The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (737 page)

SCENE I. A room in LEONTES' palace.

Enter LEONTES, CLEOMENES, DION, PAULINA, and Servants

CLEOMENES

Sir, you have done enough, and have perform'd

A saint-like sorrow: no fault could you make,

Which you have not redeem'd; indeed, paid down

More penitence than done trespass: at the last,

Do as the heavens have done, forget your evil;

With them forgive yourself.

Sir, you have done enough, and have done penance

like a saint: there is no wrong you could do

which you have not paid for; indeed, you have done

more penance than the sin required: in the end,

forget your evil as the gods have done;

forgive yourself as they have forgiven you.

LEONTES

Whilst I remember

Her and her virtues, I cannot forget

My blemishes in them, and so still think of

The wrong I did myself; which was so much,

That heirless it hath made my kingdom and

Destroy'd the sweet'st companion that e'er man

Bred his hopes out of.

As long as I can remember

her and her goodness, I cannot forget

my evil in comparison, and so I still think of

the things I did wrong; they were so great,

that it has left my kingdom without an heir and

destroyed the sweetest companion that a man ever

took as his mate.

PAULINA

True, too true, my lord:

If, one by one, you wedded all the world,

Or from the all that are took something good,

To make a perfect woman, she you kill'd

Would be unparallel'd.

True, too true, my lord:

if you married every woman in the world individually:

or took some element from every good woman,

to make a perfect one, you still wouldn't get a match

for the one you killed.

LEONTES

I think so. Kill'd!

She I kill'd! I did so: but thou strikest me

Sorely, to say I did; it is as bitter

Upon thy tongue as in my thought: now, good now,

Say so but seldom.

I agree. Killed!

I killed her! I did: but you wound me

deeply, to say I did; it's as bitter

to hear you say it as it is for me to think it: in this time,

don't say it often.

CLEOMENES

Not at all, good lady:

You might have spoken a thousand things that would

Have done the time more benefit and graced

Your kindness better.

Don't say it at all, good lady:

there are a thousand things you could have said that would

have been more appropriate for the time and suited

your kindness better.

PAULINA

You are one of those

Would have him wed again.

You're one of the ones

who would like him to marry again.

DION

If you would not so,

You pity not the state, nor the remembrance

Of his most sovereign name; consider little

What dangers, by his highness' fail of issue,

May drop upon his kingdom and devour

Incertain lookers on. What were more holy

Than to rejoice the former queen is well?

What holier than, for royalty's repair,

For present comfort and for future good,

To bless the bed of majesty again

With a sweet fellow to't?

If you don't want him to,

you don't care about the country,  or the continuation

of his royal line; think a little about

what dangers, through his highness having no heir,

may fall upon this kingdom, and destroy

those who need guidance. What could be more holy

than to rejoice that the former queen is in heaven?

What is holier than, to repair the royal line,

for current happiness and for good in the future,

to bless the royal bed again

with a sweet companion in it?

PAULINA

There is none worthy,

Respecting her that's gone. Besides, the gods

Will have fulfill'd their secret purposes;

For has not the divine Apollo said,

Is't not the tenor of his oracle,

That King Leontes shall not have an heir

Till his lost child be found? which that it shall,

Is all as monstrous to our human reason

As my Antigonus to break his grave

And come again to me; who, on my life,

Did perish with the infant. 'Tis your counsel

My lord should to the heavens be contrary,

Oppose against their wills.

To LEONTES

Care not for issue;

The crown will find an heir: great Alexander

Left his to the worthiest; so his successor

Was like to be the best.

There is nobody worthy of

filling the place of the one who's gone. Besides, the gods

will have their secret plans carried out;

hasn't the divine Apollo said,

wasn't that the message of his oracle,

that King Leontes will not have an heir

until his lost child is found? And the chances

of that happening are as ridiculous as thinking

that my Antigonus will break out of his grave

and come back to me; and I swear

he died with the child. Your advice is

that my lord should fight against the heavens,

and oppose their orders. [to Leontes] Don't worry about

an heir;

the crown will find one. Great Alexander

left his to the most deserving; so his successor

was likely to be the best choice.

LEONTES

Good Paulina,

Who hast the memory of Hermione,

I know, in honour– O, that ever I

Had squared me to thy counsel! then, even now,

I might have look'd upon my queen's full eyes,

Have taken treasure from her lips--

Good Paulina,

who keeps the memory of Hermione,

I know, in honour–Oh, how I wish

that I had followed your advice! Then, even now,

I might be looking at my queen's great eyes,

taking kisses from her lips–

PAULINA

And left them

More rich for what they yielded.

And leaving them

richer for what they had given.

LEONTES

Thou speak'st truth.

No more such wives; therefore, no wife: one worse,

And better used, would make her sainted spirit

Again possess her corpse, and on this stage,

Were we offenders now, appear soul-vex'd,

And begin, 'Why to me?'

You're saying the truth.

There is no such wife available; therefore I will have no wife: a worse one,

treated better, would make her blessed spirit

go back into her body, and on this stage,

if we were to become offenders, she would appear with her soul in torment,

asking, ‘Why do you insult me like this?’

PAULINA

Had she such power,

She had just cause.

If she had the power to do it,

she would have a good reason.

LEONTES

She had; and would incense me

To murder her I married.

She would have; she would incite me

to murder the one I married.

PAULINA

I should so:

Were I the ghost that walk'd, I'ld bid you mark

Her eye, and tell me for what dull part in't

You chose her; then I'ld shriek, that even your ears

Should rift to hear me; and the words that follow'd

Should be 'Remember mine.'

I would

if I were the ghost that appeared, I'd tell you to look

in her eyes, and tell me what part of her dullness

made you choose her; and then I'd shriek, so that

your ears would split to hear me; and the words that followed

would be, ‘Remember mine.’

LEONTES

Stars, stars,

And all eyes else dead coals! Fear thou no wife;

I'll have no wife, Paulina.

They were like stars,

and all other eyes are like dead coals! Don't worry about a wife;

I'll have no wife, Paulina.

PAULINA

Will you swear

Never to marry but by my free leave?

Will you swear

that you will never marry except with my permission?

LEONTES

Never, Paulina; so be blest my spirit!

Never, Paulina; I swear to it on my soul's salvation!

PAULINA

Then, good my lords, bear witness to his oath.

Then, my good lords, witness his oath.

CLEOMENES

You tempt him over-much.

You are asking him too much.

PAULINA

Unless another,

As like Hermione as is her picture,

Affront his eye.

Unless another,

absolutely identical to Hermione,

comes to his eye.

CLEOMENES

Good madam,--

Good madam–

PAULINA

I have done.

Yet, if my lord will marry,--if you will, sir,

No remedy, but you will,--give me the office

To choose you a queen: she shall not be so young

As was your former; but she shall be such

As, walk'd your first queen's ghost,

it should take joy

To see her in your arms.

I'm finished.

But, if my lord wants to marry–if you must, sir,

if nothing else will do–give me the task

of choosing your queen: she won't be as young

as your previous one; but she will be such a type

that, if your first queen's ghost walked the earth

it would be happy

to see her in your arms.

LEONTES

My true Paulina,

We shall not marry till thou bid'st us.

My loyal Paulina,

I shall not marry until you tell me.

PAULINA

That

Shall be when your first queen's again in breath;

Never till then.

Enter a Gentleman

That

will be when your first queen breathes again;

never until then.

Gentleman

One that gives out himself Prince Florizel,

Son of Polixenes, with his princess, she

The fairest I have yet beheld, desires access

To your high presence.

Someone who announces himself as Prince Florizel,

son of Polixenes, with his princess, who is

the loveliest woman I have ever seen, wants access

to your royal presence.