The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (1096 page)

Now you know your guarantees: you have your uncle's word and my

unwavering loyalty.

PANDARUS.

Nay, I'll give my word for her too: our kindred, though

they be long ere they are wooed, they are constant being won;

they are burs, I can tell you; they'll stick where they are

thrown.

No, I'll guarantee her too: our family, though

they take a long time to be wooed, they are faithful once they are won;

they are like burrs, I can tell you; they stick where they are thrown.

CRESSIDA.

Boldness comes to me now and brings me heart.

Prince Troilus, I have lov'd you night and day

For many weary months.

I feel bolder now and more courageous.

Prince Troilus, I have loved you night and day

for many long months.

TROILUS.

Why was my Cressid then so hard to win?

Then why was my Cressida so hard to win?

CRESSIDA.

Hard to seem won; but I was won, my lord,

With the first glance that ever-pardon me.

If I confess much, you will play the tyrant.

I love you now; but till now not so much

But I might master it. In faith, I lie;

My thoughts were like unbridled children, grown

Too headstrong for their mother. See, we fools!

Why have I blabb'd? Who shall be true to us,

When we are so unsecret to ourselves?

But, though I lov'd you well, I woo'd you not;

And yet, good faith, I wish'd myself a man,

Or that we women had men's privilege

Of speaking first. Sweet, bid me hold my tongue,

For in this rapture I shall surely speak

The thing I shall repent. See, see, your silence,

Cunning in dumbness, from my weakness draws

My very soul of counsel. Stop my mouth.

I made it hard to see that I was won, but I was won, my lord,

the first time you ever looked at–excuse me.

If I admit too much, you will lord it over me.

I love you now; but up until now not so much

that I couldn't control it. Actually, I'm lying;

my thoughts were like undisciplined children,

too much for their mother to control. Look, what fools we are!

Why have I spilled the beans? Who will keep our secrets,

when we can't keep them ourselves?

But, though I loved you greatly, I did not pursue you;

and yet, I swear, I wished that I was a man,

or that we women had the same right as men

to speak first. Dearest, tell me to hold my tongue,

for in my delirious joy I will surely say

something I shall regret. Look, look, your silence,

cunning in its dumbness, is using my weakness

to get my deepest thoughts out of me. Stop my mouth.

TROILUS.

And shall, albeit sweet music issues thence.

And I shall, although sweet music is coming from it.

PANDARUS.

Pretty, i' faith.

That's sweet, I must say.

CRESSIDA.

My lord, I do beseech you, pardon me;

'Twas not my purpose thus to beg a kiss.

I am asham'd. O heavens! what have I done?

For this time will I take my leave, my lord.

My Lord, I beg you to pardon me;

I didn't mean to beg a kiss like that.

I am ashamed. O heavens! What have I done?

I will leave you for now, my lord.

TROILUS.

Your leave, sweet Cressid?

You're leaving, sweet Cressida?

PANDARUS.

Leave! An you take leave till to-morrow morning-

Leave! There will be time enough for leaving tomorrow morning–

CRESSIDA.

Pray you, content you.

Enough of that, thank you.

TROILUS.

What offends you, lady?

What don't you like, lady?

CRESSIDA.

Sir, mine own company.

Sir, my own company.

TROILUS.

You cannot shun yourself.

You can't reject yourself.

CRESSIDA.

Let me go and try.

I have a kind of self resides with you;

But an unkind self, that itself will leave

To be another's fool. I would be gone.

Where is my wit? I know not what I speak.

Let me go and try.

Part of me wants to stay with you;

but another part of me rebels and says

it doesn't want to be another's fool. I will go.

Have I lost my mind? I don't know what to say.

TROILUS.

Well know they what they speak that speak so wisely.

Those who speak so wisely must know what they are saying.

CRESSIDA.

Perchance, my lord, I show more craft than love;

And fell so roundly to a large confession

To angle for your thoughts; but you are wise-

Or else you love not; for to be wise and love

Exceeds man's might; that dwells with gods above.

Perhaps, my lord, you think I show more cunning than love;

and gave such a free and open account of my feelings

to try and discover your thoughts; but you are wise–

or to put it another way you don't love me;no man can be

wise and in love at the same time; only the gods can do that.

TROILUS.

O that I thought it could be in a woman-

As, if it can, I will presume in you-

To feed for aye her lamp and flames of love;

To keep her constancy in plight and youth,

Outliving beauty's outward, with a mind

That doth renew swifter than blood decays!

Or that persuasion could but thus convince me

That my integrity and truth to you

Might be affronted with the match and weight

Of such a winnowed purity in love.

How were I then uplifted! but, alas,

I am as true as truth's simplicity,

And simpler than the infancy of truth.

Oh, I wish that it could be true that women–

and if it's true of any this will definitely be true of you–

could for ever keep her love light burning,

staying as loving as the first day she promised when young,

lasting longer than mere looks, with a mind

for love which grows faster than passion fades!

Or that something could convince me

that my faithfulness and loyalty to you

could be matched with the same amount

of such refined and pure love.

How wonderful that would be! But, alas,

I am as true as simple truth itself,

more innocent than Adam before the fall.

CRESSIDA.

In that I'll war with you.

I'll argue that point with you.

TROILUS.

O virtuous fight,

When right with right wars who shall be most right!

True swains in love shall in the world to come

Approve their truth by Troilus, when their rhymes,

Full of protest, of oath, and big compare,

Want similes, truth tir'd with iteration-

As true as steel, as plantage to the moon,

As sun to day, as turtle to her mate,

As iron to adamant, as earth to th' centre-

Yet, after all comparisons of truth,

As truth's authentic author to be cited,

'As true as Troilus' shall crown up the verse

And sanctify the numbers.

This is a virtuous fight,

when two who are right battle to see who is most right!

In the future true lovers shall use Troilus

as their example of fidelity, when their poems,

full of declarations, of promises, and great comparisons,

need similes, tired of repeating the truth–

‘as true as steel, as fertile as the moon,

like sun to day, like a turtle to her mate,

like iron to a magnet, like the Earth to its centre–’

but, after all these illustrative similes,

in order to be shown as writing the truth,

‘as true as Troilus’ shall end the verse

and make the whole thing true.

CRESSIDA.

Prophet may you be!

If I be false, or swerve a hair from truth,

When time is old and hath forgot itself,

When waterdrops have worn the stones of Troy,

And blind oblivion swallow'd cities up,

And mighty states characterless are grated

To dusty nothing-yet let memory

From false to false, among false maids in love,

Upbraid my falsehood when th' have said 'As false

As air, as water, wind, or sandy earth,

As fox to lamb, or to heifer's calf,

Pard to the hind, or stepdame to her son'-

Yea, let them say, to stick the heart of falsehood,

'As false as Cressid.'

May your prediction come true!

If I am false, or deviate an inch from the truth,

when all recorded time is over,

when the raindrops have worn down the stones of Troy,

and all the cities have been forgotten,

and great states are nameless, ground down

to dust–may the memory of my falsehood

still be fresh amongst false maids in love,

and reprimand my falsehood when they have said ‘as false

as air, as water, wind, or sandy earth,

as the fox to the lamb, or to the heifer's calf,

the leopard to the deer, or the stepmother to her son’–

then let them say, to really prove that someone is false,

‘As false as Cressida.’

PANDARUS.

Go to, a bargain made; seal it, seal it; I'll be the

witness. Here I hold your hand; here my cousin's. If ever you

prove false one to another, since I have taken such pains to

bring you together, let all pitiful goers-between be call'd to

the world's end after my name-call them all Pandars; let all

constant men be Troiluses, all false women Cressids, and all

brokers between Pandars. Say 'Amen.'

Come on then, that's a bargain; seal it, seal it; I'll be the

witness. Here I take your hand; here I take my cousin's. If you ever

prove false to each other, let all the pitiful go-betweens be called

Pandars until the end of time; let all true men be called Troilus,

all false women Cressida, and all the go-betweens Pandars.

Say ‘Amen.’

TROILUS.

Amen.

Amen.

CRESSIDA.

Amen.

Amen.

PANDARUS.

Amen. Whereupon I will show you a chamber

and a bed; which bed, because it shall not speak of your

pretty encounters, press it to death. Away!

And Cupid grant all tongue-tied maidens here,

Bed, chamber, pander, to provide this gear!

Amen. And now I will show you a room

and a bed; because this bed will never speak of your

lovely meeting, torture it as much as you like. Off you go!