The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (396 page)

You three Biron, Dumain, and Longaville,
Have sworn for three years' term to live with me

Have sworn that you will live with me for three years
My fellow-scholars, and to keep those statutes

My scholar-men, and to uphold the laws
That are recorded in this schedule here:

That are recorded in this schedule here:
Your oaths are pass'd; and now subscribe your names,

You have said your oaths, and now write your names,

That his own hand may strike his honour down

So that his signature will be his downfall for
That violates the smallest branch herein:

Whoever violates the smallest part of the oath from here on out:
If you are arm'd to do as sworn to do,

If you are ready to do what you’ve sworn to do,
Subscribe to your deep oaths, and keep it too.

Sign here to affirm your oaths, and keep them.
LONGAVILLE I am resolved; 'tis but a three years' fast:

I am determined; it will be like a fast for only three years:
The mind shall banquet, though the body pine:

The mind will banquet, though the body will yearn:
Fat paunches have lean pates, and dainty bits

Fat stomachs have thin heads, and delicate bits
Make rich the ribs, but bankrupt quite the wits.

Make your ribs rich and completely bankrupt your wits.
DUMAIN My loving lord, Dumain is mortified:

My gracious lord, Dumain is humiliated:
The grosser manner of these world's delights

The abundance of these world’s delights
He throws upon the gross world's baser slaves:

He throws to this big world’s lesser people:
To love, to wealth, to pomp, I pine and die;

To love, to wealth, to splendor, I yearn and die;
With all these living in philosophy.

All of these things will only be thoughts to me.
BIRON I can but say their protestation over;

I can only repeat what they have said;
So much, dear liege, I have already sworn,

I have already sworn so much, my dear liege,
That is, to live and study here three years.

Which is to live and study here for three years
But there are other strict observances;

But there are other strict rules;
As, not to see a woman in that term,

Like, not being able to see a woman during that time,
Which I hope well is not enrolled there;

Which I really hope is not required there;

And one day in a week to touch no food

And for one day a week not to touch any food
And but one meal on every day beside,

And only one meal on every day besides that,
The which I hope is not enrolled there;

Which I also hope is not required there;
And then, to sleep but three hours in the night,

And another, to only sleep three hours a night
And not be seen to wink of all the day—

And not being able to close your eyes all day
—When I was wont to think no harm all night

When I have been used to sleeping all night
And make a dark night too of half the day—

And also into half of the day
—Which I hope well is not enrolled there:

Which I really hope is not required there
O, these are barren tasks, too hard to keep,

O, these are empty tasks, too hard to keep,
Not to see ladies, study, fast, not sleep!

To not see any ladies, study, not eat, not sleep!
FERDINAND Your oath is pass'd to pass away from these.

You’ve sworn an oath to give up these things.
BIRON Let me say no, my liege, an if you please:

Let me say no, my liege, if you’ll permit me to say:
I only swore to study with your grace

I only swore to study with your grace
And stay here in your court for three years' space.

And stay here in your court for three years’ time.
LONGAVILLE You swore to that, Biron, and to the rest.

You did swear to that, Biron, and to everything else.
BIRON By yea and nay, sir, then I swore in jest.

Earnestly, sir, then I swore as a joke
What is the end of study? let me know.

What is the purpose of the study? Tell me.

FERDINAND Why, that to know, which else we should not know.

Well, so that we can know things we wouldn’t know otherwise.
BIRON Things hid and barr'd, you mean, from common sense?

You mean things that are hidden and barred from common sense?
FERDINAND Ay, that is study's godlike recompense.

Yes, that is the godlike reward of the study.
BIRON Come on, then; I will swear to study so,

Alright, then; I will swear to study this way,
To know the thing I am forbid to know:

So that I can know the thing I am forbidden to know;
As thus,--to study where I well may dine,

So that, --I can learn where I can dine,
When I to feast expressly am forbid;

When I am expressly forbid to eat;
Or study where to meet some mistress fine,

Or learn where to meet a fine lady,
When mistresses from common sense are hid;

When ladies are hidden from common sense;
Or, having sworn too hard a keeping oath,

Or, if I’ve sworn to keep an oath that’s too hard to keep,
Study to break it and not break my troth.

Learn how to break it and not break my loyalty to the pledge.
If study's gain be thus and this be so,

If that is what I will gain by studying,
Study knows that which yet it doth not know:

Study knows the things that it doesn’t know yet:
Swear me to this, and I will ne'er say no.

Swear me to this and I will never say no.
FERDINAND These be the stops that hinder study quite

These are the obstacles that greatly impede studying
And train our intellects to vain delight.

And allure our intellects to selfish delights.
BIRON Why, all delights are vain; but that most vain,

Well all delights are selfish; but the most selfish,

Which with pain purchased doth inherit pain:

Which as it is acquired with hard labor, it inherits pain:
As, painfully to pore upon a book

Like, poring laboriously over a book
To seek the light of truth; while truth the while

To seek the light of truth; and all the while truth
Doth falsely blind the eyesight of his look:

Treacherously blinds his eyesight and his power to see:
Light seeking light doth light of light beguile:

Searching for truth by excessive study takes your eyes’ ability to see,:
So, ere you find where light in darkness lies,

Like, when you stare at a bright light,
Your light grows dark by losing of your eyes.

It eventually blinds you.
Study me how to please the eye indeed

Teach me how to please the eye indeed
By fixing it upon a fairer eye,

By looking at the eyes of a beautiful woman,
Who dazzling so, that eye shall be his heed

That dazzles so much that it will be his safety
And give him light that it was blinded by.

And it will give him the light that his eye was blinded by.
Study is like the heaven's glorious sun

Study is like the heaven’s glorious sun
That will not be deep-search'd with saucy looks:

That will not be scrutinized by insolent looks:
Small have continual plodders ever won

People who trudge on continuously win very little
Save base authority from others' books

Except for the lowest power from others’ books
These earthly godfathers of heaven's lights

These earthly guardians of heaven’s lights
That give a name to every fixed star

That namde every immovable star
Have no more profit of their shining nights

Get no more benefit from their starlit nights
Than those that walk and wot not what they are.

Than those that walk around not knowing what stars are.
Too much to know is to know nought but fame;

To know too much is to know nothing but secondhand information;
And every godfather can give a name.

And every child’s godfather can give a name.

FERDINAND How well he's read, to reason against reading!

How well informed he is, to argue against learning!
DUMAIN Proceeded well, to stop all good proceeding!

He is very advanced, to stop all advancement!

LONGAVILLE He weeds the corn and still lets grow the weeding.

He pulls out the wheat and allows weeds to grow.
BIRON The spring is near when green geese are a-breeding.

We know that spring is coming when the geese start breeding.
DUMAIN How follows that?

What does that have to do with anything?
BIRON Fit in his place and time.

Exactly in its place and time.
DUMAIN In reason nothing.

It makes no sense.
BIRON Something then in rhyme.

Maybe if I made it rhyme.
FERDINAND Biron is like an envious sneaping frost,

Biron is like a malicious nipping frost,
That bites the first-born infants of the spring.

That kills the first-born buds of the spring.
BIRON Well, say I am; why should proud summer boast

Well, say I am; why should glorious summer boast
Before the birds have any cause to sing?

Before the birds have any cause to sing?
Why should I joy in any abortive birth?

Why should I take joy in a failed birth?

At Christmas I no more desire a rose

At Christmas I don’t wish that roses would grow
Than wish a snow in May's new-fangled mirth;

Any more than I wish for snow to ruin the new joy of spring in May;

But like of each thing that in season grows.

But each things grows in its own season.
So you, to study now it is too late,

Just like you, to study now is too late,
Climb o'er the house to unlock the little gate.

Climb over the house and unlock the little gate.
FERDINAND Well, sit you out: go home, Biron: adieu.

Well, you sit out: go home Biron; goodbye.
BIRON No, my good lord; I have sworn to stay with you:

No, my good lord; I have sworn to stay with you:
And though I have for barbarism spoke more

And though I have been speaking more for the uncultured
Than for that angel knowledge you can say,

Than for the angel that is knowledge,
Yet confident I'll keep what I have swore

Yet I’m confident that I will keep my oaths
And bide the penance of each three years' day.

And stay for the three years of penance.
Give me the paper; let me read the same;

Give me the paper; let me read the oaths;
And to the strict'st decrees I'll write my name.
And sign myself to the strictest rules.

FERDINAND How well this yielding rescues thee from shame!

How well you’ve rescued yourself from shame by giving in!
BIRON [Reads] 'Item, That no woman shall come within a

‘Note, That no woman will come within a
mile of my court:' Hath this been proclaimed?

mile of my court:’ Has this been proclaimed?
LONGAVILLE Four days ago.

Four days ago.

BIRON Let's see the penalty.

Let’s see what the penalty is.
Reads

'On pain of losing her tongue.' Who devised this penalty?

‘If caught, she will lose her tongue.’ Who came up with this penalty?
LONGAVILLE Marry, that did I.

That was me.
BIRON Sweet lord, and why?

Why, sweet lord?
LONGAVILLE To fright them hence with that dread penalty.

To frighten them away form such a horrible penalty.
BIRON A dangerous law against gentility!