The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated)
Page 677
that our wandering eyes direct our minds.
When you wander from the path you must make mistakes; so we see
that minds governed by eyes are depraved.
THERSITES.
A proof of strength she could not publish more,
Unless she said 'My mind is now turn'd whore.'
She couldn't give clearer evidence,
unless she said, ‘I have now become a whore.'
ULYSSES.
All's done, my lord.
It's over, my lord.
TROILUS.
It is.
It is.
ULYSSES.
Why stay we, then?
Why are we staying, then?
TROILUS.
To make a recordation to my soul
Of every syllable that here was spoke.
But if I tell how these two did coact,
Shall I not lie in publishing a truth?
Sith yet there is a credence in my heart,
An esperance so obstinately strong,
That doth invert th' attest of eyes and ears;
As if those organs had deceptious functions
Created only to calumniate.
Was Cressid here?
To make sure I clearly remember
every syllable that was spoken here.
But if I tell how these two carried on together,
won't I be lying when publishing the truth?
Since there is still a belief in my heart,
a hope so obstinately strong,
that it rejects the proof of eyes and ears,
as if those organs were deceivers,
created only to slander.
Was Cressida here?
ULYSSES.
I cannot conjure, Troyan.
I'm not a magician, Trojan, I couldn't have conjured her up.
TROILUS.
She was not, sure.
I'm sure she wasn't.
ULYSSES.
Most sure she was.
She definitely was.
TROILUS.
Why, my negation hath no taste of madness.
My denial of this is not madness.
ULYSSES.
Nor mine, my lord. Cressid was here but now.
Nor is what I say, my lord. Cressida was here just now.
TROILUS.
Let it not be believ'd for womanhood.
Think, we had mothers; do not give advantage
To stubborn critics, apt, without a theme,
For depravation, to square the general sex
By Cressid's rule. Rather think this not Cressid.
Let no one believe that, for the sake of womanhood!
Think, we had mothers. Don't give ammunition
to harsh critics, who will, when they don't have
specific grounds to accuse women, will say they are all
like Cressida. Better to think that this wasn't Cressida.
ULYSSES.
What hath she done, Prince, that can soil our mothers?
What has she done, Prince, that can stain our mothers?
TROILUS.
Nothing at all, unless that this were she.
Nothing at all, unless this was her.
THERSITES.
Will 'a swagger himself out on's own eyes?
Is he going to talk himself out of believing the evidence of his own eyes?
TROILUS.
This she? No; this is Diomed's Cressida.
If beauty have a soul, this is not she;
If souls guide vows, if vows be sanctimonies,
If sanctimony be the god's delight,
If there be rule in unity itself,
This was not she. O madness of discourse,
That cause sets up with and against itself!
Bifold authority! where reason can revolt
Without perdition, and loss assume all reason
Without revolt: this is, and is not, Cressid.
Within my soul there doth conduce a fight
Of this strange nature, that a thing inseparate
Divides more wider than the sky and earth;
And yet the spacious breadth of this division
Admits no orifex for a point as subtle
As Ariachne's broken woof to enter.
Instance, O instance! strong as Pluto's gates:
Cressid is mine, tied with the bonds of heaven.
Instance, O instance! strong as heaven itself:
The bonds of heaven are slipp'd, dissolv'd, and loos'd;
And with another knot, five-finger-tied,
The fractions of her faith, orts of her love,
The fragments, scraps, the bits, and greasy relics
Of her o'er-eaten faith, are bound to Diomed.
This one? No, this is Diomedes' Cressida.
If beauty has a soul, this is not her;
if souls keep vows, if vows are holy,
if holiness delights the gods,
if things can only be one thing,
this was not her. What a mad argument,
that sets up arguments for and against itself!
A complete contradiction, when reasoning can
contradict itself without damaging itself,
and when unreasonableness can seem rational
without contradiction! This is and is not Cressida.
There is a fight going on within my soul
of a strange type, thinking that an indivisible thing
has been divided wider than the sky and earth,
and yet the great gap this has created
hasn't given the space big enough for something as small
as a spider's web to go through it.
As an example, as strong as the gates of hell,
Cressida is mine, tied to me with heavenly bonds;
as an example,as strong as heaven itself,
the bonds of heaven have been thrown off,
and another knot, impossible to untie,
has bound the fragments of her faith, the leftovers of her love,
all the filthy greasy scraps of the meal of her
finished fidelity, to Diomedes.
ULYSSES.
May worthy Troilus be half-attach'd
With that which here his passion doth express?
Is worthy Troilus half as much moved
as he appears to be?
TROILUS.
Ay, Greek; and that shall be divulged well
In characters as red as Mars his heart
Inflam'd with Venus. Never did young man fancy
With so eternal and so fix'd a soul.
Hark, Greek: as much as I do Cressid love,
So much by weight hate I her Diomed.
That sleeve is mine that he'll bear on his helm;
Were it a casque compos'd by Vulcan's skill
My sword should bite it. Not the dreadful spout
Which shipmen do the hurricano call,
Constring'd in mass by the almighty sun,
Shall dizzy with more clamour Neptune's ear
In his descent than shall my prompted sword
Falling on Diomed.
Yes, Greek; and I'll show my passion
with actions as bloody as the heart of Mars
inflamed with Venus. No young man ever loved
with such constancy and fidelity.
Listen, Greek: the amount that I love Cressida,
that's the same amount I hate Diomedes.
He will wear my cuff on his helmet;
if that was a headpiece made by Vulcan
my sword would still cut into it. The dreadful waterspout
which sailors call a hurricane,
with its weight compressed by the almighty sun,
won't make more noise as it tears up the sea
than my sword will when it falls on Diomedes.
THERSITES.
He'll tickle it for his concupy.
He'lltickle it in revenge for his whore.
TROILUS.
O Cressid! O false
Cressid! false, false, false!
Let all untruths stand by thy stained name,
And they'll seem glorious.
O Cressida! Oh false Cressida! False, false, false!
Let all lies stand next to your stained name,
it will make them seem wonderful.
ULYSSES.
O, contain yourself;
Your passion draws ears hither.
O, control yourself;
your passion is attracting attention.
Enter AENEAS
AENEAS.
I have been seeking you this hour, my lord.
Hector, by this, is arming him in Troy;
Ajax, your guard, stays to conduct you home.
I have been looking for you for an hour, my lord.
By this time Hector is arming himself in Troy.
Ajax, your guard, is waiting to escort you home.
TROILUS.
Have with you, Prince. My courteous lord, adieu.
Fairwell, revolted fair!-and, Diomed,
Stand fast and wear a castle on thy head.
I'm coming, Prince. My sweet lord, goodbye.
Farewell, faceless beauty! And, Diomedes,
get ready and wear a strong helmet.
ULYSSES.
I'll bring you to the gates.
I'll come with you to the gates.
TROILUS.
Accept distracted thanks.
I give you my thanks, though my mind is elsewhere.
Exeunt TROILUS, AENEAS. and ULYSSES
THERSITES.
Would I could meet that rogue Diomed! I would croak like
a raven; I would bode, I would bode. Patroclus will give me
anything for the intelligence of this whore; the parrot will not
do more for an almond than he for a commodious drab. Lechery,
lechery! Still wars and lechery! Nothing else holds fashion. A
burning devil take them!
Exit
I wish I could fight that rogue Diomedes! I would croak like
a raven, I would foretell disaster. Patroclus will give me
anything I want for information about this whore; he'll do as much
to get a willing tart as a parrot will for an almond. Lechery,
lechery! Still wars and lechery! Nothing else is in fashion.
May the devil take them off to hell!
Enter HECTOR and ANDROMACHE
ANDROMACHE.
When was my lord so much ungently temper'd
To stop his ears against admonishment?
Unarm, unarm, and do not fight to-day.
Since when has my lord become so impolite
now he won't listen to advice?
Take your armour off, and do not fight today.
HECTOR.
You train me to offend you; get you in.
By all the everlasting gods, I'll go.
You're asking me to offend you; go inside.
By all the eternal gods, I'll go.
ANDROMACHE.
My dreams will, sure, prove ominous to the day.
I'm sure my dreams will prove prophetic about this day.
HECTOR.
No more, I say.
I'm telling you, no more.
Enter CASSANDRA
CASSANDRA.
Where is my brother Hector?
Where is my brother Hector?
ANDROMACHE.
Here, sister, arm'd, and bloody in intent.
Consort with me in loud and dear petition,
Pursue we him on knees; for I have dreamt
Of bloody turbulence, and this whole night
Hath nothing been but shapes and forms of slaughter.
Here, sister, armed, and with bloody intentions.
Join me in a loud and passionate petition;
let's follow him on our knees; for I have dreamt
of bloody disturbances, and all night long
I have seen nothing but visions of slaughter.
CASSANDRA.
O, 'tis true!
Oh, it's true!
HECTOR.
Ho! bid my trumpet sound.
Ho! Tell them to blow my trumpet.
CASSANDRA.
No notes of sally, for the heavens, sweet brother!
No orders to attack, for heaven's sake, sweet brother!
HECTOR.
Be gone, I say. The gods have heard me swear.
I'm telling you, go away. I have sworn to the gods.
CASSANDRA.
The gods are deaf to hot and peevish vows;
They are polluted off'rings, more abhorr'd
Than spotted livers in the sacrifice.
The gods don't listen to angry and foolish vows;
they are polluted offerings, more hated
than offering diseased animals for sacrifice.
ANDROMACHE.
O, be persuaded! Do not count it holy
To hurt by being just. It is as lawful,
For we would give much, to use violent thefts
And rob in the behalf of charity.
Oh, listen to her! Don't think that it's holy
to cause hurt by sticking to a vow. It would be just as lawful
to commit violent thefts just because
we wanted to give lots of charity.
CASSANDRA.
It is the purpose that makes strong the vow;
But vows to every purpose must not hold.
Unarm, sweet Hector.
The reason for the vow is what makes it sacred;
but not every reason makes every vow sacred.
Disarm, sweet Hector.
HECTOR.
Hold you still, I say.
Mine honour keeps the weather of my fate.
Life every man holds dear; but the dear man
Holds honour far more precious dear than life.
Enter TROILUS
How now, young man! Mean'st thou to fight to-day?
Keep quiet, I say.
My honour is superior to my life.
Every man thinks life is good; but the good man
think honour is far more good than life.
Hello there, young man! Do you mean to fight today?
ANDROMACHE.
Cassandra, call my father to persuade.
Cassandra, call my father to reason with him.
Exit CASSANDRA
HECTOR.
No, faith, young Troilus; doff thy harness, youth;
I am to-day i' th' vein of chivalry.
Let grow thy sinews till their knots be strong,
And tempt not yet the brushes of the war.
Unarm thee, go; and doubt thou not, brave boy,
I'll stand to-day for thee and me and Troy.
No, indeed, young Troilus; take off your armour, young man;
today I am in the mood for knightly deeds.
Let your muscles grow until they are stronger,
and don't yet attempt the dangers of war.
Disarm yourself, go; and do not doubt, brave boy,
today I will represent you and me and Troy.
TROILUS.
Brother, you have a vice of mercy in you
Which better fits a lion than a man.
Brother, you have a weakness of mercy in you
which is more suited to a lion than a man.
HECTOR.
What vice is that, good Troilus?
Chide me for it.
What weaknesses is that, good Troilus?
Tell me off for it.
TROILUS.
When many times the captive Grecian falls,
Even in the fan and wind of your fair sword,
You bid them rise and live.
Often when the miserable Greek falls,
right within the reach of your great sword,
you tell them to get up and live.
HECTOR.
O, 'tis fair play!
Oh, that's fair play!
TROILUS.
Fool's play, by
heaven, Hector.
Fool's play, I swear, Hector.
HECTOR.
How now! how now!
What! What!
TROILUS.
For th' love of all the gods,
Let's leave the hermit Pity with our mother;
And when we have our armours buckled on,
The venom'd vengeance ride upon our swords,
Spur them to ruthful work, rein them from ruth!
For the love of all gods,
let's leave the holy pity at home with our mother;
and when we have strapped on our armour,
let poisonous vengeance drive our swords onwards
to terrible work, don't let them show pity!
HECTOR.
Fie, savage, fie!
Enough, savage, enough!
TROILUS.
Hector, then 'tis wars.
Hector, this is war.
HECTOR.
Troilus, I would not have you fight to-day.
Troilus, I don't want you to fight today.
TROILUS.
Who should withhold me?
Not fate, obedience, nor the hand of Mars
Beck'ning with fiery truncheon my retire;
Not Priamus and Hecuba on knees,
Their eyes o'ergalled with recourse of tears;
Nor you, my brother, with your true sword drawn,
Oppos'd to hinder me, should stop my way,
But by my ruin.