The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (766 page)

Authority melts from me: of late, when I cried 'Ho!'

Authority is melting from me: recently when I yelled, 'Hey!"

Like boys unto a muss, kings would start forth,

Kings would rush forward, like boys to food,

And cry 'Your will?' Have you no ears? I am Antony yet.

And reply, 'What do you wish?' Do you have no ears? I am still Antony.

Enter Attendants

Take hence this Jack, and whip him.

Take this guy and whip him.

DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS

[Aside] 'Tis better playing with a lion's whelp

It is better playing with a lion cub
Than with an old one dying.

Than with an old, dying one.

MARK ANTONY

Moon and stars!

Moon and stars!
Whip him. Were't twenty of the greatest tributaries

Whip him. Even if it were one of the twenty greatest leaders

That do acknowledge Caesar, should I find them

That bow before Caesar, if I found them

So saucy with the hand of she here,--what's her name,

So saucy with the hand of this woman here

Since she was Cleopatra? Whip him, fellows,

Whip him, men,

Till, like a boy, you see him cringe his face,

Till, like a boy, you see him wince and cringe,

And whine aloud for mercy: take him hence.

And cry for mercy: take him from here.

THYREUS

Mark Antony!

Mark Antony!

MARK ANTONY

Tug him away: being whipp'd,

Pull him away: after he is whipped

Bring him again: this Jack of Caesar's shall

Bring him back: this fool of Caesar's will

Bear us an errand to him.

Take a message to him.

CLEOPATRA

O, is't come to this?

Oh, has it come to this?

MARK ANTONY

I found you as a morsel cold upon

I found you like a cold morsel on

Dead Caesar's trencher; nay, you were a fragment

Dead Caesar's plate; no, you were a leftover

Of Cneius Pompey's; besides what hotter hours,

Of Cneius Pompey's, besides what slutty times

Unregister'd in vulgar fame, you have

Not recorded in obscene reputation, you have

Luxuriously pick'd out: for, I am sure,

Luxuriously planned for: for, I am sure,

Though you can guess what temperance should be,

Though you can guess what self-control should be,

You know not what it is.

You don't know what it is.

CLEOPATRA

Wherefore is this?

Why are you doing this?

MARK ANTONY

To let a fellow that will take rewards

To let a man that will take rewards
And say 'God quit you!' be familiar with

And say, 'God quit you!' get to cozy up to

My playfellow, your hand; this kingly seal

My playmate, your hand; this king's seal

And plighter of high hearts! O, that I were

And ruiner of hearts! Oh, if only I were

Upon the hill of Basan, to outroar

Upon the hill of Basan, to roar louder

The horned herd! for I have savage cause;

Than the stags! For I have vicious reasons;

And to proclaim it civilly, were like

And to say it politely would be like

A halter'd neck which does the hangman thank

A noosed neck which the hanged man thanks

For being yare about him.

For being tight around him.

Re-enter Attendants with THYREUS

Is he whipp'd?

Has he been whipped?

First Attendant

Soundly, my lord.

Thoroughly, my lord.

MARK ANTONY

Cried he? and begg'd a' pardon?

Did he cry and beg forgiveness?

First Attendant

He did ask favour.

He did.

MARK ANTONY

If that thy father live, let him repent

If your father lives, let him regret

Thou wast not made his daughter; and be thou sorry

You were not born his daughter; and be sorry

To follow Caesar in his triumph, since

To follow Caesar in his victory, since

Thou hast been whipp'd for following him: henceforth

You have been whipped for following him: from now on

The white hand of a lady fever thee,

May the hand of a lady make you feel ill,

Shake thou to look on 't. Get thee back to Caesar,

And may you shiver to look at it. Get back to Caesar,

Tell him thy entertainment: look, thou say

Tell him how you have been treated: looking, you say

He makes me angry with him; for he seems

He makes me angry with him; for he seems
Proud and disdainful, harping on what I am,

Proud and cold, going on about what I am,

Not what he knew I was: he makes me angry;

Not what he knew I was: he makes me angry;
And at this time most easy 'tis to do't,

And at this time it is very easy to do it,

When my good stars, that were my former guides,

When my good stars, that used to guide me,

Have empty left their orbs, and shot their fires

Have left their spaces empty, and shot their fires

Into the abysm of hell. If he mislike

Into the depths of hell. If he dislikes

My speech and what is done, tell him he has

My speech and what has been done, tell him he has

Hipparchus, my enfranched bondman, whom

Hipparchus, my slave, whom

He may at pleasure whip, or hang, or torture,

He may whip, or hang, or torture

As he shall like, to quit me: urge it thou:

As he likes, to have revenge on me: urge him on:

Hence with thy stripes, begone!

Go away, with your whip wounds, get out!

Exit THYREUS

CLEOPATRA

Have you done yet?

Are you done yet?

MARK ANTONY

Alack, our terrene moon

Oh no, our earthly moon

Is now eclipsed; and it portends alone

Has been eclipsed; and it predicts nothing but

The fall of Antony!

The fall of Mark Antony!

CLEOPATRA

I must stay his time.

I must stay with him until his end.

MARK ANTONY

To flatter Caesar, would you mingle eyes

To flatter Caesar, would you make eyes

With one that ties his points?

At someone who serves him?

CLEOPATRA

Not know me yet?

Don't you know me yet?

MARK ANTONY

Cold-hearted toward me?

Cold-hearted toward me?

CLEOPATRA

Ah, dear, if I be so,

Oh, my dear, if I am,

From my cold heart let heaven engender hail,

May Heaven make hail from my cold heart,

And poison it in the source; and the first stone

And poison it from the source; and may the first hailstone

Drop in my neck: as it determines, so

Drop onto me, and then

Dissolve my life! The next Caesarion smite!

Kill me! And may the next kill a follower of Caesar!

Till by degrees the memory of my womb,

Until little by little the memory of my womb,

Together with my brave Egyptians all,

Together with all my brave Egyptians,

By the discandying of this pelleted storm,

By the destruction of this storm,

Lie graveless, till the flies and gnats of Nile

Lie unburied, until the flies and gnats of the Nile

Have buried them for prey!

Have buried them as food!

MARK ANTONY

I am satisfied.

I am satisfied.
Caesar sits down in Alexandria; where

Caesar sits in Alexandria; where
I will oppose his fate. Our force by land

I will resist him. Our force by land

Hath nobly held; our sever'd navy too

Has done well; our split navy too

Have knit again, and fleet, threatening most sea-like.

Has come together again, and are threatening force.

Where hast thou been, my heart? Dost thou hear, lady?

Where have you been, my heart? Do you hear, lady?

If from the field I shall return once more

If from the field I will return once more
To kiss these lips, I will appear in blood;

To kiss these lips, I will appear in blood;
I and my sword will earn our chronicle:

I and my sword will earn our place in history:

There's hope in't yet.

There's hope in it yet.

CLEOPATRA

That's my brave lord!

That's my brave lord!

MARK ANTONY

I will be treble-sinew'd, hearted, breathed,

I will have my muscles, heart, and breath,

And fight maliciously: for when mine hours

And fight viciously: for when my hours

Were nice and lucky, men did ransom lives

Were accurate and lucky, men fought

Of me for jests; but now I'll set my teeth,

Against me for fun; but now I'll grit my teeth,

And send to darkness all that stop me. Come,

And destroy all that stoop me. Come,

Let's have one other gaudy night: call to me

Let's have one more night of fun: call to me

All my sad captains; fill our bowls once more;

All my sad captains; fill our cups once more;

Let's mock the midnight bell.

Let us drink away the night.

CLEOPATRA

It is my birth-day:

To day is my birthday;
I had thought to have held it poor: but, since my lord

I had thought it would be a sad one: but, since my lord

Is Antony again, I will be Cleopatra.

Is Mark Antony again, I will be Cleopatra.

MARK ANTONY

We will yet do well.

We can still do well.

CLEOPATRA

Call all his noble captains to my lord.

Call all his noble captains to my lord.

MARK ANTONY

Do so, we'll speak to them; and to-night I'll force

Do so, we'll talk to them; and tonight I'll force
The wine peep through their scars. Come on, my queen;

The wine show through their scars. Come on, my queen;

There's sap in't yet. The next time I do fight,

There's hope still. The next time I fight,

I'll make death love me; for I will contend

I'll make death love me; for I will struggle against

Even with his pestilent scythe.

Even his diseased scythe.

Exeunt all but DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS

DOMITIUS ENOBARBUS

Now he'll outstare the lightning. To be furious,

Now he'll be reckless. To be furious,

Is to be frighted out of fear; and in that mood

Is to be frightened out of fear; and in that mood

The dove will peck the estridge; and I see still,