The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (410 page)

No one needs candles anymore, since dark is now light.
BIRON Your mistresses dare never come in rain,

Your mistresses would never dare to be out in the rain,
For fear their colours should be wash'd away.

Afraid that all the painted colors on their face will get washed away.
FERDINAND 'Twere good, yours did; for, sir, to tell you plain,

It would be good if yours did; I’ll tell you plainly
I'll find a fairer face not wash'd to-day.

Even unwashed faces are prettier than hers.
BIRON I'll prove her fair, or talk till doomsday here.

I’ll prove to you that she is beautiful of talk here until doomsday.
FERDINAND No devil will fright thee then so much as she.

No devil with scare you on doomsday as much as she will.
DUMAIN I never knew man hold vile stuff so dear.

I’ve never know a man to hold something so vile with such affection.
LONGAVILLE Look, here's thy love: my foot and her face see.

Look, here’s your love: my foot is her face, see?
BIRON O, if the streets were paved with thine eyes,

O, if the streets were paved with your eyes,
Her feet were much too dainty for such tread!

Her feet would walk so daintily as to never hurt you!
DUMAIN O, vile! then, as she goes, what upward lies

O, gross! Well then as she walked, if my eyes are
The street should see as she walk'd overhead.

the street I’ll be able to see up her skirt as she walks above me.
FERDINAND But what of this? are we not all in love?

But what now? Aren’t we all in love?
BIRON Nothing so sure; and thereby all forsworn.

There’s no doubt about it; we’ve all broken the oath.
FERDINAND Then leave this chat; and, good Biron, now prove

Then let’s quit chatting; and, good Biron, now prove
Our loving lawful, and our faith not torn.

That our love is lawful, and that our faith is not torn.
DUMAIN Ay, marry, there; some flattery for this evil.

Yes, that’s right; we need some flattery for this evil.
LONGAVILLE O, some authority how to proceed;

O, some authority on how to proceed;
Some tricks, some quillets, how to cheat the devil.

Some tricks, some verbal niceties and distinctions, to cheat the devil.
DUMAIN Some salve for perjury.

Some ointment for this broken oath.
BIRON 'Tis more than need.

It’s more than need.
Have at you, then, affection's men at arms.

I come at you with this, then, love’s warriors.
Consider what you first did swear unto,

Consider what you first swore to,
To fast, to study, and to see no woman;

To fast, to study, and to see no woman;
Flat treason 'gainst the kingly state of youth.

That is flat treason against the kingly majesty of youth.
Say, can you fast? your stomachs are too young;
Tell me, can you fast? Your stomachs are too young;

And abstinence engenders maladies.
And abstinence causes sicknesses.

And where that you have vow'd to study, lords,
And whereas you have vowed to study, lords,

In that each of you have forsworn his book,
Inasmuch as each of you have
forsworn his lady’s face,

Can you still dream and pore and thereon look?

Can you still dream and read and look at it?
For when would you, my lord, or you, or you,

Because when would you, my lord, or you, or you,
Have found the ground of study's excellence

Have found the basis of study’s excellence
Without the beauty of a woman's face?
Without the beauty of a woman’s face?
From women's eyes this doctrine I derive;

From women’s eyes I have obtained this principle;

They are the ground, the books, the academes

They are the ground, the books, the schools

From whence doth spring the true Promethean fire.
From which Prometheus’ divine fire springs.
Why, universal plodding poisons up

Why, universal working and trudging poisons
The nimble spirits in the arteries,

The nimble spirits in the arteries,
As motion and long-during action tires

Since motion and long-enduring action tires
The sinewy vigour of the traveller.

The fibrous energy of the traveler.
Now, for not looking on a woman's face,

Now, by not looking at a woman’s face,
You have in that forsworn the use of eyes

You have, in doing so, forsworn the use of the eyes
And study too, the causer of your vow;

And study too, the whole reason for your vow;
For where is any author in the world

For what author in the whole world
Teaches such beauty as a woman's eye?

Teaches as much beauty as a woman’s eye?
Learning is but an adjunct to ourself

Learning is merely an addition to ourselves
And where we are our learning likewise is:

And, likewise, our selves are an addition to our learning:
Then when ourselves we see in ladies' eyes,

So then, when we see ourselves in our ladies’ eyes,
Do we not likewise see our learning there?

Do we not also see our learning there?
O, we have made a vow to study, lords,

O, we have made a vow to study, lords,
And in that vow we have forsworn our books.

And in that vow we have forsworn our books.
For when would you, my liege, or you, or you,

For when would you, my liege, or you, or you,
In leaden contemplation have found out

In heavy contemplation have found out
Such fiery numbers as the prompting eyes

Such fiery verses as the prompting eyes
Of beauty's tutors have enrich'd you with?

Of beauty’s tutors have enriched you with?
Other slow arts entirely keep the brain;

Other slow branches of knowledge dwell inside the brain;
And therefore, finding barren practisers,

And so, since we do not practice or use them,
Scarce show a harvest of their heavy toil:

They barely show any harvest of their heavy toil:
But love, first learned in a lady's eyes,

But love, first learned in a lady’s eyes,
Lives not alone immured in the brain;

Does not live alone confined in the brain;
But, with the motion of all elements,

But, with the motion of all the elements, fire, earth, water, and air,
Courses as swift as thought in every power,

Flows as swift as thought in every power,
And gives to every power a double power,

And gives every power a double power,
Above their functions and their offices.

Above and beyond their ordinary functions.
It adds a precious seeing to the eye;

It adds more precious seeing to the eye;
A lover's eyes will gaze an eagle blind;

A lover’s eyes will out-gaze an eagle;
A lover's ear will hear the lowest sound,

A lover’s ear will hear the lowest sound,
When the suspicious head of theft is stopp'd:

Even when the most cautious thief hears nothing:
Love's feeling is more soft and sensible

A lover’s senses are more soft and sensitive
Than are the tender horns of cockl'd snails;

Than the tender little feelers on shelled snails;
Love's tongue proves dainty Bacchus gross in taste:

Love’s tongue proves dainty Bacchus distasteful:
For valour, is not Love a Hercules,

For bravery, isn’t Love a Hercules,Still climbing trees in the Hesperides?

Still climbing trees in the Hesperides?
Subtle as Sphinx; as sweet and musical

Subtle as a Sphinx; as sweet and musical
As bright Apollo's lute, strung with his hair:

As bright Apollo’s lute, strung with his own hair:
And when Love speaks, the voice of all the gods

And when Love speaks, the voice of all the gods
Makes heaven drowsy with the harmony.

Makes heaven sleepy with such beautiful harmony.
Never durst poet touch a pen to write

Never has a poet dared touch his pen to write
Until his ink were temper'd with Love's sighs;

Until his ink is mixed with Love’s sighs;
O, then his lines would ravish savage ears

O, then his lines would ravish savage ears
And plant in tyrants mild humility.

And make tyrants humble.
From women's eyes this doctrine I derive:

From women’s eyes I have obtained this principle:
They sparkle still the right Promethean fire;

They still sparkle with the divine fire;
They are the books, the arts, the academes,

They are the books, the arts, the schools,
That show, contain and nourish all the world:

That show, contain, and nourish all the world:
Else none at all in ought proves excellent.

Otherwise nothing at all would be excellent.
Then fools you were these women to forswear,

You were fools to forswear these women,
Or keeping what is sworn, you will prove fools.

Or if you keep to what you swore, you will prove to be fools.
For wisdom's sake, a word that all men love,

For the sake of wisdom, a word that all men love,
Or for love's sake, a word that loves all men,

Or for the sake of love, a word that inspires all men,
Or for men's sake, the authors of these women,

Or for the sake of me, the authors of these women,
Or women's sake, by whom we men are men,

Or for the sake of women, without whom we would not be men,
Let us once lose our oaths to find ourselves,

Let’s just this once, lose out oaths to find ourselves,
Or else we lose ourselves to keep our oaths.

Or else we lose ourselves to keep our oaths.
It is religion to be thus forsworn,

It is religion to be forsworn like this,
For charity itself fulfills the law,

For the Bible says that charity itself fulfills the law,
And who can sever love from charity?

And who can separate love from charity?
FERDINAND Saint Cupid, then! and, soldiers, to the field!

For saint Cupid, then! And now, soldiers, to the field!
BIRON Advance your standards, and upon them, lords;

Raise your flags and march, lords;
Pell-mell, down with them! but be first advised,

Attack them with reckless abandon! But make sure
In conflict that you get the sun of them.

That you get them with the sun in their eyes.
LONGAVILLE Now to plain-dealing; lay these glozes by:

Let’s get down to business; lay these fallacies aside:
Shall we resolve to woo these girls of France?

Are we going to decide to woo these girls from France?
FERDINAND And win them too: therefore let us devise

And win them too: so, let us plan
Some entertainment for them in their tents.

Some entertainment for them in their tents.
BIRON First, from the park let us conduct them thither;

First, from the park we will take them there;
Then homeward every man attach the hand

Then on the way home every man seize the hand
Of his fair mistress: in the afternoon

Of his fair lady: in the afternoon
We will with some strange pastime solace them,

We will comfort them with some strange pastime,
Such as the shortness of the time can shape;

Whatever that short amount of time will allow;
For revels, dances, masks and merry hours

For revels, dances, masks and cheerful hours
Forerun fair Love, strewing her way with flowers.

And beautiful Love will run ahead, paving the way with flowers.
FERDINAND Away, away! no time shall be omitted

Come on, let’s go! No time to waste
That will betime, and may by us be fitted.