The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (787 page)

[Alarum. Enter, from opposite sides, MARCIUS and AUFIDIUS.]

MARCIUS.

I won’t fight with anyone but you, because I hate you

I'll fight with none but thee, for I do hate thee

worse than a promise-breaker.

Worse than a promise-breaker.

AUFIDIUS.

I hate you too.

We hate alike:

There isn’t a nasty snake in Africa I hate

Not Afric owns a serpent I abhor

more than you. Get ready to fight me.

More than thy fame and envy. Fix thy foot.

MARCIUS.

Let the first one who retreats die as the other’s slave,

Let the first budger die the other's slave,

and then burn in hell!

And the gods doom him after!

AUFIDIUS.

If I retreat, Marcius,

If I fly, Marcius,

hunt me like a rabbit.

Halloo me like a hare.

MARCIUS.

Just a few hours ago, Tullus [Aufidius],

Within these three hours, Tullus,

I fought alone inside Corioles’ walls,

Alone I fought in your Corioli walls,

and did whatever I wanted there. This isn’t my blood

And made what work I pleas'd: 'tis not my blood

you see me covered in.

Wherein thou seest me mask'd: for thy revenge

Hit me with your best shot.

Wrench up thy power to the highest.

AUFIDIUS.

If you were Hector,

Wert thou the Hector

the best fighter among your ancestors [the Trojans],

That was the whip of your bragg'd progeny,  

you still wouldn’t get out of here alive.

Thou shouldst not scape me here.--

[They fight, and certain Volsces come to the aid of AUFIDIUS.]

You interfering cowards! [to the Volscian soldiers] You have shamed me

Officious, and not valiant,--you have sham'd me

with your damn help.

In your condemned seconds.

[Exeunt fighting, driven in by MAR.]

[Alarum. A retreat is sounded. Flourish. Enter, at one side,

COMINIUS and Romans; at the other side, MARCIUS, with his arm

in a scarf, and other Romans.]

COMINIUS.

If I told you what you did today,

If I should tell thee o'er this thy day's work,

you wouldn’t believe it yourself. But I’m going to tell everyone about it:

Thou't not believe thy deeds: but I'll report it

Senators who will weep with joy,

Where senators shall mingle tears with smiles;

rich men who won’t believe it, but who in the end

Where great patricians shall attend, and shrug,

will admire you, women who will be scared to hear about it,

I' the end admire; where ladies shall be frighted

but want to hear more, the stupid representatives of the people,

And, gladly quak'd, hear more; where the dull tribunes,

who hate you like all the other peasants,

That, with the fusty plebeians, hate thine honours,

but who’ll say despite themselves, “Thank God

Shall say, against their hearts 'We thank the gods

we have a soldier that that on our side.”

Our Rome hath such a soldier.'

But you were only involved at the end of this last battle,

Yet cam'st thou to a morsel of this feast,

having already fought one [at the siege of Corioles] just before.

Having fully dined before.

[Enter TITUS LARTIUS, with his power, from the pursuit.]

LARTIUS.

Oh General,

O general,  

this guy is the real hero, we’re just window dressing.

Here is the steed, we the caparison:

If you had seen—

Hadst thou beheld,--

MARCIUS.

Please, no more praise. Even my mother,

Pray now, no more: my mother,

who praises her children like it’s her job,

Who has a charter to extol her blood,

embarrasses me when she praises me. I did the same

When she does praise me grieves me. I have done

as you all did—what I could. And I did it for the same reason

As you have done,--that's what I can; induced

as you—for my country.

As you have been,--that's for my country:

Anyone who has put his own intentions into action

He that has but effected his good will

has done more than me.

Hath overta'en mine act.

COMINIUS.

You are not going to

You shall not be

cover up the great things you’ve done. Rome must know

The grave of your deserving; Rome must know

the value of her own native son. It would be a lie worse than

The value of her own: 'twere a concealment

stealing, no less than slander,

Worse than a theft, no less than a traducement,

to hide your actions. To not mention those brave deeds

To hide your doings; and to silence that

after they’ve been praised and you’ve been adored in Rome,

Which, to the spire and top of praises vouch'd,

would be an acceptable level of modesty. So, please,

Would seem but modest: therefore, I beseech you,--

as a token of who you are, not as a reward for what you’ve

In sign of what you are, not to reward

done, let me praise you in front of the whole army.

What you have done,--before our army hear me.

MARCIUS.

I have some wounds, and they hurt

I have some wounds upon me, and they smart

when you talk about them.

To hear themselves remember'd.  

COMINIUS.

If they didn’t,

Should they not,

they might fester because they haven’t been praised,

Well might they fester 'gainst ingratitude,

and kill you. Out of all the horses we captured in battle

And tent themselves with death. Of all the horses,--

(and we took lots of good ones), and out of all

Whereof we have ta'en good, and good store,--of all

the gold and jewels we captured in battle and while looting the city,

The treasure in this field achiev'd and city,

we’ll give you a tenth of the total, and you

We render you the tenth; to be ta'en forth

can pick what you want before

Before the common distribution at

anyone else gets a choice.

Your only choice.

MARCIUS.

Thank you, General,

I thank you, general,

but I cannot accept payment

But cannot make my heart consent to take

for fighting. I refuse any extra reward,  

A bribe to pay my sword: I do refuse it;

and I’ll just take the same share of the booty as

And stand upon my common part with those

all of the other soldiers.

That have beheld the doing.

[A long flourish. They all cry 'Marcius, Marcius!', cast up their

caps and lances. COMINIUS and LARTIUS stand bare.]

I hope those trumpets that you’re ruining by playing them in my honor

May these same instruments which you profane

will never make another sound! When good, manly military instruments

Never sound more! When drums and trumpets shall

are used just to flatter people, palaces and cities must be

I' the field prove flatterers, let courts and cities be  

entirely full of deceptive flattery.

Made all of false-fac'd soothing.

When manly weapons get as useless as a flattering courtiers clothing,

When steel grows soft as the parasite's silk,

then you prase him as the best soldier in the war.

Let him be made a overture for the wars.

No more, I say! Because I haven’t cleaned

No more, I say! for that I have not wash'd

my bloody nose, or because I beat some pitiful weakling

My nose that bled, or foil'd some debile wretch,--

(which many others here have done without being noticed for it),

Which, without note, here's many else have done,--

you’re cheering wildly for me,

You shout me forth in acclamations hyperbolical;

as if I wanted to be fed on a diet

As if I loved my little should be dieted

of praises in a sauce of lies.

In praises sauc'd with lies.

COMINIUS.

You are too modest.

Too modest are you;

You’re cruel, rather than grateful, to us who are only trying to

More cruel to your good report than grateful

praise you honestly.

To us that give you truly; by your patience,

If you’re angry with yourself, we’ll tie you up like

If 'gainst yourself you be incens'd, we'll put you,--

someone who means to do himself harm,

Like one that means his proper harm,--in manacles,

then try to reason with you safely. So let it be known,

Then reason safely with you.--Therefore be it known,

to us, and to the world, that Caius Marcius

As to us, to all the world, that Caius Marcius

has won a medal for bravery. And as a reward for this honor,

Wears this war's garland: in token of the which,

I will give him my best horse,

My noble steed, known to the camp, I give him,

along with all the equipment that goes with it. And from this day forth,

With all his trim belonging; and from this time,

because of what he did at Corioles, call him

For what he did before Corioli, call him,  

(with all of the army’s adoration)

With all the applause--and clamour of the host,

“Caius Marcius Coriolanus.”

'Caius Marcius Coriolanus.'—

That is your name forever!

Bear the addition nobly ever!

[Flourish. Trumpets sound, and drums]

ALL.

Caius Marcius Coriolanus!

Caius Marcius Coriolanus!

CORIOLANUS.

I will go wash,

I will go wash;

and when my face is clean you will see

And when my face is fair you shall perceive

whether or not I’m blushing. However, I thank you.

Whether I blush or no: howbeit, I thank you;--

I will ride your horse, and