The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated)

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The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) Page 646

by William Shakespeare


  TAMORA.

  What beg'st thou, then? Fond woman, let me go.

  What are you begging for then? Foolish woman, let me go.

  LAVINIA.

  'Tis present death I beg; and one thing more,

  That womanhood denies my tongue to tell:

  O, keep me from their worse than killing lust,

  And tumble me into some loathsome pit,

  Where never man's eye may behold my body;

  Do this, and be a charitable murderer.

  I'm begging for instant death; and another thing,

  that my womanhood forbids me from speaking:

  oh, save me from their lust which is worse than death,

  and throw me into some horrid pit,

  where no man can ever look at my body;

  do this, and be a kind murderer.

  TAMORA.

  So should I rob my sweet sons of their fee;

  No, let them satisfy their lust on thee.

  That would rob my sweet sons of their rewards;

  no, let them satisfy their lusts with you.

  DEMETRIUS.

  Away! for thou hast stay'd us here too long.

  Let's go! You have kept us here too long.

  LAVINIA.

  No grace? no womanhood? Ah, beastly creature,

  The blot and enemy to our general name!

  Confusion fall-

  No kindness? No womanhood? Oh you horrible creature,

  a stain on the reputation of womankind!

  CHIRON.

  Nay, then I'll stop your mouth. Bring thou her husband.

  This is the hole where Aaron bid us hide him.

  DEMETRIUS throws the body

  of BASSIANUS into the pit; then exeunt

  DEMETRIUS and CHIRON, dragging off LAVINIA

  Right, I'll shut your mouth. You bring her husband.

  This is the hole where Aaron told us to hide him.

  TAMORA.

  Farewell, my sons; see that you make her sure.

  Ne'er let my heart know merry cheer indeed

  Till all the Andronici be made away.

  Now will I hence to seek my lovely Moor,

  And let my spleenful sons this trull deflower.

  Exit

  Re-enter AARON, with two

  of TITUS' sons, QUINTUS and MARTIUS

  Goodbye, my sons; make sure she can't give anything away.

  May my heart never be happy

  until all the family of Andronicus are finished.

  Now I will go and find my lovely Moor,

  and let my vicious sons deflower this slut.

  AARON.

  Come on, my lords, the better foot before;

  Straight will I bring you to the loathsome pit

  Where I espied the panther fast asleep.

  Come on, my lords, best foot forward;

  I'll bring you straight to the horrible pit

  where I saw the panther fast asleep.

  QUINTUS.

  My sight is very dull, whate'er it bodes.

  My sight feels very cloudy, whatever that means.

  MARTIUS.

  And mine, I promise you; were it not for shame,

  Well could I leave our sport to sleep awhile.

  [Falls into the pit]

  And mine, I can tell you; if it wasn't that I would be embarrassed

  I could easily leave the hunt to have a little sleep.

  QUINTUS.

  What, art thou fallen? What subtle hole is this,

  Whose mouth is covered with rude-growing briers,

  Upon whose leaves are drops of new-shed blood

  As fresh as morning dew distill'd on flowers?

  A very fatal place it seems to me.

  Speak, brother, hast thou hurt thee with the fall?

  What, have you fallen? What cunning hole is this,

  whose mouth is covered with rough brambles,

  whose leaves are covered with drops of newly shed blood

  as fresh as the morning dew settling on the flowers?

  It seems a very deadly place to me.

  Speak to me, brother, have you hurt yourself in falling?

  MARTIUS.

  O brother, with the dismal'st object hurt

  That ever eye with sight made heart lament!

  O brother, I have been hurt by the most dismal thing

  that was ever seen to make the heart grieve.

  AARON.

  [Aside] Now will I fetch the King to find them here,

  That he thereby may have a likely guess

  How these were they that made away his brother.

  Exit

  Now I'll bring the king here to find them,

  so that he will think it's probable

  that they were the ones who killed his brother.

  MARTIUS.

  Why dost not comfort me, and help me out

  From this unhallow'd and blood-stained hole?

  Why don't you assist me and help me out

  of this devilish bloodstained hole?

  QUINTUS.

  I am surprised with an uncouth fear;

  A chilling sweat o'er-runs my trembling joints;

  My heart suspects more than mine eye can see.

  I ambewildered by a strange fear;

  a cold sweat runs over my trembling limbs;

  my heart suspects there is more to this than meets the eye.

  MARTIUS.

  To prove thou hast a true divining heart,

  Aaron and thou look down into this den,

  And see a fearful sight of blood and death.

  To prove these suspicions of your heart are correct,

  you and Aaron should look down into this pit,

  and see a terrible vision of blood and death.

  QUINTUS.

  Aaron is gone, and my compassionate heart

  Will not permit mine eyes once to behold

  The thing whereat it trembles by surmise;

  O, tell me who it is, for ne'er till now

  Was I a child to fear I know not what.

  Aaron has gone, and my sorrowing heart

  will not allow my eyes to look at

  the thing it fearfully thinks is there;

  oh, tell me who it is, for never before

  have I suffered such a nameless fear.

  MARTIUS.

  Lord Bassianus lies beray'd in blood,

  All on a heap, like to a slaughtered lamb,

  In this detested, dark, blood-drinking pit.

  Lord Bassianus lies covered in blood,

  all in a heap, like a slaughtered lamb,

  in this foul, dark, blood drinking pit.

  QUINTUS.

  If it be dark, how dost thou know 'tis he?

  If it's dark, how do you know it's him?

  MARTIUS.

  Upon his bloody finger he doth wear

  A precious ring that lightens all this hole,

  Which, like a taper in some monument,

  Doth shine upon the dead man's earthy cheeks,

  And shows the ragged entrails of this pit;

  So pale did shine the moon on Pyramus

  When he by night lay bath'd in maiden blood.

  O brother, help me with thy fainting hand-

  If fear hath made thee faint, as me it hath-

  Out of this fell devouring receptacle,

  As hateful as Cocytus' misty mouth.

  On his bloody finger he is wearing

  a precious ring that lights up this pit,

  which, like a lighted candle on a tomb,

  shines on the dead man's pale cheeks,

  and shows the rough insides of this hole.

  This is how the pale moon shone on Pyramus

  when he lay in the night bathed in maiden's blood.

  O brother, help me with your trembling hand–

  if fear has made you tremble, as it has me–

  out of this horrible swallowing place,

  as revolting as the mouth of hell.

  QU
INTUS.

  Reach me thy hand, that I may help thee out,

  Or, wanting strength to do thee so much good,

  I may be pluck'd into the swallowing womb

  Of this deep pit, poor Bassianus' grave.

  I have no strength to pluck thee to the brink.

  Give me your hand so I can help you out,

  or, if I don't have the strength to help you,

  I may be pulled down into the devouring womb

  of this deep pit, the grave of poor Bassianus.

  MARTIUS.

  Nor I no strength to climb without thy help.

  I don't have the strength to climb out without your help.

  QUINTUS.

  Thy hand once more; I will not loose again,

  Till thou art here aloft, or I below.

  Thou canst not come to me- I come to thee. [Falls in]

  Give me your hand again; I won't let go again

  until you're up here, or I'm down there.

  You can't come up to me–I'm coming down to you.

  Enter the EMPEROR and AARON the Moor

  SATURNINUS. Along with me! I'll see what hole is here,

  And what he is that now is leapt into it.

  Say, who art thou that lately didst descend

  Into this gaping hollow of the earth?

  Follow me! I'll see what this pit is,

  and who that is who just leapt into it.

  Speak, who are you who just went in

  to this hollow in the earth?

  MARTIUS.

  The unhappy sons of old Andronicus,

  Brought hither in a most unlucky hour,

  To find thy brother Bassianus dead.

  The unfortunate sons of old Andronicus,

  brought here at a very unlucky time,

  to find your brother Bassianus dead.

  SATURNINUS.

  My brother dead! I know thou dost but jest:

  He and his lady both are at the lodge

  Upon the north side of this pleasant chase;

  'Tis not an hour since I left them there.

  My brother dead! I know you're only joking:

  he and his lady are both at the lodge

  on the north side of this pleasant hunting ground;

  I left them there less than an hour ago.

  MARTIUS.

  We know not where you left them all alive;

  But, out alas! here have we found him dead.

  Re-enter TAMORA, with

  attendants; TITUS ANDRONICUS and Lucius

  We don't know where you left them alive;

  but now alas we have found him here dead.

  TAMORA.

  Where is my lord the King?

  Where is my lord the King?

  SATURNINUS.

  Here, Tamora; though griev'd with killing grief.

  Here, Tamora; though I am saddened with deadly grief.

  TAMORA.

  Where is thy brother Bassianus?

  Where is your brother Bassianus?

  SATURNINUS.

  Now to the bottom dost thou search my wound;

  Poor Bassianus here lies murdered.

  Now you're probing my wound to its depths;

  poor Bassianus is lying here murdered.

  TAMORA.

  Then all too late I bring this fatal writ,

  The complot of this timeless tragedy;

  And wonder greatly that man's face can fold

  In pleasing smiles such murderous tyranny.

  [She giveth SATURNINE a letter]

  Then I have brought this fatal paper too late,

  which shows the conspiracy which caused this untimely tragedy;

  and I'm amazed that a man's face can hide

  such murderous evil behind sweet smiles.

  SATURNINUS.

  [Reads] 'An if we miss to meet him handsomely,

  Sweet huntsman- Bassianus 'tis we mean-

  Do thou so much as dig the grave for him.

  Thou know'st our meaning. Look for thy reward

  Among the nettles at the elder-tree

  Which overshades the mouth of that same pit

  Where we decreed to bury Bassianus.

  Do this, and purchase us thy lasting friends.'

  O Tamora! was ever heard the like?

  This is the pit and this the elder-tree.

  Look, sirs, if you can find the huntsman out

  That should have murdered Bassianus here.

  ‘And if we don't run across him,

  sweet huntsman–we mean Bassianus–

  then you should dig a grave for him.

  You know what I mean. Look for your reward

  amongst the nettles at the foot of the elderberry tree

  which hangs over the mouth of the same pit

  where we have decided to bury Bassianus.

  Do this, and win our eternal friendship.’

  Oh Tamora! Did you ever hear anything like it?

  Here is the pit and here is the elderberry tree.

  Sirs, try and discover the huntsman

  who would've murdered Bassianus here.

  AARON.

  My gracious lord, here is the bag of gold.

  My gracious lord, here is the bag of gold.

  SATURNINUS.

  [To TITUS] Two of thy whelps, fell curs of bloody

  kind,

  Have here bereft my brother of his life.

  Sirs, drag them from the pit unto the prison;

  There let them bide until we have devis'd

  Some never-heard-of torturing pain for them.

  Two of your puppies, disgusting bloody curs,

  have taken my brother's life here.

  Gentlemen, drag them out of the pit and take them to the prison;

  let them stay there until I have invented

  some unprecedented form of torture for them.

  TAMORA.

  What, are they in this pit? O wondrous thing!

  How easily murder is discovered!

  What, are they in this pit? How amazing!

  How easily murder is found out!

  TITUS.

  High Emperor, upon my feeble knee

  I beg this boon, with tears not lightly shed,

  That this fell fault of my accursed sons-

  Accursed if the fault be prov'd in them-

  High Emperor, on my weak knees

  I beg this favour, with tears I don't shed lightly:

  that this terrible crime of my accursed sons–

  accursed if they are proved to have committed the crime–

  SATURNINUS.

  If it be prov'd! You see it is apparent.

  Who found this letter? Tamora, was it you?

  If it is proved! You can see it is obvious.

  Who found this letter? Tamora, was it you?

  TAMORA.

  Andronicus himself did take it up.

  Andronicus himself picked it up.

  TITUS.

  I did, my lord, yet let me be their bail;

  For, by my fathers' reverend tomb, I vow

  They shall be ready at your Highness' will

  To answer their suspicion with their lives.

  I did, my lord, but let me stand bail for them;

  I swear by the sacred tomb of my fathers

  that they shall be ready when your Highness desires

  to answer with their lives if they are guilty.

  SATURNINUS.

  Thou shalt not bail them; see thou follow me.

  Some bring the murdered body, some the murderers;

  Let them not speak a word- the guilt is plain;

  For, by my soul, were there worse end than death,

  That end upon them should be executed.

  You will not stand bail for them; make sure you follow me.

  Some of you bring the murdered body, some bring the murderers;

  don't let them speak a word–their guilt is obvious;

  I swear, if there was a worse thing than death

  I woul
d give it to them.

  TAMORA.

  Andronicus, I will entreat the King.

  Fear not thy sons; they shall do well enough.

  Andronicus, I will plead your case to the King.

  Don't worry for your sons; they will be all right.

  TITUS.

  Come, Lucius, come; stay not to talk with them.

  Exeunt

  Come on, Lucius, come; don't stop to talk with them.

  Enter the Empress' sons, DEMETRIUS and CHIRON, with LAVINIA, her hands cut off, and her tongue cut out, and ravish'd

  DEMETRIUS.

  So, now go tell, an if thy tongue can speak,

  Who 'twas that cut thy tongue and ravish'd thee.

  So, now go and tell tales, if your tongue can speak,

  tell them who cut your tongue out and raped you.

  CHIRON.

  Write down thy mind, bewray thy meaning so,

  An if thy stumps will let thee play the scribe.

  Write down what's in your mind, show your meaning that way,

  if your stumps will let you hold a pen.

  DEMETRIUS.

  See how with signs and tokens she can scrawl.

  Let's see what scribbles she can manage.

  CHIRON.

  Go home, call for sweet water, wash thy hands.

  Go home, call for rose water, wash your hands.

  DEMETRIUS.

  She hath no tongue to call, nor hands to wash;

  And so let's leave her to her silent walks.

  She has no tongue to call with, nor hands to wash;

 

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