The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated)
Page 38
Lady, you are not being kind,
you should give back good for bad, blessings for curses.
ANNE.
Villain, thou knowest nor law of God nor man:
No beast so fierce but knows some touch of pity.
Villain, you don't obey the laws of God or man:
there is no animal so fierce that he doesn't feel some pity.
RICHARD.
But I know none, and therefore am no beast.
But I feel no pity, and so I am not an animal.
ANNE.
O wonderful, when devils tell the truth!
Amazing, when devils tell the truth!
RICHARD.
More wonderful when angels are so angry.
Vouchsafe, divine perfection of a woman,
Of these supposed crimes to give me leave
By circumstance but to acquit myself.
More amazing when angels are so angry.
Explain, you heavenly perfect woman,
what crimes I'm supposed to have committed,
so that I can give you proof of my innocence.
ANNE.
Vouchsafe, diffus'd infection of a man,
Of these known evils but to give me leave
By circumstance to accuse thy cursed self.
I will explain, you disease of a man,
the well-known facts of the matter just to
give myself permission to accuse you.
RICHARD.
Fairer than tongue can name thee, let me have
Some patient leisure to excuse myself.
Lady more beautiful than words can say,
give me a chance to excuse myself.
ANNE.
Fouler than heart can think thee, thou canst make
No excuse current but to hang thyself.
Man uglier than the heart could imagine,
the only way you could excuse yourself this is by hanging yourself.
RICHARD.
By such despair I should accuse myself.
If I did such a thing I would be accusing myself.
ANNE.
And by despairing shalt thou stand excused
For doing worthy vengeance on thyself
That didst unworthy slaughter upon others.
And by doing it you would be acquitted
for taking proper revenge on yourself
who unjustly slaughtered others.
RICHARD.
Say that I slew them not?
What if it wasn't me who killed them?
ANNE.
Then say they were not slain.
But dead they are, and, devilish slave, by thee.
Then they wouldn't be dead.
But they are dead, and, devil's slave, you killed them.
RICHARD.
I did not kill your husband.
I didn't kill your husband.
ANNE.
Why, then he is alive.
Well then, he must still be alive.
RICHARD.
Nay, he is dead, and slain by Edward's hands.
No, he is dead, and killed by Edward.
ANNE.
In thy foul throat thou liest: Queen Margaret saw
Thy murd'rous falchion smoking in his blood;
The which thou once didst bend against her breast,
But that thy brothers beat aside the point.
You're lying through your foul throat: Queen Margaret saw
your murderous sword covered with his warm blood;
the same sword that you tried to stab her with,
but your brothers pushed the point away.
RICHARD.
I was provoked by her sland'rous tongue
That laid their guilt upon my guiltless shoulders.
I was provoked by the lies she told,
which placed guilt upon my guiltless shoulders.
ANNE.
Thou wast provoked by thy bloody mind,
That never dream'st on aught but butcheries.
Didst thou not kill this king?
You were provoked by your vicious mind,
that never thinks of anything but murder.
Did you not kill this king?
RICHARD.
I grant ye.
I grant you that.
ANNE.
Dost grant me, hedgehog? Then, God grant me to
Thou mayst be damned for that wicked deed!
O, he was gentle, mild, and virtuous!
You grant me that, hedgehog? Then, may God grant me
that you will be dammed for that wicked deed!
Oh, he was gentle, mild and good!
RICHARD.
The better for the King of Heaven, that hath
him.
Then he'll be well suited to the King of Heaven,
who has him now.
ANNE.
He is in heaven, where thou shalt never come.
He is in heaven, where you will never go.
RICHARD.
Let him thank me that holp to send him
thither,
For he was fitter for that place than earth.
He should thank me for helping to send him there,
he was more suited to that place than to Earth.
ANNE.
And thou unfit for any place but hell.
And you are unsuited for any place apart from hell.
RICHARD.
Yes, one place else, if you will hear me name it.
There is one place, if you will let me name it.
ANNE.
Some dungeon.
Some dungeon.
RICHARD.
Your bed-chamber.
Your bedroom.
ANNE.
Ill rest betide the chamber where thou liest!
May there be no rest in any room where you sleep!
RICHARD.
So will it, madam, till I lie with you.
That's how it will be, madam,until I sleep with you.
ANNE.
I hope so.
That's what I hope.
RICHARD.
I know so. But, gentle Lady Anne,
To leave this keen encounter of our wits,
And fall something into a slower method-
Is not the causer of the timeless deaths
Of these Plantagenets, Henry and Edward,
As blameful as the executioner?
I know this is how it will be. But, gentle Lady Anne,
let us leave off this sharp banter,
and talk more reasonably–
hasn't the person who caused these untimely deaths
of these Plantagenets, Henry and Edward,
as much to blame as the executioner?
ANNE.
Thou wast the cause and most accurs'd effect.
You were the cause and the cursed effect.
RICHARD.
Your beauty was the cause of that effect-
Your beauty that did haunt me in my sleep
To undertake the death of all the world
So I might live one hour in your sweet bosom.
It was your beauty that caused the effect–
your beauty that haunted me in my sleep
making me want to kill the whole world
if it meant I could spend one hour with you.
ANNE.
If I thought that, I tell thee, homicide,
These nails should rend that beauty from my cheeks.
If I thought that was true, I tell you, murderer,
that I would tear my looks to bits with my nails.
RICHARD.
These eyes could not endure that beauty's wreck;
You should not blemish it if I stood by.
As all the world is cheered by the sun,
So I by that; it is my day, my life.
My eyes could not tolerate the wreck of your beauty;
if I was there you would not be allowed to damage it.
It cheers up my whole day, my whole life
in the same way the world is cheered by the sun.
ANNE.
Black night o'ershade thy day, and death thy life!
May black night overshadow your day, and death your life!
RICHARD.
Curse not thyself, fair creature; thou art both.
Do not curse yourself, beautiful creature; you are my day and my life.
ANNE.
I would I were, to be reveng'd on thee.
I wish I was, so I could get revenge on you.
RICHARD.
It is a quarrel most unnatural,
To be reveng'd on him that loveth thee.
It's most unnatural to want to
take revenge on someone who loves you.
ANNE.
It is a quarrel just and reasonable,
To be reveng'd on him that kill'd my husband.
It's entirely just and reasonable to want
to have revenge on the person who killed my husband.
RICHARD.
He that bereft thee, lady, of thy husband
Did it to help thee to a better husband.
Lady, the one who took your husband away,
did it so you could find a better husband.
ANNE.
His better doth not breathe upon the earth.
There isn't a better one alive.
RICHARD.
He lives that loves thee better than he could.
There is someone alive who loves you better than he could.
ANNE.
Name him.
Name him.
RICHARD.
Plantagenet.
Plantagenet.
ANNE.
Why, that was he.
Why, that was his name.
RICHARD.
The self-same name, but one of better nature.
The exact same name, but better made.
ANNE.
Where is he?
Where is he?
RICHARD.
Here.[She spits at him]Why dost thou spit
at me?
Here. Why are you spitting on me?
ANNE.
Would it were mortal poison, for thy sake!
I wish it was fatal poison, to get you!
RICHARD.
Never came poison from so sweet a place.
No poison ever came from such a sweet place.
ANNE.
Never hung poison on a fouler toad.
Out of my sight! Thou dost infect mine eyes.
And poison never hit a more horrible toad.
Get out of my sight! Thesight of you infects my eyes.
RICHARD.
Thine eyes, sweet lady, have infected mine.
Your eyes, sweet lady, have infected mine.
ANNE.
Would they were basilisks to strike thee dead!
I wish I had eyes like a basilisk, to strike you dead!
RICHARD.
I would they were, that I might die at once;
For now they kill me with a living death.
Those eyes of thine from mine have drawn salt tears,
Sham'd their aspects with store of childish drops-
These eyes, which never shed remorseful tear,
No, when my father York and Edward wept
To hear the piteous moan that Rutland made
When black-fac'd Clifford shook his sword at him;
Nor when thy warlike father, like a child,
Told the sad story of my father's death,
And twenty times made pause to sob and weep
That all the standers-by had wet their cheeks
Like trees bedash'd with rain-in that sad time
My manly eyes did scorn an humble tear;
And what these sorrows could not thence exhale
Thy beauty hath, and made them blind with weeping.
I never sued to friend nor enemy;
My tongue could never learn sweet smoothing word;
But, now thy beauty is propos'd my fee,
My proud heart sues, and prompts my tongue to speak.
[She looks scornfully at him]
Teach not thy lip such scorn; for it was made
For kissing, lady, not for such contempt.
If thy revengeful heart cannot forgive,
Lo here I lend thee this sharp-pointed sword;
Which if thou please to hide in this true breast
And let the soul forth that adoreth thee,
I lay it naked to the deadly stroke,
And humbly beg the death upon my knee.
[He lays his breast open; she offers at it with his sword]
Nay, do not pause; for I did kill King Henry-
But 'twas thy beauty that provoked me.
Nay, now dispatch; 'twas I that stabb'd young Edward-
But 'twas thy heavenly face that set me on.
[She falls the sword]
Take up the sword again, or take up me.
I wish they were, so I could die at once;
for seeing them now is a living death.
Those eyes of yours have drawn salt tears from mine,
shamed them with these childish drops;
these eyes, which never shed a tear of remorse,
not when my father York and Edward wept
to hear the terrible moans of Rutland
when black faced Clifford attacked him with his sword;
nor when your warlike father told me the
sad story of my father's death, and like a child,
twenty times had to pause and weep,
so that the cheeks of all the bystanders were soaked
like trees covered with rain. At that sad time
my manly eyes refused to shed low tears;
and your beauty has drawn out these things
which those sorrows could not, and you have made me blind with weeping.
I never begged either friend or enemy:
my tongue has never learnt how to speak smooth sweet words;
but now I am trying to gain your beauty,
my proud heart begs, and makes my tongue speak.
[She looks scornfully at him]
Don't curl your lip like that, for it was made
for kissing, lady, not to show such contempt.
If your vengeful heart can't forgive me,
here, I will lend you this sharp pointed sword,
and if you want to you can bury it into my
true heart, and release the soul of he who adores you,
I expose it here to the deadly blow,
and humbly beg for death on my knees.
[He exposes his chest and she points the sword at it]
No, do not pause, for I did kill King Henry–
but it was your beauty that inspired me.
No, do it: it was I who stabbed young Edward–
but it was your heavenly face that made me do it.
[She drops the sword]
Either pick up the sword or accept me.
ANNE.
Arise, dissembler; though I wish thy death,
I will not be thy executioner.
Get up, deceiver; although I want you dead,
I will not be your executioner.
RICHARD.
Then bid me kill myself, and I will do it.
Then tell me to kill myself, and I will do it.
ANNE.
I have already.
I have told you already.
RICHARD.
That was in thy rage.
Speak it again, and even with the word
This hand, which for thy love did kill thy love,
Shall for thy love kill a far truer love;
To both their deaths shalt thou be accessary.
That was when you were angry.
Tell me again, and as soon as you say it
this hand, which killed your love to get your love,
will, for love of you, kill a much truer love;
you will be accessory to both their deaths.
ANNE.
I would I knew thy heart.
I wish I knew what's in your heart.
RICHARD.
'Tis figur'd in my tongue.
You've heard what I have said.
ANNE.
I fear me both are false.
I fear both your heart and your tongue are false.
RICHARD.
Then never was man true.
Then no man was ever true.
ANNE.
Well, put up your sword.
Well, put away your sword.
RICHARD.
Say, then, my peace is made.
Then tell me that we are friends.
ANNE.
That shalt thou know hereafter.
You will know that afterwards.
RICHARD.
But shall I live in hope?
But can I have hopes?
ANNE.
All men, I hope, live so.
I hope that all men have hope.
RICHARD.
Vouchsafe to wear this ring.
Agree to wear this ring.