The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (670 page)

PROTEUS

Sir, but I do; or else I would be hence.

Sir, but it is; or else I wouldn’t be here.

THURIO

Who? Silvia?

Who? Silvia?

PROTEUS

Ay, Silvia; for your sake.

Yes, Silvia; for you sake.

THURIO

I thank you for your own. Now, gentlemen,

Thank you for clarifying. Now, gentlemen,
Let's tune, and to it lustily awhile.

Let’s play, and do it energetically for a while.

Enter, at a distance, Host, and JULIA in boy's clothes

Host

Now, my young guest, methinks you're allycholly: I

Now, my young guest, I seems to me that you’re melancholy:
pray you, why is it?

Please, what is it?

JULIA

Marry, mine host, because I cannot be merry.

By Mary, my host, it’s because I cannot be happy.

Host

Come, we'll have you merry: I'll bring you where

Come one, we’ll make you happy: I’ll bring you to where
you shall hear music and see the gentleman that you asked for.

You can hear music and see the gentlemen that you asked for.

JULIA

But shall I hear him speak?

But will I hear him speak?

Host

Ay, that you shall.

Yes, you will.

JULIA

That will be music.

That will be music to my ears.

Music plays

Host

Hark, hark!

Listen, listen!

JULIA

Is he among these?

Is he with them?

Host

Ay: but, peace! let's hear 'em.

Yes: but quiet! Let’s listen to them.

SONG
Who is Silvia? what is she,

Who is Silvia? What is this woman
That all our swains commend her?

Who all these lover’s praise?
Holy, fair and wise is she;

She is virtuous, beautiful and wise;
The heaven such grace did lend her,

The gods have her such elegance,
That she might admired be.

So that she would be admired.
Is she kind as she is fair?

Is she as kind as she is beautiful?
For beauty lives with kindness.

Because beauty lives with kindness.
Love doth to her eyes repair,

Love himself uses her eyes
To help him of his blindness,

To help him with his blindness,
And, being help'd, inhabits there.

And, being helped with it, he lives in there.
Then to Silvia let us sing,

So let us sing to Silvia,
That Silvia is excelling;

That Silvia is the best;
She excels each mortal thing

She surpasses each mortal creature
Upon the dull earth dwelling:

That lives on this dreary earth:
To her let us garlands bring.

Let us bring her garlands.

Host

How now! are you sadder than you were before? How

What’s this! Are you more sad now than you were before? What’s
do you, man? the music likes you not.

Wrong, man? You don’t care for the music?

JULIA

You mistake; the musician likes me not.

You’re mistaken; I don’t care for the musician.

Host

Why, my pretty youth?

Why not, my pretty boy?

JULIA

He plays false, father.

He plays wrongly, father.

Host

How? out of tune on the strings?

How so? Are the strings out of tune?

JULIA

Not so; but yet so false that he grieves my very

No; but still it’s so wrong that he upsets my very
heart-strings.

Heart-strings.

Host

You have a quick ear.

You have a sharp ear.

JULIA

Ay, I would I were deaf; it makes me have a slow heart.

Yes, but I wish I were deaf; my hearing makes me have a heavy heart.

Host

I perceive you delight not in music.

I see that you don’t enjoy music.

JULIA

Not a whit, when it jars so.

Not at all, when it sounds so ugly.

Host

Hark, what fine change is in the music!

Listen, what nice variation there is in the music!

JULIA

Ay, that change is the spite.

Yes, that variation is what irritates me.

Host

You would have them always play but one thing?

You want them to always play the same thing?

JULIA

I would always have one play but one thing.

I want each one to play only one thing.
But, host, doth this Sir Proteus that we talk on

But, host, does this Sir Proteus that we’ve talked about
Often resort unto this gentlewoman?

Often visit this lady?

Host

I tell you what Launce, his man, told me: he loved

I’ll tell you what Launce, his servant boy, told me: he loves
her out of all nick.

Her beyond measure.

JULIA

Where is Launce?

Where is Launce?

Host

Gone to seek his dog; which tomorrow, by his

He’s gone to find his dog; which tomorrow, by his
master's command, he must carry for a present to his lady.

Master’s command, he must bring as a present for this lady.

JULIA

Peace! stand aside: the company parts.

Quiet! Step aside: the company is leaving.

PROTEUS

Sir Thurio, fear not you: I will so plead

Sir Thurio, don’t be afraid: I will speak for you so well
That you shall say my cunning drift excels.

That you will say my clever plan has worked.

THURIO

Where meet we?

Where will we meet?

PROTEUS

At Saint Gregory's well.

At the well of Saint Gregory.

THURIO

Farewell.

Goodbye.

Exeunt THURIO and Musicians

Enter SILVIA above

PROTEUS

Madam, good even to your ladyship.

Madam, good evening to you, my lady.

SILVIA

I thank you for your music, gentlemen.

Thank you for you music, gentlemen.
Who is that that spake?

Who is this speaking?

PROTEUS

One, lady, if you knew his pure heart's truth,

Someone, lady, who if you knew his heart’s pure honesty,
You would quickly learn to know him by his voice.

You would quickly learn to recognize him by the sound of his voice.

SILVIA

Sir Proteus, as I take it.

It sounds like Sir Proteus.

PROTEUS

Sir Proteus, gentle lady, and your servant.

Sir Proteus, noble lady, who is your follower,

SILVIA

What's your will?

What do you want?

PROTEUS

That I may compass yours.

To win you over.

SILVIA

You have your wish; my will is even this:

You’ve done that; I want you to do this:
That presently you hie you home to bed.

Immediately hurry to your home and go to bed.
Thou subtle, perjured, false, disloyal man!

You tricky, lying, faithless, disloyal man!
Think'st thou I am so shallow, so conceitless,

Do you think that I am so shallow, so unintelligence,
To be seduced by thy flattery,

To be seduced by your flattery,
That hast deceived so many with thy vows?

When you have tricked so many other with your promises?
Return, return, and make thy love amends.

Return home, and make amends with your love , Julia.
For me, by this pale queen of night I swear,

As for me, I swear by the moon,
I am so far from granting thy request

That I am so far from being won over by you,
That I despise thee for thy wrongful suit,

And I hate you for dishonestly pursing me,
And by and by intend to chide myself

And soon I intend to scold myself
Even for this time I spend in talking to thee.

For even spending this much time talking to you.

PROTEUS

I grant, sweet love, that I did love a lady;

I admit, sweet love, that I did love another lady;
But she is dead.

But she is dead.

JULIA

[Aside] 'Twere false, if I should speak it;

[Aside] That’s a lie, just as if I had said it;
For I am sure she is not buried.

For I know for sure that she isn’t buried.

SILVIA

Say that she be; yet Valentine thy friend

Even if she is; your friend Valentine still
Survives; to whom, thyself art witness,

Lives; to whom, as you know yourself,
I am betroth'd: and art thou not ashamed

I intend to marry: and were you not ashamed
To wrong him with thy importunacy?

To betray him with your persistent pleas?

PROTEUS

I likewise hear that Valentine is dead.

I also hear that Valentine is dead.

SILVIA

And so suppose am I; for in his grave

And so I suppose that I am too; because in his grave,
Assure thyself my love is buried.

Rest assured, my love is already buried.

PROTEUS

Sweet lady, let me rake it from the earth.

Sweet lady, let me unbury it from the earth.

SILVIA

Go to thy lady's grave and call hers thence,

Got to your lady’s grave and bring hers out,
Or, at the least, in hers sepulchre thine.

Or, at the very least, burry your love in her grave.

JULIA

[Aside] He heard not that.

[Aside] He didn’t hear that.

PROTEUS

Madam, if your heart be so obdurate,

Madam, if your heart is so stubborn,
Vouchsafe me yet your picture for my love,

Allow me to have a picture of you for me to love,
The picture that is hanging in your chamber;

The picture that is hanging in your bedroom;
To that I'll speak, to that I'll sigh and weep:

I’ll speak to it, I’ll sigh and weep to it:
For since the substance of your perfect self

Because since your actual perfect self
Is else devoted, I am but a shadow;

Is devoted to someone else, I am only a shadow;
And to your shadow will I make true love.

And I will show my true love to your portrait.

JULIA

[Aside] If 'twere a substance, you would, sure, deceive it,

[Aside] If it were really her, you would, surely, be unfaithful to her,
And make it but a shadow, as I am.