The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated)
Page 651
CHIRON.
Belike, for joy the Emperor hath a son.
I expect it's from joy because the Emperor has had a son.
DEMETRIUS.
Soft! who comes here?
Enter NURSE, with a blackamoor CHILD
Wait!Who's this?
NURSE.
Good morrow, lords.
O, tell me, did you see Aaron the Moor?
Good day, lords.
Tell me, have you seen Aaron the Moor?
AARON.
Well, more or less, or ne'er a whit at all,
Here Aaron is; and what with Aaron now?
Well, I should think we have,
here's Aaron; and what do you what with him?
NURSE.
O gentle Aaron, we are all undone!
Now help, or woe betide thee evermore!
Oh sweet Aaron, we are all overthrown!
Now help, or you're lost forever!
AARON.
Why, what a caterwauling dost thou keep!
What dost thou wrap and fumble in thy arms?
What a racket you're making!
What's that you've got wrapped up in your arms?
NURSE.
O, that which I would hide from heaven's eye:
Our Empress' shame and stately Rome's disgrace!
She is delivered, lord; she is delivered.
Something which I would like to hide from the sight of heaven:
the shame of our Empress and the disgrace of great Rome!
She has had it, my lord.
AARON.
To whom?
Had who?
NURSE.
I mean she is brought a-bed.
I mean she's been confined to her bed..
AARON.
Well, God give her good rest! What hath he sent her?
Well, may God give her a good rest!What has he sent her?
NURSE.
A devil.
A devil.
AARON.
Why, then she is the devil's dam;
A joyful issue.
Why then, she's the devil's mother;
a happy result.
NURSE.
A joyless, dismal, black, and sorrowful issue!
Here is the babe, as loathsome as a toad
Amongst the fair-fac'd breeders of our clime;
The Empress sends it thee, thy stamp, thy seal,
And bids thee christen it with thy dagger's point.
A joyless, dismal, black and sorrowful result!
Here is the baby, as horrid as a toad
amongst the fair-faced parents of our region;
the Empress sends it to you, with your image stamped on it,
and tells you to christen it with the point of your dagger.
AARON.
Zounds, ye whore! Is black so base a hue?
Sweet blowse, you are a beauteous blossom sure.
Good heavens, you whore!Is black such a bad colour?
Sweet ruddiness, you are a lovely lad.
DEMETRIUS.
Villain, what hast thou done?
Villain, what have you done?
AARON.
That which thou canst not undo.
Something you can't undo.
CHIRON.
Thou hast undone our mother.
You have undone our mother.
AARON.
Villain, I have done thy mother.
Villain, I have done your mother.
DEMETRIUS.
And therein, hellish dog, thou hast undone her.
Woe to her chance, and damn'd her loathed choice!
Accurs'd the offspring of so foul a fiend!
And by doing so, you hellish dog, you have undone her.
What terrible luck, and what a horrible choice she made!
Curses on the child of such a devil!
CHIRON.
It shall not live.
It shall not live.
AARON.
It shall not die.
It shall not die.
NURSE.
Aaron, it must; the mother wills it so.
Aaron, it must; its mother orders it.
AARON.
What, must it, nurse? Then let no man but I
Do execution on my flesh and blood.
It must, must it nurse?Then let nobody but me
execute my own flesh and blood.
DEMETRIUS.
I'll broach the tadpole on my rapier's point.
Nurse, give it me; my sword shall soon dispatch it.
I'll stick the tadpole on the point of my rapier.
Nurse, give it to me; my sword will soon dispatch it.
AARON.
Sooner this sword shall plough thy bowels up.
[Takes the CHILD from the NURSE, and draws]
Stay, murderous villains, will you kill your brother!
Now, by the burning tapers of the sky
That shone so brightly when this boy was got,
He dies upon my scimitar's sharp point
That touches this my first-born son and heir.
I tell you, younglings, not Enceladus,
With all his threat'ning band of Typhon's brood,
Nor great Alcides, nor the god of war,
Shall seize this prey out of his father's hands.
What, what, ye sanguine, shallow-hearted boys!
Ye white-lim'd walls! ye alehouse painted signs!
Coal-black is better than another hue
In that it scorns to bear another hue;
For all the water in the ocean
Can never turn the swan's black legs to white,
Although she lave them hourly in the flood.
Tell the Empress from me I am of age
To keep mine own- excuse it how she can.
This sword will rip you open before you do.
Stop you murderous villains, will you kill your brother!
Now, by the stars in the sky,
that shone so brightly when this boy was conceived,
he dies on the sharp point of my scimitar
that touches my first born son and heir.
I tell you, youngsters, not Enceladus,
with all his threatening band of giants,
Nor great Alcides, nor the god of war,
shall seize this prey from his father's hands.
What, you red faced, shallow hearted boys!
You whitewashed walls!You crudely painted pictures!
Coal black is the best colour,
because it doesn't change to another colour.
All the water in the ocean
Can never turn the swan's black legs to white,
however long she washes them in the tides.
tell the Empress that I'm old enough to look
after this child myself; she must make whatever excuse she thinks best.
DEMETRIUS.
Wilt thou betray thy noble mistress thus?
Will you betray your noble mistress this way?
AARON.
My mistress is my mistress: this my self,
The vigour and the picture of my youth.
This before all the world do I prefer;
This maugre all the world will I keep safe,
Or some of you shall smoke for it in Rome.
My mistress is my mistress: this is myself,
a perfect copy of the strength of my childhood.
I prefer this above the whole world;
I shall keep this in the face of the whole world's opposition,
or some of you in Rome shall suffer for it.
DEMETRIUS.
By this our mother is for ever sham'd.
Our mother is eternally shamed by this.
CHIRON.
Rome will despise her for this foul escape.
Rome will despise her for this foul adventure.
NURSE.
The Emperor in his rage will doom her death.
The Emperor will sentence her to death in his rage.
I blush to think upon this ignomy.
I blush to think of the shame.
AARON.
Why, there's the privilege your beauty bears:
Fie, treacherous hue, that will betray with blushing
The close enacts and counsels of thy heart!
Here's a young lad fram'd of another leer.
Look how the black slave smiles upon the father,
As who should say 'Old lad, I am thine own.'
He is your brother, lords, sensibly fed
Of that self-blood that first gave life to you;
And from your womb where you imprisoned were
He is enfranchised and come to light.
Nay, he is your brother by the surer side,
Although my seal be stamped in his face.
Why, there's the privilege of your colour:
Pah, what a treacherous colour, that exposes by blushing,
the hidden thoughts and desires of your heart!
Here's a young lad painted with a different brush.
Look how the black slave smiles at his father,
as if he's saying, "Old lad, I am your own."
He is your brother, lords, clearly nurtured
by the same blood that gave you life;
from the womb where you were imprisoned
he has been set free and come to light.
There's no way to deny he is your brother,
even if my looks are stamped on his face.
NURSE.
Aaron, what shall I say unto the Empress?
Aaron, what shall I say to the Empress?
DEMETRIUS.
Advise thee, Aaron, what is to be done,
And we will all subscribe to thy advice.
Save thou the child, so we may all be safe.
You tell us, Aaron, what should be done,
and we will all follow your advice.
Save the child, provided you can keep us all safe.
AARON.
Then sit we down and let us all consult.
My son and I will have the wind of you:
Keep there; now talk at pleasure of your safety.
[They sit]
So let's sit down and decide what to do.
My son and I have our eye on you:
stay there; now talk of your preservation how you wish.
DEMETRIUS.
How many women saw this child of his?
How many women saw this child of his?
AARON.
Why, so, brave lords! When we join in league
I am a lamb; but if you brave the Moor,
The chafed boar, the mountain lioness,
The ocean swells not so as Aaron storms.
But say, again, how many saw the child?
What's this, brave lords!If we work together
I'll be a lamb; but if you challenge the Moor,
the angry boar, the mountain lioness,
the ocean, will not rage like Aaron.
But, tell us, how many saw the child?
NURSE.
Cornelia the midwife and myself;
And no one else but the delivered Empress.
The midwife Cornelia and myself;
nobody else but the Empress who gave birth.
AARON.
The Emperess, the midwife, and yourself.
Two may keep counsel when the third's away:
Go to the Empress, tell her this I said. [He kills her]
Weeke weeke!
So cries a pig prepared to the spit.
The Empress, the midwife, and you.
Two can keep their secret when the third's not there:
go to the Empress and tell her I said this [He kills her]
Wee wee!
So the pig cries when it's spitted.
DEMETRIUS.
What mean'st thou, Aaron? Wherefore didst thou this?
What are you doing, Aaron?Why did you do this?
AARON.
O Lord, sir, 'tis a deed of policy.
Shall she live to betray this guilt of ours-
A long-tongu'd babbling gossip? No, lords, no.
And now be it known to you my full intent:
Not far, one Muliteus, my countryman-
His wife but yesternight was brought to bed;
His child is like to her, fair as you are.
Go pack with him, and give the mother gold,
And tell them both the circumstance of all,
And how by this their child shall be advanc'd,
And be received for the Emperor's heir
And substituted in the place of mine,
To calm this tempest whirling in the court;
And let the Emperor dandle him for his own.
Hark ye, lords. You see I have given her physic,
[Pointing to the NURSE]
And you must needs bestow her funeral;
The fields are near, and you are gallant grooms.
This done, see that you take no longer days,
But send the midwife presently to me.
The midwife and the nurse well made away,
Then let the ladies tattle what they please.
Oh Lord, sir, it's the strategic thing to do.
Should she live to betray our guilt -
a wagging-tongued gossip? No, lords, no.
And now I'll tell you my whole plan:
Not far from here there's my countryman Muliteus-
his wife went into labour just last night;
his child is like her, as fair as you are.
Go and plot with him, and give the mother gold,
and tell them both what's going on,
and how their child shall be advanced,
and be taken as the Emperor's heir
and put in place of my own child,
to calm this great storm in the court;
let the Emperor raise him as his own.
Listen, lords. You see I have given her medicine,
and you will have to organise her funeral;
the fields are close, and you are noble pallbearers.
When you've done that, don't delay any further,
but send the midwife to me at once.
Once the midwife and the nurse have been disposed of
let the gossips say what they please.
CHIRON.
Aaron, I see thou wilt not trust the air
With secrets.
Aaron, I see you won't let any secrets get out.
DEMETRIUS.
For this care of Tamora,
Herself and hers are highly bound to thee.
Exeunt DEMETRIUS and CHIRON, bearing off the dead NURSE
For taking such care of Tamora,
she and her family are greatly indebted to you.
AARON.
Now to the Goths, as swift as swallow flies,
There to dispose this treasure in mine arms,
And secretly to greet the Empress' friends.
Come on, you thick-lipp'd slave, I'll bear you hence;
For it is you that puts us to our shifts.
I'll make you feed on berries and on roots,
And feed on curds and whey, and suck the goat,
And cabin in a cave, and bring you up
To be a warrior and command a camp.
Exit with the CHILD
Now I shall go to the Goths, as quick as the swallow flies,
to hide this treasure I hold in my arms,
and to secretly meet the Empress' friends.
Come on, you thick-lipped slave, I'll carry you away;
You're the one causing all this commotion.
I'll feed you on roots and berries,
curds and whey, you shall suckle from a goat,
and live in a cave, and I'll bring you up
to be a warrior and command an army.
Enter TITUS, bearing arrows with letters on the ends of them; with him MARCUS, YOUNG LUCIUS, and other gentlemen, PUBLIUS, SEMPRONIUS, and CAIUS, with bows
TITUS.
Come, Marcus, come; kinsmen, this is the way.
Sir boy, let me see your archery;
Look ye draw home enough, and 'tis there straight.
Terras Astrea reliquit,
Be you rememb'red, Marcus; she's gone, she's fled.
Sirs, take you to your tools. You, cousins, shall
Go sound the ocean and cast your nets;
Happily you may catch her in the sea;
Yet there's as little justice as at land.
No; Publius and Sempronius, you must do it;
'Tis you must dig with mattock and with spade,
And pierce the inmost centre of the earth;
Then, when you come to Pluto's region,
I pray you deliver him this petition.
Tell him it is for justice and for aid,
And that it comes from old Andronicus,
Shaken with sorrows in ungrateful Rome.
Ah, Rome! Well, well, I made thee miserable
What time I threw the people's suffrages
On him that thus doth tyrannize o'er me.
Go get you gone; and pray be careful all,
And leave you not a man-of-war unsearch'd.
This wicked Emperor may have shipp'd her hence;
And, kinsmen, then we may go pipe for justice.
Come on Marcus, come; kinsmen, this is the way.
You boy, let me see your archery;
make sure you draw the bow far enough back and you'll hit the target.
Astrea has left the earth,
Remember that, Marcus; she's gone, she's fled.
Sirs, get your tools ready.You, cousins, will
go and throw your nets into the ocean;