The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (668 page)

Gone following our public announcement of his exile?

PROTEUS

Gone, my good lord.

He’s gone, my good lord.

DUKE

My daughter takes his going grievously.

My daughter is taking his departure with much grief.

PROTEUS

A little time, my lord, will kill that grief.

A little time, my lord, will make that grief go away.

DUKE

So I believe; but Thurio thinks not so.

I think so too; but Thurio doesn’t believe that.
Proteus, the good conceit I hold of thee—

Proteus, the good opinion I have of you—
For thou hast shown some sign of good desert—

Since you have shown signs of deserving a good opinion—
Makes me the better to confer with thee.

Makes me more willing to discuss with you.

PROTEUS

Longer than I prove loyal to your grace

If I no longer prove to be loyal to your grace
Let me not live to look upon your grace.

Don’t let me live to look at you, your grace.

DUKE

Thou know'st how willingly I would effect

You know how eagerly I want to bring about
The match between Sir Thurio and my daughter.

The marriage between Sir Thurio and my daughter.

PROTEUS

I do, my lord.

I do, my lord.

DUKE

And also, I think, thou art not ignorant

And also, I think, you are aware of
How she opposes her against my will

How she resists my wish.

PROTEUS

She did, my lord, when Valentine was here.

She did, my lord, when Valentine was here.

DUKE

Ay, and perversely she persevers so.

Yes, and obstinately she persisted like that.
What might we do to make the girl forget

What can we do to make the girl forget
The love of Valentine and love Sir Thurio?

Her love of Valentine and love Sir Thurio instead?

PROTEUS

The best way is to slander Valentine

The best way is to start rumors about Valentine
With falsehood, cowardice and poor descent,

Being dishonest, cowardly, and from a poor family—
Three things that women highly hold in hate.

Three things that women look at with hate.

DUKE

Ay, but she'll think that it is spoke in hate.

Yes, but she’ll think that it is spoken from hatred of him.

PROTEUS

Ay, if his enemy deliver it:

Yes, if his enemy start it;
Therefore it must with circumstance be spoken

That’s why it must be said with an explanation
By one whom she esteemeth as his friend.

By one who she considers to be his friend.

DUKE

Then you must undertake to slander him.

Then you must take on the task of starting the rumors about him.

PROTEUS

And that, my lord, I shall be loath to do:

And that, my lord, I would be very reluctant to do:
'Tis an ill office for a gentleman,

It’s a terrible task for a gentleman,
Especially against his very friend.

Especially against his own friend.

DUKE

Where your good word cannot advantage him,

If your good word cannot promote him,
Your slander never can endamage him;

Then your rumors can never damage him;
Therefore the office is indifferent,

So the task is neither good nor bad,
Being entreated to it by your friend.

Especially if you are asked to do it by me, your friend.

PROTEUS

You have prevail'd, my lord; if I can do it

You have won, my lord; if I can do it
By ought that I can speak in his dispraise,

With anything that I can say to bring him down,
She shall not long continue love to him.

She will not continue to love him for lon.
But say this weed her love from Valentine,

But even if this extinguishes her love for Valentine,
It follows not that she will love Sir Thurio.

This doesn’t mean that she will love Sir Thurio.

THURIO

Therefore, as you unwind her love from him,

So, as you rid her of her love for him,
Lest it should ravel and be good to none,

So that it doesn’t become confused and is of no good to anyone,
You must provide to bottom it on me;

You must concentrate it on me;
Which must be done by praising me as much

Which you can do by praising me as much
As you in worth dispraise Sir Valentine.

As you admirably bring down Sir Valentine.

DUKE

And, Proteus, we dare trust you in this kind,

And, Proteus, we have the courage to trust you with this business,
Because we know, on Valentine's report,

Because we know, from Valentine’s description,
You are already Love's firm votary

That you are already a firm worshiper of Love
And cannot soon revolt and change your mind.

And won’t resist and change your mind soon.
Upon this warrant shall you have access

With my authorization you will have access
Where you with Silvia may confer at large;

To a place where you and Silvia can talk at length;
For she is lumpish, heavy, melancholy,

Because she is dejected, sad, melancholy,
And, for your friend's sake, will be glad of you;

And will be happy for your company, for your friend’s sake;
Where you may temper her by your persuasion

Then you can shape her by persuading her
To hate young Valentine and love my friend.

To hate young Valentine and love my friend Thurio.

PROTEUS

As much as I can do, I will effect:

I will produce as much as I can:
But you, Sir Thurio, are not sharp enough;

But you, Sir Thurio, are not passionate enough;
You must lay lime to tangle her desires

You must lay traps to catch her love
By wailful sonnets, whose composed rhymes

With mournful poems, whose written lines
Should be full-fraught with serviceable vows.

Should be jam-packed with vows of loyalty.

DUKE

Ay,

Yes,
Much is the force of heaven-bred poesy.

The force of heavenly poetry is great.

PROTEUS

Say that upon the altar of her beauty

Say that in worshiping her beauty
You sacrifice your tears, your sighs, your heart:

You have sacrificed your tears, your sighs, and your heart:
Write till your ink be dry, and with your tears

Write until your ink is dry, and then with your tears
Moist it again, and frame some feeling line

Wet the paper again, and write some heartfelt line
That may discover such integrity:

That may reveal such complete devotion:
For Orpheus' lute was strung with poets' sinews,

Because the famous lover Orpheus’ lute had strings made from the flesh of poets,
Whose golden touch could soften steel and stones,

Whose precious musical skill could soften steel and stones,
Make tigers tame and huge leviathans

And make tigers times and huge sea monsters
Forsake unsounded deeps to dance on sands.

Leave the unmeasured deeps of the ocean to dance on the shore.
After your dire-lamenting elegies,

After your deeply mournful love poems,
Visit by night your lady's chamber-window

Visit your lady’s bedroom window at night
With some sweet concert; to their instruments

With some sweet music; with the music instruments
Tune a deploring dump: the night's dead silence

Play a sorrowful song: the night’s dead silence
Will well become such sweet-complaining grievance.

Will be very fitting for such a sweetly sounding pain.
This, or else nothing, will inherit her.

If this doesn’t win her over, nothing else will.

DUKE

This discipline shows thou hast been in love.

This instructions shows that you have been in love

THURIO

And thy advice this night I'll put in practise.

And I’ll put your advice into practice tonight.
Therefore, sweet Proteus, my direction-giver,

So, sweet Proteus, my guide,
Let us into the city presently

Let us go to the city right now
To sort some gentlemen well skill'd in music.

To find some gentlemen well skilled in music.
I have a sonnet that will serve the turn

I have a poem that will work for this
To give the onset to thy good advice.

To star acting on your good advice.

DUKE

About it, gentlemen!

Get to it, gentlemen!

PROTEUS

We'll wait upon your grace till after supper,

We’ll wait with your grace until after supper,
And afterward determine our proceedings.

And afterwards determine how to proceed with the plan.

DUKE

Even now about it! I will pardon you.

Get to it now! I will forgive you for not waiting with me.

Exeunt

A forest.

Enter certain Outlaws

First Outlaw

Fellows, stand fast; I see a passenger.

Men, get ready; I see a traveler.

Second Outlaw

If there be ten, shrink not, but down with 'em.

If there are ten men, don’t give in, but bring them all down.

Enter VALENTINE and SPEED