The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (571 page)

I'd give it up to undo this deed. Oh lady,

you were a princess, even more through your virtues

than your birth, who could stand comparison

with any king on earth! Leonine, you villain!

And now you have poisoned him too:

if you had drunk his health with that poison it would have been

an act which suited your deed: what will you say

when noble Pericles asks for his child?

DIONYZA

That she is dead. Nurses are not the fates,

To foster it, nor ever to preserve.

She died at night; I'll say so. Who can cross it?

Unless you play the pious innocent,

And for an honest attribute cry out

'She died by foul play.'

I'll tell him she is dead. Nurses are not the fates,

who have the power of life and death.

She died at night; that's what I'll say. Who can contradict it?

Unless you want to be a pious innocent,

and so you'll be thought of as honest cry out,

‘She died of foul play.’

CLEON

O, go to. Well, well,

Of all the faults beneath the heavens, the gods

Do like this worst.

Oh, get lost. Well, well,

of all the faults of mankind, the gods

hate this the most.

DIONYZA

Be one of those that think

The petty wrens of Tarsus will fly hence,

And open this to Pericles. I do shame

To think of what a noble strain you are,

And of how coward a spirit.

You're one of those who thinks

that the little birds of Tarsus will fly away

and reveal the truth to Pericles. I'm ashamed

to think what a noble family you come from,

when you have such a cowardly spirit.

CLEON

To such proceeding

Who ever but his approbation added,

Though not his prime consent, he did not flow

From honourable sources.

Anybody who ever approved

such an act,

even though he wasn't directly involved, he did not

come from honourable ancestry.

DIONYZA

Be it so, then:

Yet none does know, but you, how she came dead,

Nor none can know, Leonine being gone.

She did disdain my child, and stood between

Her and her fortunes: none would look on her,

But cast their gazes on Marina's face;

Whilst ours was blurted at and held a malkin

Not worth the time of day. It pierced me through;

And though you call my course unnatural,

You not your child well loving, yet I find

It greets me as an enterprise of kindness

Perform'd to your sole daughter.

So be it, then:

but nobody knows how she died apart from you,

and nobody can know, now that Leonine is dead.

She outshone my child, and stood between

her and her fortunes: nobody would look at her,

they all looked at Marina instead;

our child was sneered at and thought a slut

who was not worth the time of day. It stabbed me to the heart;

and though you call my actions unnatural,

as you don't love your child enough, for me

this was an act of kindness, performed

for the sake of your only daughter.

CLEON

Heavens forgive it!

May heaven forgive it!

DIONYZA

And as for Pericles,

What should he say? We wept after her hearse,

And yet we mourn: her monument

Is almost finish'd, and her epitaphs

In glittering golden characters express

A general praise to her, and care in us

At whose expense 'tis done.

And as for Pericles,

what's he going to say? We wept at her funeral,

and we are still in mourning: her monument

is almost finished, and her epitaphs

show great praise for her

in glittering golden letters, and they show

how much we cared, the ones who paid for it.

CLEON

Thou art like the harpy,

Which, to betray, dost, with thine angel's face,

Seize with thine eagle's talons.

You are like the harpy,

which traps people by showing the face of an angel

whilst grabbing them with the claws of an eagle.

DIONYZA

You are like one that superstitiously

Doth swear to the gods that winter kills the flies:

But yet I know you'll do as I advise.

Exeunt

And you are like one who is so scared of the gods

that you have to swear to them that winter killed the flies, not you:

and yet I know you'll do as I say.

Enter GOWER, before the monument of MARINA at Tarsus

GOWER

Thus time we waste, and longest leagues make short;

Sail seas in cockles, have an wish but for't;

Making, to take your imagination,

From bourn to bourn, region to region.

By you being pardon'd, we commit no crime

To use one language in each several clime

Where our scenes seem to live. I do beseech you

To learn of me, who stand i' the gaps to teach you,

The stages of our story. Pericles

Is now again thwarting the wayward seas,

Attended on by many a lord and knight.

To see his daughter, all his life's delight.

Old Escanes, whom Helicanus late

Advanced in Tyre to great and high estate,

Is left to govern. Bear you it in mind,

Old Helicanus goes along behind.

Well-sailing ships and bounteous winds have brought

This king to Tarsus,--think his pilot thought;

So with his steerage shall your thoughts grow on,--

To fetch his daughter home, who first is gone.

Like motes and shadows see them move awhile;

Your ears unto your eyes I'll reconcile.

And so we make time fly past, and telescope distances;

we can sail the seas in seashells, just because we want to;

travelling through our imagination

from border to border, country to country.

If you forgive us, there is no crime

to use a single language for the different countries

where our scene seems to be set. I now ask you

to listen to me, whose job is to fill in the gaps

in our story. Pericles

is once again crossing the dangerous seas,

accompanied by many lords and knights,

to see his daughter, the great joy of his life.

Old Helicanus goes with him. They have left

old Escanes behind to govern, please note that;

Helicanus recently promoted him to a high

position in Tyre.

Fast running ships and friendly winds have brought

this king to Tarsus–keep this thought in mind,

so you remember it as his journey goes on–

To bring his daughter home, who has already left.

Watch them move for you in dumb show for a while;

afterwards I'll explain to you what you've seen.

DUMB SHOW.

Enter PERICLES, at one door, with all his train; CLEON and DIONYZA, at the other. CLEON shows PERICLES the tomb; whereat PERICLES makes lamentation, puts on sackcloth, and in a mighty passion departs. Then exeunt CLEON and DIONYZA

See how belief may suffer by foul show!

This borrow'd passion stands for true old woe;

And Pericles, in sorrow all devour'd,

With sighs shot through, and biggest tears

o'ershower'd,

Leaves Tarsus and again embarks. He swears

Never to wash his face, nor cut his hairs:

He puts on sackcloth, and to sea. He bears

A tempest, which his mortal vessel tears,

And yet he rides it out. Now please you wit.

The epitaph is for Marina writ

By wicked Dionyza.

See how belief can suffer through hypocrisy!

This counterfeit passion stands in for real sorrow;

and Pericles, overcome with sorrow,

racked with sighs and swamped with tears,

leaves Tarsus and re-embarks. He swears

that he shall never wash his face not cut his hair again.

He puts on sackcloth, and sets out to sea. He has

encountered a storm, which tears at his body,

and yet he survives it. Now you should know

that this epitaph is written for Marina

by the wicked Dionyza.

Reads the inscription on MARINA's monument

'The fairest, sweet'st, and best lies here,

Who wither'd in her spring of year.

She was of Tyrus the king's daughter,

On whom foul death hath made this slaughter;

Marina was she call'd; and at her birth,

Thetis, being proud, swallow'd some part o' the earth:

Therefore the earth, fearing to be o'erflow'd,

Hath Thetis' birth-child on the heavens bestow'd:

Wherefore she does, and swears she'll never stint,

Make raging battery upon shores of flint.'

No visor does become black villany

So well as soft and tender flattery.

Let Pericles believe his daughter's dead,

And bear his courses to be ordered

By Lady Fortune; while our scene must play

His daughter's woe and heavy well-a-day

In her unholy service. Patience, then,

And think you now are all in Mytilene.

Exit

‘The fairest, sweetest and best, lies here,

who died while still in her youth.

She was the daughter of the king of Tyre,

whom foul death has attacked with this slaughter.

She was called Marina; when she was born the god of the sea

proud that she was born in his domain, took the part of the earth.

So the earth, fearing it would be flooded,

has sent his child up to heaven;

where she makes endless attacks

upon the flinty shores.’

No mask suits black villainy

as well as soft and tender flattery.

Let Pericles believe his daughter is dead,

and think his life is ordered

by the fates; meanwhile we must show

his daughter's sorrow and heavy grief

in her devilish service. Indulge us, then,

and now imagine you are all in Mytilen.