The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (362 page)

My voice is strained – I can’t please you now.

JAQUES

I do not desire you to please me; I do desire you to

sing. Come, more; another stanzo: call you 'em stanzos?

I don’t want you to please me; I want you to

sing. Come on, just one more sstanza – are they called stanzas?

AMIENS

What you will, Monsieur Jaques.

You can call them whatever you want, Monsieur Jacques.

JAQUES

Nay, I care not for their names; they owe me

nothing. Will you sing?

No, I don’t care to know their names. They don’t owe me

anything. Will you sing?

AMIENS

More at your request than to please myself.

Only because you are asking for it, and not out of pleasure.

JAQUES

Well then, if ever I thank any man, I'll thank you;

but that they call compliment is like the encounter

of two dog-apes, and when a man thanks me heartily,

methinks I have given him a penny and he renders me

the beggarly thanks. Come, sing; and you that will

not, hold your tongues.

Then if I ever thank someone, I thank you most.

But to compliment another man is awkward, like

two baboons meeting – when another man thanks me,

I feel like I have given him a penny and that he has

become a beggar. Now, sing, and whoever will

not sing, be quiet.

AMIENS

Well, I'll end the song. Sirs, cover the while; the

duke will drink under this tree. He hath been all

this day to look you.

Well, I will finish the song. Men, while I am doing this, set the table, since

the duke will drink under this tree. He has been

looking all day for you, Jacques.

JAQUES

And I have been all this day to avoid him. He is

too disputable for my company: I think of as many

matters as he, but I give heaven thanks and make no

boast of them. Come, warble, come.

And I have been avoiding him all day. He is

too argumentative for me. I think about as many

things as he does, but I give thanks for the thoughts, and do not

talk about them in front of others. Come, sing for me.

Everyone sings

Who doth ambition shun

And loves to live i' the sun,

Seeking the food he eats

And pleased with what he gets,

Come hither, come hither, come hither:

Here shall he see No enemy

But winter and rough weather.

Whoever shuns ambition

and loves to live in the sun,

hunting for food to eat

and happy with whatever he finds,

come here, come here, come here.

Here there are no enemies

except winter and rough weather.

JAQUES

I'll give you a verse to this note that I made

yesterday in despite of my invention.

I will give you a verse to sing to this tune that I made up

yesterday, though it is not too imaginative.

AMIENS

And I'll sing it.

I’ll sing it.

JAQUES

Thus it goes:--

If it do come to pass

That any man turn ass,

Leaving his wealth and ease,

A stubborn will to please,

Ducdame, ducdame, ducdame:

Here shall he see

Gross fools as he,

An if he will come to me.

It goes like this:

If it comes to pass

that a man becomes an ass,

leaving his wealth and ease of life

because he wants to please his stubborn will,

ducdame, ducdame, ducdame.

Here he will see

fools as disgusting as he is,

as long as he will come to me.

AMIENS

What's that 'ducdame'?

What does “ducdame” mean?

JAQUES

'Tis a Greek invocation, to call fools into a

circle. I'll go sleep, if I can; if I cannot, I'll

rail against all the first-born of Egypt.

It is a Greek word used to call fools into a

circle. I will go to sleep if I can – if I can’t, I’ll

yell at all of the first-born in Egypt.

AMIENS

And I'll go seek the duke: his banquet is prepared.

I will go look for the duke, his banquet is ready.

Exeunt severally

Enter ORLANDO and ADAM

ADAM

Dear master, I can go no further. O, I die for food!

Here lie I down, and measure out my grave. Farewell,

kind master.

Master, I can’t go further. O I am dying of hunger!

Here will I lie in order to measure a plot for my grave. Goodbye,

kind master.

ORLANDO

Why, how now, Adam! no greater heart in thee? Live

a little; comfort a little; cheer thyself a little.

If this uncouth forest yield any thing savage, I

will either be food for it or bring it for food to

thee. Thy conceit is nearer death than thy powers.

For my sake be comfortable; hold death awhile at

the arm's end: I will here be with thee presently;

and if I bring thee not something to eat, I will

give thee leave to die: but if thou diest before I

come, thou art a mocker of my labour. Well said!

thou lookest cheerly, and I'll be with thee quickly.

Yet thou liest in the bleak air: come, I will bear

thee to some shelter; and thou shalt not die for

lack of a dinner, if there live any thing in this

desert. Cheerly, good Adam!

Well now, Adam! Do you have no greater strength than this? Live

a little, be comforted a little, and cheer up a little.

If any savage thing comes from this rude forest, I

will either become its food , or I will bring it as food for

you. You think you are nearer to death that you reall are.

For my sake, be comfortable. Keep death at

an arm’s length away and I will be back soon.

If I do not bring you anything to eat, then you

will have permission to die, but if you die before I

return, you are mocking my hard work. There!

You look well, and I will be back wuickly.

But, right now you lie in the open air. Come and I will carry

you to shelter. You will not die from

hunger, as long as there is something living in this

deserted place. Be happy, good Adam!

Exeunt

A table set out. Enter DUKE SENIOR, AMIENS, and Lords like outlaws

DUKE SENIOR

I think he be transform'd into a beast;

For I can no where find him like a man.

I think he must have transformed into an animal

because I cannot find him as a man anywhere I look.

First Lord

My lord, he is but even now gone hence:

Here was he merry, hearing of a song.

My lord, he left only recently.

He was here, happy, listening to a song.

DUKE SENIOR

If he, compact of jars, grow musical,

We shall have shortly discord in the spheres.

Go, seek him: tell him I would speak with him.

If he, packed tight with conflict, becomes musical,

than there will be something wrong in the heavens.

Go and find him, and tell him that I wish to speak with him.

Enter JAQUES

First Lord

He saves my labour by his own approach.

I don’t have to, since he has come on his own.

DUKE SENIOR

Why, how now, monsieur! what a life is this,

That your poor friends must woo your company?

What, you look merrily!

How are you, monsieur! What kind of life is this

when your poor friends have to beg you for your company?

You look happy!

JAQUES

A fool, a fool! I met a fool i' the forest,

A motley fool; a miserable world!

As I do live by food, I met a fool

Who laid him down and bask'd him in the sun,

And rail'd on Lady Fortune in good terms,

In good set terms and yet a motley fool.

'Good morrow, fool,' quoth I. 'No, sir,' quoth he,

'Call me not fool till heaven hath sent me fortune:'

And then he drew a dial from his poke,

And, looking on it with lack-lustre eye,

Says very wisely, 'It is ten o'clock:

Thus we may see,' quoth he, 'how the world wags:

'Tis but an hour ago since it was nine,

And after one hour more 'twill be eleven;

And so, from hour to hour, we ripe and ripe,

And then, from hour to hour, we rot and rot;

And thereby hangs a tale.' When I did hear

The motley fool thus moral on the time,

My lungs began to crow like chanticleer,

That fools should be so deep-contemplative,

And I did laugh sans intermission

An hour by his dial. O noble fool!

A worthy fool! Motley's the only wear.

A fool! I met a clown in the forest

wearing his motley costume. What a miserable world!

As surely as I eat food to live, I met a clown

who laid himself down to bask in the sun