacking in happiness;
or a sad one, having a full weight of sadness,
would add more sorrow to my lack of happiness;
I don't need to be reminded of what I have
and there's no point in complaining about what I lack.
LADY.
Madam, I'll sing.
Madam, I'll sing.
QUEEN.
'Tis well' that thou hast cause;
But thou shouldst please me better wouldst thou weep.
You're lucky you have reason to;
but you would please me better if you wept.
LADY.
I could weep, madam, would it do you good.
I could weep, madam, if it would do you good.
QUEEN.
And I could sing, would weeping do me good,
And never borrow any tear of thee.
Enter a GARDENER and two SERVANTS
But stay, here come the gardeners.
Let's step into the shadow of these trees.
My wretchedness unto a row of pins,
They will talk of state, for every one doth so
Against a change: woe is forerun with woe.
And I could sing for joy, if weeping would do me any good,
and I would never have to ask you to weep for me.
But wait, her
e come the gardeners.
Let's step into the shadow of these trees.
I'll bet my wretchedness against a row of pins
that they will talk of the state of the country,
everyone does in changing times: sorrow leads to sorrow.
[QUEEN and LADIES retire]
GARDENER.
Go, bind thou up yon dangling apricocks,
Which, like unruly children, make their sire
Stoop with oppression of their prodigal weight;
Give some supportance to the bending twigs.
Go thou, and like an executioner
Cut off the heads of too fast growing sprays
That look too lofty in our commonwealth:
All must be even in our government.
You thus employ'd, I will go root away
The noisome weeds which without profit suck
The soil's fertility from wholesome flowers.
Go and tie up those dangling apricots,
like badly behaved children, they make their parent
bend with the strain of their terrible weight;
shore up the bending twigs.
Go, and like an executioner
cut off the heads of the flowers which are growing too fast,
that have grown too high in our kingdom:
everything in our government must be level.
While you're doing that, I will dig out
the dirty weeds which steal away
the fertility of the soil from the good flowers.
SERVANT.
Why should we, in the compass of a pale,
Keep law and form and due proportion,
Showing, as in a model, our firm estate,
When our sea-walled garden, the whole land,
Is full of weeds; her fairest flowers chok'd up,
Her fruit trees all unprun'd, her hedges ruin'd,
Her knots disordered, and her wholesome herbs