As You Like It: Act 2, Scene 5 Translation

A side-by-side translation of Act 2, Scene 5 of As You Like It from the original Shakespeare into modern English.

Original Text	Translated Text
Source: Folger Shakespeare Library
Enter Amiens, Jaques, and others. Song. AMIENS sings "Under the greenwood tree Who loves to lie with me And turn his merry note Unto the sweet bird’s throat, Come hither, come hither, come hither. 5 Here shall he see No enemy But winter and rough weather." JAQUES More, more, I prithee, more. AMIENS It will make you melancholy, Monsieur 10 Jaques. JAQUES I thank it. More, I prithee, more. I can suck melancholy out of a song as a weasel sucks eggs. More, I prithee, more. AMIENS My voice is ragged. I know I cannot please you. 15 JAQUES I do not desire you to please me. I do desire you to sing. Come, more, another stanzo. Call you ’em “stanzos”? AMIENS What you will, Monsieur Jaques. JAQUES Nay, I care not for their names. They owe me 20 nothing. Will you sing? AMIENS More at your request than to please myself. JAQUES Well then, if ever I thank any man, I’ll thank you. But that they call “compliment” is like th’ encounter of two dog-apes. And when a man thanks 25 me heartily, methinks I have given him a penny and he renders me the beggarly thanks. Come, sing. And you that will not, hold your tongues. AMIENS Well, I’ll end the song.—Sirs, cover the while; the Duke will drink under this tree.—He hath been 30 all this day to look you.	Amiens (another lord attending Duke Senior) enters singing a song about how much fun it is to run around the countryside singing. Jaques begs him to keep singing, but Amiens counters it will only make Jaques more melancholy. Jaques doesn't mind. He kind of loves to be unhappy. Instead of singing, Amiens points out that Duke Senior has been looking for Jaques all day.
JAQUES And I have been all this day to avoid him. He is too disputable for my company. I think of as many matters as he, but I give heaven thanks and make no boast of them. Come, warble, come. 35 Song. ALL together here. "Who doth ambition shun And loves to live i’ th’ sun, Seeking the food he eats And pleased with what he gets, Come hither, come hither, come hither. 40 Here shall he see No enemy But winter and rough weather." JAQUES I’ll give you a verse to this note that I made yesterday in despite of my invention. 45 AMIENS And I’ll sing it. JAQUES Thus it goes: "If it do come to pass That any man turn ass, Leaving his wealth and ease 50 A stubborn will to please, Ducdame, ducdame, ducdame. Here shall he see Gross fools as he, An if he will come to me." 55 AMIENS What’s that “ducdame”? JAQUES ’Tis a Greek invocation to call fools into a circle. I’ll go sleep if I can. If I cannot, I’ll rail against all the first-born of Egypt. AMIENS And I’ll go seek the Duke. His banquet is 60 prepared. They exit.	Yeah, yeah. Jaques knows the Duke's been looking for him. He's been avoiding the Duke all day. Jaques sings a mean little verse he's made up about men's foolishness for leaving the court, and announces he'll sleep while Amiens finds the Duke to come to the evening's banquet.

Original Text

Translated Text

Enter Amiens, Jaques, and others.

Song.

AMIENS sings
"Under the greenwood tree
Who loves to lie with me
And turn his merry note
Unto the sweet bird’s throat,
Come hither, come hither, come hither. 5
Here shall he see
No enemy
But winter and rough weather."

JAQUES More, more, I prithee, more.

AMIENS It will make you melancholy, Monsieur 10
Jaques.

JAQUES I thank it. More, I prithee, more. I can suck
melancholy out of a song as a weasel sucks eggs.
More, I prithee, more.

AMIENS My voice is ragged. I know I cannot please you. 15

JAQUES I do not desire you to please me. I do desire
you to sing. Come, more, another stanzo. Call you
’em “stanzos”?

AMIENS What you will, Monsieur Jaques.

JAQUES Nay, I care not for their names. They owe me 20
nothing. Will you sing?

AMIENS More at your request than to please myself.

JAQUES Well then, if ever I thank any man, I’ll thank
you. But that they call “compliment” is like th’
encounter of two dog-apes. And when a man thanks 25
me heartily, methinks I have given him a penny and
he renders me the beggarly thanks. Come, sing. And
you that will not, hold your tongues.

AMIENS Well, I’ll end the song.—Sirs, cover the while;
the Duke will drink under this tree.—He hath been 30
all this day to look you.

Amiens (another lord attending Duke Senior) enters singing a song about how much fun it is to run around the countryside singing.

Jaques begs him to keep singing, but Amiens counters it will only make Jaques more melancholy.

Jaques doesn't mind. He kind of loves to be unhappy.

Instead of singing, Amiens points out that Duke Senior has been looking for Jaques all day.

JAQUES And I have been all this day to avoid him. He is
too disputable for my company. I think of as many
matters as he, but I give heaven thanks and make no
boast of them. Come, warble, come. 35

Song.

ALL together here.
"Who doth ambition shun
And loves to live i’ th’ sun,
Seeking the food he eats
And pleased with what he gets,
Come hither, come hither, come hither. 40
Here shall he see
No enemy
But winter and rough weather."

JAQUES I’ll give you a verse to this note that I made
yesterday in despite of my invention. 45

AMIENS And I’ll sing it.

JAQUES Thus it goes:
"If it do come to pass
That any man turn ass,
Leaving his wealth and ease 50
A stubborn will to please,
Ducdame, ducdame, ducdame.
Here shall he see
Gross fools as he,
An if he will come to me." 55

AMIENS What’s that “ducdame”?

JAQUES ’Tis a Greek invocation to call fools into a
circle. I’ll go sleep if I can. If I cannot, I’ll rail
against all the first-born of Egypt.

AMIENS And I’ll go seek the Duke. His banquet is 60
prepared.

They exit.

Yeah, yeah. Jaques knows the Duke's been looking for him. He's been avoiding the Duke all day.

Jaques sings a mean little verse he's made up about men's foolishness for leaving the court, and announces he'll sleep while Amiens finds the Duke to come to the evening's banquet.

As You Like It: Act 2, Scene 5 Translation

A side-by-side translation of Act 2, Scene 5 of As You Like It from the original Shakespeare into modern English.

Original Text

Translated Text

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