The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (610 page)

A dozen years; within that time she died
And left thee there; where thou didst vent thy groans

And left you there; where you did express your groans
As fast as mill-wheels strike. Then was this island—

As fast as a mill’s water wheel turns. At that time, this island—
Save for the son that she did litter here,

Except for the son that she birthed here,
A freckled whelp hag-born--not honour'd with

A freckled pup born from a witch—was not graced with
A human shape.

A human being.

 

ARIEL

Yes, Caliban her son.

Yes, Caliban her son.

 

PROSPERO

Dull thing, I say so; he, that Caliban

A sullen boy, if I say so; he, that Caliban
Whom now I keep in service. Thou best know'st

Who I now keep as a slave. You had best remember
What torment I did find thee in; thy groans

The torment that I found you in; your groans
Did make wolves howl and penetrate the breasts

Made wolves howl and pieced the hearts
Of ever angry bears: it was a torment

Of always angry bears: it was the kind of torment
To lay upon the damn'd, which Sycorax

To sentence on the damned, which Sycorax
Could not again undo: it was mine art,

Couldn’t again undo: it was my magic,
When I arrived and heard thee, that made gape

When I arrived here and heard you, that opened
The pine and let thee out.

The pine and let you out.

 

ARIEL

I thank thee, master.

Thank you, master.

 

PROSPERO

If thou more murmur'st, I will rend an oak

If you complain more, I will split open an oak
And peg thee in his knotty entrails till

And fasten you into it’s knotted insides until
Thou hast howl'd away twelve winters.

You have howled for twelve years.

 

ARIEL

Pardon, master;

Forgive me, master;
I will be correspondent to command

I will comply to your command
And do my spiriting gently.

And to my spirit activities tamely.

 

PROSPERO

Do so, and after two days

Do that, and after two days
I will discharge thee.

I will free you.

 

ARIEL

That's my noble master!

That’s my noble master!
What shall I do? say what; what shall I do?

What will I do? Tell me; what will I do?

 

PROSPERO

Go make thyself like a nymph o' the sea: be subject

Go make yourself like a nymph of the sea; be visible
To no sight but thine and mine, invisible

To no sight but yours and mine, invisible
To every eyeball else. Go take this shape

To every other eyeball. Go take this shape
And hither come in't: go, hence with diligence!

And come here in it: go, away with care!

 

Exit ARIEL

 

Awake, dear heart, awake! thou hast slept well; Awake!

Awake, dear heart, awake! You have slept well; awake!

 

MIRANDA

The strangeness of your story put

The strangeness of your story made
Heaviness in me.

Me sleepy.

 

PROSPERO

Shake it off. Come on;

Shake it of. Come on;
We'll visit Caliban my slave, who never

We’ll visit Caliban, my slave, who never
Yields us kind answer.

Gives us a friendly answer.

 

MIRANDA

'Tis a villain, sir,

He’s a scoundrel, sir,
I do not love to look on.

That I don’t like to look at.

 

PROSPERO

But, as 'tis,

But, as it is,
We cannot miss him: he does make our fire,

We cannot do without him: he makes our fire,
Fetch in our wood and serves in offices

Brings in our wood, and serves in tasks
That profit us. What, ho! slave! Caliban!

That helps us. Hello! Slave! Caliban!
Thou earth, thou! speak.

You piece of dirt, you! Speak up.

 

CALIBAN

[Within] There's wood enough within.

[Inside] There’s enough wood inside.

 

PROSPERO

Come forth, I say! there's other business for thee:

Come out, I say! There’s other work for you:
Come, thou tortoise! when?

Come out, you tortoise! When will you come out?

 

Re-enter ARIEL like a water-nymph

 

Fine apparition! My quaint Ariel,

An excellent illusion! My clever Ariel,
Hark in thine ear.

Listen with your ears.

 

ARIEL

My lord it shall be done.

My lord it will be done.

 

Exit

 

PROSPERO

Thou poisonous slave, got by the devil himself

You poisonous slave, father by the devil himself
Upon thy wicked dam, come forth!

From your wicked mother, come out!

 

Enter CALIBAN

 

CALIBAN

As wicked dew as e'er my mother brush'd

May a dew as wicked as any my mother ever brushed
With raven's feather from unwholesome fen

With a raven’s feather from a poisonous swamp
Drop on you both! a south-west blow on ye

Drop on both of you! May a south-west wind blow on you
And blister you all o'er!

And burn you all over!

 

PROSPERO

For this, be sure, to-night thou shalt have cramps,

Of this be sure, tonight you will have cramps,
Side-stitches that shall pen thy breath up; urchins

Side-stitches that will hold in your breath; goblins
Shall, for that vast of night that they may work,

Will, during that empty time of the night when they work,
All exercise on thee; thou shalt be pinch'd

All practice on you; you will be pinched
As thick as honeycomb, each pinch more stinging

As densely as the densest honeycomb, each pinch stinging more
Than bees that made 'em.

Than the bees that made them.

 

CALIBAN

I must eat my dinner.

I must eat my dinner.
This island's mine, by Sycorax my mother,

This island is mine, from Sycorax my mother,
Which thou takest from me. When thou camest first,

That you take from me. When you first came here,
Thou strokedst me and madest much of me, wouldst give me

You stroked me and made a fuss over me, you would give me
Water with berries in't, and teach me how

Water with berries in it, and teach me how
To name the bigger light, and how the less,

To name the big light of sun, and how smaller lights of the moon and stars,
That burn by day and night: and then I loved thee

That burn by day and night: and then I loved you
And show'd thee all the qualities o' the isle,

And showed you all the features of the island,
The fresh springs, brine-pits, barren place and fertile:

The fresh springs, the salt-pits, the barren places and fertile places:
Cursed be I that did so! All the charms

It’s a cursed thing that I did so! May all the spells
Of Sycorax, toads, beetles, bats, light on you!

Of Sycorax, toads, beetles, bats, land on you!
For I am all the subjects that you have,

Because I am the only subject you have,
Which first was mine own king: and here you sty me

I, who was first my own king: and here you coop me up
In this hard rock, whiles you do keep from me

In this hard rock, while you keep me away from
The rest o' the island.

The rest of the island.

 

PROSPERO

Thou most lying slave,

You terrible lyring slave,
Whom stripes may move, not kindness! I have used thee,

A whipping may move you but not kindness! I have used you,
Filth as thou art, with human care, and lodged thee

Filth that you are, with human care, and housed you
In mine own cell, till thou didst seek to violate

In my own cell, until you tried to violate
The honour of my child.

My daughter’s virginity.

 

CALIBAN

O ho, O ho! would't had been done!

Oh-ho, oh-ho! It would have been done!
Thou didst prevent me; I had peopled else

You stopped me; I would have populated the whole
This isle with Calibans.

Island with Calibans.

 

PROSPERO

Abhorred slave,

Disgusting slave,
Which any print of goodness wilt not take,

Who will not take any impression of goodness,
Being capable of all ill! I pitied thee,

Being only open to evil! I pitied you,
Took pains to make thee speak, taught thee each hour

Worked hard to make you speak, taught you every hour
One thing or other: when thou didst not, savage,

One thing or another: when you did not, savage,
Know thine own meaning, but wouldst gabble like

Know what you were saying, but would instead babble like
A thing most brutish, I endow'd thy purposes

A brutish creature, I enriched your goals
With words that made them known. But thy vile race,

With words that made them understandable. But you ugly creature,
Though thou didst learn, had that in't which good natures

Although you did learn, you had in you that which good natures
Could not abide to be with; therefore wast thou

Could not stand to be with; thus you were
Deservedly confined into this rock,

Justifiably confined to this rock,
Who hadst deserved more than a prison.

You who deserved more than a prison.

 

CALIBAN

You taught me language; and my profit on't

You taught me language; and what I gained from that
Is, I know how to curse. The red plague rid you

Is that I know how to curse. May the red plague kill you
For learning me your language!

For teaching me your language!

 

PROSPERO

Hag-seed, hence!

Witch-child, come here!
Fetch us in fuel; and be quick, thou'rt best,

Bring us in some fuel; and be quick, you are better
To answer other business. Shrug'st thou, malice?

When you’re working on other tasks. Do you shrug, beast?
If thou neglect'st or dost unwillingly

If you are neglectful or are unwilling to do
What I command, I'll rack thee with old cramps,

What I command, I’ll trouble you with loads of cramps,
Fill all thy bones with aches, make thee roar

Fill all of your bones with ahces, make you roar with pain
That beasts shall tremble at thy din.

So that beasts will tremble at your noise.

 

CALIBAN

No, pray thee.

No, please.

[Aside] I must obey: his art is of such power,

[Aside] I must obey him: his magic is of such power that
It would control my dam's god, Setebos,

it could overpower my mother’s god, Setebos,
and make a vassal of him.

And turn him into a servant.

 

PROSPERO

So, slave; hence!

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