The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (613 page)

GONZALO

How lush and lusty the grass looks! how green!

How lush and strong the grass looks! How green!

ANTONIO

The ground indeed is tawny.

The ground is in fact a tan brown.

SEBASTIAN

With an eye of green in't.

With a hint of green in it.

ANTONIO

He misses not much.

He doesn’t miss much.

SEBASTIAN

No; he doth but mistake the truth totally.

No; he just misses the truth completely.

GONZALO

But the rarity of it is,--which is indeed almost

But the exceptional part of it is,--which is infact almost
beyond credit,--

Beyond belief,--

SEBASTIAN

As many vouched rarities are.

As many certified rare things are.

GONZALO

That our garments, being, as they were, drenched in

That our clothes, having been soaked as they were in
the sea, hold notwithstanding their freshness and

The sea, nevertheless still are fresh and
glosses, being rather new-dyed than stained with

Shiny, seeming more like they have just been newly dyed instead of stained with
salt water.

Salt water.

ANTONIO

If but one of his pockets could speak, would it not

If just one of his pockets could speak, wouldn’t it
say he lies?

Say that he’s lying?

SEBASTIAN

Ay, or very falsely pocket up his report

Yes, or it would be wrongly accepting his insult.

GONZALO

Methinks our garments are now as fresh as when we

I think our clothes are now as clean as when we
put them on first in Afric, at the marriage of

First put them on in Africa, at the marriage of
the king's fair daughter Claribel to the King of Tunis.

The king’s lovely daughter Claribel to the King of Tunis.

SEBASTIAN

'Twas a sweet marriage, and we prosper well in our return.

It was a sweet marriage, and we will prosper well when we return.

ADRIAN

Tunis was never graced before with such a paragon to

Tunis was never graced before with such a beauty as
their queen.

Their queen.

GONZALO

Not since widow Dido's time.

Not since the widow Dido’s time.

ANTONIO

Widow! a pox o' that! How came that widow in?

Widow! Curse that! Why did you call her a widow?
widow Dido!

Widow Dido!

SEBASTIAN

What if he had said 'widower AEneas' too? Good Lord,

What if had also said, ‘the widower Aeneas’? Good Lord,
how you take it!

How would you stand it!

ADRIAN

'Widow Dido' said you? you make me study of that:

You said, ‘the widow Dido’? You made me think about that:
she was of Carthage, not of Tunis.

She was from Carthage, not from Tunis.

GONZALO

This Tunis, sir, was Carthage.

Tunis, sir, used to be Carthage.

ADRIAN

Carthage?

Carthage?

GONZALO

I assure you, Carthage.

I promise you, Carthage.

SEBASTIAN

His word is more than the miraculous harp; he hath

His word is greater than the magical harp that built the walls of Thebes; he has
raised the wall and houses too.

Built the wall and houses too.

ANTONIO

What impossible matter will he make easy next?

What impossible task will he make simple next?

SEBASTIAN

I think he will carry this island home in his pocket

I think he will carry this island home in his pocket
and give it his son for an apple.

And give it to his son as an apple.

ANTONIO

And, sowing the kernels of it in the sea, bring

And, by planting the seeds of it in the sea, he will
forth more islands.

Grow more islands.

GONZALO

Ay.

Yes.

ANTONIO

Why, in good time.

Well, all in good time.

GONZALO

Sir, we were talking that our garments seem now

Sir, we were talking about how our clothes now seem
as fresh as when we were at Tunis at the marriage

As clean as when we were in Tunis at the wedding
of your daughter, who is now queen.

Of your daughter, who is now queen.

ANTONIO

And the rarest that e'er came there.

And the most exceptional queen that ever was there.

SEBASTIAN

Bate, I beseech you, widow Dido.

Except, I tell you, the widow Dido.

ANTONIO

O, widow Dido! ay, widow Dido.

Oh, the widow Dido! Yes, the widow Dido.

GONZALO

Is not, sir, my doublet as fresh as the first day I

Sir, isn’t my jacket as clean as the first day that I
wore it? I mean, in a sort.

Wore it? I mean, in a way.

ANTONIO

That sort was well fished for.

If you look hard for that ‘way’.

GONZALO

When I wore it at your daughter's marriage?

When I wore it at your daughter’s wedding?

ALONSO

You cram these words into mine ears against

You cram these words into my ears against
The stomach of my sense. Would I had never

What my mind wants. I wish I had never
Married my daughter there! for, coming thence,

Married my daughter there! For, in going there,
My son is lost and, in my rate, she too,

I have lost my son, and in my opinion, lost her too,
Who is so far from Italy removed

She is now so far away from Italy that
I ne'er again shall see her. O thou mine heir

I’ll never see her again. Oh, my heir
Of Naples and of Milan, what strange fish

Of Naples and Milan, what strange fish
Hath made his meal on thee?

Have eaten your body in the sea?

FRANCISCO

Sir, he may live:

Sir, he may live:
I saw him beat the surges under him,

I saw him kick the waves under him,
And ride upon their backs; he trod the water,

And ride on their backs; he tread the water,
Whose enmity he flung aside, and breasted

Whose hostility he cast aside, and tackled
The surge most swoln that met him; his bold head

The giant wave that met him; he kept his bold head
'Bove the contentious waves he kept, and oar'd

Above the warring waves, and rowed
Himself with his good arms in lusty stroke

Himself with his good arms in strong strokes
To the shore, that o'er his wave-worn basis bow'd,

To the shore, and over its wave-worn sands he bowed,
As stooping to relieve him: I not doubt

as if he stooped to relieve himself: I don’t doubt
He came alive to land.

That he got to land alive.

ALONSO

No, no, he's gone.

No, no, he’s gone.

SEBASTIAN

Sir, you may thank yourself for this great loss,

Sir, you may blame yourself for this great loss,
That would not bless our Europe with your daughter,

That would take the blessing of your daughter away from Europe,
But rather lose her to an African;

and instead lose her to an African man;
Where she at least is banish'd from your eye,

Where at least she is out of your eyesight,
Who hath cause to wet the grief on't.

Your daughter who gave you reason for the tears of grief in your eyes.

ALONSO

Prithee, peace.

Please, silence.

SEBASTIAN

You were kneel'd to and importuned otherwise

You were begged and urged not to do this
By all of us, and the fair soul herself

By all of us, and the lovely girl herself
Weigh'd between loathness and obedience, at

Went back and forth between hatred and obedience, at
Which end o' the beam should bow. We have lost your

Whichever side of the scale was weighed down. We have lost your
son,

Son,
I fear, for ever: Milan and Naples have

Forever, I’m afraid: Milan and Naples have
More widows in them of this business' making

More widows in them due to this incident
Than we bring men to comfort them:

Than the number of men we could bring to comfort them:
The fault's your own.

It’s your fault.

ALONSO

So is the dear'st o' the loss.

So is the worst of the loss.

GONZALO

My lord Sebastian,

My lord Sebastian,
The truth you speak doth lack some gentleness

The truth you speak lacks some tenderness
And time to speak it in: you rub the sore,

And the right time to bring it up: you’re aggravating the wound
When you should bring the plaster.

When you should be trying to heal it.

SEBASTIAN

Very well.

Very well.

ANTONIO

And most chirurgeonly.

And quite like a doctor.

GONZALO

It is foul weather in us all, good sir,

It’s bad news for us all, good sirm
When you are cloudy.

When you are saddened.

SEBASTIAN

Foul weather?

Bad news?

ANTONIO

Very foul.

Very bad.

GONZALO

Had I plantation of this isle, my lord,--

If I had a settlement on this island, my lord,--

ANTONIO

He'ld sow't with nettle-seed.

He would plant it with stinging nettles.

SEBASTIAN

Or docks, or mallows.

Or weeds, or wild plants.

GONZALO

And were the king on't, what would I do?

And I were the of it, what would I do?

SEBASTIAN

'Scape being drunk for want of wine.

Avoid being drunk from the lack of wine.

GONZALO

I' the commonwealth I would by contraries

In the nation I would very differently
Execute all things; for no kind of traffic

Run all things; no kind of trade
Would I admit; no name of magistrate;

Would I allow; I would name no officials;
Letters should not be known; riches, poverty,

Learning would not be known; riches, poverty,
And use of service, none; contract, succession,

And the use of slaves, none of that; contracts, inheritance,
Bourn, bound of land, tilth, vineyard, none;