The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (774 page)

Give me some wine, and let me talk a little.

CLEOPATRA

No, let me speak; and let me rail so high,

No, let me speak; and let me mourn so hard

That the false housewife Fortune break her wheel,

That the false wife Fortune breaks her wheel,
Provoked by my offence.

Angered by my offense.

MARK ANTONY

One word, sweet queen:

One word, sweet queen:
Of Caesar seek your honour, with your safety. O!

Go to Caesar and find your honor, with your safety. Oh!

CLEOPATRA

They do not go together.

They do not go together.

MARK ANTONY

Gentle, hear me:

Gentle one, listen to me:
None about Caesar trust but Proculeius.

Do not trust anyone around Caesar but Proculeius.

CLEOPATRA

My resolution and my hands I'll trust;

I'll trust my resolve and my hands;

None about Caesar.

Not anyone around Caesar.

MARK ANTONY

The miserable change now at my end

The miserable dying now at my end

Lament nor sorrow at; but please your thoughts

Do not cry over; but please your thoughts

In feeding them with those my former fortunes

In feeding them with the ones of my former good fortune

Wherein I lived, the greatest prince o' the world,

Where I lived, the greatest prince in the world,

The noblest; and do now not basely die,

The noblest; and do not now die without honor,

Not cowardly put off my helmet to

Not cowardly taken off my helmet to

My countryman,--a Roman by a Roman

Another man from my country -- A Roman by a Roman

Valiantly vanquish'd. Now my spirit is going;

Bravely beaten. Now my spirit is going;

I can no more.

I can't any longer.

CLEOPATRA

Noblest of men, woo't die?

Most noble of men, would you die?

Hast thou no care of me? shall I abide

Do you have no care for me? Must I continue living

In this dull world, which in thy absence is

In this dull world, which without you is

No better than a sty? O, see, my women,

No better than a pigsty? Oh, see, my women,

MARK ANTONY dies

The crown o' the earth doth melt. My lord!

The best man on Earth is gone. My lord!

O, wither'd is the garland of the war,

Oh, withered is the garland of war,

The soldier's pole is fall'n: young boys and girls

The soldier's pole has fallen: young boys and girls

Are level now with men; the odds is gone,

Are now equal with men; the odds are gone,

And there is nothing left remarkable

And there is nothing left good or special

Beneath the visiting moon.

Beneath the visiting moon.

Faints

CHARMIAN

O, quietness, lady!

O, quietness, lady!

IRAS

She is dead too, our sovereign.

She is dead too, our royal leader.

CHARMIAN

Lady!

Lady!

IRAS

Madam!

Madam!

CHARMIAN

O madam, madam, madam!

Oh madam, madam, madam!

IRAS

Royal Egypt, Empress!

Royal Egypt, Empress!

CHARMIAN

Peace, peace, Iras!

Quiet, quiet, Iras!

CLEOPATRA

No more, but e'en a woman, and commanded

No more, just a woman, and commanded

By such poor passion as the maid that milks

By such poor passion as a milkmaid

And does the meanest chares. It were for me

And the lowliest of servants. It was my fate

To throw my sceptre at the injurious gods;

To throw my scepter at the wounding gods:

To tell them that this world did equal theirs

To tell them that this world equalled theirs
Till they had stol'n our jewel. All's but naught;

Till they had stolen our jewel. There is nothing left;

Patience is scottish, and impatience does

Patience runs away, and impatience does

Become a dog that's mad: then is it sin

Seem appropriate for a mad dog: then is it a sin

To rush into the secret house of death,

To rush into the secret house of death,
Ere death dare come to us? How do you, women?

Before death dares come to us? What do you think women?

What, what! good cheer! Why, how now, Charmian!

What, what! Good cheer! Why, what is it, Charmian?
My noble girls! Ah, women, women, look,

My noble girls! Ah, women, women, look,
Our lamp is spent, it's out! Good sirs, take heart:

Our lamp has used up its oil, it's out! Good sirs, take heart,

We'll bury him; and then, what's brave, what's noble,

We'll bury him; and then, what's brave, what's noble,
Let's do it after the high Roman fashion,

Let's do with the way noble Romans do,

And make death proud to take us. Come, away:

And make death proud to take us. Let's go:

This case of that huge spirit now is cold:

The container of that huge spirit, his body, is cold now:

Ah, women, women! come; we have no friend

Ah, women, women! Come; we have no friend
But resolution, and the briefest end.

But tying up loose ends, and dying quickly.

Exeunt; those above bearing off MARK ANTONY's body

Enter OCTAVIUS CAESAR, AGRIPPA, DOLABELLA, MECAENAS, GALLUS, PROCULEIUS, and others, his council of war

OCTAVIUS CAESAR

Go to him, Dolabella, bid him yield;

Go to him, Dolabella, tell him to give in;

Being so frustrate, tell him he mocks

Being so frustrating, tell him he mocks

The pauses that he makes.

DOLABELLA

Caesar, I shall.

Caesar, I will.

Exit

Enter DERCETAS, with the sword of MARK ANTONY

OCTAVIUS CAESAR

Wherefore is that? and what art thou that darest

What is that? And who are you that dares

Appear thus to us?

Appear to us like that?

DERCETAS

I am call'd Dercetas;

I am called Dercetas:
Mark Antony I served, who best was worthy

I served Mark Antony, who was the best

Best to be served: whilst he stood up and spoke,

I could have served: while he stood up and spoke,

He was my master; and I wore my life

He was my master; and I considered my life

To spend upon his haters. If thou please

Worth giving up on his haters. If you would like

To take me to thee, as I was to him

To have me for you, the way I was to him

I'll be to Caesar; if thou pleasest not,

I'll be for Caesar; if you do not wish it,

I yield thee up my life.

I give my life up to you.

OCTAVIUS CAESAR

What is't thou say'st?

What are you saying?

DERCETAS

I say, O Caesar, Antony is dead.

I say, oh Caesar, Mark Antony is dead.

OCTAVIUS CAESAR

The breaking of so great a thing should make

The death of such a great thing should make

A greater crack: the round world

A louder crack: the round world

Should have shook lions into civil streets,

Should have shaken lions into the streets,
And citizens to their dens: the death of Antony

And citizens to their dens: the death of Mark Antony
Is not a single doom; in the name lay

Is not the doom of one man; in the name lay

A moiety of the world.

A portion of the world.

DERCETAS

He is dead, Caesar:

He is dead, Caesar:
Not by a public minister of justice,

Not by a public minister of justice,
Nor by a hired knife; but that self hand,

Not by an assassin; but that same hand

Which writ his honour in the acts it did,

Which wrote his honor in the things it did,

Hath, with the courage which the heart did lend it,

Has, with the courage which his heart lended it,

Splitted the heart. This is his sword;

Split the heart. This is his sword;

I robb'd his wound of it; behold it stain'd

I pulled it out of his wound; see how it is stained

With his most noble blood.

With his most noble blood.

OCTAVIUS CAESAR

Look you sad, friends?

Do you look sad, friends?

The gods rebuke me, but it is tidings

The gods may criticize me, but it is news

To wash the eyes of kings.

To make kings teary.

AGRIPPA

And strange it is,

And it is strange,

That nature must compel us to lament

That nature brings us to be sad

Our most persisted deeds.

About things we were trying to do.

MECAENAS

His taints and honours

His flaws and qualities

Waged equal with him.

Fought equally with him.

AGRIPPA

A rarer spirit never