The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated)
Page 232
you please, that I can do strange things: I have,
since I was three year old, conversed with a
magician, most profound in his art and yet not
damnable. If you do love Rosalind so near the heart
as your gesture cries it out, when your brother
marries Aliena, shall you marry her: I know into
what straits of fortune she is driven; and it is
not impossible to me, if it appear not inconvenient
to you, to set her before your eyes tomorrow human
as she is and without any danger.
I will not tire you anymore with foolish talk.
Listen now, for I have a purpose for my words
and I know you are a smart man, I
don’t say this so that you will think highly
of my knowledge, just because I speak highly of your knowledge,
and I also do not say this to build a better reputation
for myself in your mind, but only to do
good for you. Believe me when I say
that I can do strange and magical things. I have
since I was three years old, spoken with a
magician, one very strong in his art and yet not
cursed and damned to hell. If you love Rosalind as much
as you gesture, then when your brother
marries Aliena, you will marry her. I know
where fortune has taken her, and it is
not impossible for me to get her, if it is not inconvenient
to you, and put her in front of your eyes tomorrow as a human
and without any danger.
ORLANDO
Speakest thou in sober meanings?
Are you speaking honestly and seriously?
ROSALIND
By my life, I do; which I tender dearly, though I
say I am a magician. Therefore, put you in your
best array: bid your friends; for if you will be
married to-morrow, you shall, and to Rosalind, if you will.
I swear by my life, which is worth a lot to me, that I am, even if
I say I am a magician. Put on your
best clothes and invite your friends, for if you want to be
married tomorrow, you will be, and if you want to marry Rosalind, you will.
Enter SILVIUS and PHEBE
Look, here comes a lover of mine and a lover of hers.
Look, here comes one who loves me, and one who loves her.
PHEBE
Youth, you have done me much ungentleness,
To show the letter that I writ to you.
Youth, it was very unkind
to show him the letter I wrote to you.
ROSALIND
I care not if I have: it is my study
To seem despiteful and ungentle to you:
You are there followed by a faithful shepherd;
Look upon him, love him; he worships you.
I don’t care that I did. I am trying
to be spiteful and unkind to you.
You are followed by a faithful shepherd,
so look at him and love him: he worships you.
PHEBE
Good shepherd, tell this youth what 'tis to love.
Good shepherd, tell this youth what it means to love someone.
SILVIUS
It is to be all made of sighs and tears;
And so am I for Phebe.
It is made of sighing and crying,
and so I am in love with Phebe.
PHEBE
And I for Ganymede.
And I with Ganymede.
ORLANDO
And I for Rosalind.
And I with Rosalind.
ROSALIND
And I for no woman.
And I with no woman.
SILVIUS
It is to be all made of faith and service;
And so am I for Phebe.
It is to be made of being faithful and one’s servant,
and I am that for Phebe.
PHEBE
And I for Ganymede.
And I for Ganymede.
ORLANDO
And I for Rosalind.
And I for Rosalind.
ROSALIND
And I for no woman.
And I for no woman.
SILVIUS
It is to be all made of fantasy,
All made of passion and all made of wishes,
All adoration, duty, and observance,
All humbleness, all patience and impatience,
All purity, all trial, all observance;
And so am I for Phebe.
It is to be made of fantasy and daydreams,
made of passion and wishing
all adoration, duty, and devotion,
all humility and patience, and impatience,
all purity, all hardships, all devotion.
And so am I for Phebe.
PHEBE
And so am I for Ganymede.
And so am I for Ganymede.
ORLANDO
And so am I for Rosalind.
And so am I for Rosalind.
ROSALIND
And so am I for no woman.
And so am I for no woman.
PHEBE
If this be so, why blame you me to love you?
If this is true, then why do you blame me for loving you?
SILVIUS
If this be so, why blame you me to love you?
If this is true, then why do you blame me for loving you?
ORLANDO
If this be so, why blame you me to love you?
If this is true, then why do you blame me for loving you?
ROSALIND
Who do you speak to, 'Why blame you me to love you?'
Who are you talking to with this?
ORLANDO
To her that is not here, nor doth not hear.
To her that is not here and does not hear.
ROSALIND
Pray you, no more of this; 'tis like the howling
of Irish wolves against the moon.
Please, all of you, stop. It is like
Irish wolves howling at the moon.
To SILVIUS
I will help you, if I can:
I will help, if I can.
To PHEBE
I would love you, if I could. To-morrow meet me all together.
If I could, I would love you too. Tomorrow meet me, everyone.
To PHEBE
I will marry you, if ever I marry woman, and I'll be
married to-morrow:
If I ever marry a woman, I will marry you, and I will be
married tomorrow.
To ORLANDO
I will satisfy you, if ever I satisfied man, and you
shall be married to-morrow:
I will satisfy you, more than I ever satisfied a man, and you
shall be married tomorrow.
To SILVIUS
I will content you, if what pleases you contents
you, and you shall be married to-morrow.
You will be happy, if what pleases you makes you happy,
and you will be married tomorrow.
To ORLANDO
As you love Rosalind, meet:
Since you love Rosalind, come.
To SILVIUS
as you love Phebe, meet: and as I love no woman,
I'll meet. So fare you well: I have left you commands.
And since you love Phebe, come. And I love no woman,
and will come. Fare you all well, you have my commands for tomorrow.
SILVIUS
I'll not fail, if I live.
As I live, I will be there.
PHEBE
Nor I.
Me too.
ORLANDO
Nor I.
Me too.
Exeunt
Enter TOUCHSTONE and AUDREY
TOUCHSTONE
To-morrow is the joyful day, Audrey; to-morrow will
we be married.
be married.
AUDREY
I do desire it with all my heart; and I hope it is
no dishonest desire to desire to be a woman of the
world. Here comes two of the banished duke's pages.
I desire it with all of my heart. I hope it is
not unchaste of me to desire to be a married woman.
Here come two of the duke’s pages.
Enter two Pages
First Page
Well met, honest gentleman.
Hello, honest gentlemen.
TOUCHSTONE
By my troth, well met. Come, sit, sit, and a song.
Truly, good to see you. Come and sit, and sing a song.
Second Page
We are for you: sit i' the middle.
We are here for you, sit in the middle.
First Page
Shall we clap into't roundly, without hawking or
spitting or saying we are hoarse, which are the only
prologues to a bad voice?
Shall we go right into it, without coughing or
spitting or saying we are hoarse, all
excuses to saying we have bad voices?
Second Page
I'faith, i'faith; and both in a tune, like two
gipsies on a horse.
Yes, yes, and everyone on the same tune, together, like two
riders on one horse.
SONG.
It was a lover and his lass,
With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino,
That o'er the green corn-field did pass
In the spring time, the only pretty ring time,
When birds do sing, hey ding a ding, ding:
Sweet lovers love the spring.
Between the acres of the rye,
With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino
These pretty country folks would lie,
In the spring time, the only pretty ring time,
When birds do sing, hey ding a ding, ding:
Sweet lovers love the spring.
This carol they began that hour,
With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino,
How that a life was but a flower
In the spring time, the only pretty ring time,
When birds do sing, hey ding a ding, ding:
Sweet lovers love the spring.
And therefore take the present time,
With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino;
For love is crowned with the prime
In the spring time, the only pretty ring time,
When birds do sing, hey ding a ding, ding:
Sweet lovers love the spring.
A lover and his woman
with a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino,
walked through a green cornfield
in the spring time, the only good wedding time,
when the birds sing, hey ding a ding, ding:
sweet lovers in the spring.
Between the acres of rye
with a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino,
those pretty country folk would lie
in the spring time, the only good wedding time,
when the birds sing, hey ding a ding, ding:
sweet lovers in the spring.
They sang a song that hour
with a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino,
that life is as short as a flower,
in the spring time, the only good wedding time,
when the birds sing, hey ding a ding, ding:
sweet lovers in the spring.
So take the time today
with a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino,
for love is crowned with as the best,
in the spring time, the only good wedding time,
when the birds sing, hey ding a ding, ding:
sweet lovers in the spring.
TOUCHSTONE
Truly, young gentlemen, though there was no great
matter in the ditty, yet the note was very
untuneable.
Truly, young men, though there wasn’t much
difficulty in that little song, still it sounded
completely out of tune.
First Page
You are deceived, sir: we kept time, we lost not our time.
You are wrong, sir: we kept the song’s pace and didn’t lose it.
TOUCHSTONE
By my troth, yes; I count it but time lost to hear
such a foolish song. God be wi' you; and God mend
your voices! Come, Audrey.
Truthfully, yes. I count it as lost time when I hear
such a foolish song. Goodbye, and God fix
your voices! Come, Audrey.
Exeunt
Enter DUKE SENIOR, AMIENS, JAQUES, ORLANDO, OLIVER, and CELIA
DUKE SENIOR
Dost thou believe, Orlando, that the boy
Can do all this that he hath promised?
Do you really believe, Orlando, that that boy
can do everything he promised?
ORLANDO
I sometimes do believe, and sometimes do not;
As those that fear they hope, and know they fear.
Sometimes I believe it, and sometimes I do not,
like those who are afraid to hope for something, but they know they are afraid.
Enter ROSALIND, SILVIUS, and PHEBE
ROSALIND
Patience once more, whiles our compact is urged:
You say, if I bring in your Rosalind,
You will bestow her on Orlando here?
Be patient, while I go over our contract.
Duke, if I bring your Rosalind,
you will give her to Orlando?
DUKE SENIOR
That would I, had I kingdoms to give with her.
Yes, and I would give kingdoms with her if I had any.
ROSALIND
And you say, you will have her, when I bring her?
And you say that you will marry her if I bring her?
ORLANDO
That would I, were I of all kingdoms king.
I would, even if I were king of every kingdom.
ROSALIND
You say, you'll marry me, if I be willing?
You say that you will marry me if I am willing?
PHEBE
That will I, should I die the hour after.
Yes, or I will die the next hour.
ROSALIND
But if you do refuse to marry me,
You'll give yourself to this most faithful shepherd?
But if you decide not to marry me,
then you will marry this faithful shepherd?
PHEBE
So is the bargain.
That’s the agreement.
ROSALIND
You say, that you'll have Phebe, if she will?
And you will have Phebe if she will marry you?
SILVIUS
Though to have her and death were both one thing.
Even if to marry her was to die.
ROSALIND
I have promised to make all this matter even.
Keep you your word, O duke, to give your daughter;
You yours, Orlando, to receive his daughter:
Keep your word, Phebe, that you'll marry me,
Or else refusing me, to wed this shepherd:
Keep your word, Silvius, that you'll marry her.
If she refuse me: and from hence I go,
To make these doubts all even.
I have promised to make this all even.
Keep your word, Duke, to give your daughter,
and you yours, Orlando, to receiver her.
Keep your word, Phebe, that you will marry me
or if you decide not to, to marry the shepherd.
Keep your word, Silvius, that you will marry her
if she refuses me. Now I go
to make all of this even.
Exeunt ROSALIND and CELIA
DUKE
SENIOR
I do remember in this shepherd boy
Some lively touches of my daughter's favour.
I do see some resemblance in this shepherd boy
to parts of my daughter’s appearance.
ORLANDO
My lord, the first time that I ever saw him
Methought he was a brother to your daughter:
But, my good lord, this boy is forest-born,
And hath been tutor'd in the rudiments
Of many desperate studies by his uncle,
Whom he reports to be a great magician,
Obscured in the circle of this forest.
My lord, when I first saw him,
I thought he was a brother to your daughter:
but good lord, this boy was born in the forest
and has been tutored in nobility
through many lessons from his uncle,
whom he says is a great magician
hidden within this forest.
Enter TOUCHSTONE and AUDREY
JAQUES
There is, sure, another flood toward, and these