The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated)
Page 417
PALAMON
’Tis too true, Arcite. To our Theban hounds,
That shook the aged forest with their echoes,
No more now must we hallow; no more shake
Our pointed javelins, whilst the angry swine
Flies like a Parthian quiver from our rages,
Struck with our well-steel’d darts. All valiant uses
(The food and nourishment of noble minds)
In us two here shall perish; we shall die
(Which is the curse of honor) lastly
Children of grief and ignorance.
That's too true, Arcite. We can no longer call
to our Theban hounds, who shook the ancient forests
with their barking; no more will we shake
our sharp javelins, while the angry boar
runs like a Parthian from our attacks,
carrying our trusty arrows. All brave qualities
(the food and nourishment of noble minds)
will die here in us; we shall die
(this is the curse of honour) finally,
full of grief and ignorance.
ARCITE
Yet, cousin,
Even from the bottom of these miseries,
From all that fortune can inflict upon us,
I see two comforts rising, two mere blessings,
If the gods please—to hold here a brave patience,
And the enjoying of our griefs together.
Whilst Palamon is with me, let me perish
If I think this our prison.
But, cousin,
even in the depths of these miseries,
suffering all the worst that fortune can throw at us,
I can see two comforts, two perfect blessings,
if the gods allow them–that we can use to reconcile ourselves
to our fate and face our sorrows together.
Whilst Palamon is with me, let me die
if I think of this as our prison.
PALAMON
Certainly
’Tis a main goodness, cousin, that our fortunes
Were twin’d together. ’Tis most true, two souls
Put in two noble bodies, let ’em suffer
The gall of hazard, so they grow together,
Will never sink; they must not, say they could;
A willing man dies sleeping, and all’s done.
It's certainly
a great stroke of luck, cousin, that our fates
were joined together. It's very true, two souls
in two noble bodies, let them suffer
the spite of fate, as long as they are together,
they will never sink; they must not, even if they could;
when a man wants to he dies in his sleep, and that's the end.
ARCITE
Shall we make worthy uses of this place
That all men hate so much?
Shall we make good use of this place
that all men hate so much?
PALAMON
How, gentle cousin?
How, gentle cousin?
ARCITE
Let’s think this prison holy sanctuary
To keep us from corruption of worse men.
We are young and yet desire the ways of honor,
That liberty and common conversation,
The poison of pure spirits, might, like women,
Woo us to wander from. What worthy blessing
Can be, but our imaginations
May make it ours? And here being thus together,
We are an endless mine to one another;
We are one another’s wife, ever begetting
New births of love; we are father, friends, acquaintance;
We are, in one another, families:
I am your heir, and you are mine; this place
Is our inheritance. No hard oppressor
Dare take this from us; here with a little patience
We shall live long, and loving. No surfeits seek us;
The hand of war hurts none here, nor the seas
Swallow their youth. Were we at liberty,
A wife might part us lawfully, or business,
Quarrels consume us, envy of ill men
Crave our acquaintance; I might sicken, cousin,
Where you should never know it, and so perish
Without your noble hand to close mine eyes,
Or prayers to the gods. A thousand chances,
Were we from hence, would sever us.
Let's think of this prison as a holy sanctuary,
to keep us from being corrupted by bad men.
We are young and yet we want to follow the paths of honour,
which freedom and low talk,
the curse of pure natures, might, like women,
lead us astray from. What is there that can't
become a blessing, if we just imagine
that it is? And as we are here together,
we are never-ending resources to each other;
we are each the wife of the other, forever creating
new children of love; we are father, friends, acquaintances;
we are each other's families:
I am your heir, and you are mine; this place
is our inheritance. No hard oppressor
would dare to take this away from us; with a little patience
we shall live long and loving lives here. There will be no excess;
nobody can be hurt by war here, nor can they be
drowned in the sea. If we were free,
a wife might lawfully separate us, or we might
quarrel over money, fall in with
bad companions; I might become ill, cousin,
and you would never know it, and so I would die
without your noble hand to close my eyes,
or offer prayers to the gods. If we weren't here,
a thousand different things could separate us.
PALAMON
You have made me
(I thank you, cousin Arcite) almost wanton
With my captivity. What a misery
It is to live abroad, and every where!
’Tis like a beast, methinks. I find the court here,
I am sure, a more content, and all those pleasures
That woo the wills of men to vanity
I see through now, and am sufficient
To tell the world ’tis but a gaudy shadow
That old Time, as he passes by, takes with him.
What had we been, old in the court of Creon,
Where sin is justice, lust and ignorance
The virtues of the great ones? Cousin Arcite,
Had not the loving gods found this place for us,
We had died as they do, ill old men, unwept,
And had their epitaphs, the people’s curses.
Shall I say more?
You have made me
(I thank you, cousin Arcite) almost love
my imprisonment. How miserable it is
to live in the wide world, go everywhere!
That's like being an animal, I think. I'm sure
that our position here is a more contented one, and I
can see through all those pleasures which attract men
to frivolous things, and I'm able
to tell the world that these things are just vulgar shadows
that disappear with the passing of time.
What would we have become, grown old in Creon's court,
where sin rules and lust and ignorance
are the virtues of great men? Cousin Arcite,
if the loving gods hadn't found this place for us,
we would have died like them, sick old men, unmourned,
with the curses of the people as our epitaphs.
Shall I say more?
ARCITE
I would hear you still.
Do go on.
PALAMON
Ye shall.
Is there record of any two that lov’d
Better than we do, Arcite?
I shall.
Have you ever heard of any two who loved each other
better than us, Arcite?
ARCITE
Sure there cannot.
I'm sure there can't have been.
PALAMON
I do not think it possible our friendship
Should ever leave us.
I don't think it's possible for our friendship
to ever end.
ARCITE
Till our deaths it cannot,
Enter Emilia and her Woman below.
And after death our spirits shall be led
To those that love eternally. Speak on, sir.
It cannot until we die,
and after death our spirits will
remain together to love eternally. Go on, sir.
EMILIA
This garden has a world of pleasures in’t.
What flow’r is this?
This garden is full of pleasures.
What's this flower?
WAITING-WOMAN
’Tis call’d narcissus, madam.
That's called Narcissus, madam.
EMILIA
That was a fair boy certain, but a fool
To love himself. Were there not maids enough?
He was certainly good-looking boy, but a fool
to love himself. Weren't there enough girls for him?
ARCITE
Pray forward.
Please go on.
PALAMON
Yes.
Yes.
EMILIA
Or were they all hard-hearted?
Or were they all hardhearted?
WAITING-WOMAN
They could not be to one so fair.
They couldn't have hardened their hearts against one so beautiful.
EMILIA
Thou wouldst not.
You wouldn't have.
WAITING-WOMAN
I think I should not, madam.
Definitely not, madam.
EMILIA
That’s a good wench!
But take heed to your kindness though.
Good lass!
But watch yourself with your kindness.
WAITING-WOMAN
Why, madam?
Why, madam?
EMILIA
Men are mad things.
Because men are mad.
ARCITE
Will ye go forward, cousin?
Will you carry on, cousin?
EMILIA
Canst not thou work such flowers in silk, wench?
Can you embroider these flowers on silk, girl?
WAITING-WOMAN
Yes.
Yes.
EMILIA
I’ll have a gown full of ’em, and of these:
This is a pretty color, will’t not do
Rarely upon a skirt, wench?
I'll have a dress covered in them, and these:
this is a pretty colour; don't you think it would
look very good on a skirt, girl?
WAITING-WOMAN
Dainty, madam.
Very sweet, madam.
ARCITE
Cousin, cousin, how do you, sir? Why, Palamon!
Cousin, cousin, how are you, sir? Why, Palamon!
PALAMON
Never till now I was in prison, Arcite.
I never felt I was in prison until now, Arcite.
ARCITE
Why, what’s the matter, man?
Why, what's the matter, man?
PALAMON
Behold, and wonder!
By heaven, she is a goddess.
Look, and be amazed!
By heaven, she is a goddess.
ARCITE
Ha!
Ha!
PALAMON
Do reverence;
She is a goddess, Arcite.
Worship her;
she is a goddess, Arcite.
EMILIA
Of all flow’rs
Methinks a rose is best.
I think that roses
are the best of all the flowers.
WAITING-WOMAN
Why, gentle madam?
Why, sweet madam?
EMILIA
It is the very emblem of a maid;
For when the west wind courts her gently,
How modestly she blows, and paints the sun
With her chaste blushes! When the north comes near her,
Rude and impatient, then, like chastity,
She locks her beauties in her bud again,
And leaves him to base briers.
She perfectly symbolises a maid;
for when the West wind gently approaches her,
how modestly she opens up, adorning the sun
with her chaste blushes! When the north wind comes near her,
rude and bullying, then, like chastity,
she locks her beauties up in her bud again,
and leaves him with the low thorns.
WAITING-WOMAN
Yet, good madam,
Sometimes her modesty will blow so far she falls for’t.
A maid, if she have any honor, would be loath
To take example by her.
Yet, good madam,
sometimes in her modesty she will blow over so far she actually falls.
Any girl who has any honour would not wish
to follow her example.
EMILIA
Thou art wanton.
You are lusty.
ARCITE
She is wondrous fair.
She's incredibly beautiful.
PALAMON
She is all the beauty extant.
She is everything beautiful in the world.
EMILIA
The sun grows high, let’s walk in. Keep these flowers,
We’ll see how near art can come near their colors.
I am wondrous merry-hearted, I could laugh now.
The sun’s getting high, let's go indoors. Keep these flowers,
we’ll see how closely art can match their colours.
I feel very happy, I could laugh now.
WAITING-WOMAN
I could lie down, I am sure.
I think I could lie down.
EMILIA
And take one with you?
Taking someone with you?
WAITING-WOMAN
That’s as we bargain, madam.
That can be negotiated, madam.
EMILIA
Well, agree then.
Well, agree to it then.
Exeunt Emilia and Woman.
PALAMON
What think you of this beauty?
What do you think of this beauty?
ARCITE
’Tis a rare one.
She is exceptional.
PALAMON
Is’t but a rare one?
Just exceptional?
ARCITE
Yes, a matchless beauty.
Yes, an incomparable beauty.
PALAMON
Might not a man well lose himself and love her?
Couldn't a man easily lose himself and fall in love with her?
ARCITE
I cannot tell what you have done; I have,
Beshrew mine eyes for’t! Now I feel my shackles.
I can't tell what you have done; I have,
damn my eyes for doing it! Now I can feel my chains.
PALAMON
You love her then?
You love her then?
ARCITE
Who would not?
Who wouldn't?
PALAMON
And desire her?
And you desire her?
ARCITE
Before my liberty.
More than my freedom.
PALAMON
I saw her first.
I saw her first.
ARCITE
That’s nothing.
That doesn't count for anything.
PALAMON
But it shall
be.
It will do.
ARCITE
I saw her too.
I saw her as well.
PALAMON
Yes, but you must not love her.
Yes, but you must not love her.
ARCITE
I will not, as you do—to worship her
As she is heavenly and a blessed goddess;
I love her as a woman, to enjoy her.
So both may love.
I won't, not in the same way you do, worshipping her
as a heavenly and blessed goddess;
I love her as a woman, I want to enjoy her.
So we can both love.
PALAMON
You shall not love at all.
You shan't love at all.
ARCITE
Not love at all! Who shall deny me?
Not love at all! Who's going to stop me?
PALAMON
I, that first saw her; I, that took possession
First with mine eye of all those beauties in her
Reveal’d to mankind. If thou lov’st her,
Or entertain’st a hope to blast my wishes,
Thou art a traitor, Arcite, and a fellow
False as thy title to her. Friendship, blood,
And all the ties between us, I disclaim