The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated)
Page 499
And with mine eyes I'll drink the words you send,
Though ink be made of gall.
Re-enter QUEEN
My queen! My mistress!
Oh lady, stop weeping, in case I do something
which would make people think I was weaker
than a man ought to be. I will remain
the most loyal husband that ever took his vows;
in Rome I shall stay with someone called Philario,
who was a friend of my father's, I only
know him through letters; write there, my queen,
and my eyes will drink in the words you send,
even if the ink was poison.
QUEEN.
Be brief, I pray you.
If the King come, I shall incur I know not
How much of his displeasure. [Aside] Yet I'll move him
To walk this way. I never do him wrong
But he does buy my injuries, to be friends;
Pays dear for my offences.
Exit
Please be quick.
If the King comes, I can't imagine
how furious he'll be with me.[Aside] But I'll persuade him
to walk this way. He forgives me for
any wrong I do him, for the sake of staying friends;
he pays heavily for my wrongdoing.
POSTHUMUS.
Should we be taking leave
As long a term as yet we have to live,
The loathness to depart would grow. Adieu!
If we were saying goodbye
for the rest of our lives,
the reluctance to part would just get worse. Goodbye!
IMOGEN.
Nay, stay a little.
Were you but riding forth to air yourself,
Such parting were too petty. Look here, love:
This diamond was my mother's; take it, heart;
But keep it till you woo another wife,
When Imogen is dead.
No, stay a little longer.
If you were just riding out to get some air,
this would be too small a goodbye. Look here, love:
this diamond belonged to my mother; take it, sweetheart;
always keep it until you woo another wife,
when Imogen is dead.
POSTHUMUS.
How, how? Another?
You gentle gods, give me but this I have,
And sear up my embracements from a next
With bonds of death! Remain, remain thou here
[Puts on the ring]
While sense can keep it on. And, sweetest, fairest,
As I my poor self did exchange for you,
To your so infinite loss, so in our trifles
I still win of you. For my sake wear this;
It is a manacle of love; I'll place it
Upon this fairest prisoner. [Puts a bracelet on her arm]
What's this? Another?
You gentle gods, just give me what I have,
and don't let me be in the arms of another
until the day I die! You stay here
[puts on the ring]
as long as there is life to keep it here. And, sweetest, fairest,
as I exchanged my poor self for you
to your great disadvantage, even with trinkets
I still get a better bargain. Wear this for my sake;
it is a manacle of love; I'll put it
on this loveliest of prisoners.
IMOGEN.
O the gods!
When shall we see again?
Enter CYMBELINE and LORDS
Oh by the gods!
When shall we see each other again?
POSTHUMUS.
Alack, the King!
Alas, the King!
CYMBELINE.
Thou basest thing, avoid; hence from my sight!
If after this command thou fraught the court
With thy unworthiness, thou diest. Away!
Thou'rt poison to my blood.
You scum, stay away; get out of my sight!
If after this order you bother the court
with your unworthy presence, you shall die. Go!
You are poisonous to me.
POSTHUMUS.
The gods protect you,
And bless the good remainders of the court!
I am gone.
Exit
May the gods protect you,
and blessed with good men still in the court!
I'm going.
IMOGEN.
There cannot be a pinch in death
More sharp than this is.
The sting of death
can't be as painful as this.
CYMBELINE.
O disloyal thing,
That shouldst repair my youth, thou heap'st
A year's age on me!
You disloyal object,
you should be making me feel young, you have put
another year on me!
IMOGEN.
I beseech you, sir,
Harm not yourself with your vexation.
I am senseless of your wrath; a touch more rare
Subdues all pangs, all fears.
I beg you, sir,
don't work yourself into a state.
I can't feel your anger; there is a more exquisite pain
which triumphs over everything.
CYMBELINE.
Past grace? obedience?
Are you beyond grace? Obedience?
IMOGEN.
Past hope, and in despair; that way past grace.
I'm beyond hope, and in despair; in that way I am way past grace.
CYMBELINE.
That mightst have had the sole son of my queen!
You could have had my Queen's only son!
IMOGEN.
O blessed that I might not! I chose an eagle,
And did avoid a puttock.
How blessed I am that I didn't! I chose an eagle,
and avoided a kite.
CYMBELINE.
Thou took'st a beggar, wouldst have made my throne
A seat for baseness.
You chose a beggar, who would have dragged my throne
down to the gutter.
IMOGEN.
No; I rather added
A lustre to it.
No; actually I added
to its glory.
CYMBELINE.
O thou vile one!
Oh you horrible girl!
IMOGEN.
Sir,
It is your fault that I have lov'd Posthumus.
You bred him as my playfellow, and he is
A man worth any woman; overbuys me
Almost the sum he pays.
Sir,
it is your fault that I fell in love with Posthumus.
You brought him up as my playmate, and he is
a man worthy of any woman; he's worth more than me,
the gap is almost as big as the price he is now paying.
CYMBELINE.
What, art thou mad?
What, are you mad?
IMOGEN.
Almost, sir. Heaven restore me! Would I were
A neat-herd's daughter, and my Leonatus
Our neighbour shepherd's son!
Re-enter QUEEN
Almost, sir. Heaven save me! I wish I was
a goatherd's daughter, and my Leonatus
was the son of our shepherd neighbour.
CYMBELINE.
Thou foolish thing!
[To the QUEEN] They were again together. You have done
Not after our command. Away with her,
And pen her up.
You stupid girl!
[To the Queen] They were together again.You have
not followed my orders.Take her away
and lock her up.
QUEEN.
Beseech your patience.- Peace,
Dear lady daughter, peace!- Sweet sovereign,
Leave us to ourselves, and make yourself some
comfort
Out of your best advice.
Please be calm.Peace,
dear lady daughter, peace!Sweet King,
leave us alone, and go and reflect
on the matter.
CYMBELINE.
Nay, let her languish
A drop of blood a day and, being aged,
Die of this folly. Exit, with LORDS
Enter PISANIO
No, let her lose
a drop of blood a day and, having grown old,
die of this stupidity.
QUEEN.
Fie! you must give way.
Here is your servant. How now, sir! What news?
Ha!You will give in to me.
Here is your servant.Hello there sir!What's the news?
PISANIO.
My lord your son drew on my master.
My lord your son attacked my master with his sword.
QUEEN.
Ha!
No harm, I trust, is done?
Ha!
I trust there's no harm done?
PISANIO.
There might have been,
But that my master rather play'd than fought,
And had no help of anger; they were parted
By gentlemen at hand.
There might have been,
only my master was only playfighting,
and didn't lose his temper; they were separated
by some nearby gentlemen.
QUEEN.
I am very glad on't.
I'm very glad to hear it.
IMOGEN.
Your son's my father's friend; he takes his part
To draw upon an exile! O brave sir!
I would they were in Afric both together;
Myself by with a needle, that I might prick
The goer-back. Why came you from your master?
Your son supports my father; he takes his side
by drawing his sword on an exile!What a brave chap!
I wish they were both in some deserted place,
with me standing by with a needle to prick
anyone who tried to back down.Why have you left your master?
PISANIO.
On his command. He would not suffer me
To bring him to the haven; left these notes
Of what commands I should be subject to,
When't pleas'd you to employ me.
At his orders.He wouldn't let me
accompany him to the harbour; he left these instructions
as to what I should do,
when you wanted to use me.
QUEEN.
This hath been
Your faithful servant. I dare lay mine honour
He will remain so.
He has been
a faithful servant to you.I'll wager
he will remain so.
PISANIO.
I humbly thank your Highness.
I humbly thank your highness.
QUEEN.
Pray walk awhile.
Please walk a while with me.
IMOGEN.
About some half-hour hence,
Pray you speak with me. You shall at least
Go see my lord aboard. For this time leave me.
Exeunt
About half an hour from now,
please come and speak to me.You shall at least
help my lord to board his ship.Leave me for now.
Enter CLOTEN and two LORDS
FIRST LORD.
Sir, I would advise you to shift a shirt; the
violence
of action hath made you reek as a sacrifice. Where air comes
out,
air comes in; there's none abroad so wholesome as that you
vent.
Sir, I think you should change your shirt;
the efforts you've made make you smell like a sacrifice.
If you breathe out you have to breathe in,
and the outside air isn't as sweet as what you give off.
CLOTEN.
If my shirt were bloody, then to shift it. Have I hurt
him?
If my shirt had blood on it, then I would change it. Have I hurt him?
SECOND LORD.
[Aside] No, faith; not so much as his patience.
Indeed not, you haven't even hurt his pride.
FIRST LORD.
Hurt him! His body's a passable carcass if he be
not
hurt. It is a throughfare for steel if it be not hurt.
Hurt him! His body must have been dead already if he wasn't hurt.
It's a road for steel to pass through if he isn't hurt.
SECOND LORD.
[Aside] His steel was in debt; it went o' th' back
side the town.
His sword must have been in debt; it sneaked round the back way.
CLOTEN.
The villain would not stand me.
The villain couldn't stand me.
SECOND LORD.
[Aside] No; but he fled forward still, toward your
face.
No; but he ran away coming forwards, towards your face.
FIRST LORD.
Stand you? You have land enough of your own; but he
added to your having, gave you some ground.
Stand you? You have plenty of land of your own; but he
added to it, by giving ground to you.
SECOND LORD.
[Aside] As many inches as you have oceans.
Puppies!
He gave as many inches as you have oceans.
Whippersnappers!
CLOTEN.
I would they had not come between us.
I wish they hadn't stopped us.
SECOND LORD.
[Aside] So would I, till you had measur'd how long
a
fool you were upon the ground.
I wish they hadn't also, I wanted to see you
measuring out your stupidity on the ground.
CLOTEN.
And that she should love this fellow, and refuse me!
To think that she loves this fellow and refuses me!
SECOND LORD.
[Aside] If it be a sin to make a true election,
she is
damn'd.
If it's a sin to make the right choice,
she's damned.
FIRST LORD.
Sir, as I told you always, her beauty and her brain
go
not together; she's a good sign, but I have seen small
reflection
of her wit.
Sir, as I always said, her beauty and her brains don't match;
she looks good, but I haven't seen much sign of intelligence.
SECOND LORD.
[Aside] She shines not upon fools, lest the
reflection
should hurt her.
She doesn't show it to fools, in case
she should have to listen to their replies.
CLOTEN.
Come, I'll to my chamber. Would there had been some
hurt
done!
Come on, I'll go to my room. I wish I'd done him some injury!
SECOND LORD.
[Aside] I wish not so; unless it had been the fall
of
an ass, which is no great hurt.
I don't wish that; unless an ass had fallen down,
which is no great loss.
CLOTEN.
You'll go with us?
Will you come with me?
FIRST LORD.
I'll attend your lordship.
I'll wait on your lordship.
CLOTEN.
Nay, come, let's go together.
No, come on, let's go together.
SECOND LORD.
Well, my lord.
Exeunt
Good, my lord.
Enter IMOGEN and PISANIO
IMOGEN.
I would thou grew'st unto the shores o' th' haven,
And questi
oned'st every sail; if he should write,
And I not have it, 'twere a paper lost,
As offer'd mercy is. What was the last
That he spake to thee?
I'd like you to stick to the shores of the harbour,
and ask on every ship; if he should write
and I don't get his letter, it will be a letter lost,
as bad as losing salvation. What was the last
thing he said to you?
PISANIO.
It was: his queen, his queen!
It was: ‘my queen, my queen!’
IMOGEN.
Then wav'd his handkerchief?
Then he waved his handkerchief?
PISANIO.
And kiss'd it, madam.
And kissed it, madam.
IMOGEN.
Senseless linen, happier therein than I!
And that was all?
Unfeeling material, luckier than me!
And that was all?
PISANIO.
No, madam; for so long
As he could make me with his eye, or care
Distinguish him from others, he did keep
The deck, with glove, or hat, or handkerchief,
Still waving, as the fits and stirs of's mind
Could best express how slow his soul sail'd on,