The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (475 page)

The moon shines so brightly tonight. On a night like this,

When the wind blows so gently in the treetops

They barely make noise—on a night just like this,

I think Troilus climbed the Troyan walls

And sighed toward the Grecian tents

Where his love Cressida slept.

JESSICA

In such a night

Did Thisbe fearfully o'ertrip the dew

And saw the lion's shadow ere himself

And ran dismay'd away.

On a night like this

Thisbe tripped over the dew

When he saw the lion’s shadow before him

And ran away in fear.

LORENZO

In such a night

Stood Dido with a willow in her hand

Upon the wild sea banks and waft her love

To come again to Carthage.

On a night like this,

Dido stood with a willow branch in her hand

On the wild seashore and signaled her lover

To come back to Carthage.

JESSICA

In such a night

Medea gather'd the enchanted herbs

That did renew old AEson.

On a night like this,

Medea gathered the magic herbs

That rejuvenated old Aeson.

LORENZO

In such a night

Did Jessica steal from the wealthy Jew

And with an unthrift love did run from Venice

As far as Belmont.

On a night like this,

Jessica stole from the wealthy Jew

And with her spendthrift lover

All the way to Belmont.

JESSICA

In such a night

Did young Lorenzo swear he loved her well,

Stealing her soul with many vows of faith

And ne'er a true one.

On a night like this

Young Lorenzo swore he loved Jessica very much

And won her soul with many vows of love,

But not one single vow was true.

LORENZO

In such a night

Did pretty Jessica, like a little shrew,

Slander her love, and he forgave it her.

On a night like this,

Pretty Jessica, like a troublesome person,

Said awful things about her lover, and he forgave her.

JESSICA

I would out-night you, did no body come;

But, hark, I hear the footing of a man.

I would outdo you if making references to the night if nobody came,

But, listen, I hear footsteps.

Enter STEPHANO

LORENZO

Who comes so fast in silence of the night?

Who comes so quickly in the quiet of night?

STEPHANO

A friend.

A friend.

LORENZO

A friend! what friend? your name, I pray you, friend?

A frined! What friend? What is your name, please, frined?

STEPHANO

Stephano is my name; and I bring word

My mistress will before the break of day

Be here at Belmont; she doth stray about

By holy crosses, where she kneels and prays

For happy wedlock hours.

My name is Stephano, and I am here to tell you

My mistress will be here before the sun rises,

Back in Belmont.  She’s still among

The holy crosses at the monastary, where she’s on her knees praying

For a happy marriage.

LORENZO

Who comes with her?

Who is coming with her?

STEPHANO

None but a holy hermit and her maid.

I pray you, is my master yet return'd?

Just a holy hermit and her maid.

Tell me, has my master returned yet?

LORENZO

He is not, nor we have not heard from him.

But go we in, I pray thee, Jessica,

And ceremoniously let us prepare

Some welcome for the mistress of the house.

He’s not here, and we haven’t heard from him

But let’s go inside, Jessica,

And prepare a ceremony

To welcome the mistress back to her house.

Enter LAUNCELOT

LAUNCELOT

Sola, sola! wo ha, ho! sola, sola!

Hello! Hello! Wo, ha, ho! Hello! Hello!

LORENZO

Who calls?

Who’s shouting?

LAUNCELOT

Sola! did you see Master Lorenzo?

Master Lorenzo, sola, sola!

Hello! Did you see Master Lorenzo?

Master Lorenzo! Hello! Hello!

LORENZO

Leave hollaing, man: here.

Stop the hollering, man, I’m here.

LAUNCELOT

Sola! where? where?

Hello! Where? Where?

LORENZO

Here.

Here.

LAUNCELOT

Tell him there's a post come from my master, with

his horn full of good news: my master will be here

ere morning.

Tell him a message has arrived from my master, full

of very good news. My master will be here

before morning.

Exit

LORENZO

Sweet soul, let's in, and there expect their coming.

And yet no matter: why should we go in?

My friend Stephano, signify, I pray you,

Within the house, your mistress is at hand;

And bring your music forth into the air.

Sweethear, let’s go in and wait for them to arrive.

But, waiy, it doesn’t matter—why should we go in?

Friend Stephano, please make it known

Inside the house that your mistress is coming,

And bring muscians out here.

Exit Stephano

How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank!

Here will we sit and let the sounds of music

Creep in our ears: soft stillness and the night

Become the touches of sweet harmony.

Sit, Jessica. Look how the floor of heaven

Is thick inlaid with patines of bright gold:

There's not the smallest orb which thou behold'st

But in his motion like an angel sings,

 
Still quiring to the young-eyed cherubins;

Such harmony is in immortal souls;

But whilst this muddy vesture of decay

Doth grossly close it in, we cannot hear it.

See how lovely the moonlight looks on the bank!

Let’s sit here and let the sounds of music

Creep into our ears. The stillness of nightime

Makes the music all the more sweet sounding.

Sit down, Jessica. Look at how the floor of heaven

Is inlaid with a thin layer of bright gold:

Even the smallest star that you can see

Sings like an angel in its motion,

Silently choiring to the youthful cherubs.

Immortal beings can hear the songs,

But we who live here on earth

And live in earthly bodies cannot hear it.

Enter Musicians

Come, ho! and wake Diana with a hymn!

With sweetest touches pierce your mistress' ear,

And draw her home with music.

Come on! Wake Diana with a song!

With the sweetest touches play your instruments so your mistress can hear

And bring her home with music.

Music

JESSICA

I am never merry when I hear sweet music.

I never feel like laughing when I hear sweet music.

LORENZO

The reason is, your spirits are attentive:

For do but note a wild and wanton herd,

Or race of youthful and unhandled colts,

Fetching mad bounds, bellowing and neighing loud,

Which is the hot condition of their blood;

If they but hear perchance a trumpet sound,

Or any air of music touch their ears,

You shall perceive them make a mutual stand,

Their savage eyes turn'd to a modest gaze

By the sweet power of music: therefore the poet

Did feign that Orpheus drew trees, stones and floods;

Since nought so stockish, hard and full of rage,

But music for the time doth change his nature.

The man that hath no music in himself,

Nor is not moved with concord of sweet sounds,

Is fit for treasons, stratagems and spoils;

The motions of his spirit are dull as night

And his affections dark as Erebus:

Let no such man be trusted. Mark the music.

That’s because your feelings are paying attention to the music.

Think about a frolicking herd of wild animals,

Or a herd of young and untrained colts,

Jumping around like crazy, bellowing and neighing loudly,

Which is how they are naturally,

But if they happen to hear the sound of a trumpet,

Or if the sound of soft music touches their ears,

You will see them all stop and stand still—

Their wild eyes calming

From the power of the music. That is why the poet

Wrote how Orpheus could bring trees, stones and rivers to him with music,

There is not much in the world too stupid, hard or full of anger

That can not be changed by music.

The man that has no music in him—

Who is not moved by the harmony of sweet sounds—

Is only good for betrayal, schemes and ruin.

His soul is as dull as the night,

And his emotions are dark as the son of Chaos.

A man like that can not be trusted. Listen to the music.

Enter PORTIA and NERISSA

PORTIA

That light we see is burning in my hall.

How far that little candle throws his beams!

So shines a good deed in a naughty world.

That light we see in burning in my house.

Look how far that candle throws its beams!

That’s how a good deed shines in an evil world.

NERISSA

When the moon shone, we did not see the candle.

When the moon was shining, we did not see the candle.

PORTIA

So doth the greater glory dim the less:

A substitute shines brightly as a king

Unto the king be by, and then his state

Empties itself, as doth an inland brook

Into the main of waters. Music! hark!

Brighter lights always dim the less.

Antoher light shines as brightly as a king

Until the king comes along, and then the other light

Suddenly becomes less, in the same way an inland stream

Empties into the sea. Music! Listen!

NERISSA

It is your music, madam, of the house.

It is your music, madam, coming from your house.

PORTIA

Nothing is good, I see, without respect:

Methinks it sounds much sweeter than by day.

I see now that you can’t consider anything good without comparison.