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Original Text |
Modern Text |
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Enter two GENTLEMEN.
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Two GENTLEMEN enter.
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FIRST GENTLEMAN
You do not meet a man but frowns. Our bloods
No more obey the heavens than our courtiers’
Still seem as does the King’s.
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FIRST GENTLEMAN
Every man you meet these days is frowning. Our bodies seem to follow the influences of the planets, just as the courtiers seem to reflect the King’s moods.
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SECOND GENTLEMAN
But what’s the matter?
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SECOND GENTLEMAN
What is wrong?
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FIRST GENTLEMAN
5
His daughter, and the heir of ’s kingdom, whom
He purposed to his wife’s sole son—a widow
That late he married—hath referred herself
Unto a poor but worthy gentleman. She’s wedded,
Her husband banished, she imprisoned. All
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Is outward sorrow, though I think the King
Be touched at very heart.
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FIRST GENTLEMAN
The King's daughter, heir to his kingdom, has married a poor though honest gentleman, despite the fact that the King wanted her to marry his wife's only son. His wife was a widow before he recently married her. She is married, her husband has been banished, and she has been imprisoned. By all appearances, everybody seems sorrowful, though the King, I believe, is truly sad.
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SECOND GENTLEMAN
None but the King?
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SECOND GENTLEMAN
Just the King is sad?
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FIRST GENTLEMAN
He that hath lost her, too. So is the Queen,
That most desired the match. But not a courtier,
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Although they wear their faces to the bent
Of the King’s looks, hath a heart that is not
Glad at the thing they scowl at.
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FIRST GENTLEMAN
The man who was supposed to marry the princess is sad too, as is the Queen who wanted them to marry. But the courtiers, although they seem unhappy, are secretly pleased.
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SECOND GENTLEMAN
And why so?
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SECOND GENTLEMAN
Why?
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FIRST GENTLEMAN
He that hath missed the Princess is a thing
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Too bad for bad report, and he that hath her—
I mean, that married her, alack, good man!
And therefore banished—is a creature such
As, to seek through the regions of the Earth
For one his like, there would be something failing
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In him that should compare. I do not think
So fair an outward and such stuff within
Endows a man but he.
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FIRST GENTLEMAN
The man who lost the princess is so mean, it is difficult to describe him. And the man who has her—I mean, who married her – oh, poor, good man, is exiled. He is such a good man. If you searched the whole world, anyone you found would not be as good as he is. He is beautiful on the outside as well as the inside.
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SECOND GENTLEMAN
You speak him far.
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SECOND GENTLEMAN
You speak so well of him.
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FIRST GENTLEMAN
I do extend him, sir, within himself,
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Crush him together rather than unfold
His measure duly.
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FIRST GENTLEMAN
I cannot speak highly enough of him. What I say is too modest. I cannot describe how genuinely good he is.
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SECOND GENTLEMAN
What’s his name and birth?
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SECOND GENTLEMAN
What’s his name and the name of his family?
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FIRST GENTLEMAN
I cannot delve him to the root. His father
Was called Sicilius, who did join his honor
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Against the Romans with Cassibelan,
But had his titles by Tenantius, whom
He served with glory and admired success,
So gained the sur-addition Leonatus;
And had, besides this gentleman in question,
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Two other sons, who in the wars o’ th’ time
Died with their swords in hand. For which their
father,
Then old and fond of issue, took such sorrow
That he quit being; and his gentle lady,
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Big of this gentleman our theme, deceased
As he was born. The King he takes the babe
To his protection, calls him Posthumus Leonatus,
Breeds him and makes him of his bedchamber,
Puts to him all the learnings that his time
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Could make him the receiver of, which he took
As we do air, fast as ’twas ministered,
And in ’s spring became a harvest; lived in court—
Which rare it is to do—most praised, most loved,
A sample to the youngest, to th’ more mature
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A glass that feated them, and to the graver
A child that guided dotards. To his mistress,
For whom he now is banished, her own price
Proclaims how she esteemed him; and his virtue
By her election may be truly read
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What kind of man he is.
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FIRST GENTLEMAN
I don’t know all about his family. His father’s name was Sicilius. He fought against the Romans with Cassibelan. He was given a noble title by Tenantius. He also served so bravely that Tenantius gave him the additional name
“Leonatus.”The name “Leonatus” derives from the Latin word leo, which means lion.
Sicilius had two other sons, who died fighting in the wars. Sicilius was old and so fond of his children that he died of sorrow, and his wife, then pregnant with the man I’m telling you about, died giving birth to him. The king, he takes the baby into his protection, calls him
PosthumusPosthumus’s name is similar to “posthumous,” which literally means “born after the death of the father.” |
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SECOND GENTLEMAN
I honor him
Even out of your report. But pray you tell me,
Is she sole child to th’ King?
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SECOND GENTLEMAN
I respect him just by the way you describe him. But is she the King’s only child?
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FIRST GENTLEMAN
His only child.
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He had two sons—if this be worth your hearing,
Mark it—the eldest of them at three years old,
I’ th’ swathing clothes the other, from their nursery
Were stol’n, and to this hour no guess in knowledge
Which way they went.
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FIRST GENTLEMAN
Yes, she is. He had two sons—remember this, it’s important—and when one was three and the other still an infant, they were abducted from their room. And to this day, nobody knows what happened to them.
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SECOND GENTLEMAN
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How long is this ago?
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SECOND GENTLEMAN
When did this happen?
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FIRST GENTLEMAN
Some twenty years.
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FIRST GENTLEMAN
About twenty years ago.
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SECOND GENTLEMAN
That a king’s children should be so conveyed,
So slackly guarded, and the search so slow
That could not trace them!
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SECOND GENTLEMAN
How could this have happened, that the King’s children were taken like that? How could they be so poorly guarded? And how could the search for them be so slow that they were never found?
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FIRST GENTLEMAN
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Howsoe’er ’tis strange,
Or that the negligence may well be laughed at,
Yet is it true, sir.
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FIRST GENTLEMAN
It seems unbelievable, but it’s true.
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SECOND GENTLEMAN
I do well believe you.
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SECOND GENTLEMAN
I believe you.
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FIRST GENTLEMAN
We must forbear. Here comes the gentleman,
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The Queen and Princess.
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FIRST GENTLEMAN
We have to stop talking. Here comes the man himself, the Queen, and the Princess.
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Enter the QUEEN, POSTHUMUS, and IMOGEN.
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The QUEEN, POSTHUMUS, and IMOGEN enter.
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QUEEN
No, be assured you shall not find me, daughter,
After the slander of most stepmothers,
Evil-eyed unto you. You’re my prisoner, but
Your jailer shall deliver you the keys
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That lock up your restraint.—For you, Posthumus,
So soon as I can win th’ offended king,
I will be known your advocate. Marry, yet
The fire of rage is in him, and ’twere good
You leaned unto his sentence with what patience
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Your wisdom may inform you.
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QUEEN
My daughter, despite the lies that are told about most stepmothers, you will not find me being cruel to you. You are my prisoner, but as your jailer, I will give you the keys that keep you locked in. And for you, Posthumus, as soon as I can calm the king down, I will speak to him in your defense. But, for now, the fire of anger still burns within him, and it would be best to go along with the sentence of banishment as patiently as you can.
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POSTHUMUS
Please your Highness,
I will from hence today.
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POSTHUMUS
Very well, your Highness. I will leave today.
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QUEEN
You know the peril.
I’ll fetch a turn about the garden, pitying
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The pangs of barred affections, though the King
Hath charged you should not speak together.
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QUEEN
You understand the risk. I will take a walk in the garden for a bit, sympathizing with the pain of your forced separation, but after all the King did command that you are not to speak to each other.
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She exits.
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QUEEN exits.
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IMOGEN
Dissembling courtesy! How fine this tyrant
Can tickle where she wounds! My dearest husband,
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I something fear my father’s wrath, but nothing—
Always reserved my holy duty—what
His rage can do on me. You must be gone,
And I shall here abide the hourly shot
Of angry eyes, not comforted to live
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But that there is this jewel in the world
That I may see again.
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IMOGEN
What dishonest politeness! How well this tyrant can tickle where she wounds! My dearest husband, I do sometimes fear my father’s anger, but not—except for the obligation I have to him as his daughter—what his anger can do to me. You must go, and I will stay and endure the angry glares of others, finding no comfort in life except the knowledge that there is a jewel*[Imogen means her husband, Posthumus.] in this world I hope to see again.
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She weeps.
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She weeps.
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POSTHUMUS
My queen, my mistress!
O lady, weep no more, lest I give cause
To be suspected of more tenderness
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Than doth become a man. I will remain
The loyal’st husband that did e’er plight troth.
My residence in Rome at one Philario’s,
Who to my father was a friend, to me
Known but by letter; thither write, my queen,
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And with mine eyes I’ll drink the words you send,
Though ink be made of gall.
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POSTHUMUS
My queen, my wife, don’t cry, or I will show more emotion than is proper for a man. I will be the most faithful husband who has ever married a woman. I am staying in Rome at the house of a man named Philario. He was a friend to my father, but I know him only through his letters. Write to me there, my queen, and I will drink your words with my eyes, although it will be like the ink is made of bile.
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Enter QUEEN.
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The QUEEN enters.
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QUEEN
Be brief, I pray you.
If the King come, I shall incur I know not
How much of his displeasure.
(Aside.) Yet I’ll move
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him
To walk this way. I never do him wrong
But he does buy my injuries, to be friends;
Pays dear for my offenses.
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QUEEN
Please keep it short. If the king sees you, I don’t even know how angry he will be at me.
(To herself.) I’ll persuade the king to walk by here. Every time I deceive him, he falls for it; he pays me heavily for the wrongs I do.
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She exits.
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She exits.
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POSTHUMUS
Should we be taking leave
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As long a term as yet we have to live,
The loathness to depart would grow. Adieu.
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POSTHUMUS
No matter how much we say goodbye, even for the rest of our lives, it would only be harder to leave. Goodbye.
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IMOGEN
Nay, stay a little!
Were you but riding forth to air yourself,
Such parting were too petty. Look here, love:
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This diamond was my mother’s.
(She offers a ring.) Take it, heart,
But keep it till you woo another wife
When Imogen is dead.
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IMOGEN
No, stay a little longer! That wouldn't be a long enough good-bye even if you were just going out to get some air. Look at this, my love. This ring was my mother’s.
(She offers him a ring.) Take it, my love. Keep it until I am dead and you court another wife.
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POSTHUMUS
How, how? Another?
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You gentle gods, give me but this I have,
And cere up my embracements from a next
With bonds of death.
(He puts the ring on his finger.)
Remain, remain thou here,
While sense can keep it on.—And sweetest, fairest,
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As I my poor self did exchange for you
To your so infinite loss, so in our trifles
I still win of you. For my sake, wear this.
He offers a bracelet.
It is a manacle of love. I’ll place it
Upon this fairest prisoner.
He puts it on her wrist.
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POSTHUMUS
What? Another woman? Gods, I only want the one I have. If I try to embrace another, may I burn to death.
(He puts the ring on his finger.) Stay here while I am alive enough to keep it on.—And sweetest and most beautiful woman, just as in our marriage I am the more fortunate partner, your ring far outshines what I have to give you. Accept this bracelet for my sake.
He offers a bracelet.
It is a handcuff of love. I’ll put it on you, the most beautiful of prisoners.
He puts it on her wrist.
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IMOGEN
145
O the gods!
When shall we see again?
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IMOGEN
Oh, gods! When will we see each other again?
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Enter CYMBELINE and LORDS.
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CYMBELINE and some LORDS enter.
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POSTHUMUS
Alack, the King.
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POSTHUMUS
Oh no! The King!
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CYMBELINE
Thou basest thing, avoid hence, from my sight!
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If after this command thou fraught the court
With thy unworthiness, thou diest. Away!
Thou ’rt poison to my blood.
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CYMBELINE
You worthless thing, get out of my sight! If you come back after this and defile the court with your unworthiness, you will die. Go away! You are like poison in my blood.
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POSTHUMUS
The gods protect you,
And bless the good remainders of the court.
I am gone.
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POSTHUMUS
May the gods keep you safe and bless the court. I am gone.
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He exits.
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He exits.
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IMOGEN
There cannot be a pinch in death
More sharp than this is.
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IMOGEN
Death could not hurt me more than this.
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CYMBELINE
O disloyal thing
That shouldst repair my youth, thou heap’st
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A year’s age on me.
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CYMBELINE
You disloyal creature! You should make me feel younger, but instead you add to my age.
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IMOGEN
I beseech you, sir,
Harm not yourself with your vexation.
I am senseless of your wrath. A touch more rare
Subdues all pangs, all fears.
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IMOGEN
Please, sir, don’t let your anger consume you. I myself can’t feel it, as an even worse pain overpowers my hurts and fears.
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CYMBELINE
Past grace? Obedience?
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CYMBELINE
So you are past showing me respect? Past showing obedience?
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IMOGEN
165
Past hope and in despair; that way past grace.
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IMOGEN
I am past hope and in despair. That is how far past respect I am.
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CYMBELINE
That mightst have had the sole son of my queen!
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CYMBELINE
You could have married my wife’s only son!
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IMOGEN
O, blessèd that I might not! I chose an eagle
And did avoid a puttock.
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IMOGEN
I’m lucky I didn’t! I chose an eagle instead of a vulture.
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CYMBELINE
Thou took’st a beggar, wouldst have made my throne
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A seat for baseness.
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CYMBELINE
You married a beggar. You wanted to make my throne a place of bad character.
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IMOGEN
No, I rather added
A luster to it.
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IMOGEN
No, I made it more glorious.
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CYMBELINE
O thou vile one!
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CYMBELINE
Oh you disgusting creature!
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IMOGEN
Sir,
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It is your fault that I have loved Posthumus.
You bred him as my playfellow, and he is
A man worth any woman, overbuys me
Almost the sum he pays.
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IMOGEN
Sir, it is your fault I fell in love with Posthumus. You raised him as my friend, and he is a man who would deserve any woman. He is worth twice as much as I am.
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CYMBELINE
What, art thou mad?
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CYMBELINE
Are you out of your mind?
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IMOGEN
180
Almost, sir. Heaven restore me! Would I were
A neatherd’s daughter, and my Leonatus
Our neighbor shepherd’s son.
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IMOGEN
Almost, sir. May the gods give me my sanity back! I wish I were a cattleman’s daughter, and that my Leonatus was a shepherd’s son who lived nearby.
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She weeps.
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She cries.
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CYMBELINE
Thou foolish thing!
Enter QUEEN.
They were again together. You have done
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Not after our command. Away with her
And pen her up.
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CYMBELINE
You foolish creature!
The QUEEN enters.
I found them together again! You have not done what I said to do. Take her away and lock her up.
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QUEEN
Beseech your patience.—Peace,
Dear lady daughter, peace.—Sweet sovereign,
Leave us to ourselves, and make yourself some
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comfort
Out of your best advice.
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QUEEN
Please forgive me.—Calm down, my daughter, calm down.—Oh my King, leave us alone and go calm yourself the best way you know how.
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CYMBELINE
Nay, let her languish
A drop of blood a day, and being aged
Die of this folly.
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CYMBELINE
No. I want her to suffer. I want her to shed a drop of blood every day until she dies of her foolishness.
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QUEEN
195
Fie, you must give way.
Enter PISANIO.
Here is your servant.—How now, sir? What news?
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QUEEN
Oh, come now, you must not be so forceful.
PISANIO enters.
Here is your servant. —Good sir, what news do you have?
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PISANIO
My lord your son drew on my master.
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PISANIO
Your son drew his sword against my master, Posthumus.
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QUEEN
Ha?
No harm, I trust, is done?
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QUEEN
Oh no! I hope no harm was done.
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PISANIO
200
There might have been,
But that my master rather played than fought
And had no help of anger. They were parted
By gentlemen at hand.
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PISANIO
Someone could have been hurt, but my master kept his temper and didn’t fight back. Some men who were nearby separated them.
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QUEEN
I am very glad on ’t.
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QUEEN
I am very glad of that.
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IMOGEN
205
Your son’s my father’s friend; he takes his part
To draw upon an exile. O, brave sir!
I would they were in Afric both together,
Myself by with a needle, that I might prick
The goer-back.—Why came you from your master?
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IMOGEN
Your son is my father’s friend; he shows his loyalty by drawing his sword against an exiled man. How brave of him! I wish they were in some faraway place like Africa, and I with them carrying my own sword. I could stab whoever retreated from the fight.—Why did you leave your master?
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PISANIO
210
On his command. He would not suffer me
To bring him to the haven, left these notes
Of what commands I should be subject to
When ’t pleased you to employ me.
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PISANIO
He ordered me to. He would not let me accompany him to his place of exile. He left notes giving me my orders, offering me to your service.
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QUEEN
(to IMOGEN)
This hath been
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Your faithful servant. I dare lay mine honor
He will remain so.
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QUEEN
(to IMOGEN)
He has been your faithful servant. On my honor, I believe he will remain so.
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PISANIO
I humbly thank your Highness.
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PISANIO
I humbly thank your highness.
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QUEEN
(to IMOGEN)
Pray, walk awhile.
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QUEEN
(to IMOGEN)
Walk with me a bit.
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IMOGEN
(to PISANIO)
About some half hour hence,
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Pray you, speak with me. You shall at least
Go see my lord aboard. For this time leave me.
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IMOGEN
(to PISANIO)
In about a half hour, come speak with me. At least see that my lord is safely on his way. For the moment, leave me.
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They exit.
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They exit.
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Enjoy a FREE sample of our No Fear Translations below.
Original Text |
Modern Text |
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Enter two GENTLEMEN.
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Two GENTLEMEN enter.
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FIRST GENTLEMAN
You do not meet a man but frowns. Our bloods
No more obey the heavens than our courtiers’
Still seem as does the King’s.
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FIRST GENTLEMAN
Every man you meet these days is frowning. Our bodies seem to follow the influences of the planets, just as the courtiers seem to reflect the King’s moods.
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SECOND GENTLEMAN
But what’s the matter?
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SECOND GENTLEMAN
What is wrong?
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FIRST GENTLEMAN
5
His daughter, and the heir of ’s kingdom, whom
He purposed to his wife’s sole son—a widow
That late he married—hath referred herself
Unto a poor but worthy gentleman. She’s wedded,
Her husband banished, she imprisoned. All
10
Is outward sorrow, though I think the King
Be touched at very heart.
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FIRST GENTLEMAN
The King's daughter, heir to his kingdom, has married a poor though honest gentleman, despite the fact that the King wanted her to marry his wife's only son. His wife was a widow before he recently married her. She is married, her husband has been banished, and she has been imprisoned. By all appearances, everybody seems sorrowful, though the King, I believe, is truly sad.
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SECOND GENTLEMAN
None but the King?
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SECOND GENTLEMAN
Just the King is sad?
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FIRST GENTLEMAN
He that hath lost her, too. So is the Queen,
That most desired the match. But not a courtier,
15
Although they wear their faces to the bent
Of the King’s looks, hath a heart that is not
Glad at the thing they scowl at.
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FIRST GENTLEMAN
The man who was supposed to marry the princess is sad too, as is the Queen who wanted them to marry. But the courtiers, although they seem unhappy, are secretly pleased.
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SECOND GENTLEMAN
And why so?
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SECOND GENTLEMAN
Why?
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FIRST GENTLEMAN
He that hath missed the Princess is a thing
20
Too bad for bad report, and he that hath her—
I mean, that married her, alack, good man!
And therefore banished—is a creature such
As, to seek through the regions of the Earth
For one his like, there would be something failing
25
In him that should compare. I do not think
So fair an outward and such stuff within
Endows a man but he.
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FIRST GENTLEMAN
The man who lost the princess is so mean, it is difficult to describe him. And the man who has her—I mean, who married her – oh, poor, good man, is exiled. He is such a good man. If you searched the whole world, anyone you found would not be as good as he is. He is beautiful on the outside as well as the inside.
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SECOND GENTLEMAN
You speak him far.
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SECOND GENTLEMAN
You speak so well of him.
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FIRST GENTLEMAN
I do extend him, sir, within himself,
30
Crush him together rather than unfold
His measure duly.
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FIRST GENTLEMAN
I cannot speak highly enough of him. What I say is too modest. I cannot describe how genuinely good he is.
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SECOND GENTLEMAN
What’s his name and birth?
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SECOND GENTLEMAN
What’s his name and the name of his family?
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FIRST GENTLEMAN
I cannot delve him to the root. His father
Was called Sicilius, who did join his honor
35
Against the Romans with Cassibelan,
But had his titles by Tenantius, whom
He served with glory and admired success,
So gained the sur-addition Leonatus;
And had, besides this gentleman in question,
40
Two other sons, who in the wars o’ th’ time
Died with their swords in hand. For which their
father,
Then old and fond of issue, took such sorrow
That he quit being; and his gentle lady,
45
Big of this gentleman our theme, deceased
As he was born. The King he takes the babe
To his protection, calls him Posthumus Leonatus,
Breeds him and makes him of his bedchamber,
Puts to him all the learnings that his time
50
Could make him the receiver of, which he took
As we do air, fast as ’twas ministered,
And in ’s spring became a harvest; lived in court—
Which rare it is to do—most praised, most loved,
A sample to the youngest, to th’ more mature
55
A glass that feated them, and to the graver
A child that guided dotards. To his mistress,
For whom he now is banished, her own price
Proclaims how she esteemed him; and his virtue
By her election may be truly read
60
What kind of man he is.
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FIRST GENTLEMAN
I don’t know all about his family. His father’s name was Sicilius. He fought against the Romans with Cassibelan. He was given a noble title by Tenantius. He also served so bravely that Tenantius gave him the additional name
“Leonatus.”The name “Leonatus” derives from the Latin word leo, which means lion.
Sicilius had two other sons, who died fighting in the wars. Sicilius was old and so fond of his children that he died of sorrow, and his wife, then pregnant with the man I’m telling you about, died giving birth to him. The king, he takes the baby into his protection, calls him
PosthumusPosthumus’s name is similar to “posthumous,” which literally means “born after the death of the father.” |
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SECOND GENTLEMAN
I honor him
Even out of your report. But pray you tell me,
Is she sole child to th’ King?
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SECOND GENTLEMAN
I respect him just by the way you describe him. But is she the King’s only child?
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FIRST GENTLEMAN
His only child.
65
He had two sons—if this be worth your hearing,
Mark it—the eldest of them at three years old,
I’ th’ swathing clothes the other, from their nursery
Were stol’n, and to this hour no guess in knowledge
Which way they went.
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FIRST GENTLEMAN
Yes, she is. He had two sons—remember this, it’s important—and when one was three and the other still an infant, they were abducted from their room. And to this day, nobody knows what happened to them.
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SECOND GENTLEMAN
70
How long is this ago?
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SECOND GENTLEMAN
When did this happen?
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FIRST GENTLEMAN
Some twenty years.
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FIRST GENTLEMAN
About twenty years ago.
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SECOND GENTLEMAN
That a king’s children should be so conveyed,
So slackly guarded, and the search so slow
That could not trace them!
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SECOND GENTLEMAN
How could this have happened, that the King’s children were taken like that? How could they be so poorly guarded? And how could the search for them be so slow that they were never found?
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FIRST GENTLEMAN
75
Howsoe’er ’tis strange,
Or that the negligence may well be laughed at,
Yet is it true, sir.
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FIRST GENTLEMAN
It seems unbelievable, but it’s true.
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SECOND GENTLEMAN
I do well believe you.
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SECOND GENTLEMAN
I believe you.
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FIRST GENTLEMAN
We must forbear. Here comes the gentleman,
80
The Queen and Princess.
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FIRST GENTLEMAN
We have to stop talking. Here comes the man himself, the Queen, and the Princess.
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|
Enter the QUEEN, POSTHUMUS, and IMOGEN.
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The QUEEN, POSTHUMUS, and IMOGEN enter.
|
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QUEEN
No, be assured you shall not find me, daughter,
After the slander of most stepmothers,
Evil-eyed unto you. You’re my prisoner, but
Your jailer shall deliver you the keys
85
That lock up your restraint.—For you, Posthumus,
So soon as I can win th’ offended king,
I will be known your advocate. Marry, yet
The fire of rage is in him, and ’twere good
You leaned unto his sentence with what patience
90
Your wisdom may inform you.
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QUEEN
My daughter, despite the lies that are told about most stepmothers, you will not find me being cruel to you. You are my prisoner, but as your jailer, I will give you the keys that keep you locked in. And for you, Posthumus, as soon as I can calm the king down, I will speak to him in your defense. But, for now, the fire of anger still burns within him, and it would be best to go along with the sentence of banishment as patiently as you can.
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POSTHUMUS
Please your Highness,
I will from hence today.
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POSTHUMUS
Very well, your Highness. I will leave today.
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QUEEN
You know the peril.
I’ll fetch a turn about the garden, pitying
95
The pangs of barred affections, though the King
Hath charged you should not speak together.
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QUEEN
You understand the risk. I will take a walk in the garden for a bit, sympathizing with the pain of your forced separation, but after all the King did command that you are not to speak to each other.
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|
She exits.
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QUEEN exits.
|
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IMOGEN
Dissembling courtesy! How fine this tyrant
Can tickle where she wounds! My dearest husband,
100
I something fear my father’s wrath, but nothing—
Always reserved my holy duty—what
His rage can do on me. You must be gone,
And I shall here abide the hourly shot
Of angry eyes, not comforted to live
105
But that there is this jewel in the world
That I may see again.
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IMOGEN
What dishonest politeness! How well this tyrant can tickle where she wounds! My dearest husband, I do sometimes fear my father’s anger, but not—except for the obligation I have to him as his daughter—what his anger can do to me. You must go, and I will stay and endure the angry glares of others, finding no comfort in life except the knowledge that there is a jewel*[Imogen means her husband, Posthumus.] in this world I hope to see again.
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|
She weeps.
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She weeps.
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POSTHUMUS
My queen, my mistress!
O lady, weep no more, lest I give cause
To be suspected of more tenderness
110
Than doth become a man. I will remain
The loyal’st husband that did e’er plight troth.
My residence in Rome at one Philario’s,
Who to my father was a friend, to me
Known but by letter; thither write, my queen,
115
And with mine eyes I’ll drink the words you send,
Though ink be made of gall.
|
POSTHUMUS
My queen, my wife, don’t cry, or I will show more emotion than is proper for a man. I will be the most faithful husband who has ever married a woman. I am staying in Rome at the house of a man named Philario. He was a friend to my father, but I know him only through his letters. Write to me there, my queen, and I will drink your words with my eyes, although it will be like the ink is made of bile.
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|
Enter QUEEN.
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The QUEEN enters.
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QUEEN
Be brief, I pray you.
If the King come, I shall incur I know not
How much of his displeasure.
(Aside.) Yet I’ll move
120
him
To walk this way. I never do him wrong
But he does buy my injuries, to be friends;
Pays dear for my offenses.
|
QUEEN
Please keep it short. If the king sees you, I don’t even know how angry he will be at me.
(To herself.) I’ll persuade the king to walk by here. Every time I deceive him, he falls for it; he pays me heavily for the wrongs I do.
|
|
She exits.
|
She exits.
|
|
POSTHUMUS
Should we be taking leave
125
As long a term as yet we have to live,
The loathness to depart would grow. Adieu.
|
POSTHUMUS
No matter how much we say goodbye, even for the rest of our lives, it would only be harder to leave. Goodbye.
|
|
IMOGEN
Nay, stay a little!
Were you but riding forth to air yourself,
Such parting were too petty. Look here, love:
130
This diamond was my mother’s.
(She offers a ring.) Take it, heart,
But keep it till you woo another wife
When Imogen is dead.
|
IMOGEN
No, stay a little longer! That wouldn't be a long enough good-bye even if you were just going out to get some air. Look at this, my love. This ring was my mother’s.
(She offers him a ring.) Take it, my love. Keep it until I am dead and you court another wife.
|
|
POSTHUMUS
How, how? Another?
135
You gentle gods, give me but this I have,
And cere up my embracements from a next
With bonds of death.
(He puts the ring on his finger.)
Remain, remain thou here,
While sense can keep it on.—And sweetest, fairest,
140
As I my poor self did exchange for you
To your so infinite loss, so in our trifles
I still win of you. For my sake, wear this.
He offers a bracelet.
It is a manacle of love. I’ll place it
Upon this fairest prisoner.
He puts it on her wrist.
|
POSTHUMUS
What? Another woman? Gods, I only want the one I have. If I try to embrace another, may I burn to death.
(He puts the ring on his finger.) Stay here while I am alive enough to keep it on.—And sweetest and most beautiful woman, just as in our marriage I am the more fortunate partner, your ring far outshines what I have to give you. Accept this bracelet for my sake.
He offers a bracelet.
It is a handcuff of love. I’ll put it on you, the most beautiful of prisoners.
He puts it on her wrist.
|
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IMOGEN
145
O the gods!
When shall we see again?
|
IMOGEN
Oh, gods! When will we see each other again?
|
|
Enter CYMBELINE and LORDS.
|
CYMBELINE and some LORDS enter.
|
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POSTHUMUS
Alack, the King.
|
POSTHUMUS
Oh no! The King!
|
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CYMBELINE
Thou basest thing, avoid hence, from my sight!
150
If after this command thou fraught the court
With thy unworthiness, thou diest. Away!
Thou ’rt poison to my blood.
|
CYMBELINE
You worthless thing, get out of my sight! If you come back after this and defile the court with your unworthiness, you will die. Go away! You are like poison in my blood.
|
|
POSTHUMUS
The gods protect you,
And bless the good remainders of the court.
I am gone.
|
POSTHUMUS
May the gods keep you safe and bless the court. I am gone.
|
|
155
He exits.
|
He exits.
|
|
IMOGEN
There cannot be a pinch in death
More sharp than this is.
|
IMOGEN
Death could not hurt me more than this.
|
|
CYMBELINE
O disloyal thing
That shouldst repair my youth, thou heap’st
160
A year’s age on me.
|
CYMBELINE
You disloyal creature! You should make me feel younger, but instead you add to my age.
|
|
IMOGEN
I beseech you, sir,
Harm not yourself with your vexation.
I am senseless of your wrath. A touch more rare
Subdues all pangs, all fears.
|
IMOGEN
Please, sir, don’t let your anger consume you. I myself can’t feel it, as an even worse pain overpowers my hurts and fears.
|
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CYMBELINE
Past grace? Obedience?
|
CYMBELINE
So you are past showing me respect? Past showing obedience?
|
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IMOGEN
165
Past hope and in despair; that way past grace.
|
IMOGEN
I am past hope and in despair. That is how far past respect I am.
|
|
CYMBELINE
That mightst have had the sole son of my queen!
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CYMBELINE
You could have married my wife’s only son!
|
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IMOGEN
O, blessèd that I might not! I chose an eagle
And did avoid a puttock.
|
IMOGEN
I’m lucky I didn’t! I chose an eagle instead of a vulture.
|
|
CYMBELINE
Thou took’st a beggar, wouldst have made my throne
170
A seat for baseness.
|
CYMBELINE
You married a beggar. You wanted to make my throne a place of bad character.
|
|
IMOGEN
No, I rather added
A luster to it.
|
IMOGEN
No, I made it more glorious.
|
|
CYMBELINE
O thou vile one!
|
CYMBELINE
Oh you disgusting creature!
|
|
IMOGEN
Sir,
175
It is your fault that I have loved Posthumus.
You bred him as my playfellow, and he is
A man worth any woman, overbuys me
Almost the sum he pays.
|
IMOGEN
Sir, it is your fault I fell in love with Posthumus. You raised him as my friend, and he is a man who would deserve any woman. He is worth twice as much as I am.
|
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CYMBELINE
What, art thou mad?
|
CYMBELINE
Are you out of your mind?
|
|
IMOGEN
180
Almost, sir. Heaven restore me! Would I were
A neatherd’s daughter, and my Leonatus
Our neighbor shepherd’s son.
|
IMOGEN
Almost, sir. May the gods give me my sanity back! I wish I were a cattleman’s daughter, and that my Leonatus was a shepherd’s son who lived nearby.
|
|
She weeps.
|
She cries.
|
|
CYMBELINE
Thou foolish thing!
Enter QUEEN.
They were again together. You have done
185
Not after our command. Away with her
And pen her up.
|
CYMBELINE
You foolish creature!
The QUEEN enters.
I found them together again! You have not done what I said to do. Take her away and lock her up.
|
|
QUEEN
Beseech your patience.—Peace,
Dear lady daughter, peace.—Sweet sovereign,
Leave us to ourselves, and make yourself some
190
comfort
Out of your best advice.
|
QUEEN
Please forgive me.—Calm down, my daughter, calm down.—Oh my King, leave us alone and go calm yourself the best way you know how.
|
|
CYMBELINE
Nay, let her languish
A drop of blood a day, and being aged
Die of this folly.
|
CYMBELINE
No. I want her to suffer. I want her to shed a drop of blood every day until she dies of her foolishness.
|
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QUEEN
195
Fie, you must give way.
Enter PISANIO.
Here is your servant.—How now, sir? What news?
|
QUEEN
Oh, come now, you must not be so forceful.
PISANIO enters.
Here is your servant. —Good sir, what news do you have?
|
|
PISANIO
My lord your son drew on my master.
|
PISANIO
Your son drew his sword against my master, Posthumus.
|
|
QUEEN
Ha?
No harm, I trust, is done?
|
QUEEN
Oh no! I hope no harm was done.
|
|
PISANIO
200
There might have been,
But that my master rather played than fought
And had no help of anger. They were parted
By gentlemen at hand.
|
PISANIO
Someone could have been hurt, but my master kept his temper and didn’t fight back. Some men who were nearby separated them.
|
|
QUEEN
I am very glad on ’t.
|
QUEEN
I am very glad of that.
|
|
IMOGEN
205
Your son’s my father’s friend; he takes his part
To draw upon an exile. O, brave sir!
I would they were in Afric both together,
Myself by with a needle, that I might prick
The goer-back.—Why came you from your master?
|
IMOGEN
Your son is my father’s friend; he shows his loyalty by drawing his sword against an exiled man. How brave of him! I wish they were in some faraway place like Africa, and I with them carrying my own sword. I could stab whoever retreated from the fight.—Why did you leave your master?
|
|
PISANIO
210
On his command. He would not suffer me
To bring him to the haven, left these notes
Of what commands I should be subject to
When ’t pleased you to employ me.
|
PISANIO
He ordered me to. He would not let me accompany him to his place of exile. He left notes giving me my orders, offering me to your service.
|
|
QUEEN
(to IMOGEN)
This hath been
215
Your faithful servant. I dare lay mine honor
He will remain so.
|
QUEEN
(to IMOGEN)
He has been your faithful servant. On my honor, I believe he will remain so.
|
|
PISANIO
I humbly thank your Highness.
|
PISANIO
I humbly thank your highness.
|
|
QUEEN
(to IMOGEN)
Pray, walk awhile.
|
QUEEN
(to IMOGEN)
Walk with me a bit.
|
|
IMOGEN
(to PISANIO)
About some half hour hence,
220
Pray you, speak with me. You shall at least
Go see my lord aboard. For this time leave me.
|
IMOGEN
(to PISANIO)
In about a half hour, come speak with me. At least see that my lord is safely on his way. For the moment, leave me.
|
|
They exit.
|
They exit.
|
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