The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (529 page)

PYRAMUS

O wherefore, Nature, didst thou lions frame?

Oh Nature, why did you create lions?

Since lion vile hath here deflower'd my dear:

An evil lion has eaten my love

Which is--no, no--which was the fairest dame

Who is – no – who was the most beautiful woman

That lived, that loved, that liked, that look'd with cheer.

Who lived, loved, and was happy.

Come, tears, confound;

Come out tears, and overflow;

Out, sword, and wound

Come out sword, and hurt

The pap of Pyramus;

My chest –

Ay, that left pap,

Yes, the left part of the chest

Where heart doth hop:

Where my heart beats.

Stabs himself

Thus die I, thus, thus, thus.

This is how I will die, like this, like this.

Now am I dead,

Now I am dead

Now am I fled;

And running from this life.

My soul is in the sky:

My soul is already in heaven.

Tongue, lose thy light;

Tongue, it is time to stop talking.

Moon take thy flight:

Moon, leave me in the dark.

Exit Moonshine

Now die, die, die, die, die.

Now I die, die, die, die, die.

Dies

DEMETRIUS

No die, but an ace, for him; for he is but one.

We may not have dice around, but he is a die with a single dot, since he is only one person.

LYSANDER

Less than an ace, man; for he is dead; he is nothing.

Less than that even: since he is dead, he has no dots, he is nothing.

THESEUS

With the help of a surgeon he might yet recover, and

A doctor could perhaps help him and bring him back as

prove an ass.

a donkey.

HIPPOLYTA

How chance Moonshine is gone before Thisbe comes

Why is the Moon gone before Thisbe returns

back and finds her lover?

and finds Pyramus? How will she find him?

THESEUS

She will find him by starlight. Here she comes; and

By starlight, I suppose. Here she comes, and

her passion ends the play.

the play ends with her passion.

Re-enter Thisbe

HIPPOLYTA

Methinks she should not use a long one for such a

I dont think Thisbe should grieve too long for such a ridiculous

Pyramus: I hope she will be brief.

Pyramus, and I hope that she is quick.

DEMETRIUS

A mote will turn the balance, which Pyramus, which

So far it is even as to whether Pyramus

Thisbe, is the better; he for a man, God warrant us;

or Thisbe is better. God help us if he is a better man,

she for a woman, God bless us.

and God help us if she is a better woman.

LYSANDER

She hath spied him already with those sweet eyes.

She has already seen him with those pretty eyes.

DEMETRIUS

And thus she means, videlicet:--

And, as follows, she will––

THISBE

Asleep, my love?

My love, are you asleep?

What, dead, my dove?

Or are you dead?

O Pyramus, arise!

Pyramus get up!

Speak, speak. Quite dumb?

Please speak, can you not speak?

Dead, dead? A tomb

Are you really dead? In a tomb

Must cover thy sweet eyes.

You should be placed then, your beautiful eyes closed.

These My lips,

These lips of yours that were mine,

This cherry nose,

Your red nose

These yellow cowslip cheeks,

And your yellow cheeks like cowslip flowers,

Are gone, are gone:

Are gone!

Lovers, make moan:

Lovers, cry with me.

His eyes were green as leeks.

His eyes were green, like leeks.

O Sisters Three,

O Fates, the three Sisters,

Come, come to me,

Come to me

With hands as pale as milk;

With your pale hands

Lay them in gore,

And place them in the red gore of his body

Since you have shore

Since you have cut

With shears his thread of silk.

His life’s thread with your scissors.

Tongue, not a word:

Tongue, be silent,

Come, trusty sword;

Come, sword of Pyramus,

Come, blade, my breast imbrue:

Come, blade, and enter my chest.

Stabs herself

And, farewell, friends;

Goodbye friends,

Thus Thisby ends:

Thus Thisby dies,

Adieu, adieu, adieu.

Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye.

Dies

THESEUS

Moonshine and Lion are left to bury the dead.

So Moonshine and Lion must bury the bodies.

DEMETRIUS

Ay, and Wall too.

Yes, and Wall.

BOTTOM

[Starting up] No assure you; the wall is down that

No, really: the wall that parted them

parted their fathers. Will it please you to see the

was taken down. Would you like to hear

epilogue, or to hear a Bergomask dance between two

the epilogue, or hear and watch a dance from two

of our company?

of our group?

THESEUS

No epilogue, I pray you; for your play needs no

Please, no epilogue, the play doesn’t need

excuse. Never excuse; for when the players are all

an excuse. There’s no point, anyway: since everyone

dead, there needs none to be blamed. Marry, if he

is dead, no one needs to be blamed. Actually, if you

that writ it had played Pyramus and hanged himself

had written that Pyramus had hanged himself

in Thisbe's garter, it would have been a fine

with Thisbe’s belt, then it would have been a great

tragedy: and so it is, truly; and very notably

tragedy. Anyway, it was still very well

discharged. But come, your Bergomask: let your

done. Now, your dance – leave your

epilogue alone.

epilogue alone.

A dance

The iron tongue of midnight hath told twelve:

The bell is ringing out that it is midnight,

Lovers, to bed; 'tis almost fairy time.

So lovers, head to your beds. It’s time for the fairies to come out.

I fear we shall out-sleep the coming morn

I am worried that we will sleep in and miss the morning

As much as we this night have overwatch'd.

Since we have been awake so late tonight.

This palpable-gross play hath well beguiled

This incredibly awful play has given a light air

The heavy gait of night. Sweet friends, to bed.

To the heaviness of the night. My friends, let us go to bed.

A fortnight hold we this solemnity,

We will continue this ceremony for two weeks,

In nightly revels and new jollity.

With nightly parties and new entertainments.

Exeunt

Enter PUCK

PUCK

Now the hungry lion roars,

Now the hungry lion roars

And the wolf behowls the moon;

And the wolf howls at the moon,

Whilst the heavy ploughman snores,

While the fat farmer snores

All with weary task fordone.

Tired from his work.

Now the wasted brands do glow,

The used up firewood glows in the fireplace

Whilst the screech-owl, screeching loud,

While the owl, screeching loudly,

Puts the wretch that lies in woe

Reminds the man who is sick

In remembrance of a shroud.

Of the shroud of impending death.

Now it is the time of night

Now is the time of the night

That the graves all gaping wide,

When the graves open

Every one lets forth his sprite,

And out of every one comes a ghost

In the church-way paths to glide:

To glide along the paths of the graveyard.

And we fairies, that do run

And we fairies, who follow

By the triple Hecate's team,

Hecate the goddess of magic,

From the presence of the sun,

And must run from the sun

Following darkness like a dream,

To follow darkness like a dream,

Now are frolic: not a mouse

Want to frolic. But for now not a single mouse

Shall disturb this hallow'd house:

Will disturb this special house.

I am sent with broom before,

I was sent with a broom

To sweep the dust behind the door.

To clean up everything for the king and queen.

Enter OBERON and TITANIA with their train

OBERON

Through the house give gathering light,

The house has a little light still

By the dead and drowsy fire:

From the dying fire.

Every elf and fairy sprite

All the elves and fairies with us,

Hop as light as bird from brier;

Walk lightly, like a bird stepping around thorns,

And this ditty, after me,

And sing this song with me,

Sing, and dance it trippingly.

Sing and dance joyfully.

TITANIA

First, rehearse your song by rote

First, rehearse your song by remembering

To each word a warbling note:

Each word and the note that goes with it.

Hand in hand, with fairy grace,

Now, join hands, and with the grace of fairies

Will we sing, and bless this place.

We will sing while we bless this house.

Song and dance

OBERON

Now, until the break of day,

Now, until morning,

Through this house each fairy stray.

Go through all the corners of the house.