The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (360 page)

Enter ORLANDO and ADAM, meeting

ORLANDO

Who's there?

Who’s there?

ADAM

What, my young master? O, my gentle master!

O my sweet master! O you memory

Of old Sir Rowland! why, what make you here?

Why are you virtuous? why do people love you?

And wherefore are you gentle, strong and valiant?

Why would you be so fond to overcome

The bonny priser of the humorous duke?

Your praise is come too swiftly home before you.

Know you not, master, to some kind of men

Their graces serve them but as enemies?

No more do yours: your virtues, gentle master,

Are sanctified and holy traitors to you.

O, what a world is this, when what is comely

Envenoms him that bears it!

My young, gentle master!

O my sweet master! You memory

of old Sir Rowland! What are you doing here?

Why are you so good and kind? Why do people love you?

Why are you so gentle, strong, and brave?

Why was it your desire to fight and overthrow

the fighter of the moody duke?

Your praise has come back against you.

Don’t you know, master, that for some men,

their graceful qualities become their own enemies?

The same thing happens with yours: your virtues, gentle master,

are, even though they are pure and holy, also traitors to you.

O what a world this is when the qualities that are pleasant and good

poison the one who has those qualities!

ORLANDO

Why, what's the matter?

What is the matter?

ADAM

O unhappy youth!

Come not within these doors; within this roof

The enemy of all your graces lives:

Your brother--no, no brother; yet the son--

Yet not the son, I will not call him son

Of him I was about to call his father--

Hath heard your praises, and this night he means

To burn the lodging where you use to lie

And you within it: if he fail of that,

He will have other means to cut you off.

I overheard him and his practises.

This is no place; this house is but a butchery:

Abhor it, fear it, do not enter it.

O unhappy youth!

Do not walk through these doors. Under this roof

lives the enemy of your goodness:

your brother, Oliver. –No, not your brother, but your father’s son –

no, not son either. I will not call him son

if that implies he is the son of your father.

Oliver has heard about the praises for you, and tonight he intends

to burn the house where you use to sleep

with you in it. And if that were to fail,

he would have other ways to kill you.

I overheard him and his plans.

This is no place for you. This house is a butchery:

hate it, fear it, and do not go into it.

ORLANDO

Why, whither, Adam, wouldst thou have me go?

But where, Adam, would you have me go?

ADAM

No matter whither, so you come not here.

It doesn’t matter where, just do not come here.

ORLANDO

What, wouldst thou have me go and beg my food?

Or with a base and boisterous sword enforce

A thievish living on the common road?

This I must do, or know not what to do:

Yet this I will not do, do how I can;

I rather will subject me to the malice

Of a diverted blood and bloody brother.

Would you want me to go and beg for food?

Or take a well-used sword in order to make

a thief’s living by the side of the road?

This is all that is left for me to do, or else something I don’t know –

yet this I won’t do, even if I could.

I would rather subject myself to the evil

of an estranged and bloodthirsty brother.

ADAM

But do not so. I have five hundred crowns,

The thrifty hire I saved under your father,

Which I did store to be my foster-nurse

When service should in my old limbs lie lame

And unregarded age in corners thrown:

Take that, and He that doth the ravens feed,

Yea, providently caters for the sparrow,

Be comfort to my age! Here is the gold;

And all this I give you. Let me be your servant:

Though I look old, yet I am strong and lusty;

For in my youth I never did apply

Hot and rebellious liquors in my blood,

Nor did not with unbashful forehead woo

The means of weakness and debility;

Therefore my age is as a lusty winter,

Frosty, but kindly: let me go with you;

I'll do the service of a younger man

In all your business and necessities.

Do not do that. I have five hundred crowns,

all saved while working under your father

and stored for my retirement

when I am too old and lame to give service to anyone,

when I am so old that I am thrown in a corner and forgotten.

Take that with you, and God who feeds the ravens

and cares for the sparrow

will watch over me in my age! Here is my money,

and all of it I give to you. Let me be your servant still:

though I look old, I am still strong and energetic.

In my youth, I never

drank evil liquors

nor did I recklessly test

my means and abilities:

therefore my age is like windy winter:

frosty, but kind. Let me go with you

and I will help you as if I were a younger man

in all of your business and needs.

ORLANDO

O good old man, how well in thee appears

The constant service of the antique world,

When service sweat for duty, not for meed!

Thou art not for the fashion of these times,

Where none will sweat but for promotion,

And having that, do choke their service up

Even with the having: it is not so with thee.

But, poor old man, thou prunest a rotten tree,

That cannot so much as a blossom yield

In lieu of all thy pains and husbandry

But come thy ways; well go along together,

And ere we have thy youthful wages spent,

We'll light upon some settled low content.

O good old man, in you I see

the constant service that used to be common in the old world,

when one served out of duty, not just for money.

You are not built for these times

where no one will work hard except for promotion,

and when they get that, stop their work

almost immediately. That’s not how you are.

But, poor old man, by coming me you are trimming a rotten tree

that cannot yield even a single blossom,

even with all of the pain and care you give to it.

But come anyway, we will go along together

and before we have spent your money,

we will find some way to make a happy living.

ADAM

Master, go on, and I will follow thee,

To the last gasp, with truth and loyalty.

From seventeen years till now almost fourscore

Here lived I, but now live here no more.

At seventeen years many their fortunes seek;

But at fourscore it is too late a week:

Yet fortune cannot recompense me better

Than to die well and not my master's debtor.

Master, go forward and I will follow you

until my last breath with loyalty and faithfulness.

From when I was seventeen years old until now, almost sixty,

I have lived here, and now I will live here no longer.

At seventeen, many men leave to look for their fortunes, for wealth –

at sixty it is too late for that.

Yet, there is no greater fortune for me now

than to die without owing my master anything.

Exeunt

Enter ROSALIND for Ganymede, CELIA for Aliena, and TOUCHSTONE

ROSALIND

O Jupiter, how weary are my spirits!

O Jupiter, my spirits are so tired!

TOUCHSTONE

I care not for my spirits, if my legs were not weary.

I wouldn’t really care about my spirits if my legs weren’t so tired.

ROSALIND

I could find in my heart to disgrace my man's

apparel and to cry like a woman; but I must comfort

the weaker vessel, as doublet and hose ought to show

itself courageous to petticoat: therefore courage,

good Aliena!

I would cry out from my heart against wearing a man’s

clothing, like a woman would, but I must instead comfort

the weaker sex, just as anyone wearing men’s clothing must be

brave and courageous to one wearing a dress. Therefore, be strong,

good Aliena!

CELIA

I pray you, bear with me; I cannot go no further.

Please, bear with me: I can’t go any further.

TOUCHSTONE

For my part, I had rather bear with you than bear

you; yet I should bear no cross if I did bear you,

for I think you have no money in your purse.

As for me, I would rather bear with you than bear

you and carry you. Yet, it would not be like bearing a cross to carry you

since I don’t think that you have any money with crosses on them with you.

ROSALIND

Well, this is the forest of Arden.

This is the forest of Arden.

TOUCHSTONE

Ay, now am I in Arden; the more fool I; when I was

at home, I was in a better place: but travellers

must be content.

Yes, and now I am a bigger fool for being in Arden. When I was

at home, I was in a better place – but a traveller

should be happy regardless.

ROSALIND

Ay, be so, good Touchstone.

Yes, be happy, good Touchstone.

Enter CORIN and SILVIUS

Look you, who comes here; a young man and an old in

solemn talk.

Look, here comes a young man and an old man in a serious discussion.