The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (638 page)

Than women's feelings are.

VIOLA

I think it well, my lord.

I think it good, my lord.

DUKE ORSINO

Then let thy love be younger than thyself,

Then let your love be younger than you,

Or thy affection cannot hold the bent;

Or your affection will not be able to last,

For women are as roses, whose fair flower

For women are like roses, whose beautiful flower

Being once display'd, doth fall that very hour.

Having been once displayed, fall that same hour.

VIOLA

And so they are: alas, that they are so;

And so they are: what a shame, that they are that way;

To die, even when they to perfection grow!

To die, even when they reach such perfection!

Re-enter CURIO and Clown

DUKE ORSINO

O, fellow, come, the song we had last night.

Oh, good man, come, sing that song we had last night.

Mark it, Cesario, it is old and plain;

Listen, Cesario, it is old and plain;

The spinsters and the knitters in the sun

The spinning women and the knitters in the sun

And the free maids that weave their thread with bones

And the weaving women

Do use to chant it: it is silly sooth,

Used to chant it: it is silly truth,

And dallies with the innocence of love,

And speaks of the innocence of love,

Like the old age.

Like the old age.

Clown

Are you ready, sir?

Are you ready, sir?

DUKE ORSINO

Ay; prithee, sing.

Yes, please, sing.

Music

SONG.

Clown

Come away, come away, death,

Come away with me, death,

And in sad cypress let me be laid;

And in a coffin let me be laid;

Fly away, fly away breath;

Leave me now, leave me now breath;

I am slain by a fair cruel maid.

I have been killed by a beautiful cruel young woman.



My shroud of white, stuck all with yew,

My shroud of white cloth

O, prepare it!

Oh, prepare it!

My part of death, no one so true

My experience of death, no one so true

Did share it.

Shared it.

Not a flower, not a flower sweet

Not a flower, not a sweet flower

On my black coffin let there be strown;

Be put on my black coffin:

Not a friend, not a friend greet

Not a friend, not a friend ever visit

My poor corpse, where my bones shall be thrown:

My poor corpse, where my bones will be thorn:

A thousand thousand sighs to save,

A million sighs to save,

Lay me, O, where

Lay me, oh, where

Sad true lover never find my grave,

No one can ever find my grave,

To weep there!

To cry there!

DUKE ORSINO

There's for thy pains.

Here's for your trouble.

Clown

No pains, sir: I take pleasure in singing, sir.

No pain, sir: I enjoy singing, sir.

DUKE ORSINO

I'll pay thy pleasure then.

I'll pay for your pleasure then.

Clown

Truly, sir, and pleasure will be paid, one time or another.

Truly, sir, and pleasure will be paid at one time or another.

DUKE ORSINO

Give me now leave to leave thee.

Give me permission now to leave you.

Clown

Now, the melancholy god protect thee; and the

Now, the gloomy god protect you; and the

tailor make thy doublet of changeable taffeta, for

tailor make your shirt of colorful taffeta, for

thy mind is a very opal. I would have men of such

your mind is an opal. I wish men of such

constancy put to sea, that their business might be

reliability were put out to sea, so their business could be

every thing and their intent every where; for that's

everything and their intentions everywhere; for that's

it that always makes a good voyage of nothing. Farewell.

what always makes a good voyage out of nothing. Farewell.

Exit

DUKE ORSINO

Let all the rest give place.

Everyone else leave us alone.

CURIO and Attendants retire

Once more, Cesario,

One more time, Cesario,

Get thee to yond same sovereign cruelty:

Get to such ruling cruelty:

Tell her, my love, more noble than the world,

Tell her that my love, more noble than the world,

Prizes not quantity of dirty lands;

Better than tons of dirty lands;

The parts that fortune hath bestow'd upon her,

The parts that fate has given her,

Tell her, I hold as giddily as fortune;

Tell her, I value as wildly as fortune;

But 'tis that miracle and queen of gems

But it is through that miracle and queen of gems

That nature pranks her in attracts my soul.

That nature gives her, that attracts my soul.

VIOLA

But if she cannot love you, sir?

But what if she cannot love you, sir?

DUKE ORSINO

I cannot be so answer'd.

I can't accept such an answer.

VIOLA

Sooth, but you must.

Truthfully, but you must.

Say that some lady, as perhaps there is,

Say that some lady, as maybe there is,

Hath for your love a great a pang of heart

Has for your love such great pains in her heart

As you have for Olivia: you cannot love her;

As you have for Olivia: you cannot love her back;

You tell her so; must she not then be answer'd?

You tell her so; must she not then accept the answer?

DUKE ORSINO

There is no woman's sides

There is no woman's resistance

Can bide the beating of so strong a passion

That can survive the beating of so strong a passion

As love doth give my heart; no woman's heart

As love gives my heart; no oman's heart

So big, to hold so much; they lack retention

So big, to hold so much; they don't have the capacity

Alas, their love may be call'd appetite,

Unfortunately, their love may be called appetite,

No motion of the liver, but the palate,

Not of the stomach, but the palate,

That suffer surfeit, cloyment and revolt;

That can become full or tired of the same taste;

But mine is all as hungry as the sea,



But my love is as hungry as the sea,

And can digest as much: make no compare

And can digest as much: do not compare

Between that love a woman can bear me

Between the love a woman can have for me

And that I owe Olivia.

And that I have for Olivia.

VIOLA

Ay, but I know--

Yes, but I know -

DUKE ORSINO

What dost thou know?

What do you know?

VIOLA

Too well what love women to men may owe:

I know too well what love women may have to men.

In faith, they are as true of heart as we.

By my faith, they are as loyal in heart as we.

My father had a daughter loved a man,

My father had a daughter who loved a man,

As it might be, perhaps, were I a woman,

As it might, possibly, if I were a woman,

I should your lordship.

I would love you.

DUKE ORSINO

And what's her history?

And what is her story?

VIOLA

A blank, my lord. She never told her love,

A blank page, sir. She never confessed her love,

But let concealment, like a worm i' the bud,

But let the secret, like a worm in the bud,

Feed on her damask cheek: she pined in thought,

Feed on her health: she wanted him in thought,

And with a green and yellow melancholy

And full of gloom

She sat like patience on a monument,

She sat like a monument of patience,

Smiling at grief. Was not this love indeed?

Smiling in her grief. Wasn't this love too?

We men may say more, swear more: but indeed

We men may say more, promise more, but indeed

Our shows are more than will; for still we prove

What we show is more than what we can do, for still we prove

Much in our vows, but little in our love.

A lot in our promises, but not much in our love.

DUKE ORSINO

But died thy sister of her love, my boy?

But did you sister die of her love, my boy?

VIOLA

I am all the daughters of my father's house,

I am all the daughters left of my family,

And all the brothers too: and yet I know not.

And all the brothers too: and yet I do not know.

Sir, shall I to this lady?

Sir, shall I go to the lady?

DUKE ORSINO

Ay, that's the theme.

Yes, that's what I want.

To her in haste; give her this jewel; say,

Go to her quickly; give her this jewel; say

My love can give no place, bide no denay.

My love cannot accept any denial.

Exeunt

Enter SIR TOBY BELCH, SIR ANDREW, and FABIAN

SIR TOBY BELCH

Come thy ways, Signior Fabian.

Come this way, Sir Fabian.

FABIAN

Nay, I'll come: if I lose a scruple of this sport,

No, I'll come: if I lose even a moment of this fun,

let me be boiled to death with melancholy.

let me be boiled to death with gloom.

SIR TOBY BELCH

Wouldst thou not be glad to have the niggardly

Wouldn't you be glad to have this miserly and ungenerous

rascally sheep-biter come by some notable shame?