The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (1061 page)

MARTIUS.

To prove thou hast a true divining heart,

Aaron and thou look down into this den,

And see a fearful sight of blood and death.

To prove these suspicions of your heart are correct,

you and Aaron should look down into this pit,

and see a terrible vision of blood and death.

QUINTUS.

Aaron is gone, and my compassionate heart

Will not permit mine eyes once to behold

The thing whereat it trembles by surmise;

O, tell me who it is, for ne'er till now

Was I a child to fear I know not what.

Aaron has gone, and my sorrowing heart

will not allow my eyes to look at

the thing it fearfully thinks is there;

oh, tell me who it is, for never before

have I suffered such a nameless fear.

MARTIUS.

Lord Bassianus lies beray'd in blood,

All on a heap, like to a slaughtered lamb,

In this detested, dark, blood-drinking pit.

Lord Bassianus lies covered in blood,

all in a heap, like a slaughtered lamb,

in this foul, dark, blood drinking pit.

QUINTUS.

If it be dark, how dost thou know 'tis he?

If it's dark, how do you know it's him?

MARTIUS.

Upon his bloody finger he doth wear

A precious ring that lightens all this hole,

Which, like a taper in some monument,

Doth shine upon the dead man's earthy cheeks,

And shows the ragged entrails of this pit;

So pale did shine the moon on Pyramus

When he by night lay bath'd in maiden blood.

O brother, help me with thy fainting hand-

If fear hath made thee faint, as me it hath-

Out of this fell devouring receptacle,

As hateful as Cocytus' misty mouth.

On his bloody finger he is wearing

a precious ring that lights up this pit,

which, like a lighted candle on a tomb,

shines on the dead man's pale cheeks,

and shows the rough insides of this hole.

This is how the pale moon shone on Pyramus

when he lay in the night bathed in maiden's blood.

O brother, help me with your trembling hand–

if fear has made you tremble, as it has me–

out of this horrible swallowing place,

as revolting as the mouth of hell.

QUINTUS.

Reach me thy hand, that I may help thee out,

Or, wanting strength to do thee so much good,

I may be pluck'd into the swallowing womb

Of this deep pit, poor Bassianus' grave.

I have no strength to pluck thee to the brink.

Give me your hand so I can help you out,

or, if I don't have the strength to help you,

I may be pulled down into the devouring womb

of this deep pit, the grave of poor Bassianus.

MARTIUS.

Nor I no strength to climb without thy help.

I don't have the strength to climb out without your help.

QUINTUS.

Thy hand once more; I will not loose again,

Till thou art here aloft, or I below.

Thou canst not come to me- I come to thee. [Falls in]

Give me your hand again; I won't let go again

until you're up here, or I'm down there.

You can't come up to me–I'm coming down to you.

Enter the EMPEROR and AARON the Moor

SATURNINUS. Along with me! I'll see what hole is here,

And what he is that now is leapt into it.

Say, who art thou that lately didst descend

Into this gaping hollow of the earth?

Follow me! I'll see what this pit is,

and who that is who just leapt into it.

Speak, who are you who just went in

to this hollow in the earth?

MARTIUS.

The unhappy sons of old Andronicus,

Brought hither in a most unlucky hour,

To find thy brother Bassianus dead.

The unfortunate sons of old Andronicus,

brought here at a very unlucky time,

to find your brother Bassianus dead.

SATURNINUS.

My brother dead! I know thou dost but jest:

He and his lady both are at the lodge

Upon the north side of this pleasant chase;

'Tis not an hour since I left them there.

My brother dead! I know you're only joking:

he and his lady are both at the lodge

on the north side of this pleasant hunting ground;

I left them there less than an hour ago.

MARTIUS.

We know not where you left them all alive;

But, out alas! here have we found him dead.

 Re-enter TAMORA, with

 attendants; TITUS ANDRONICUS and Lucius

We don't know where you left them alive;

but now alas we have found him here dead.

TAMORA.

Where is my lord the King?

Where is my lord the King?

SATURNINUS.

Here, Tamora; though griev'd with killing grief.

Here, Tamora; though I am saddened with deadly grief.

TAMORA.

Where is thy brother Bassianus?

Where is your brother Bassianus?

SATURNINUS.

Now to the bottom dost thou search my wound;

Poor Bassianus here lies murdered.

Now you're probing my wound to its depths;

poor Bassianus is lying here murdered.

TAMORA.

Then all too late I bring this fatal writ,

The complot of this timeless tragedy;

And wonder greatly that man's face can fold

In pleasing smiles such murderous tyranny.

 [She giveth SATURNINE a letter]

Then I have brought this fatal paper too late,

which shows the conspiracy which caused this untimely tragedy;

and I'm amazed that a man's face can hide

such murderous evil behind sweet smiles.

SATURNINUS.

[Reads] 'An if we miss to meet him handsomely,

Sweet huntsman- Bassianus 'tis we mean-

Do thou so much as dig the grave for him.

Thou know'st our meaning. Look for thy reward

Among the nettles at the elder-tree

Which overshades the mouth of that same pit

Where we decreed to bury Bassianus.

Do this, and purchase us thy lasting friends.'

O Tamora! was ever heard the like?

This is the pit and this the elder-tree.

Look, sirs, if you can find the huntsman out

That should have murdered Bassianus here.

‘And if we don't run across him,

sweet huntsman–we mean Bassianus–

then you should dig a grave for him.

You know what I mean. Look for your reward

amongst the nettles at the foot of the elderberry tree

which hangs over the mouth of the same pit

where we have decided to bury Bassianus.

Do this, and win our eternal friendship.’

Oh Tamora! Did you ever hear anything like it?

Here is the pit and here is the elderberry tree.

Sirs, try and discover the huntsman

who would've murdered Bassianus here.

AARON.

My gracious lord, here is the bag of gold.

My gracious lord, here is the bag of gold.

SATURNINUS.

[To TITUS] Two of thy whelps, fell curs of bloody

kind,

Have here bereft my brother of his life.

Sirs, drag them from the pit unto the prison;

There let them bide until we have devis'd

Some never-heard-of torturing pain for them.

Two of your puppies, disgusting bloody curs,

have taken my brother's life here.

Gentlemen, drag them out of the pit and take them to the prison;

let them stay there until I have invented

some unprecedented form of torture for them.

TAMORA.

What, are they in this pit? O wondrous thing!

How easily murder is discovered!

What, are they in this pit? How amazing!

How easily murder is found out!

TITUS.

High Emperor, upon my feeble knee

I beg this boon, with tears not lightly shed,

That this fell fault of my accursed sons-

Accursed if the fault be prov'd in them-

High Emperor, on my weak knees

I beg this favour, with tears I don't shed lightly:

that this terrible crime of my accursed sons–

accursed if they are proved to have committed the crime–

SATURNINUS.

If it be prov'd! You see it is apparent.

Who found this letter? Tamora, was it you?

If it is proved! You can see it is obvious.

Who found this letter? Tamora, was it you?

TAMORA.

Andronicus himself did take it up.

Andronicus himself picked it up.

TITUS.

I did, my lord, yet let me be their bail;

For, by my fathers' reverend tomb, I vow

They shall be ready at your Highness' will

To answer their suspicion with their lives.

I did, my lord, but let me stand bail for them;

I swear by the sacred tomb of my fathers

that they shall be ready when your Highness desires

to answer with their lives if they are guilty.

SATURNINUS.

Thou shalt not bail them; see thou follow me.

Some bring the murdered body, some the murderers;

Let them not speak a word- the guilt is plain;

For, by my soul, were there worse end than death,

That end upon them should be executed.

You will not stand bail for them; make sure you follow me.

Some of you bring the murdered body, some bring the murderers;

don't let them speak a word–their guilt is obvious;

I swear, if there was a worse thing than death

I would give it to them.

TAMORA.

Andronicus, I will entreat the King.

Fear not thy sons; they shall do well enough.

Andronicus, I will plead your case to the King.

Don't worry for your sons; they will be all right.

TITUS.

Come, Lucius, come; stay not to talk with them.

Exeunt

Come on, Lucius, come; don't stop to talk with them.