All's Well That Ends Well: Act 4, Scene 1 Translation

A side-by-side translation of Act 4, Scene 1 of All's Well That Ends Well from the original Shakespeare into modern English.

Original Text	Translated Text
Source: Folger Shakespeare Library
Enter one of the French Lords, with five or six other Soldiers in ambush. LORD He can come no other way but by this hedge corner. When you sally upon him, speak what terrible language you will. Though you understand it not yourselves, no matter. For we must not seem to understand him, unless some one among us whom 5 we must produce for an interpreter. FIRST SOLDIER Good captain, let me be th’ interpreter. LORD Art not acquainted with him? Knows he not thy voice? FIRST SOLDIER No, sir, I warrant you. 10 LORD But what linsey-woolsey hast thou to speak to us again? FIRST SOLDIER E’en such as you speak to me. LORD He must think us some band of strangers i’ th’ adversary’s entertainment. Now, he hath a smack 15 of all neighboring languages. Therefore we must every one be a man of his own fancy, not to know what we speak one to another. So we seem to know is to know straight our purpose: choughs’ language, gabble enough and good enough. As for 20 you, interpreter, you must seem very politic. But couch, ho! Here he comes to beguile two hours in a sleep and then to return and swear the lies he forges. They move aside. Enter Parolles. PAROLLES Ten o’clock. Within these three hours ’twill 25 be time enough to go home. What shall I say I have done? It must be a very plausive invention that carries it. They begin to smoke me, and disgraces have of late knocked too often at my door. I find my tongue is too foolhardy, but my heart hath the 30 fear of Mars before it, and of his creatures, not daring the reports of my tongue.	Outside the soldiers’ camp in Florence, the First Lord and several soldiers hide in the bushes. They're waiting to ambush Parolles, who is supposed to be trying to retrieve the drum he lost on the battlefield. Parolles shows up and starts talking to himself. He admits that he has no intention of trying to get his drum back. That would be way too dangerous. Instead, he's just going to hang out here for three hours until it's time to go back to the camp.
LORD, aside This is the first truth that e’er thine own tongue was guilty of. PAROLLES What the devil should move me to undertake 35 the recovery of this drum, being not ignorant of the impossibility and knowing I had no such purpose? I must give myself some hurts and say I got them in exploit. Yet slight ones will not carry it. They will say “Came you off with so little?” And 40 great ones I dare not give. Wherefore? What’s the instance? Tongue, I must put you into a butter-woman’s mouth and buy myself another of Bajazeth’s mule if you prattle me into these perils. LORD, aside Is it possible he should know what he is, 45 and be that he is? PAROLLES I would the cutting of my garments would serve the turn, or the breaking of my Spanish sword. LORD, aside We cannot afford you so. 50 PAROLLES Or the baring of my beard, and to say it was in stratagem. LORD, aside ’Twould not do. PAROLLES Or to drown my clothes and say I was stripped. 55 LORD, aside Hardly serve. PAROLLES Though I swore I leapt from the window of the citadel— LORD, aside How deep? PAROLLES Thirty fathom. 60 LORD, aside Three great oaths would scarce make that be believed. PAROLLES I would I had any drum of the enemy’s. I would swear I recovered it. LORD, aside You shall hear one anon. 65 PAROLLES A drum, now, of the enemy’s— Alarum within. LORD, advancing Throca movousus, cargo, cargo, cargo. ALL Cargo, cargo, cargo, villianda par corbo, cargo. They seize him. PAROLLES O ransom, ransom! Do not hide mine eyes. 70 They blindfold him. FIRST SOLDIER Boskos thromuldo boskos. PAROLLES I know you are the Muskos’ regiment, And I shall lose my life for want of language. If there be here German or Dane, Low Dutch, Italian, or French, let him speak to me. 75 I’ll discover that which shall undo the Florentine. FIRST SOLDIER Boskos vauvado, I understand thee and can speak thy tongue. Kerelybonto, sir, betake thee to thy faith, for seventeen poniards are at thy bosom. 80 PAROLLES O! FIRST SOLDIER O, pray, pray, pray! Manka reuania dulche. LORD Oscorbidulchos voliuorco. FIRST SOLDIER The General is content to spare thee yet 85 And, hoodwinked as thou art, will lead thee on To gather from thee. Haply thou mayst inform Something to save thy life. PAROLLES O, let me live, And all the secrets of our camp I’ll show, 90 Their force, their purposes. Nay, I’ll speak that Which you will wonder at. FIRST SOLDIER But wilt thou faithfully? PAROLLES If I do not, damn me. FIRST SOLDIER Acordo linta. Come on, thou art 95 granted space. He exits with Parolles under guard. A short alarum within. LORD Go tell the Count Rossillion and my brother We have caught the woodcock and will keep him muffled Till we do hear from them. 100 SECOND SOLDIER Captain, I will. LORD He will betray us all unto ourselves. Inform on that. SECOND SOLDIER So I will, sir. LORD Till then I’ll keep him dark and safely locked. 105 They exit.	Parolles tries to come up with a story to convince his pals that he got hurt trying to recover the drum. Maybe he should give himself a black eye and a fat lip? Or maybe he should tear his clothes to shreds and break his sword to make it look like he got into a fight with some enemy soldiers? Will his friends even believe his story? The Lords and soldiers leap out of the bushes with their swords. Ah ha! They start speaking in gibberish so Parolles will think they're Russian soldiers. Parolles begs for his life and offers to give them a bunch of information about his unit if they'll spare his life. They blindfold Parolles and a soldier runs off to get Bertram so he can see what his buddy is made of.

Original Text

Translated Text

Enter one of the French Lords, with five or six other
Soldiers in ambush.

LORD He can come no other way but by this hedge
corner. When you sally upon him, speak what terrible
language you will. Though you understand it
not yourselves, no matter. For we must not seem to
understand him, unless some one among us whom 5
we must produce for an interpreter.

FIRST SOLDIER Good captain, let me be th’ interpreter.

LORD Art not acquainted with him? Knows he not thy
voice?

FIRST SOLDIER No, sir, I warrant you. 10

LORD But what linsey-woolsey hast thou to speak to
us again?

FIRST SOLDIER E’en such as you speak to me.

LORD He must think us some band of strangers i’ th’
adversary’s entertainment. Now, he hath a smack 15
of all neighboring languages. Therefore we must
every one be a man of his own fancy, not to know
what we speak one to another. So we seem to know
is to know straight our purpose: choughs’ language,
gabble enough and good enough. As for 20
you, interpreter, you must seem very politic. But
couch, ho! Here he comes to beguile two hours in
a sleep and then to return and swear the lies he
forges.

They move aside.

Enter Parolles.

PAROLLES Ten o’clock. Within these three hours ’twill 25
be time enough to go home. What shall I say I have
done? It must be a very plausive invention that
carries it. They begin to smoke me, and disgraces
have of late knocked too often at my door. I find
my tongue is too foolhardy, but my heart hath the 30
fear of Mars before it, and of his creatures, not
daring the reports of my tongue.

Outside the soldiers’ camp in Florence, the First Lord and several soldiers hide in the bushes.

They're waiting to ambush Parolles, who is supposed to be trying to retrieve the drum he lost on the battlefield.

Parolles shows up and starts talking to himself. He admits that he has no intention of trying to get his drum back. That would be way too dangerous.

Instead, he's just going to hang out here for three hours until it's time to go back to the camp.

LORD, aside This is the first truth that e’er thine own
tongue was guilty of.

PAROLLES What the devil should move me to undertake 35
the recovery of this drum, being not ignorant
of the impossibility and knowing I had no such
purpose? I must give myself some hurts and say I
got them in exploit. Yet slight ones will not carry it.
They will say “Came you off with so little?” And 40
great ones I dare not give. Wherefore? What’s the
instance? Tongue, I must put you into a butter-woman’s
mouth and buy myself another of
Bajazeth’s mule if you prattle me into these perils.

LORD, aside Is it possible he should know what he is, 45
and be that he is?

PAROLLES I would the cutting of my garments would
serve the turn, or the breaking of my Spanish
sword.

LORD, aside We cannot afford you so. 50

PAROLLES Or the baring of my beard, and to say it was
in stratagem.

LORD, aside ’Twould not do.

PAROLLES Or to drown my clothes and say I was
stripped. 55

LORD, aside Hardly serve.

PAROLLES Though I swore I leapt from the window of
the citadel—

LORD, aside How deep?

PAROLLES Thirty fathom. 60

LORD, aside Three great oaths would scarce make
that be believed.

PAROLLES I would I had any drum of the enemy’s. I
would swear I recovered it.

LORD, aside You shall hear one anon. 65

PAROLLES A drum, now, of the enemy’s—

Alarum within.

LORD, advancing Throca movousus, cargo, cargo,
cargo.

ALL Cargo, cargo, cargo, villianda par corbo, cargo.

They seize him.

PAROLLES O ransom, ransom! Do not hide mine eyes. 70

They blindfold him.

FIRST SOLDIER Boskos thromuldo boskos.

PAROLLES
I know you are the Muskos’ regiment,
And I shall lose my life for want of language.
If there be here German or Dane, Low Dutch,
Italian, or French, let him speak to me. 75
I’ll discover that which shall undo the Florentine.

FIRST SOLDIER Boskos vauvado, I understand thee and
can speak thy tongue. Kerelybonto, sir, betake thee
to thy faith, for seventeen poniards are at thy
bosom. 80

PAROLLES O!

FIRST SOLDIER O, pray, pray, pray! Manka reuania
dulche.

LORD Oscorbidulchos voliuorco.

FIRST SOLDIER
The General is content to spare thee yet 85
And, hoodwinked as thou art, will lead thee on
To gather from thee. Haply thou mayst inform
Something to save thy life.

PAROLLES O, let me live,
And all the secrets of our camp I’ll show, 90
Their force, their purposes. Nay, I’ll speak that
Which you will wonder at.

FIRST SOLDIER But wilt thou faithfully?

PAROLLES If I do not, damn me.

FIRST SOLDIER Acordo linta. Come on, thou art 95
granted space.

He exits with Parolles under guard.
A short alarum within.

LORD
Go tell the Count Rossillion and my brother
We have caught the woodcock and will keep him
muffled
Till we do hear from them. 100

SECOND SOLDIER Captain, I will.

LORD
He will betray us all unto ourselves.
Inform on that.

SECOND SOLDIER So I will, sir.

LORD
Till then I’ll keep him dark and safely locked. 105

They exit.

Parolles tries to come up with a story to convince his pals that he got hurt trying to recover the drum. Maybe he should give himself a black eye and a fat lip? Or maybe he should tear his clothes to shreds and break his sword to make it look like he got into a fight with some enemy soldiers? Will his friends even believe his story?

The Lords and soldiers leap out of the bushes with their swords. Ah ha!

They start speaking in gibberish so Parolles will think they're Russian soldiers.

Parolles begs for his life and offers to give them a bunch of information about his unit if they'll spare his life.

They blindfold Parolles and a soldier runs off to get Bertram so he can see what his buddy is made of.

All's Well That Ends Well: Act 4, Scene 1 Translation

A side-by-side translation of Act 4, Scene 1 of All's Well That Ends Well from the original Shakespeare into modern English.

Original Text

Translated Text

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