The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated)
Page 200
seem to be words that upset you. What, you've gone pale again?
My fears have revealed newer affections: now I see
more you have been lonely, and
why the tears have been flowing: now it's perfectly obvious
that you love my son; there are no lying excuses
which can cover up your passion
and say it's not true: so tell me the truth;
just tell me, you know it's the truth; your blushes
give you away. Your eyes
show it so obviously
it's as if they are talking: only sin
and hell are making you keep your obstinate silence,
to try and cover up the truth. Speak, is this the case?
If it is so, you have weaved a tangled web;
if it is not, swear to it: whichever way, I order you,
as heaven shall help me to help you,
tell me the truth.
HELENA
Good madam, pardon me!
Good madam, forgive me!
COUNTESS
Do you love my son?
Do you love my son?
HELENA
Your pardon, noble mistress!
Noble mistress, please forgive me!
COUNTESS
Love you my son?
Do you love my son?
HELENA
Do not you love him, madam?
Don't you love him, madam?
COUNTESS
Go not about; my love hath in't a bond,
Whereof the world takes note: come, come, disclose
The state of your affection; for your passions
Have to the full appeach'd.
Don't change the subject; my love has a reason for it
acknowledged by society: come on, admit
to your feelings; for your passions
have given you away.
HELENA
Then, I confess,
Here on my knee, before high heaven and you,
That before you, and next unto high heaven,
I love your son.
My friends were poor, but honest; so's my love:
Be not offended; for it hurts not him
That he is loved of me: I follow him not
By any token of presumptuous suit;
Nor would I have him till I do deserve him;
Yet never know how that desert should be.
I know I love in vain, strive against hope;
Yet in this captious and intenible sieve
I still pour in the waters of my love
And lack not to lose still: thus, Indian-like,
Religious in mine error, I adore
The sun, that looks upon his worshipper,
But knows of him no more. My dearest madam,
Let not your hate encounter with my love
For loving where you do: but if yourself,
Whose aged honour cites a virtuous youth,
Did ever in so true a flame of liking
Wish chastely and love dearly, that your Dian
Was both herself and love: O, then, give pity
To her, whose state is such that cannot choose
But lend and give where she is sure to lose;
That seeks not to find that her search implies,
But riddle-like lives sweetly where she dies!
Then I admit,
here on my knees, before you and heaven,
that more than you, and equal to heaven,
I love your son.
My relatives were poor, but honest; and so is my love:
do not be cross; it does not hurt him
to be loved by me: I am not chasing after him
with impertinent demands;
nor would I have him until I deserve him, and
I do not know what I can do to deserve him.
I know that I love in vain, that it's probably hopeless;
but I still pour the water of my love
into this huge and leaky sieve
and still have plenty more to give: so, like an Indian
following a wrong religion, I worship
the sun, that looks down on his worshipper
but does not see him. My dearest madam,
do not hate me just because I love
the same one you do: if you yourself,
whose respect in age shows you had a virtuous youth,
ever felt such a true love that you
retained your chastity despite the fact
that your love was burning you up inside?
oh then give pity,
to her whose position is such that all she can do
please give her love where it is sure to be lost;
she does not think that she will get the thing she is looking for,
but paradoxically feels she's winning when she's losing.
COUNTESS
Had you not lately an intent,--speak truly,--
To go to Paris?
Weren't you recently planning-tell the truth-
to go to Paris?
HELENA
Madam, I had.
Madam, I was.
COUNTESS
Wherefore? tell true.
Why? Tell the truth.
HELENA
I will tell truth; by grace itself I swear.
You know my father left me some prescriptions
Of rare and proved effects, such as his reading
And manifest experience had collected
For general sovereignty; and that he will'd me
In heedfull'st reservation to bestow them,
As notes whose faculties inclusive were
More than they were in note: amongst the rest,
There is a remedy, approved, set down,
To cure the desperate languishings whereof
The king is render'd lost.
I will tell the truth; I swear by heaven.
You know my father left me some recipes for medicine
of great and proven worth, that he had collected
through his reading and great experience
for the good of all; and he ordered me
To keep them carefully tucked away,
as they were more effective than they were well known.
Amongst the rest there is a proven remedy written down
which can cure the terrible illness
which has attacked the King.
COUNTESS
This was your motive
For Paris, was it? speak.
And that was why you wanted
to go to Paris, was it? Out with it.
HELENA
My lord your son made me to think of this;
Else Paris and the medicine and the king
Had from the conversation of my thoughts
Haply been absent then.
My lord your son set me thinking of this;
otherwise Paris and the medicine and the King
would never have entered into my thoughts.
COUNTESS
But think you, Helen,
If you should tender your supposed aid,
He would receive it? he and his physicians
Are of a mind; he, that they cannot help him,
They, that they cannot help: how shall they credit
A poor unlearned virgin, when the schools,
Embowell'd of their doctrine, have left off
The danger to itself?
But do you think, Helen,
that if you offer him your help
he would accept it? He and his physicians
think the same thing; he thinks that they cannot help him,
they think that they cannot help: what credence will they give
to a poor uneducated virgin, when all the educated
have run out of ideas and left the illness to run its course?
HELENA
There's something in't,
More than my father's skill, which was the greatest
Of his profession, that his go
od receipt
Shall for my legacy be sanctified
By the luckiest stars in heaven: and, would your honour
But give me leave to try success, I'ld venture
The well-lost life of mine on his grace's cure
By such a day and hour.
There's something more in it
than my father's skill (and he was the greatest
of his profession) that means
this recipe he has given me will be blessed
by the luckiest stars in heaven: and if your honor
would just give me permission to try it I'll bet
my life on his Grace being cured
by a specific time I set.
COUNTESS
Dost thou believe't?
And you believe this is true?
HELENA
Ay, madam, knowingly.
Yes madam, I know it is.
COUNTESS
Why, Helen, thou shalt have my leave and love,
Means and attendants and my loving greetings
To those of mine in court: I'll stay at home
And pray God's blessing into thy attempt:
Be gone to-morrow; and be sure of this,
What I can help thee to thou shalt not miss.
Why then, Helen, you have my permission and my love,
you shall have money, servants, and take my loving greetings
to my relatives in the court: I'll stay at home
and pray that God blesses your efforts:
go tomorrow; and I can promise you
I'll leave no stone unturned to help you.
Exeunt
Flourish of cornets. Enter the KING, attended with divers young Lords taking leave for the Florentine war; BERTRAM, and PAROLLES
KING
Farewell, young lords; these warlike principles
Do not throw from you: and you, my lords, farewell:
Share the advice betwixt you; if both gain, all
The gift doth stretch itself as 'tis received,
And is enough for both.
Farewell, young lords; do not forget
these principles of war: and farewell to you, my lords :
share the advice amongst you; if you both take it
the gift will stretch and make enough for both of you.
First Lord
'Tis our hope, sir,
After well enter'd soldiers, to return
And find your grace in health.
We hope, Sir,
that once we have acquitted ourselves well as soldiers
we will come back to find your Grace recovered.
KING
No, no, it cannot be; and yet my heart
Will not confess he owes the malady
That doth my life besiege. Farewell, young lords;
Whether I live or die, be you the sons
Of worthy Frenchmen: let higher Italy,--
Those bated that inherit but the fall
Of the last monarchy,--see that you come
Not to woo honour, but to wed it; when
The bravest questant shrinks, find what you seek,
That fame may cry you loud: I say, farewell.
No, that will not happen; although my heart
won't admit to the seriousness of the illness
that is attacking my life. Farewell, young lords;
whether I live or die, acquit yourselves
as good Frenchmen: let great Italy-
that depressed nation suffering from
the fall of the last kingdom
-see that you have come
not to flirt with honour, but to marry it;
when the bravest knight shrinks back, you charge in,
so that you will be celebrated: I say farewell.
Second Lord
Health, at your bidding, serve your majesty!
May health come to your Majesty when you call it!
KING
Those girls of Italy, take heed of them:
They say, our French lack language to deny,
If they demand: beware of being captives,
Before you serve.
Look out for those Italian girls:
they say that the French cannot say no
to their offers: don't go getting taken prisoner
before you've even started fighting.
Both
Our hearts receive your warnings.
We'll take your warning to heart.
KING
Farewell. Come hither to me.
Farewell. Come back to me.
Exit, attended
First Lord
O, my sweet lord, that you will stay behind us!
Oh, my sweet lord, why do you have to stay behind!
PAROLLES
'Tis not his fault, the spark.
It's not the lad's fault.
Second Lord
O, 'tis brave wars!
Oh, how exciting to be going to war!
PAROLLES
Most admirable: I have seen those wars.
Yes, wonderful: I've been to war.
BERTRAM
I am commanded here, and kept a coil with
'Too young' and 'the next year' and ''tis too early.'
I am ordered to stay here, and tied up with
‘you're too young’ and ‘maybe next year’ and ‘it's too early.’
PAROLLES
An thy mind stand to't, boy, steal away bravely.
And you're thinking of sneaking away to the war.
BERTRAM
I shall stay here the forehorse to a smock,
Creaking my shoes on the plain masonry,
Till honour be bought up and no sword worn
But one to dance with! By heaven, I'll steal away.
If I stay here I'll be bossed around by women,
wearing my shoes out on the palace floors,
until there is no honour left and the only sword I'll wear
will be a dress one! By God, I'll run away.
First Lord
There's honour in the theft.
It would be an honourable crime.
PAROLLES
Commit it, count.
Do it, count.
Second Lord
I am your accessary; and so, farewell.
I am your accomplice; and so, goodbye.
BERTRAM
I grow to you, and our parting is a tortured body.
I lean out to you, and parting tears me apart.
First Lord
Farewell, captain.
Farewell, captain.
Second Lord
Sweet Monsieur Parolles!
Sweet Monsieur Parolles!
PAROLLES
Noble heroes, my sword and yours are kin. Good
sparks and lustrous, a word, good metals: you shall
find in the regiment of the Spinii one Captain
Spurio, with his cicatrice, an emblem of war, here
on his sinister cheek; it was this very sword
entrenched it: say to him, I live; and observe his
reports for me.
My noble heroes, you are my brothers in arms. Good
lads and true, you're made of good stuff: you will
find in the Spinii Regiment one captain Spurio,
who has a scar, a war wound, here
on his left cheek; it was this sword right here
which cut it: tell him I'm still alive; and tell me
how he reacts.
First Lord
We shall, noble captain.
We shall, noble captain.
Exeunt Lords
PAROLLES
Mars dote on you for his novices! what will ye do?
The God of War wants you for an apprentice! What will you do?
BERTRAM
Stay: the king.
Hush: here's the King.
Re-enter KING. BERTRAM and PAROLLES retire
PAROLLES
[To BERTRAM] Use a more spacious ceremony to
the
noble lords; you have restrained yourself within the
list of too cold an adieu: be more expressive to
them: for they wear themselves in the cap of the
time, there do muster true gait, eat, speak, and
move under the influence of the most received star;
and though the devil lead the measure, such are to
be followed: after them, and take a more dilated farewell.
You should be more fulsome to the noble lords;
you have limited yourself to
too cold a goodbye: be warmer towards them:
for they are following the right path,
they are walking well, eating, speaking and moving
under the influence of the best loved star;
even if the devil is leading the dance they should
be followed: go after them, and say a fuller goodbye.
BERTRAM
And I will do so.
I shall do so.
PAROLLES
Worthy fellows; and like to prove most sinewy sword-men.
They are good chaps, and likely to make excellent soldiers.
Exeunt BERTRAM and PAROLLES
Enter LAFEU
LAFEU
[Kneeling] Pardon, my lord, for me and for my tidings.
Forgive me, my lord, for the news that I bring.
KING
I'll fee thee to stand up.
I'd like you to stand up.
LAFEU
Then here's a man stands, that has brought his pardon.