The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (854 page)

No, my lord;

I have got two worlds from it.Oh my gentle brothers,

is this how we met?Oh, you can never say from now on

that I am not the truest speaker!You called me brother,

when I was only your sister: I called you brothers,

when you actually were.

CYMBELINE.

Did you e'er meet?

Did you ever meet?

ARVIRAGUS.

Ay, my good lord.

Yes, my good lord.

GUIDERIUS.

And at first meeting lov'd,

Continu'd so until we thought he died.

And we loved him at our first meeting,

and carried on doing so until we thought he was dead.

CORNELIUS.

By the Queen's dram she swallow'd.

From the Queen's potion she drank.

CYMBELINE.

O rare instinct!

When shall I hear all through? This fierce abridgment

Hath to it circumstantial branches, which

Distinction should be rich in. Where? how liv'd you?

And when came you to serve our Roman captive?

How parted with your brothers? how first met them?

Why fled you from the court? and whither? These,

And your three motives to the battle, with

I know not how much more, should be demanded,

And all the other by-dependences,

From chance to chance; but nor the time nor place

Will serve our long interrogatories. See,

Posthumus anchors upon Imogen;

And she, like harmless lightning, throws her eye

On him, her brothers, me, her master, hitting

Each object with a joy; the counterchange

Is severally in all. Let's quit this ground,

And smoke the temple with our sacrifices.

[To BELARIUS] Thou art my brother; so we'll hold thee ever.

What an amazing instinct!

When will I hear the end?This harsh cut version

must have many subplots, each of which

will be rich on their own.Where did you live, and how?

How did you come to serve with our Roman prisoner?

How did you split from your brothers?How did you first meet them?

Why did you flee the court?Where did you go?These,

and why you three were in the battle, with

I don't know what else, should be asked about,

along with all the other side stories,

from one thing to the next; but this is not the time

nor the place for long interrogations.See,

Posthumus is anchored to Imogen;

and she, like harmless lightning, flashes her eyes

on him, her brothers, me, her master, hitting each object

with happiness; and so we all respond.

Let's leave this place,

and smoke out the temple with our sacrifices.

[to Belarius] You are my brother, and always will be.

IMOGEN.

You are my father too, and did relieve me

To see this gracious season.

You are my father too, and you saved me

so I could see this happy time.

CYMBELINE.

All o'erjoy'd

Save these in bonds. Let them be joyful too,

For they shall taste our comfort.

All are overjoyed

except for the prisoners.Let them be joyful too,

for they shall taste my mercy.

IMOGEN.

My good master,

I will yet do you service.

My good master,

I will serve you well yet.

LUCIUS.

Happy be you!

May you be happy!

CYMBELINE.

The forlorn soldier, that so nobly fought,

He would have well becom'd this place and grac'd

The thankings of a king.

The lowly soldier, who fought so nobly,

would have fitted in very well here, and deserved

the king's thanks.

POSTHUMUS.

I am, sir,

The soldier that did company these three

In poor beseeming; 'twas a fitment for

The purpose I then follow'd. That I was he,

Speak, Iachimo. I had you down, and might

Have made you finish.

I, sir, am

the soldier that fought with these three

in poor clothes; it was a disguise for

the plan I was then following.That I was him,

tell them, Iachimo.I had you down, and could

have killed you.

IACHIMO.

[Kneeling] I am down again;

But now my heavy conscience sinks my knee,

As then your force did. Take that life, beseech you,

Which I so often owe; but your ring first,

And here the bracelet of the truest princess

That ever swore her faith.

I am down again;

but now it is my heavy guilt that makes me bend

as you did.Take the life, I beg you,

which I owe so many times over.But first take your ring,

and here is the bracelet of the truest princess

that ever swore to be faithful.

POSTHUMUS.

Kneel not to me.

The pow'r that I have on you is to spare you;

The malice towards you to forgive you. Live,

And deal with others better.

Do not kneel to me.

The power I have over you is to spare you,

and the malice I have is forgiveness.Live,

and deal better with others.

CYMBELINE.

Nobly doom'd!

We'll learn our freeness of a son-in-law;

Pardon's the word to all.

A noble sentence!

I'll learn generosity from my son-in-law;

everyone is pardoned.

ARVIRAGUS.

You holp us, sir,

As you did mean indeed to be our brother;

Joy'd are we that you are.

You are so kind to us, sir,

as if you really meant to be our brother;

we are glad that you are.

POSTHUMUS.

Your servant, Princes. Good my lord of Rome,

Call forth your soothsayer. As I slept, methought

Great Jupiter, upon his eagle back'd,

Appear'd to me, with other spritely shows

Of mine own kindred. When I wak'd, I found

This label on my bosom; whose containing

Is so from sense in hardness that I can

Make no collection of it. Let him show

His skill in the construction.

I am your servant, princes.My good lord of Rome,

call out your fortuneteller.As I slept, I thought

great Jupiter, riding on his eagle,

appeared to me, with other lively apparitions

of my own family.When I woke, I found

this label on my chest; it's so hard

to interpret that I can make no sense of it.

Let him show his interpretative skills.

LUCIUS.

Philarmonus!

Philarmonus!

SOOTHSAYER.

Here, my good lord.

Here, my good lord.

LUCIUS.

Read, and declare the meaning.

Read this, and tell us what it means.

SOOTHSAYER.

[Reads] 'When as a lion's whelp shall, to himself

unknown, without seeking find, and be embrac'd by

a piece of tender air; and when from a stately cedar shall

be lopp'd branches which, being dead many years, shall

after revive, be jointed to the old stock, and freshly grow;

then shall Posthumus end his miseries, Britain be fortunate

and flourish in peace and plenty.'

Thou, Leonatus, art the lion's whelp;

The fit and apt construction of thy name,

Being Leo-natus, doth import so much.

[To CYMBELINE] The piece of tender air, thy virtuous

daughter,

Which we call 'mollis aer,' and 'mollis aer'

We term it 'mulier'; which 'mulier' I divine

Is this most constant wife, who even now

Answering the letter of the oracle,

Unknown to you, unsought, were clipp'd about

With this most tender air.

'When the child of a lion shall find without seeking,

unbeknownst to himself, and be embraced by a piece of tender air;

and when from a great cedar tree branches are lopped which,

having been dead for many years, will afterwards revive, be grafted

onto the old tree, and grow afresh; then the misery of Posthumus will end,

and Britain shall be lucky and flourish with peace and prosperity.'

You, Leonatus, are the lion's child;

the construction of your name, being

Leo-natus, tells us that.

[to Cymbeline] The piece of tender air is your virtuous daughter,

which we can call "tender air"; it means

this most loyal wife, who even now,

matching the writing exactly,

unknown to you, unsought, is being embraced

by this most tender air.

CYMBELINE.

This hath some seeming.

This seems to make sense.

SOOTHSAYER.

The lofty cedar, royal Cymbeline,

Personates thee; and thy lopp'd branches point

Thy two sons forth, who, by Belarius stol'n,

For many years thought dead, are now reviv'd,

To the majestic cedar join'd, whose issue

Promises Britain peace and plenty.

The lofty cedar, royal Cymbeline,

represents you; and your lopped branches

represent your two sons, who, stolen by Belarius,

thought dead for many years, have now been revived,

joined to the majestic cedar, and the result

promises Britain peace and plenty.

CYMBELINE.

Well,

My peace we will begin. And, Caius Lucius,

Although the victor, we submit to Caesar

And to the Roman empire, promising

To pay our wonted tribute, from the which

We were dissuaded by our wicked queen,

Whom heavens in justice, both on her and hers,

Have laid most heavy hand.

Good,

we will begin my peace.And, Caius Lucius,

although we won, we submit to Caesar

and to the Roman empire, promising

to pay our usual tribute, which we were

dissuaded from by our wicked queen,

whom the heavens have justifiably

harshly punished, both her and her son.

SOOTHSAYER.

The fingers of the pow'rs above do tune

The harmony of this peace. The vision

Which I made known to Lucius ere the stroke

Of yet this scarce-cold battle, at this instant

Is full accomplish'd; for the Roman eagle,

From south to west on wing soaring aloft,

Lessen'd herself and in the beams o' th' sun

So vanish'd; which foreshow'd our princely eagle,

Th'imperial Caesar, Caesar, should again unite

His favour with the radiant Cymbeline,

Which shines here in the west.