The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (728 page)

SCENE IV. The Shepherd's cottage.

Enter FLORIZEL and PERDITA

FLORIZEL

These your unusual weeds to each part of you

Do give a life: no shepherdess, but Flora

Peering in April's front. This your sheep-shearing

Is as a meeting of the petty gods,

And you the queen on't.

These unusual clothes of yours enhance

every aspect of your beauty: not a shepherdess but the goddess Flora

bringing in the spring. This sheep shearing of yours

is like a meeting of the minor gods,

with you as their queen.

PERDITA

Sir, my gracious lord,

To chide at your extremes it not becomes me:

O, pardon, that I name them! Your high self,

The gracious mark o' the land, you have obscured

With a swain's wearing, and me, poor lowly maid,

Most goddess-like prank'd up: but that our feasts

In every mess have folly and the feeders

Digest it with a custom, I should blush

To see you so attired, swoon, I think,

To show myself a glass.

Sir, my gracious lord,

it's not my place to criticise what you do:

excuse me for even mentioning it! You have covered

up your great dignity, the person everyone looks up to,

with a peasant's clothes, and I, insignificant girl,

am got up like a goddess: if not for the fact that

our celebrations have foolishness everywhere and

everyone joins in with relish, I would be ashamed

to see you dress like this, and I would faint from embarrassment

if I saw myself in the mirror.

FLORIZEL

I bless the time

When my good falcon made her flight across

Thy father's ground.

I bless the time

when the wings of my fate

brought me to your father's land.

PERDITA

Now Jove afford you cause!

To me the difference forges dread; your greatness

Hath not been used to fear. Even now I tremble

To think your father, by some accident,

Should pass this way as you did: O, the Fates!

How would he look, to see his work so noble

Vilely bound up? What would he say? Or how

Should I, in these my borrow'd flaunts, behold

The sternness of his presence?

Now may Jove give you reason to!

The difference in our rank worries me; you're so high

you're not used to fear. Even now I am trembling

to think that your father, through some mischance,

might come this way just as you did: oh, the luck!

What would he think, if he saw his noble offspring

dressed so shabbily? Or what would you say? And how

would I, in this borrowed finery, cope with

his majestic presence?

FLORIZEL

Apprehend

Nothing but jollity. The gods themselves,

Humbling their deities to love, have taken

The shapes of beasts upon them: Jupiter

Became a bull, and bellow'd; the green Neptune

A ram, and bleated; and the fire-robed god,

Golden Apollo, a poor humble swain,

As I seem now. Their transformations

Were never for a piece of beauty rarer,

Nor in a way so chaste, since my desires

Run not before mine honour, nor my lusts

Burn hotter than my faith.

Look forward

to nothing but fun. The gods themselves

have taken on the shapes of animals,

humbling their divinity to find love: Jupiter

became a bellowing bull; Neptune from the sea

became a ram and bleated; and the fire clad god,

Golden Apollo, became a poor humble shepherd,

as I am now. They never changed themselves

for such a wonderful beauty,

and they were not as chaste, since my desires

do not outstrip my honour, and my lusts

are not stronger than my good faith.

PERDITA

O, but, sir,

Your resolution cannot hold, when 'tis

Opposed, as it must be, by the power of the king:

One of these two must be necessities,

Which then will speak, that you must

change this purpose,

Or I my life.

Oh, but, sir,

your determination will not last when it is

opposed, as it will be, by the power of the king:

one of these two things must happen

then; you must forget your intentions

or I will lose my life.

FLORIZEL

Thou dearest Perdita,

With these forced thoughts, I prithee, darken not

The mirth o' the feast. Or I'll be thine, my fair,

Or not my father's. For I cannot be

Mine own, nor any thing to any, if

I be not thine. To this I am most constant,

Though destiny say no. Be merry, gentle;

Strangle such thoughts as these with any thing

That you behold the while. Your guests are coming:

Lift up your countenance, as it were the day

Of celebration of that nuptial which

We two have sworn shall come.

You dear Perdita,

please don't spoil the fun of the feast

with these far-fetched thoughts: if I don't have you, my darling,

I'll be no good to my father. I can't be

any good to myself, or do good for anyone, if

I'm not yours. I shall stick to this,

whatever destiny says. Be happy, sweet one;

push away these thoughts with all things

you can see here. Your guests are coming:

put on your best smile, as if it was

the wedding day which we have both sworn

we will come to.

PERDITA

O lady Fortune,

Stand you auspicious!

Oh Lady Fortune,

smile on us!

FLORIZEL

See, your guests approach:

Address yourself to entertain them sprightly,

And let's be red with mirth.

Enter Shepherd, Clown, MOPSA, DORCAS, and others, with POLIXENES and CAMILLO disguised

See, your guests are coming:

make an effort to give them a jolly welcome,

and let's laugh until we're red in the face.

Shepherd

Fie, daughter! when my old wife lived, upon

This day she was both pantler, butler, cook,

Both dame and servant; welcomed all, served all;

Would sing her song and dance her turn; now here,

At upper end o' the table, now i' the middle;

On his shoulder, and his; her face o' fire

With labour and the thing she took to quench it,

She would to each one sip. You are retired,

As if you were a feasted one and not

The hostess of the meeting: pray you, bid

These unknown friends to's welcome; for it is

A way to make us better friends, more known.

Come, quench your blushes and present yourself

That which you are, mistress o' the feast: come on,

And bid us welcome to your sheep-shearing,

As your good flock shall prosper.

Hello, daughter! When my old wife was alive, on

this day she would be cellarman, butler, cook,

both lady and servant; she welcomed everyone, served everyone;

she would sing and dance; now here,

at the top end of the table, now in the middle;

leaning on his shoulder, then his; her face would be red

with the work, and with the drink she had to cool down

she would toast each of them. You are shy,

as if you were a guest, and not

the hostess of the gathering: please, give

these friends who are strangers to us a welcome; that's

the way to get us better acquainted.

Come, stop blushing, and introduce yourself

as what you are, the mistress of the feast. Come on,

and welcome us to your sheep shearing,

and may your good flock prosper.

PERDITA

[To POLIXENES] Sir, welcome:

It is my father's will I should take on me

The hostess-ship o' the day.

To CAMILLO

You're welcome, sir.

Give me those flowers there, Dorcas. Reverend sirs,

For you there's rosemary and rue; these keep

Seeming and savour all the winter long:

Grace and remembrance be to you both,

And welcome to our shearing!

Sir, welcome:

my  father orders that I should be

the hostess for today.

You're welcome, sir.

Dorcas, give me those flowers. Respected gentlemen,

here is rosemary and rue for you; these keep

their looks and scent all winter long:

blessings and friendship to both of you,

and welcome to our shearing!

POLIXENES

Shepherdess,

A fair one are you--well you fit our ages

With flowers of winter.

Shepherdess -

a lovely one you are–you've matched our ages nicely

with the flowers of winter.

PERDITA

Sir, the year growing ancient,

Not yet on summer's death, nor on the birth

Of trembling winter, the fairest

flowers o' the season

Are our carnations and streak'd gillyvors,

Which some call nature's bastards: of that kind

Our rustic garden's barren; and I care not

To get slips of them.

Sir, the year is getting on,

it's not yet autumn, or the start

of chilly winter, and the loveliest

flowers of this season

are our carnations and multicoloured gillyflowers,

which some call nature's bastards: we don't have

that sort in our rustic garden, and I don't want

to grow them.

POLIXENES

Wherefore, gentle maiden,

Do you neglect them?

Why, gentle maiden,

don't you grow them?

PERDITA

For I have heard it said

There is an art which in their piedness shares

With great creating nature.

Because I have heard it said

that their multicoloured looks

are artificially created.

POLIXENES

Say there be;

Yet nature is made better by no mean

But nature makes that mean: so, over that art

Which you say adds to nature, is an art

That nature makes. You see, sweet maid, we marry

A gentler scion to the wildest stock,

And make conceive a bark of baser kind

By bud of nobler race: this is an art

Which does mend nature, change it rather, but

The art itself is nature.

What if they  are;

nature can only be made better

by things she has created herself: so

what you call artificial is in fact

made by men, who are made by nature.