The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated)
Page 451
I have lost two who could have stood
in this world like you two, causing amazement
as you do: and then I lost–
all through my own stupidity–the company
and friendship also of your brave father, whom
I want to go on living, though my life is miserable,
to see again.
FLORIZEL
By his command
Have I here touch'd Sicilia and from him
Give you all greetings that a king, at friend,
Can send his brother: and, but infirmity
Which waits upon worn times hath something seized
His wish'd ability, he had himself
The lands and waters 'twixt your throne and his
Measured to look upon you; whom he loves--
He bade me say so--more than all the sceptres
And those that bear them living.
It is at his orders
that I have come to Sicily and from him
I give you all the greetings that a king, a friend,
can send to his brother: and, but for the fact that
illness which comes with age means he can't do
everything he would like to, he himself
would have crossed the waters between your countries
to see you whom he loves–
he told me to say so–more than all the crowns
or all those living who wear them.
LEONTES
O my brother,
Good gentleman! the wrongs I have done thee stir
Afresh within me, and these thy offices,
So rarely kind, are as interpreters
Of my behind-hand slackness. Welcome hither,
As is the spring to the earth. And hath he too
Exposed this paragon to the fearful usage,
At least ungentle, of the dreadful Neptune,
To greet a man not worth her pains, much less
The adventure of her person?
Oh my brother,
good gentleman! The wrongs I have done you
rise up within me again, and these messages,
so wonderfully kind, are signposts showing
what I have neglected. You are welcome here
as the spring is welcome to the Earth. And has he also
exposed this model of perfection to the horrible risks,
at the best discomfort, of the dreadful ocean,
to greet a man who is not worth the effort, much less
taking any risks?
FLORIZEL
Good my lord,
She came from Libya.
My good lord,
she came from Libya.
LEONTES
Where the warlike Smalus,
That noble honour'd lord, is fear'd and loved?
Where the warlike Smalus,
that noble honoured lord, is feared and loved?
FLORIZEL
Most royal sir, from thence; from him, whose daughter
His tears proclaim'd his, parting with her: thence,
A prosperous south-wind friendly, we have cross'd,
To execute the charge my father gave me
For visiting your highness: my best train
I have from your Sicilian shores dismiss'd;
Who for Bohemia bend, to signify
Not only my success in Libya, sir,
But my arrival and my wife's in safety
Here where we are.
Your Highness, from there; from him, whose tears
on parting showed she is his daughter: we crossed
from there with a favourable southerly wind
to obey the instructions my father gave me
to visit your Highness: I sent most of my entourage
away from your Sicilian shores;
they are headed for Bohemia, to give news
not only of my success in Libya, sir,
but my and my wife's safe arrival
in this place.
LEONTES
The blessed gods
Purge all infection from our air whilst you
Do climate here! You have a holy father,
A graceful gentleman; against whose person,
So sacred as it is, I have done sin:
For which the heavens, taking angry note,
Have left me issueless; and your father's blest,
As he from heaven merits it, with you
Worthy his goodness. What might I have been,
Might I a son and daughter now have look'd on,
Such goodly things as you!
Enter a Lord
May the blessed gods
strip all disease from our air while you
are stopping here! Your father is a good man,
and a graceful gentleman; I have sinned
against his holy person:
the heavens, seeing this and furious with it,
have left me without an heir; as your father is blessed,
as he deserves reward from heaven, with you,
who match his goodness. What could I have been,
if I had a son and daughter like the ones I look on now,
such wonderful creatures as you!
Lord
Most noble sir,
That which I shall report will bear no credit,
Were not the proof so nigh. Please you, great sir,
Bohemia greets you from himself by me;
Desires you to attach his son, who has--
His dignity and duty both cast off--
Fled from his father, from his hopes, and with
A shepherd's daughter.
Your Highness,
what I have to say will not be believed,
if it wasn't for the fact that proof is coming. Great sir,
Bohemia sends you his greetings through me;
he requests that you arrest his son, who has–
forgetting both his position and his duty–
run away from his father, from his inheritance, with
a shepherd's daughter.
LEONTES
Where's Bohemia? speak.
Where is Bohemia? Speak.
Lord
Here in your city; I now came from him:
I speak amazedly; and it becomes
My marvel and my message. To your court
Whiles he was hastening, in the chase, it seems,
Of this fair couple, meets he on the way
The father of this seeming lady and
Her brother, having both their country quitted
With this young prince.
Here in your city; I just came from him:
My excited way of speaking suits
my astonishment and my message. While he was
hurrying to your court, pursuing, it seems,
this fair couple, he met on the way
the father of this apparent lady and
her brother, who had both left their country
with this young prince.
FLORIZEL
Camillo has betray'd me;
Whose honour and whose honesty till now
Endured all weathers.
Camillo has betrayed me;
until now his honour and his honesty
were beyond reproach.
Lord
Lay't so to his charge:
He's with the king your father.
Yes you can blame him:
he is with the king your father.
LEONTES
Who? Camillo?
Who? Camillo?
Lord
Camillo, sir; I spake with him; who now
Has these poor men in question. Never saw I
Wretches so quake: they kneel, they kiss the earth;
Forswear themselves as often as they speak:
Bohemia stops his ears, and threatens them
With divers deaths in death.
Camillo, sir; I spoke to him; he now
is interrogating these poor men. I never saw
wretches shake like them: they kneel, they kiss the earth;
they perjure themselves every time they speak:
Bohemia blocks his ears, and threatens them
with fates worse than death.
PERDITA
O my poor father!
The heaven sets spies upon us, will not have
Our contract celebrated.
Oh my poor father!
The gods have set their spies on us, they don't want
our wedding to be celebrated.
LEONTES
You are married?
Are you married?
FLORIZEL
We are not, sir, nor are we like to be;
The stars, I see, will kiss the valleys first:
The odds for high and low's alike.
We are not, sir, nor are we likely to be;
I can see the stars will fall into the valleys first:
the odds are the same for her and for me.
LEONTES
My lord,
Is this the daughter of a king?
My lord,
is this a king's daughter?
FLORIZEL
She is,
When once she is my wife.
She will be,
once she is my wife.
LEONTES
That 'once' I see by your good father's speed
Will come on very slowly. I am sorry,
Most sorry, you have broken from his liking
Where you were tied in duty, and as sorry
Your choice is not so rich in worth as beauty,
That you might well enjoy her.
‘Once’ is not very likely to happen, judging by
your father's actions. I'm sorry,
very sorry, that you have upset the one
whom you should have obeyed, and just as sorry
that your choice is not as noble as she is beautiful,
so that you could definitely enjoy her.
FLORIZEL
Dear, look up:
Though Fortune, visible an enemy,
Should chase us with my father, power no jot
Hath she to change our loves. Beseech you, sir,
Remember since you owed no more to time
Than I do now: with thought of such affections,
Step forth mine advocate; at your request
My father will grant precious things as trifles.
Keep your head up, dear:
although Fortune seems to be our enemy,
chasing us with my father, she hasn't the slightest
power to change our love. I beg you, sir,
remember when you were my age:
thinking of the love you had then,
step up and speak for me; at your request
my father will grant precious things as if they were worthless.
LEONTES
Would he do so, I'ld beg your precious mistress,
Which he counts but a trifle.
If he did, I'd ask for your beautiful mistress,
as he thinks she is worthless.
PAULINA
Sir, my liege,
Your eye hath too much youth in't: not a month
'Fore your queen died, she was more worth such gazes
Than what you look on now.
Sir, my lord,
you look too much at the young: less than a month
before your queen died, she was more deserving of such looks
than what you are now looking at.
LEONTES
I thought of her,
Even in these looks I made.
To FLORIZEL
But your petition
Is yet unanswer'd. I will to your father:
Your honour not o'erthrown by your desires,
I am friend to them and you: upon which errand
I now go toward him; therefore follow me
And mark what way I make: come, good my lord.
Exeunt
I was thinking of her,
even as I was looking this way.
But I haven't yet answered
your request. I will go to your father:
if your honour has not been damaged by your desires,
I will be supportive of them and you: I'll go to see him
on this errand; so follow me
and see how I get on: come, my good lord.
SCENE II. Before LEONTES' palace.
Enter AUTOLYCUS and a Gentleman
AUTOLYCUS
Beseech you, sir, were you present at this relation?
Tell me, sir, were you there when this happened?
First Gentleman
I was by at the opening of the fardel, heard the old
shepherd deliver the manner how he found it:
whereupon, after a little amazedness, we were all
commanded out of the chamber; only this methought I
heard the shepherd say, he found the child.
I was there when the bundle was opened, heard the old
shepherd explain how he had found it:
then, after some confusion, we were all
ordered out of the room; but I thought I heard
the shepherd say, he had found the child.
AUTOLYCUS
I would most gladly know the issue of it.
I would very much like to know how this turned out.
First Gentleman
I make a broken delivery of the business; but the
changes I perceived in the king and Camillo were
very notes of admiration: they seemed almost, with
staring on one another, to tear the cases of their
eyes; there was speech in their dumbness, language
in their very gesture; they looked as they had heard
of a world ransomed, or one destroyed: a notable
passion of wonder appeared in them; but the wisest
beholder, that knew no more but seeing, could not
say if the importance were joy or sorrow; but in the
extremity of the one, it must needs be.
Enter another Gentleman
Here comes a gentleman that haply knows more.
The news, Rogero?
I can't give you all the details; but I saw
that the King and Camillo were
absolutely astonished: they seemed almost, as
they looked at each other, as if their eyes would
pop out of their heads; their silence spoke volumes, their
gestures were like speech; they looked as if they had heard
of a world they thought had been stolen or destroyed: you could see
that they were absolutely astonished; but the cleverest
observer, if he was only watching, could not say
if joy or sorrow was uppermost; but it must
have been the strongest of one of those.
Second Gentleman
Nothing but bonfires: the oracle is fulfilled; the
king's daughter is found: such a deal of wonder is
broken out within this hour that ballad-makers
cannot be able to express it.
Enter a third Gentleman
Here comes the Lady Paulina's steward: he can
deliver you more. How goes it now, sir? this news
which is called true is so like an old tale, that
the verity of it is in strong suspicion: has the king
found his heir?
It is all celebrations: the Oracle has been fulfilled; the
kings daughter has been found: such amazing things
have happened in this hour that ballad makers
will not be able to do it justice.
Here is the Lady Paulina's steward: he can
tell you more. What's happening now, sir? This news
which they say is true is so like some legend that
the truth of it is called into question: has the king
found his heir?
Third Gentleman
M
ost true, if ever truth were pregnant by
circumstance: that which you hear you'll swear you
see, there is such unity in the proofs. The mantle
of Queen Hermione's, her jewel about the neck of it,
the letters of Antigonus found with it which they
know to be his character, the majesty of the
creature in resemblance of the mother, the affection
of nobleness which nature shows above her breeding,
and many other evidences proclaim her with all
certainty to be the king's daughter. Did you see
the meeting of the two kings?
It's very true, if truth was ever proved by
evidence: you will believe it when you
see it, the evidence all hangs together. The robe
of Queen Hermione, with her jewel around its neck,
the letters of Antigonus found with it in
his handwriting, the majesty of the
creature who looks exactly like the mother, the air
of nobility which nature shows above her breeding,
and many other proofs declare her absolutely
definitely the King's daughter. Did you see
the meeting of the two kings?
Second Gentleman
No.
No.
Third Gentleman
Then have you lost a sight, which was to be seen,
cannot be spoken of. There might you have beheld one
joy crown another, so and in such manner that it
seemed sorrow wept to take leave of them, for their
joy waded in tears. There was casting up of eyes,
holding up of hands, with countenances of such
distraction that they were to be known by garment,
not by favour. Our king, being ready to leap out of
himself for joy of his found daughter, as if that
joy were now become a loss, cries 'O, thy mother,
thy mother!' then asks Bohemia forgiveness; then