The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (556 page)

You should suffer patiently

these sorrows you lay upon yourself.

PERICLES

Thou speak'st like a physician, Helicanus,

That minister'st a potion unto me

That thou wouldst tremble to receive thyself.

Attend me, then: I went to Antioch,

Where as thou know'st, against the face of death,

I sought the purchase of a glorious beauty.

From whence an issue I might propagate,

Are arms to princes, and bring joys to subjects.

Her face was to mine eye beyond all wonder;

The rest--hark in thine ear--as black as incest:

Which by my knowledge found, the sinful father

Seem'd not to strike, but smooth: but thou

know'st this,

'Tis time to fear when tyrants seem to kiss.

Such fear so grew in me, I hither fled,

Under the covering of a careful night,

Who seem'd my good protector; and, being here,

Bethought me what was past, what might succeed.

I knew him tyrannous; and tyrants' fears

Decrease not, but grow faster than the years:

And should he doubt it, as no doubt he doth,

That I should open to the listening air

How many worthy princes' bloods were shed,

To keep his bed of blackness unlaid ope,

To lop that doubt, he'll fill this land with arms,

And make pretence of wrong that I have done him:

When all, for mine, if I may call offence,

Must feel war's blow, who spares not innocence:

Which love to all, of which thyself art one,

Who now reprovest me for it,--

You speak like a doctor, Helicanus,

who gives me a medicine

that you would be afraid to take yourself.

Listen to me then: I went to Antioch,

intending, as you know, to get for myself

a glorious beauty, in the face of death,

from whom I could breed my heirs,

bringing strength to a prince and joy to his subjects.

Her looks were beautiful beyond belief;

the rest, listen carefully, as disgusting as incest;

when I discovered it, the sinful father

pretended not to attack but to be friendly; but you know

that the time to fear a tyrant is when he embraces you.

I became so afraid of him that I fled here,

under the blanket of a protecting night,

who seemed to be a friendly guardian; once here

I thought of what had happened and what might happen.

I knew he was a tyrant; and tyrants' fears

never lessen, but grow quicker than time.

And if he fears, as no doubt he does,

that I will reveal to the world

how much good princes' blood was shed

to preserve the secret of his filthy bed,

to ease that fear he'll gather up his armies,

and pretend that I have done him some wrong;

then everyone will feel the blow of war,

which doesn't spare the innocent, as punishment

for my offence, if you can call it an offence.

My love for all, including you,

who just now reproved me for it–

HELICANUS

Alas, sir!

Alas, sir!

PERICLES

Drew sleep out of mine eyes, blood from my cheeks,

Musings into my mind, with thousand doubts

How I might stop this tempest ere it came;

And finding little comfort to relieve them,

I thought it princely charity to grieve them.

Stopped me from sleeping, drained the blood from my cheeks,

put my mind in a whirl, with a thousand worries as to

how I could stop this storm before it broke;

and as I could not think of a way to save them

I thought it was fitting for a prince to grieve for them.

HELICANUS

Well, my lord, since you have given me leave to speak,

Freely will I speak. Antiochus you fear,

And justly too, I think, you fear the tyrant,

Who either by public war or private treason

Will take away your life.

Therefore, my lord, go travel for a while,

Till that his rage and anger be forgot,

Or till the Destinies do cut his thread of life.

Your rule direct to any; if to me,

Day serves not light more faithful than I'll be.

Well, my lord, since you have given me permission to speak,

I shall speak freely. You fear Antiochus,

with justification, I think, you fear the tyrant,

who either with open war or private treachery

will have you killed.

So, my lord, go travelling for a while,

until his rage and anger are forgotten,

or he dies.

Hand over your power to anybody; if you choose me,

I will be as faithful as day is to light.

PERICLES

I do not doubt thy faith;

But should he wrong my liberties in my absence?

I don't doubt your loyalty;

but what if he tries to overthrow me in my absence?

HELICANUS

We'll mingle our bloods together in the earth,

From whence we had our being and our birth.

Then our blood will run into the earth,

from which we came.

PERICLES

Tyre, I now look from thee then, and to Tarsus

Intend my travel, where I'll hear from thee;

And by whose letters I'll dispose myself.

The care I had and have of subjects' good

On thee I lay whose wisdom's strength can bear it.

I'll take thy word for faith, not ask thine oath:

Who shuns not to break one will sure crack both:

But in our orbs we'll live so round and safe,

That time of both this truth shall ne'er convince,

Thou show'dst a subject's shine, I a true prince.

Exeunt

Then I shall turn my back on Tyre, and I shall

journey to Tarsus, where I'll expect to hear from you;

I'll act according to what your letters say.

The responsibility I had, and have, for my subjects' welfare

I hand over to you who is wise enough to bear it.

I'll take your loyalty at your word, not ask you to swear an oath:

anyone who would break one would certainly break both:

but in our different spheres we'll be so diligent and careful,

that until the end of time people will say

that you were a magnificent subject, and I was a true prince.

Enter THALIARD

THALIARD

So, this is Tyre, and this the court. Here must I

kill King Pericles; and if I do it not, I am sure to

be hanged at home: 'tis dangerous. Well, I perceive

he was a wise fellow, and had good discretion, that,

being bid to ask what he would of the king, desired

he might know none of his secrets: now do I see he

had some reason for't; for if a king bid a man be a

villain, he's bound by the indenture of his oath to

be one! Hush! here come the lords of Tyre.

Enter HELICANUS and ESCANES, with other Lords of Tyre

So, this is Tyre, and this is the court. This is where I

must kill King Pericles; if I don't, I am certain

to be hanged at home: it's dangerous. Well, I saw

that he was a wise man, and could keep a secret;

when he was asked what he wanted from the king, he said

that he wanted to know none of his secrets:  I see

now he had a reason for it; because if a king tells a man

to do evil, he's bound by the words of his oath

to do it! Hush! Here come the lords of Tyre.

HELICANUS

You shall not need, my fellow peers of Tyre,

Further to question me of your king's departure:

His seal'd commission, left in trust with me,

Doth speak sufficiently he's gone to travel.

You do not need, my fellow lords of Tyre,

to question me any further about your king's departure:

he has entrusted me with his sealed orders,

and that's enough proof that he's gone travelling.

THALIARD

[Aside] How! the king gone!

What! The king has gone!

HELICANUS

If further yet you will be satisfied,

Why, as it were unlicensed of your loves,

He would depart, I'll give some light unto you.

Being at Antioch--

If you want further information

as to why he would leave without

your loving agreement, I'll enlighten you.

When he was at Antioch–

THALIARD

[Aside] What from Antioch?

What about Antioch?

HELICANUS

Royal Antiochus--on what cause I know not--

Took some displeasure at him; at least he judged so:

And doubting lest that he had err'd or sinn'd,

To show his sorrow, he'ld correct himself;

So puts himself unto the shipman's toil,

With whom each minute threatens life or death.

Royal Antiochus–I don't know why–

was angry with him, or at least he thought so:

and fearful that he had erred or sinned

he is doing a penance to show his regret;

so he has taken up the life of a sailor,

for whom death is an ever present threat.

THALIARD

[Aside] Well, I perceive

I shall not be hang'd now, although I would;

But since he's gone, the king's ears it must please:

He 'scaped the land, to perish at the sea.

I'll present myself. Peace to the lords of Tyre!

Well, I can see

that I won't be hanged now, although I would've been;

since he's gone, the King will be pleased to hear

that he is fled the land to die at sea.

I'll introduce myself. Peace to the lords of Tyre!

HELICANUS

Lord Thaliard from Antiochus is welcome.

Lord Thaliard from Antiochus is welcome.

THALIARD

From him I come

With message unto princely Pericles;

But since my landing I have understood

Your lord has betook himself to unknown travels,

My message must return from whence it came.

I have come from him

with a message for Prince Pericles;