The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (840 page)

and better than him at duelling.But this blockheaded

thing prefers him to me.What a thing mortality is!Posthumus, your

head, at the moment sitting on your shoulders, shall within

the hour be cut off; your mistress will be raped; your clothes will be cut to pieces

in front of her face; and once all this is done, I'll kick her home to her father,

who might be a little angry at my treatment of her; but my mother,

who is able to control his anger, will turn everything into

praise for me.My horse is tied up safe.Out you come, sword, with a

bad purpose!Fortune, let me get my hands on them.This is the exact

description of their meeting place, and the fellow won't dare try and trick me.

 

Enter, from the cave, BELARIUS, GUIDERIUS, ARVIRAGUS, and IMOGEN

 

BELARIUS.

[To IMOGEN] You are not well. Remain here in the

cave;

We'll come to you after hunting.

 

You are not well.Stay here in the cave;

we'll come back after hunting.

 

ARVIRAGUS.

[To IMOGEN] Brother, stay here.

Are we not brothers?

 

Brother, stay here.

Aren't we brothers?

 

IMOGEN.

So man and man should be;

But clay and clay differs in dignity,

Whose dust is both alike. I am very sick.

 

So all men should be;

though they may be different in class,

their dust is identical.I am very sick.

 

GUIDERIUS.

Go you to hunting; I'll abide with him.

 

You go hunting, I'll stop here with him.

 

IMOGEN.

So sick I am not, yet I am not well;

But not so citizen a wanton as

To seem to die ere sick. So please you, leave me;

Stick to your journal course. The breach of custom

Is breach of all. I am ill, but your being by me

Cannot amend me; society is no comfort

To one not sociable. I am not very sick,

Since I can reason of it. Pray you trust me here.

I'll rob none but myself; and let me die,

Stealing so poorly.

 

I'm not that sick, though I am not well;

but I'm not such a namby pamby as

to pretend I'm dying when I'm sick.So please, leave me;

stick to your daily routine.Breaking routines

upsets everything.I am ill, but you being with me

won't make me better.Company doesn't help

when you don't feel like it.I am not very sick,

since I can think about it.Please trust me on this.

I'll rob no-one but myself, and let me die

for being such a poor thief.

 

GUIDERIUS.

I love thee; I have spoke it,

How much the quantity, the weight as much

As I do love my father.

 

I love you; I have told you,

in the same way and just as much

as I love my father.

 

BELARIUS.

What? how? how?

 

What?What's that?

 

ARVIRAGUS.

If it be sin to say so, sir, I yoke me

In my good brother's fault. I know not why

I love this youth, and I have heard you say

Love's reason's without reason. The bier at door,

And a demand who is't shall die, I'd say

'My father, not this youth.'

 

If it's a sin to say so, sir, I am just as sinning

as my brother.I don't know why

I love this youth, and I have heard you say

there's no logic to love.If the funeral cart was at the door

and they asked who should die, I'd say,

'My father, not this youth.'

 

BELARIUS.

[Aside] O noble strain!

O worthiness of nature! breed of greatness!

Cowards father cowards and base things sire base.

Nature hath meal and bran, contempt and grace.

I'm not their father; yet who this should be

Doth miracle itself, lov'd before me.-

'Tis the ninth hour o' th' morn.

 

What noble ancestry!

What wonders of nature!What a great breed!

Cowards father cowards and low people low children.

Nature has both good and bad.

I'm not their father; but who is this

whom they miraculously love ahead of me? -

It's nine o'clock.

 

ARVIRAGUS.

Brother, farewell.

 

Brother, farewell.

 

IMOGEN.

I wish ye sport.

 

Good hunting.

 

ARVIRAGUS.

Your health. [To BELARIUS] So please you, sir.

 

Good health.[To Belarius]If you please, sir.

 

IMOGEN.

[Aside] These are kind creatures. Gods, what lies I

have

heard!

Our courtiers say all's savage but at court.

Experience, O, thou disprov'st report!

Th' imperious seas breed monsters; for the dish,

Poor tributary rivers as sweet fish.

I am sick still; heart-sick. Pisanio,

I'll now taste of thy drug. [Swallows some]

 

These are kind folk.By the gods, what lies I've heard!

Our courtiers say that everyone outside the court are savages.

Experience has showed that's wrong!

There are monsters in the royal seas, and humble streams

produce fish that are just as good to eat.

I am still sick; sick in my heart.Pisanio,

I'll now taste your drug.

 

GUIDERIUS.

I could not stir him.

He said he was gentle, but unfortunate;

Dishonestly afflicted, but yet honest.

 

I couldn't get anything from him.

He said he was noble, but unlucky;

Hurt by lies, but honest himself.

 

ARVIRAGUS.

Thus did he answer me; yet said hereafter

I might know more.

 

That's what he said to me; but he said that later

I might know more.

 

BELARIUS.

To th' field, to th' field!

We'll leave you for this time. Go in and rest.

 

Come on, we need to hunt!

We'll leave you for now.Go in and rest.

 

ARVIRAGUS.

We'll not be long away.

 

We won't be gone long.

 

BELARIUS.

Pray be not sick,

For you must be our huswife.

 

Please don't be sick,

for you must be our housewife.

 

IMOGEN.

Well, or ill,

I am bound to you.

 

Well, or ill,

I am bound to you.

 

BELARIUS.

And shalt be ever.

Exit IMOGEN into the cave

This youth, howe'er distress'd, appears he hath had

Good ancestors.

 

And always shall be.

 

This youth, however low he's been bought, appears

to have had good ancestors.

 

ARVIRAGUS.

How angel-like he sings!

 

How angelic his singing is!

 

GUIDERIUS.

But his neat cookery! He cut our roots in

characters,

And sauc'd our broths as Juno had been sick,

And he her dieter.

 

And his wonderful cooking!He cut our vegetables

into designs,

and flavoured our soup as if Juno was sick

and he was her cook.

 

ARVIRAGUS.

Nobly he yokes

A smiling with a sigh, as if the sigh

Was that it was for not being such a smile;

The smile mocking the sigh that it would fly

From so divine a temple to commix

With winds that sailors rail at.

 

He nobly smiles

and sighs at the same time, as if the sigh

was sighing for not being such a smile;

the smile so mocks the sigh that it flies

out of such a divine temple

to mingle with the rough winds.

 

GUIDERIUS.

I do note

That grief and patience, rooted in him both,

Mingle their spurs together.

 

I have noticed

that he has grief and calm as part of his nature,

both driving him on.

 

ARVIRAGUS.

Grow patience!

And let the stinking elder, grief, untwine

His perishing root with the increasing vine!

 

Let the calm grow!

And let the stinking elder, grief, unwrap

its choking roots from the growing vine!

 

BELARIUS.

It is great morning. Come, away! Who's there?

Enter CLOTEN

 

It is high morning.Come, let's go!Who's there?

 

CLOTEN.

I cannot find those runagates; that villain

Hath mock'd me. I am faint.

 

I can't find those runaways; that villain

has tricked me.I am faint.

 

BELARIUS.

Those runagates?

Means he not us? I partly know him; 'tis

Cloten, the son o' th' Queen. I fear some ambush.

I saw him not these many years, and yet

I know 'tis he. We are held as outlaws. Hence!

 

Those runaways?

He doesn't mean us?I vaguely know him; it's

Cloten, the son of the Queen.I fear some ambush.

I haven't seen him for many years, but

I know it's him.We are counted as outlaws.Let's get away!

 

GUIDERIUS.

He is but one; you and my brother search

What companies are near. Pray you away;

Let me alone with him.

Exeunt BELARIUS and ARVIRAGUS

 

He's alone; you and my brother search

to see what men he has with him.Please go;

leave me alone with him.

 

CLOTEN.

Soft! What are you

That fly me thus? Some villain mountaineers?

I have heard of such. What slave art thou?

 

Hello!Who are you that

run away from me like this?Some villainous mountain bandits?

I have heard of them.What slave are you?

 

GUIDERIUS.

A thing

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