As You Like It: Act 4, Scene 2 Translation

A side-by-side translation of Act 4, Scene 2 of As You Like It from the original Shakespeare into modern English.

Original Text	Translated Text
Source: Folger Shakespeare Library
Enter Jaques and Lords, like foresters. JAQUES Which is he that killed the deer? FIRST LORD Sir, it was I. JAQUES, to the other Lords Let’s present him to the Duke like a Roman conqueror. And it would do well to set the deer’s horns upon his head for a branch of 5 victory.—Have you no song, forester, for this purpose? SECOND LORD Yes, sir. JAQUES Sing it. ’Tis no matter how it be in tune, so it make noise enough. 10 Music. Song. SECOND LORD sings "What shall he have that killed the deer? His leather skin and horns to wear. Then sing him home. "(The rest shall bear this burden:) "Take thou no scorn to wear the horn. It was a crest ere thou wast born. 15 Thy father’s father wore it, And thy father bore it. The horn, the horn, the lusty horn Is not a thing to laugh to scorn." They exit.	Jaques and the lords are back at the forest and, because all the talking in the play needs to be broken up by something, there's a musical interlude. Jaques suggests that the guy who killed the deer during the recent hunt should put the deer antlers on his head and be presented to the Duke. (Yep, that's another "cuckold" reference. Check out "Symbolism" if you want to know more.) The guys sing a song that starts off being about deer-hunting but ends up being about how all men are cheated on by their wives.

Original Text

Translated Text

Enter Jaques and Lords, like foresters.

JAQUES Which is he that killed the deer?

FIRST LORD Sir, it was I.

JAQUES, to the other Lords Let’s present him to the
Duke like a Roman conqueror. And it would do well
to set the deer’s horns upon his head for a branch of 5
victory.—Have you no song, forester, for this
purpose?

SECOND LORD Yes, sir.

JAQUES Sing it. ’Tis no matter how it be in tune, so it
make noise enough. 10

Music. Song.

SECOND LORD sings
"What shall he have that killed the deer?
His leather skin and horns to wear.
Then sing him home.

"(The rest shall bear this burden:)

"Take thou no scorn to wear the horn.
It was a crest ere thou wast born. 15
Thy father’s father wore it,
And thy father bore it.
The horn, the horn, the lusty horn
Is not a thing to laugh to scorn."

They exit.

Jaques and the lords are back at the forest and, because all the talking in the play needs to be broken up by something, there's a musical interlude.

Jaques suggests that the guy who killed the deer during the recent hunt should put the deer antlers on his head and be presented to the Duke. (Yep, that's another "cuckold" reference. Check out "Symbolism" if you want to know more.)

The guys sing a song that starts off being about deer-hunting but ends up being about how all men are cheated on by their wives.

As You Like It: Act 4, Scene 2 Translation

A side-by-side translation of Act 4, Scene 2 of As You Like It from the original Shakespeare into modern English.

Original Text

Translated Text

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