we have not come to add to your sorrows,
but to relieve them;
these ships of ours, which you probably think
are like the Trojan horse, filled with
bloodthirsty men lusting for victory,
are in fact full of corn to make the bread you need,
and to give life to those who are almost starved to death.
All
The gods of Greece protect you!
And we'll pray for you.
May the gods of Greece protect you!
We shall pray for you.
PERICLES
Arise, I pray you, rise:
We do not look for reverence, but to love,
And harbourage for ourself, our ships, and men.
Get up, please, get up:
we are not looking for worship but for love,
and a safe harbour for myself, my ships and my men.
CLEON
The which when any shall not gratify,
Or pay you with unthankfulness in thought,
Be it our wives, our children, or ourselves,
The curse of heaven and men succeed their evils!
Till when,--the which I hope shall ne'er be seen,--
Your grace is welcome to our town and us.
If anyone fails to provide this for you,
or does not feel the proper gratitude they should,
whether it's our wives, our children or ourselves,
may the curses of heaven and men fall upon them!
Until then–and I hope that will never happen–
your grace is welcome to our town, and welcomed by us.
PERICLES
Which welcome we'll accept; feast here awhile,
Until our stars that frown lend us a smile.
Exeunt
We'll accept your welcome; eat with us now,
until sadness turns to happiness.
Enter GOWER
GOWER
Here have you seen a mighty king
His child, I wis, to incest bring;
A better prince and benign lord,
That will prove awful both in deed and word
Be quiet then as men should be,
Till he hath pass'd necessity.
I'll show you those in troubles reign,
Losing a mite, a mountain gain.
The good in conversation,
To whom I give my benison,
Is still at Tarsus, where each man
Thinks all is writ he speken can;
And, to remember what he does,
Build his statue to make him glorious:
But tidings to the contrary
Are brought your eyes; what need speak I?
DUMB SHOW.
Enter at one door PERICLES talking with CLEON; all the train with them. Enter at another door a Gentleman, with a letter to PERICLES; PERICLES shows the letter to CLEON; gives the Messenger a reward, and knights him. Exit PERICLES at one door, and CLEON at another
Good Helicane, that stay'd at home,
Not to eat honey like a drone
From others' labours; for though he strive
To killen bad, keep good alive;
And to fulfil his prince' desire,
Sends word of all that haps in Tyre:
How Thaliard came full bent with sin
And had intent to murder him;
And that in Tarsus was not best
Longer for him to make his rest.
He, doing so, put forth to seas,
Where when men been, there's seldom ease;
For now the wind begins to blow;
Thunder above and deeps below
Make such unquiet, that the ship
Should house him safe is wreck'd and split;
And he, good prince, having all lost,
By waves from coast to coast is tost:
All perishen of man, of pelf,
Ne aught escapen but himself;
Till fortune, tired with doing bad,
Threw him ashore, to give him glad:
And here he comes. What shall be next,
Pardon old Gower,--this longs the text.
Exit
Here you have seen the mighty King
persuade his child to incest;
and a better prince and kindly lord
who will prove himself awesome in deeds and words,
keep quiet then, as one should be
until he has survived his hardships.
I'll show you those who have troubles,
who lose a pebble and gain a mountain.
The one whose conduct is good,
whom I bless,
is still at Tarsus, where each man
thinks he has the skill to speak holy writ;
and in commemoration of himself,
builds his statue to glorify himself. But news of other things
is brought before your eyes; why do I need to speak?
DUMB SHOW.
Enter at one door PERICLES talking with CLEON; all the train with them. Enter at another door a Gentleman, with a letter to PERICLES; PERICLES shows the letter to CLEON; gives the Messenger a reward, and knights him. Exit PERICLES at one door, and CLEON at another
Good Helicanus has stayed home,
not to exploit the work
of others; he works
to kill the bad, to save the good;
following his prince's orders
he sends word of all that happens in Tyre:
how Thaliard came with sinful purpose
and hidden plans to murder him;
he told him that it was no longer
advisable for him to stay in Tarsus.
Hearing this he set out to sea,
which is seldom a restful place for men;
now the wind begins to blow;
thunder above and depths below
causes such disruption that the ship
which should have protected him is wrecked and sunk;
and he, good prince, having lost everything,
is tossed from coast to coast by the waves.
All the men and cargo were lost,
nobody escaped but himself;
until fate, tired with treating him badly,
cast him ashore, to make him happy:
and here he comes. As to what happens next,
excuse old Gower–you'll see from the text.
Enter PERICLES, wet
PERICLES
Yet cease your ire, you angry stars of heaven!
Wind, rain, and thunder, remember, earthly man
Is but a substance that must yield to you;
And I, as fits my nature, do obey you:
Alas, the sea hath cast me on the rocks,
Wash'd me from shore to shore, and left me breath
Nothing to think on but ensuing death:
Let it suffice the greatness of your powers
To have bereft a prince of all his fortunes;
And having thrown him from your watery grave,
Here to have death in peace is all he'll crave.
Enter three FISHERMEN
Now stop your anger, you furious stars of heaven!
Remember, wind, rain and thunder, earthly man
is only a substance that must give in to you;
as is appropriate for my nature, I obey you:
alas the sea has thrown me on the rocks,
washed me from shore to shore, and left me so breathless
all I can think of is my oncoming death:
be satisfied that your great powers
have stripped a prince of all his fortunes;
now you've thrown him out of your watery grave,
all he wants is to have a peaceful death here.
First Fisherman
What, ho, Pilch!
Hello there, Pilch!
Second Fisherman
Ha, come and bring away the nets!
Hey, bring the nets over here!
First Fisherman
Wha
t, Patch-breech, I say!
Hey there, Patch-breech, hey!
Third Fisherman
What say you, master?
What are you saying, master?
First Fisherman
Look how thou stirrest now! come away, or I'll
fetch thee with a wanion.
Aren't you moving yet! You get a move on, or I'll
give you such a smack!
Third Fisherman
Faith, master, I am thinking of the poor men that
were cast away before us even now.
I swear, master, I am thinking of the poor men who
were shipwrecked in front of us recently.
First Fisherman
Alas, poor souls, it grieved my heart to hear what
pitiful cries they made to us to help them, when,
well-a-day, we could scarce help ourselves.
Alas, poor souls, it broke my heart to hear their
pitiful cries for help, when, alas,
we could hardly help ourselves.
Third Fisherman
Nay, master, said not I as much when I saw the
porpus how he bounced and tumbled? they say
they're half fish, half flesh: a plague on them,
they ne'er come but I look to be washed. Master, I
marvel how the fishes live in the sea.
Now, master, didn't I say trouble was coming
when I saw how the porpoises were jumping? They say
they're half fish, half man: damn them,
every time they appear I expect the boat to be swamped.
Master, I am amazed how the fish manage to live in the sea.
First Fisherman
Why, as men do a-land; the great ones eat up the
little ones: I can compare our rich misers to
nothing so fitly as to a whale; a' plays and
tumbles, driving the poor fry before him, and at
last devours them all at a mouthful: such whales
have I heard on o' the land, who never leave gaping
till they've swallowed the whole parish, church,
steeple, bells, and all.
Why, just as men do on land; the great ones eat up the
little ones: the best comparison for our rich misers
is a whale; he plays and
tumbles, driving the minnows ahead of him, and at last
swallows them all in one mouthful: I have heard of
such whales on the land, who never close their mouths
until they've swallowed the whole parish, church,
steeple, bells and all.
PERICLES
[Aside] A pretty moral.
A nice little parable.
Third Fisherman
But, master, if I had been the sexton, I would have
been that day in the belfry.
But, master, if I had been the church keeper, I would have
made sure I was in the belfry that day.
Second Fisherman
Why, man?
Why, man?
Third Fisherman
Because he should have swallowed me too: and when I
had been in his belly, I would have kept such a
jangling of the bells, that he should never have
left, till he cast bells, steeple, church, and
parish up again. But if the good King Simonides
were of my mind,--
Because he would have swallowed me too: and when I
was in his belly, I would have kept up such a
racket with the bells that he would have no rest
until he had vomited up the bells, steeple, church and
parish again. But if the good King Simonides
thought like me–
PERICLES
[Aside] Simonides!
Simonides!
Third Fisherman
We would purge the land of these drones, that rob
the bee of her honey.
We would strip the land of these drones, that steal
the honey from the bee.
PERICLES
[Aside] How from the finny subject of the sea
These fishers tell the infirmities of men;
And from their watery empire recollect
All that may men approve or men detect!
Peace be at your labour, honest fishermen.
How well these fishermen describe the weaknesses of men
in terms of the fish of the sea;
from their watery empire they find examples
of all the characteristics of men!
Blessings on your work, honest fishermen.
Second Fisherman
Honest! good fellow, what's that? If it be a day
fits you, search out of the calendar, and nobody
look after it.
Honest! Dear chap, what's that? If it's a day
in the year that suits you, find it on the calendar,
but nobody else will see it.
PERICLES
May see the sea hath cast upon your coast–
You may have seen that the sea has washed up on your coast–
Second Fisherman
What a drunken knave was the sea to cast thee in our
way!
What a drunken scoundrel the sea was to throw you
in our path!
PERICLES
A man whom both the waters and the wind,
In that vast tennis-court, have made the ball
For them to play upon, entreats you pity him:
He asks of you, that never used to beg.
I'm a man whom both the waters and the wind
have made their tennis ball on that enormous
court for them to play with, and I ask you to pity me:
I'm asking you, I never used to beg.
First Fisherman
No, friend, cannot you beg? Here's them in our
country Greece gets more with begging than we can do
with working.
Really, friend, you can't beg? There are those in our
country of Greece who get more with begging than we do
from working.
Second Fisherman
Canst thou catch any fishes, then?
Can you catch fish, then?
PERICLES
I never practised it.
I've never tried.
Second Fisherman
Nay, then thou wilt starve, sure; for here's nothing
to be got now-a-days, unless thou canst fish for't.
Well then you will starve, for sure; there's nothing
else to eat in these parts, unless you fish for it.
PERICLES
What I have been I have forgot to know;
But what I am, want teaches me to think on:
A man throng'd up with cold: my veins are chill,
And have no more of life than may suffice
To give my tongue that heat to ask your help;
Which if you shall refuse, when I am dead,
For that I am a man, pray see me buried.
I have forgotten what I used to be;
but my need makes me think of what I am now:
a man overwhelmed with cold: my blood is chilled
and I have only just enough energy to let me
move my tongue enough to ask you for help;
if you refuse to help me, when I'm dead,
out of humanity please see that I am buried.
First Fisherman
Die quoth-a? Now gods forbid! I have a gown here;
come, put it on; keep thee warm. Now, afore me, a
handsome fellow! Come, thou shalt go home, and
we'll have flesh for holidays, fish for
fasting-days, and moreo'er puddings and flap-jacks,
and thou shalt be welcome.
Is he talking about dying? Heaven forbid! I have a gown here;
come on, put it on, keep yourself warm. Now, look at that,
a handso
me fellow! Come on, you shall come home, and
we'll have meat on holidays, fish on
fasting days, and what's more we'll have puddings and flapjacks,
and you will be welcome.
PERICLES
I thank you, sir.
Thank you, sir.
Second Fisherman
Hark you, my friend; you said you could not beg.
Listen here, my friend; you said you could not beg.
PERICLES
I did but crave.
All I did was ask.
Second Fisherman
But crave! Then I'll turn craver too, and so I
shall 'scape whipping.
Just ask! Then I'll become an asker too, and so I
won't get whipped.
PERICLES
Why, are all your beggars whipped, then?
Why, do all your beggars get whipped, then?
Second Fisherman
O, not all, my friend, not all; for if all your
beggars were whipped, I would wish no better office
than to be beadle. But, master, I'll go draw up the
net.
Exit with Third Fisherman
Oh, not all, my friend, not all; if all the
beggars were whipped, I could wish for no better job
than to be the beadle. But, master, I'll go and pull up
the net.
PERICLES
[Aside] How well this honest mirth becomes their labour!
How well this honest humour suits their work!
First Fisherman
Hark you, sir, do you know where ye are?
Listen, sir, do you know where you are?
PERICLES
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) Page 341