The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated)
Page 565
I am at their mercy, I must be strong.
REGAN
Wherefore to Dover, sir?
Why to Dover, sir?
GLOUCESTER
Because I would not see thy cruel nails
Pluck out his poor old eyes; nor thy fierce sister
In his anointed flesh stick boarish fangs.
The sea, with such a storm as his bare head
In hell-black night endured, would have buoy'd up,
And quench'd the stelled fires:
Yet, poor old heart, he holp the heavens to rain.
If wolves had at thy gate howl'd that stern time,
Thou shouldst have said 'Good porter, turn the key,'
All cruels else subscribed: but I shall see
The winged vengeance overtake such children.
Because I did not want to see your cruel nails
tear out his poor old eyes; nor see your fierce sister
stick her boar's fangs into his God-appointed flesh.
If the sea had to face such a storm as he did
with his bare head in the hell black night, it would have risen up
and put out the light of the stars:
yet, poor old heart, he called on the heavens to rain.
If wolves had howled at your gates at that terrible time,
you should have said, “good Porter, let them in."
Forget all your other cruel deeds, but I shall see
that vengeance will overtake you for your treatment of your father.
CORNWALL
See't shalt thou never. Fellows, hold the chair.
Upon these eyes of thine I'll set my foot.
You never will see it. You men, hold the chair.
I shall kick your eyes out.
GLOUCESTER
He that will think to live till he be old,
Give me some help! O cruel! O you gods!
Anyone who wants a long life,
help me! Oh cruelty! Oh you gods!
REGAN
One side will mock another; the other too.
One side can mock the other; the other will give it back.
CORNWALL
If you see vengeance,--
If you see vengeance–
First Servant
Hold your hand, my lord:
I have served you ever since I was a child;
But better service have I never done you
Than now to bid you hold.
Hold back, my lord:
I have served you ever since I was a child;
but I have never served you so well
as I do now in telling you to stop.
REGAN
How now, you dog!
What's this, you dog!
First Servant
If you did wear a beard upon your chin,
I'd shake it on this quarrel.
If you had a beard on your chin,
I'd pull it in this argument.
REGAN
What do you mean?
What do you mean?
CORNWALL
My villain!
They draw and fight
This is my villain!
First Servant
Nay, then, come on, and take the chance of anger.
Bring it on then, and risk fighting when angry.
REGAN
Give me thy sword. A peasant stand up thus!
Takes a sword, and runs at him behind
Give me your sword. How dare a peasant oppose us like this!
First Servant
O, I am slain! My lord, you have one eye left
To see some mischief on him. O!
Dies
Oh, you've killed me! My lord, you have one eye left
to take revenge. Oh!
CORNWALL
Lest it see more, prevent it. Out, vile jelly!
Where is thy lustre now?
In case it sees more, we'll stop it. Out with the vile jelly!
Where's your sparkle now?
GLOUCESTER
All dark and comfortless. Where's my son Edmund?
Edmund, enkindle all the sparks of nature,
To quit this horrid act.
All is dark and cold. Where's my son Edmund?
Edmund, summon up all your strength,
to take revenge for this.
REGAN
Out, treacherous villain!
Thou call'st on him that hates thee: it was he
That made the overture of thy treasons to us;
Who is too good to pity thee.
Forget it, treacherous villain!
You are calling on someone who hates you: it was him
who alerted us to your treason;
he is too loyal to pity you.
GLOUCESTER
O my follies! then Edgar was abused.
Kind gods, forgive me that, and prosper him!
How stupid I have been! So Edgar was wronged.
Kind gods, forgive me for that, and help him to prosper!
REGAN
Go thrust him out at gates, and let him smell
His way to Dover.
Exit one with GLOUCESTER
How is't, my lord? how look you?
Throw him out of doors, and let him smell
his way to Dover.
How goes it, my lord? How are you?
CORNWALL
I have received a hurt: follow me, lady.
Turn out that eyeless villain; throw this slave
Upon the dunghill. Regan, I bleed apace:
Untimely comes this hurt: give me your arm.
Exit CORNWALL, led by REGAN
I have been wounded: follow me, lady.
Throw out that blind villain; throw this slave
on the dungheap. Regan, I'm bleeding badly:
this is a bad time to be wounded: give me your arm.
Second Servant
I'll never care what wickedness I do,
If this man come to good.
I'll never care about doing wicked things,
if this man comes to judgement.
Third Servant
If she live long,
And in the end meet the old course of death,
Women will all turn monsters.
If a woman lives long enough,
and finds a natural death,
she will always become a monster.
Second Servant
Let's follow the old earl, and get the Bedlam
To lead him where he would: his roguish madness
Allows itself to any thing.
Let's follow the old earl, and let the madman
lead him where he wants: his strange madness
permits him to do anything.
Third Servant
Go thou: I'll fetch some flax and whites of eggs
To apply to his bleeding face. Now, heaven help him!
Exeunt severally
You go: I'll get some flax and egg whites
to treat his bleeding face. Now, may heaven help him!
Enter EDGAR
EDGAR
Yet better thus, and known to be contemn'd,
Than still contemn'd and flatter'd. To be worst,
The lowest and most dejected thing of fortune,
Stands still in esperance, lives not in fear:
The lamentable change is from the best;
The worst returns to laughter. Welcome, then,
Thou unsubstantial air that I embrace!
The wretch that thou hast blown unto the worst
Owes nothing to thy blasts. But who comes here?
Enter GLOUCESTER, led by an Old Man
My father, poorly led? World, world, O world!
But that thy strange mutations make us hate thee,
Life would not yield to age.
It's better to be like this, knowing you are dammed,
than to be dammed but think you're not because of flattery. To be the worst,
the lowest and most badly treated by Fortune,
the horrible change is for the best;
things can only get better. So welcome
you empty air that I embrace:
the wretch that you have blown into the worst situation
cannot be blown any further. But who's this coming?
My father, led like a beggar? World, world, oh world!
Your strange changes make us hate you
and make us reconciled to the fact that we shall die.
Old Man
O, my good lord, I have been your tenant, and
your father's tenant, these fourscore years.
Oh my good lord, I have been your tenant, and
your father's tenant, the past eighty years.
GLOUCESTER
Away, get thee away; good friend, be gone:
Thy comforts can do me no good at all;
Thee they may hurt.
Go away, go away; good friend, go away:
you cannot help me
and you are putting yourself in danger.
Old Man
Alack, sir, you cannot see your way.
Alas, sir, you cannot see where you're going.
GLOUCESTER
I have no way, and therefore want no eyes;
I stumbled when I saw: full oft 'tis seen,
Our means secure us, and our mere defects
Prove our commodities. O dear son Edgar,
The food of thy abused father's wrath!
Might I but live to see thee in my touch,
I'ld say I had eyes again!
I have nowhere to go, and so I don't need eyes;
when I could see I stumbled: it often happens
that when things are going well we become complacent,
hardship can point us to the truth. Oh my dear son Edgar,
the subject of your abused father's anger!
If I could live to feel your hand again,
it would be as good as having my eyes back!
Old Man
How now! Who's there?
What's that! Who's there?
EDGAR
[Aside] O gods! Who is't can say 'I am at
the worst'?
I am worse than e'er I was.
Oh gods! Who can say, “I've hit rock bottom"?
Now things are worse than ever.
Old Man
'Tis poor mad Tom.
It's poor mad Tom.
EDGAR
[Aside] And worse I may be yet: the worst is not
So long as we can say 'This is the worst.'
And I may be worse still: as long as we can say
“this is the worst," we have not reached the bottom.
Old Man
Fellow, where goest?
Where are you going, my man?
GLOUCESTER
Is it a beggar-man?
Is it a beggar?
Old Man
Madman and beggar too.
A beggar and a madman too.
GLOUCESTER
He has some reason, else he could not beg.
I' the last night's storm I such a fellow saw;
Which made me think a man a worm: my son
Came then into my mind; and yet my mind
Was then scarce friends with him: I have heard
more since.
As flies to wanton boys, are we to the gods.
They kill us for their sport.
He must have some sense, or he could not beg.
I saw a fellow like this in last night's storm;
he made me think men are only worms: then I thought
of my son; even though my mind
at that time hated him: I have heard differently since.
The gods treat us like cruel boys treat flies,
they kill us for fun.
EDGAR
[Aside] How should this be?
Bad is the trade that must play fool to sorrow,
Angering itself and others.--Bless thee, master!
How has it come to this?
It's a bad job when I have to be a fool in the face of all this sorrow,
annoying myself and others. Bless you, master!
GLOUCESTER
Is that the naked fellow?
Is that the naked fellow?
Old Man
Ay, my lord.
Yes, my lord.
GLOUCESTER
Then, prithee, get thee gone: if, for my sake,
Thou wilt o'ertake us, hence a mile or twain,
I' the way toward Dover, do it for ancient love;
And bring some covering for this naked soul,
Who I'll entreat to lead me.
Then, please go: if to help me
you should overtake us a mile or two from here
on the way towards Dover, do so for your old loyalty;
and bring some clothes for this naked man,
whom I'll ask to guide me.
Old Man
Alack, sir, he is mad.
Unfortunately, sir, he is mad.
GLOUCESTER
'Tis the times' plague, when madmen lead the blind.
Do as I bid thee, or rather do thy pleasure;
Above the rest, be gone.
It's a sign of these bad times, that madmen are leading the blind.
Do as I ask, or rather do what you wish;
most importantly, go.
Old Man
I'll bring him the best 'parel that I have,
Come on't what will.
Exit
I'll bring him the best clothes that I have,
whatever happens.
GLOUCESTER
Sirrah, naked fellow,--
Sir, you naked chap–
EDGAR
Poor Tom's a-cold.
Aside
I cannot daub it further.
Poor Tom's cold.
I can't keep this up any longer.
GLOUCESTER
Come hither, fellow.
Come here, fellow.
EDGAR
[Aside] And yet I must.--Bless thy sweet eyes, they bleed.
But I must.–Bless your sweet eyes, they are bleeding.
GLOUCESTER
Know'st thou the way to Dover?
Do you know the way to Dover?
EDGAR
Both stile and gate, horse-way and foot-path. Poor
Tom hath been scared out of his good wits: bless
thee, good man's son, from the foul fiend! five
fiends have been in poor Tom at once; of lust, as
Obidicut; Hobbididence, prince of dumbness; Mahu, of
stealing; Modo, of murder; Flibbertigibbet, of
mopping and mowing, who since possesses chambermaids
and waiting-women. So, bless thee, master!
I know the way by gates and stiles, bridle path and footpath.
Poor Tom has been scared out of his mind: you good man's
son, may the gods save you from the devil! Poor Tom
has been possessed by five devils at once; the lustful one,
Obidicut; Hobbididence, the dumb one; Mahu, the thief;
Modo, the murderer; Flibbertigibbet, the
puller of faces, who now possesses chambermaids
and serving girls. So, bless you, master!
GLOUCESTER
Here, take this purse, thou whom the heavens' plagues
Have humbled to all strokes: that I am wretched
Makes thee the happier: heavens, deal so still!
Let the superfluous and lust-dieted man,
That slaves your ordinance, that will not see
Because he doth not feel, feel your power quickly;
So distribution should undo excess,
And each man have enough. Dost thou know Dover?
Here, take this purse, you whom the gods have treated so badly
that you accept all misfortunes: my wretchedness
should make you happier: gods, keep it like this!
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Let the overfed and greedy man,
who disrespects your position, who is blind
through lack of empathy, get some feelings;
that way sharing would remedy greed
and each man would have enough. Do you know Dover?
EDGAR
Ay, master.
Yes, master.
GLOUCESTER
There is a cliff, whose high and bending head
Looks fearfully in the confined deep:
Bring me but to the very brim of it,
And I'll repair the misery thou dost bear
With something rich about me: from that place
I shall no leading need.
There is a cliff whose high overhanging head
looks terrifyingly down into the channeled sea:
just bring me to the very edge of it
and I'll pay you for your pains
with one of my treasures: I shall not need
to be led away from that place.
EDGAR
Give me thy arm:
Poor Tom shall lead thee.
Exeunt
Give me your arm:
Poor Tom will lead you.
Enter GONERIL and EDMUND
GONERIL
Welcome, my lord: I marvel our mild husband