The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (664 page)

Come on, don’t answer me, just do it right away!
I am impatient of my tarriance.

I am impatient to delay.

Exeunt

The DUKE's palace.

Enter DUKE, THURIO, and PROTEUS

DUKE

Sir Thurio, give us leave, I pray, awhile;

Sir Thurio, give us some space, please, for a little while;
We have some secrets to confer about.

We have some secrets to talk about.

Exit THURIO

Now, tell me, Proteus, what's your will with me?

Now, tell me , Proteus, what is it you want with me?

PROTEUS

My gracious lord, that which I would discover

My gracious lord, the secret that I’ve come to tell you
The law of friendship bids me to conceal;

Is one that the law of friendship begs me to hide;
But when I call to mind your gracious favours

But when I think of the great favors you have
Done to me, undeserving as I am,

Done for me, even though I am unworthy,
My duty pricks me on to utter that

My sense of duty urges me to tell you the secret that
Which else no worldly good should draw from me.

No other mortal man would be able to get out of me.
Know, worthy prince, Sir Valentine, my friend,

Be aware, worthy duke, that my friend, Sir Valentine,
This night intends to steal away your daughter:

Intends to steal away your daughter tonight:
Myself am one made privy to the plot.

I was made aware of the plot in secret.
I know you have determined to bestow her

I know you have decided to give her hand in marriage
On Thurio, whom your gentle daughter hates;

To Thurio, a man who your noble daughter hates;
And should she thus be stol'n away from you,

And if she was stolen away from you like this,
It would be much vexation to your age.

It would be very distressing at your age.
Thus, for my duty's sake, I rather chose

So, because of my duty, I chose
To cross my friend in his intended drift

To betray my friend’s intended plan
Than, by concealing it, heap on your head

Instead of, by keeping it secret, loading your heart with
A pack of sorrows which would press you down,

A bundle of grief that would weigh you down
Being unprevented, to your timeless grave.

Into your premature grave, if it was not prevented.

DUKE

Proteus, I thank thee for thine honest care;

Proteus, thank you for your honest concern;
Which to requite, command me while I live.

Which I will reward by allowing you to ask any favor from me while I live,
This love of theirs myself have often seen,

I have often seen this love of theirs,
Haply when they have judged me fast asleep,

When they perhaps thought that I was fast asleep,
And oftentimes have purposed to forbid

And often I have planned to forbid
Sir Valentine her company and my court:

Sir Valentine from being in her company or in my court:
But fearing lest my jealous aim might err

But I was afraid that my suspicious guess might be wrong
And so unworthily disgrace the man,

And in doing so I would mistakenly dishonor the man,
A rashness that I ever yet have shunn'd,

Which is a fool act that I have always avoided;
I gave him gentle looks, thereby to find

I looked at him kindly, in order to find out
That which thyself hast now disclosed to me.

What you have just revealed to me.
And, that thou mayst perceive my fear of this,

And, so that you can see how I have been afraid of this,
Knowing that tender youth is soon suggested,

Since I know that inexperienced youth is easy to tempt,
I nightly lodge her in an upper tower,

Every night I keep her in a high tower,
The key whereof myself have ever kept;

Whose key I always keep myself;
And thence she cannot be convey'd away.

So that she cannot be stolen away.

PROTEUS

Know, noble lord, they have devised a mean

Be aware, noble lord, that they have come up with a plan
How he her chamber-window will ascend

For him to climb up to her bedroom window
And with a corded ladder fetch her down;

Using a rope ladder and carry her down;
For which the youthful lover now is gone

Which the young lover has now to get
And this way comes he with it presently;

And will come back here with it soon;
Where, if it please you, you may intercept him.

Where, if you wanted, you could intercept him.
But, good my Lord, do it so cunningly

But, my good Lord, do it so cleverly
That my discovery be not aimed at;

That he won’t guess that I’ve told you of it;
For love of you, not hate unto my friend,

Because it was my admiration of you, not hatred against my friend,
Hath made me publisher of this pretence.

That made me expose his plan.

DUKE

Upon mine honour, he shall never know

I swear on my honor that he will never know
That I had any light from thee of this.

That I had any information from you about this.

PROTEUS

Adieu, my Lord; Sir Valentine is coming.

Farewell, my Lord; Sir Valentine is coming.

Exit

Enter VALENTINE

DUKE

Sir Valentine, whither away so fast?

Sir Valentine, where are you going so quickly?

VALENTINE

Please it your grace, there is a messenger

If you would like to know, your grace, there is a messenger
That stays to bear my letters to my friends,

That is waiting to carry letters to my friends,
And I am going to deliver them.

And I am going to give them to him.

DUKE

Be they of much import?

Are they very important?

VALENTINE

The tenor of them doth but signify

The content of them only tells of
My health and happy being at your court.

My healthy and happy life in your court.

DUKE

Nay then, no matter; stay with me awhile;

No then, they’re unimportant; stay here with me for a little while;
I am to break with thee of some affairs

I am going to tell you of some happenings
That touch me near, wherein thou must be secret.

That seriously concern me, which you must keep secret.
'Tis not unknown to thee that I have sought

It’s well known to you that I am trying to
To match my friend Sir Thurio to my daughter.

To marry my friend Sir Thurio to my daughter.

VALENTINE

I know it well, my Lord; and, sure, the match

I know that well, my Lord; and, be sure, that match
Were rich and honourable; besides, the gentleman

Would be rich and honorable; besides, the gentleman
Is full of virtue, bounty, worth and qualities

Is very virtuous, generous, worthy and has many qualities
Beseeming such a wife as your fair daughter:

Fitting for such a wife as your beautiful daughter:
Cannot your Grace win her to fancy him?

Can’t you get her to admire him, you grace?

DUKE

No, trust me; she is peevish, sullen, froward,

No, believe me; she is obstinate, angry, willful,
Proud, disobedient, stubborn, lacking duty,

Proud, disobedient, stubborn, and without a sense of duty,
Neither regarding that she is my child

Not respecting that she is my child
Nor fearing me as if I were her father;

Or being afraid of me since I am her father;
And, may I say to thee, this pride of hers,

And, if I can say this to you, this pride of hers,
Upon advice, hath drawn my love from her;

After serious thought, has made me not love her;
And, where I thought the remnant of mine age

And, where before I thought last of my days
Should have been cherish'd by her child-like duty,

Would be treasured by her since she is my child,
I now am full resolved to take a wife

I have now decided to take myself a wife
And turn her out to who will take her in:

And turn out my daughter to whoever will take her in:
Then let her beauty be her wedding-dower;

Then her beauty can we her dowry;
For me and my possessions she esteems not.

Since he doesn’t respect me or my possessions.

VALENTINE

What would your Grace have me to do in this?

What would you like me to do about this, your grace?

DUKE

There is a lady in Verona here

There is a lady in here in Verona
Whom I affect; but she is nice and coy

Whom I love; but she is reluctant and distant
And nought esteems my aged eloquence:

And doesn’t respect my old talk of love:
Now therefore would I have thee to my tutor—

So I would like for you to be my teacher—
For long agone I have forgot to court;

Since I have forgot a long time ago how to pursue a woman;
Besides, the fashion of the time is changed—

Besides, the style of the time has changed—
How and which way I may bestow myself

How and in what way can I behave
To be regarded in her sun-bright eye.

So that I can well regarded in her sunny eyes.

VALENTINE

Win her with gifts, if she respect not words:

Win her over with gifts, if she doesn’t pay attention your words:
Dumb jewels often in their silent kind