The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (466 page)

You can declare with certainty, ‘Bassanio’s dead!’

NERISSA

My lord and lady, it is now our time,

That have stood by and seen our wishes prosper,

To cry, good joy: good joy, my lord and lady!

My lord and my lady, it is now time

For us who have been watching this to make our wishes known

And to say, Best wishes! Best wishes, my lord and lady!

GRATIANO

My lord Bassanio and my gentle lady,

I wish you all the joy that you can wish;

For I am sure you can wish none from me:

And when your honours mean to solemnize

The bargain of your faith, I do beseech you,

Even at that time I may be married too.

My lord Bassanio and my gentle lady,

I wish you all the happiness you could possible want,

And I am sure I can wish you no more.

When you are ready to take your vows

To become married, I want to ask

If I may get married at the same time as you.

BASSANIO

With all my heart, so thou canst get a wife.

Certainly, if you can find a wife by then.

GRATIANO

I thank your lordship, you have got me one.

My eyes, my lord, can look as swift as yours:

You saw the mistress, I beheld the maid;

You loved, I loved for intermission.

No more pertains to me, my lord, than you.

Your fortune stood upon the casket there,

And so did mine too, as the matter falls;

For wooing here until I sweat again,

And sweating until my very roof was dry

With oaths of love, at last, if promise last,

I got a promise of this fair one here

To have her love, provided that your fortune

Achieved her mistress.

Thank you, my lord, I have gotten one because of you.

I fall in love as quickly as you do—at first sight.

Just as when you fell when you saw Portia, I looked at Nerrisa

And fell in love as quickly as you.

We both have the same right to do so.

Just as your fortune depended on the trunks,

So did mine, and I got right to the matter

Of wooing her until I began to sweat

And making more effort until my mouth was dry,

From declarations of love and promises

Until I got a promise from this beautiful lady

That we would marry dependent on fortune

Of winning her mistress.

PORTIA

Is this true, Nerissa?

Is this true, Nerissa?

NERISSA

Madam, it is, so you stand pleased withal.

Yes, Madam, if you say it is okay.

BASSANIO

And do you, Gratiano, mean good faith?

And do you mean what you say, Gratiano?

GRATIANO

Yes, faith, my lord.

Yes, I mean it, my lord.

BASSANIO

Our feast shall be much honour'd in your marriage.

We would be honored to include you in our marriage feast.

GRATIANO

We'll play with them the first boy for a thousand ducats.

Let’s bet them a thousand ducats that we’ll have the first son.

NERISSA

What, and stake down?

What, and put it down now?

GRATIANO

No; we shall ne'er win at that sport, and stake down.

But who comes here? Lorenzo and his infidel? What,

and my old Venetian friend Salerio?

No, we’d never win the bet if I put it down!

Who’s coming? Lorenzo and his pagan? Look,

is it really my old Venetian friend Salerio?

Enter LORENZO, JESSICA, and SALERIO, a Messenger from Venice

BASSANIO

Lorenzo and Salerio, welcome hither;

If that the youth of my new interest here

Have power to bid you welcome. By your leave,

I bid my very friends and countrymen,

Sweet Portia, welcome.

Lorenzo and Salerio, welcome!

I hope my new position as master of the house

Has enough power to bid you welcome. If it’s alright with you,

I give my friends and countrymen

a welcome, sweet Portia.

PORTIA

So do I, my lord:

They are entirely welcome.

So do I, my lord.

They are totally welcome.

LORENZO

I thank your honour. For my part, my lord,

My purpose was not to have seen you here;

But meeting with Salerio by the way,

He did entreat me, past all saying nay,

To come with him along.

Thank you. It wasn’t my intention, my lord,

To come here to see you.

I met with Salerio along the way

And he insisted, with no room for me to say no,

That I come along with him!

SALERIO

I did, my lord;

And I have reason for it. Signior Antonio

Commends him to you.

I did that, my lord,

And I have good reason. Signior Antonio

Sends his grettings.

Gives Bassanio a letter

BASSANIO

Ere I ope his letter,

I pray you, tell me how my good friend doth.

Before I open this,

Please tell me how Antonio is doing.

SALERIO

Not sick, my lord, unless it be in mind;

Nor well, unless in mind: his letter there

Will show you his estate.

He’s not sick, my lord, but he is worried.

He’s not well, but he is very worried. This letter

Will reveal what’s going on.

GRATIANO

Nerissa, cheer yon stranger; bid her welcome.

Your hand, Salerio: what's the news from Venice?

How doth that royal merchant, good Antonio?

I know he will be glad of our success;

We are the Jasons, we have won the fleece.

Nerrisa, welcome this man. Say hello to her, too,

Salerio. What’s the word from Venice?

How is the merchant Antonio doing?

I know he will be glad to hear of our success.

We are the Jasons who have won the Golden Fleece.

SALERIO

I would you had won the fleece that he hath lost.

I wish you had won what he has lost.

PORTIA

There are some shrewd contents in yon same paper,

That steals the colour from Bassanio's cheek:

Some dear friend dead; else nothing in the world

Could turn so much the constitution

Of any constant man. What, worse and worse!

With leave, Bassanio: I am half yourself,

And I must freely have the half of anything

That this same paper brings you.

Whatever is written in that letter is hard news—

It is making Bassanio turn pale to read it.

Some dear friend must have died—I can’t think of anything else in the world

That would change the mood

Of a stable man so much. Look! He seems worse and worse!

With your permission, Bassanio: I am your other half,

So let me bear half of whatever it is

This letter brings to you.

BASSANIO

O sweet Portia,

Here are a few of the unpleasant'st words

That ever blotted paper! Gentle lady,

When I did first impart my love to you,

I freely told you, all the wealth I had

Ran in my veins, I was a gentleman;

And then I told you true: and yet, dear lady,

Rating myself at nothing, you shall see

How much I was a braggart. When I told you

My state was nothing, I should then have told you

That I was worse than nothing; for, indeed,

I have engaged myself to a dear friend,

Engaged my friend to his mere enemy,

To feed my means. Here is a letter, lady;

The paper as the body of my friend,

And every word in it a gaping wound,

Issuing life-blood. But is it true, Salerio?

Have all his ventures fail'd? What, not one hit?

From Tripolis, from Mexico and England,

From Lisbon, Barbary and India?

And not one vessel 'scape the dreadful touch

Of merchant-marring rocks?

Oh sweet Portia,

What is here are the most unpleasant words

That ever stained paper! Kind lady,

When I first told you I love you.

I told you that all the wealth I have

Runs in my veins—that I was born noble,

And then I told you the truth, but still, dear lady,

When I said I have nothing, you will see

That I was bragging. When I said

I had nothing, I should have told you, as well,

That I have worse than nothing, for, it’s true,

I asked a favor of a dear frined,

And he borrowed money from his enemy

To help me out. In this letter, lady,

The paper seems like the body of my friend.

With every word like a huge wound

bleeding all over the place. Is it true, Salerio,

Have all his ships at sea failed? Did not one survive?

From Tripolos and Mexico and England,

From Lisbon, Barbary and India?

Not one of the ships escaped being wrecked

On merchant-ruining rocks?

SALERIO

Not one, my lord.

Besides, it should appear, that if he had

The present money to discharge the Jew,

He would not take it. Never did I know

A creature, that did bear the shape of man,

So keen and greedy to confound a man:

He plies the duke at morning and at night,

And doth impeach the freedom of the state,

If they deny him justice: twenty merchants,

The duke himself, and the magnificoes

Of greatest port, have all persuaded with him;

But none can drive him from the envious plea

Of forfeiture, of justice and his bond.

Not one, my lord.

Besides, it looks as though even if he had

The money to pay off the Jew,

The Jew would not take it. Never have I known

A creature that looked so much like a man

So ready and eager to ruin a man.

He’s at the duke both morning and night

Saying the freedom of the state will be harmed

If they deny him justice. Twenty merchants,

The duke himself, and the Venetian leaders

Of highest standing have all tried to convince him,

But no one can convince his not to go after the claim

Written in the loan papers regarding non-payment.

JESSICA

When I was with him I have heard him swear

To Tubal and to Chus, his countrymen,

That he would rather have Antonio's flesh

Than twenty times the value of the sum

That he did owe him: and I know, my lord,

If law, authority and power deny not,