The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (675 page)

In case the structure of my heart might fall as it decays
And leave no memory of what it was!

And no one will remember it!
Repair me with thy presence, Silvia;

Revive me with your presence, Silvia;
Thou gentle nymph, cherish thy forlorn swain!

You gentle little goddess, cherish your abandoned lover!
What halloing and what stir is this to-day?

What’s this shouting and what’s this disruption right now?
These are my mates, that make their wills their law,

Those are my companions, who make their rules based on their own desires,
Have some unhappy passenger in chase.

And who are chasing some unlucky traveler.
They love me well; yet I have much to do

They love me well; but it takes a lot of work
To keep them from uncivil outrages.

To keep them from committing barbarian like outrages.
Withdraw thee, Valentine: who's this comes here?

Step away, Valentine: who’s that coming here?

Enter PROTEUS, SILVIA, and JULIA

PROTEUS

Madam, this service I have done for you,

Madam, I have done this service for you,
Though you respect not aught your servant doth,

Although you don’t respect anything that I do for you,
To hazard life and rescue you from him

To rise my life and rescue you from the man
That would have forced your honour and your love;

Who would have forced you to lose your honor and your virginity;
Vouchsafe me, for my meed, but one fair look;

Give me, as a reward, just one favorable glance;
A smaller boon than this I cannot beg

I cannot ask a smaller request than this,
And less than this, I am sure, you cannot give.

And, I’m sure, You couldn’t give anything less.

VALENTINE

[Aside] How like a dream is this I see and hear!

[Aside] What I’m seeing and hearing is so much like a dream!
Love, lend me patience to forbear awhile.

Love, give me patience to control myself for a while.

SILVIA

O miserable, unhappy that I am!

Oh I am miserable and unhappy!

PROTEUS

Unhappy were you, madam, ere I came;

You were unhappy, madam, before I came;
But by my coming I have made you happy.

But I have made you happy by coming here.

SILVIA

By thy approach thou makest me most unhappy.

Your romantic advances make me more unhappy than anything else.

JULIA

[Aside] And me, when he approacheth to your presence.

[Aside] Me too, when the romantic advances are towards you.

SILVIA

Had I been seized by a hungry lion,

I wish I had been grabbed by hungry lion,
I would have been a breakfast to the beast,

I wish I would have been breakfast for the beast,
Rather than have false Proteus rescue me.

Instead of having the faithless Proteus rescue me.
O, Heaven be judge how I love Valentine,

Oh, Heaven knows how I love Valentine,
Whose life's as tender to me as my soul!

Whose life is as previous to me as my own soul!
And full as much, for more there cannot be,

And just as much, for there cannot be more,
I do detest false perjured Proteus.

I hate the dishonest liar Proteus.
Therefore be gone; solicit me no more.

So go away; don’t pursue me any more.

PROTEUS

What dangerous action, stood it next to death,

There’s no dangerous feat, even if it was close to death,
Would I not undergo for one calm look!

That I wouldn’t go through for just one serene look!
O, 'tis the curse in love, and still approved,

Oh, it’s the curse of love, and constantly proved,
When women cannot love where they're beloved!

That women cannot love the one who loves them.

SILVIA

When Proteus cannot love where he's beloved.

And that Proteus cannot love the one who loves him.
Read over Julia's heart, thy first best love,

Remember Julia’s love, your first and better love,
For whose dear sake thou didst then rend thy faith

For whose dear sake you split your faithfulness apart
Into a thousand oaths; and all those oaths

Into a thousand promises; and all those promises
Descended into perjury, to love me.

Became lives so that you could love me.
Thou hast no faith left now, unless thou'dst two;

You have no faithfulness left now, unless you had two;
And that's far worse than none; better have none

And that’s much worse than having none; it would be better to have no faithfulness
Than plural faith which is too much by one:

Than to be able to be faithful to more than one woman:
Thou counterfeit to thy true friend!

You are a fake comrade to your true friend!

PROTEUS

In love

When you’re in love
Who respects friend?

Who think about their friends?

SILVIA

All men but Proteus.

Every man except Proteus.

PROTEUS

Nay, if the gentle spirit of moving words

No, if the peaceful nature of emotional words
Can no way change you to a milder form,

Can’t change you at all to behave more gently,
I'll woo you like a soldier, at arms' end,

Then I’ll win you over like a soldier, at sword point,
And love you 'gainst the nature of love,--force ye.

And love you opposite to the way love is naturally—I’ll force you.

SILVIA

O heaven!

Oh heaven!

PROTEUS

I'll force thee yield to my desire.

I’ll force you to give in to my desire.

VALENTINE

Ruffian, let go that rude uncivil touch,

Scoundrel, let go with that brutish, uncivilized hand,
Thou friend of an ill fashion!

You are an evil kind of friend!

PROTEUS

Valentine!

Valentine!

VALENTINE

Thou common friend, that's without faith or love,

You ordinary friend, who is without loyalty or love,
For such is a friend now; treacherous man!

Because that’s what a friend is now; you disloyal man!
Thou hast beguiled my hopes; nought but mine eye

You have cheated my hopes; nothing but my own eyes
Could have persuaded me: now I dare not say

Could have convinced me that it was you: but now I can’t say if
I have one friend alive; thou wouldst disprove me.

I have even one friend alive; you would prove me wrong.
Who should be trusted, when one's own right hand

Who can be trusted, when one’s own best friend
Is perjured to the bosom? Proteus,

Is a liar to the core? Proteus
I am sorry I must never trust thee more,

I am sorry that I can never trust you again,
But count the world a stranger for thy sake.

But instead consider everyone a stranger because of you.
The private wound is deepest: O time most accurst,

The most personal injury is the most painful: Oh cursed time,
'Mongst all foes that a friend should be the worst!

Out of all enemies, a friend is the worse one!

PROTEUS

My shame and guilt confounds me.

I am overcome by my shame and guilt.
Forgive me, Valentine: if hearty sorrow

Forgive me, Valentine: if heartfelt remorse
Be a sufficient ransom for offence,

Is an adequate repayment for such a betray,
I tender 't here; I do as truly suffer

I am offering it to you now; I am suffering as honestly
As e'er I did commit.

As I ever did anything wrong.

VALENTINE

Then I am paid;

Then I am repaid;
And once again I do receive thee honest.

And once again I consider you to be honest.
Who by repentance is not satisfied

Whoever is not satisfied by remorse
Is nor of heaven nor earth, for these are pleased.

Is not from heaven or earth, since men from these places can be please;
By penitence the Eternal's wrath's appeased:

God’s wrath is satisfied with atonement:
And, that my love may appear plain and free,

And, so that I can prove my friendship is given honestly and freely,
All that was mine in Silvia I give thee.

The hand that Silvia was going to give to me in marriage is now yours

JULIA

O me unhappy!

Oh, so much misfortune for me!

Swoons

“[JULIA faints]”

PROTEUS

Look to the boy.

Look at the boy.

VALENTINE

Why, boy! why, wag! how now! what's the matter?

Why, boy! Why did you faint, lad! What happened! What’s the matter?
Look up; speak.

Look up at me; tell me what’s wrong.

JULIA

O good sir, my master charged me to deliver a ring

Oh good sir, my master ordered me to deliver a ring
to Madam Silvia, which, out of my neglect, was never done.

To Madam Silvia, which I never did because I forgot.

PROTEUS

Where is that ring, boy?

Where is that ring, boy?

JULIA

Here 'tis; this is it.

It’s right here; this is it.

“[JULIA hands him her own ring]”

PROTEUS

How! let me see:

What! Let me see it:
Why, this is the ring I gave to Julia.

Why, this sit he ring that I gave to Julia.

JULIA

O, cry you mercy, sir, I have mistook:

Oh, forgive me, sir, I was mistaken:
This is the ring you sent to Silvia.

This is the ring you sent to Silvia.

“[JULIA hands him the other ring]”

PROTEUS

But how camest thou by this ring? At my depart

But how did you get this ring? When I left
I gave this unto Julia.

I gave this to Julia.

JULIA

And Julia herself did give it me;

And Julia herself have it to me;
And Julia herself hath brought it hither.

And Julia herself sent me here.

PROTEUS

How! Julia!

What’s this! Julia!

JULIA

Behold her that gave aim to all thy oaths,

Look on the woman who was the target of all your promises,
And entertain'd 'em deeply in her heart.

And who held them deeply in her heart.
How oft hast thou with perjury cleft the root!

How often you have split the bottom of my heart with your lies!
O Proteus, let this habit make thee blush!

Oh, Proteus, I hope my disguise makes you blush!
Be thou ashamed that I have took upon me

Be ashamed that I took upon myself
Such an immodest raiment, if shame live

Such inappropriate clothing for a woman, if it is in fact shameful
In a disguise of love:

To take on a disguise for the sake of love:
It is the lesser blot, modesty finds,