The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (578 page)

Early in blustering morn this lady was

Thrown upon this shore. I oped the coffin,

Found there rich jewels; recover'd her, and placed her

Here in Diana's temple.

Take care of the lady; oh, she's only overcome with joy.

Early on a stormy morning this lady was

cast up upon this shore. I opened the coffin,

and found rich jewels inside; I brought her back to life, and placed her

here in Diana's temple.

PERICLES

May we see them?

May we see them?

CERIMON

Great sir, they shall be brought you to my house,

Whither I invite you. Look, Thaisa is recovered.

Great sir, they shall be brought to you at my house,

which I invite you to. Look, Thaisa has recovered.

THAISA

O, let me look!

If he be none of mine, my sanctity

Will to my sense bend no licentious ear,

But curb it, spite of seeing. O, my lord,

Are you not Pericles? Like him you spake,

Like him you are: did you not name a tempest,

A birth, and death?

Oh, let me look!

If he is not mine, my holiness

will not allow me to believe it

in spite of the evidence of my eyes. Oh, my lord,

are you not Pericles? You spoke like him,

you look like him: did you not speak of a storm,

a birth, and a death?

PERICLES

The voice of dead Thaisa!

This is the voice of dead Thaisa!

THAISA

That Thaisa am I, supposed dead

And drown'd.

I am that Thaisa, thought to be dead

and drowned.

PERICLES

Immortal Dian!

Immortal Diana!

THAISA

Now I know you better.

When we with tears parted Pentapolis,

The king my father gave you such a ring.

Points to Pericles' ring

Now I know you better.

When we left Pentapolis in tears,

my father the king gave you a ring like that.

PERICLES

This, this: no more, you gods! your present kindness

Makes my past miseries sports: you shall do well,

That on the touching of her lips I may

Melt and no more be seen. O, come, be buried

A second time within these arms.

It is, it is: no more, you gods! Your current kindness

makes my previous miseries seem nothing: it would be fitting

for me, when I touch her lips, to melt away

and never be seen again. Oh, come, and have

a second burial within these arms.

MARINA

My heart

Leaps to be gone into my mother's bosom.

Kneels to THAISA

My heart

leaps to have found my mother again.

PERICLES

Look, who kneels here! Flesh of thy flesh, Thaisa;

Thy burden at the sea, and call'd Marina

For she was yielded there.

Look who is kneeling here! Your own flesh and blood, Thaisa;

the one you delivered at sea, who was called Marina

after the place of her birth.

THAISA

Blest, and mine own!

Blessed, and my own!

HELICANUS

Hail, madam, and my queen!

I salute you, my lady and my queen!

THAISA

I know you not.

I don't know you.

PERICLES

You have heard me say, when I did fly from Tyre,

I left behind an ancient substitute:

Can you remember what I call'd the man?

I have named him oft.

You have heard me say, that when I fled from Tyre,

I left behind an old man in my place:

can you remember what I called the man?

I often mentioned him.

THAISA

'Twas Helicanus then.

You called him Helicanus.

PERICLES

Still confirmation:

Embrace him, dear Thaisa; this is he.

Now do I long to hear how you were found;

How possibly preserved; and who to thank,

Besides the gods, for this great miracle.

Even more proof:

embrace him, dear Thaisa; this is him.

Now I long to hear how you were found;

how on earth you survived; and who I have to thank,

apart from the gods, for this great miracle.

THAISA

Lord Cerimon, my lord; this man,

Through whom the gods have shown their power; that can

From first to last resolve you.

Lord Cerimon, my lord; this man,

through whom the gods have shown their power;

he's the one who can explain things to you from start to finish.

PERICLES

Reverend sir,

The gods can have no mortal officer

More like a god than you. Will you deliver

How this dead queen re-lives?

Holy Sir,

there can be no human servant of the gods

who is more like a god than you. Can you explain

how this dead queen was brought back to life?

CERIMON

I will, my lord.

Beseech you, first go with me to my house,

Where shall be shown you all was found with her;

How she came placed here in the temple;

No needful thing omitted.

I will, my lord.

Please, first come with me to my house,

where you will be shown all the things that were found with her;

I'll explain why she came to be here in the temple;

I won't omit a single detail.

PERICLES

Pure Dian, bless thee for thy vision! I

Will offer night-oblations to thee. Thaisa,

This prince, the fair-betrothed of your daughter,

Shall marry her at Pentapolis. And now,

This ornament

Makes me look dismal will I clip to form;

And what this fourteen years no razor touch'd,

To grace thy marriage-day, I'll beautify.

Pure Diana, bless you for your vision! I

will offer up my prayers to you. Thaisa,

this prince, the good fiance of your daughter,

shall marry her at Pentapolis. And now,

I shall clip this decoration, which

makes me look so miserable, into shape;

to honour your wedding day, I'll dress

that which no razor has touched for fourteen years.

THAISA

Lord Cerimon hath letters of good credit, sir,

My father's dead.

Lord Cerimon has credible information, sir,

that my father is dead.

PERICLES

Heavens make a star of him! Yet there, my queen,

We'll celebrate their nuptials, and ourselves

Will in that kingdom spend our following days:

Our son and daughter shall in Tyrus reign.

Lord Cerimon, we do our longing stay

To hear the rest untold: sir, lead's the way.

Exeunt

May the heavens welcome him! But there, my queen,

we shall celebrate their wedding, and we ourselves

will live out our days in that kingdom:

our son and daughter will reign in Tyre.

Lord Cerimon, I will suspend for a short while

my longing to hear the rest of the story: sir, lead the way.

Enter GOWER

GOWER

In Antiochus and his daughter you have heard

Of monstrous lust the due and just reward:

In Pericles, his queen and daughter, seen,

Although assail'd with fortune fierce and keen,

Virtue preserved from fell destruction's blast,

Led on by heaven, and crown'd with joy at last:

In Helicanus may you well descry

A figure of truth, of faith, of loyalty:

In reverend Cerimon there well appears

The worth that learned charity aye wears:

For wicked Cleon and his wife, when fame

Had spread their cursed deed, and honour'd name

Of Pericles, to rage the city turn,

That him and his they in his palace burn;

The gods for murder seemed so content

To punish them; although not done, but meant.

So, on your patience evermore attending,

New joy wait on you! Here our play has ending.

Exit

In Antiochus and his daughter you have heard

of how monstrous lust got its right and proper reward:

in Pericles, his queen and daughter, you have seen,

although attacked by terrible fate,

virtue saved from the awful blast of destruction,

led on by heaven, and crowned with joy at last:

in Helicanus you can certainly see

an example of truth, of faith and loyalty:

in holy Cerimon there is a good example

of the virtues of wise charity.

For wicked Cleon and his wife, when it became

known of his terrible assault on the honoured name

of Pericles, the city turned to rage,

and they burned him and his family in his palace:

the gods seemed happy with this punishment

for murder; although it was not done, it was intended.

So for your patience in listening to us,

May we wish you happiness! This is the end of our play.