Pericles, Prince of Tyre: Act 2, Scene 1 Translation

Enter Pericles, wet.

PERICLES
Yet cease your ire, you angry stars of heaven!
Wind, rain, and thunder, remember earthly man
Is but a substance that must yield to you,
And I, as fits my nature, do obey you.
Alas, the seas hath cast me on the rocks, 5
Washed me from shore to shore, and left my breath
Nothing to think on but ensuing death.
Let it suffice the greatness of your powers
To have bereft a prince of all his fortunes;
And, having thrown him from your wat’ry grave, 10
Here to have death in peace is all he’ll crave.

Enter three Fishermen.

FIRST FISHERMAN What ho, Pilch!

SECOND FISHERMAN Ha, come and bring away the nets!

FIRST FISHERMAN What, Patchbreech, I say!

THIRD FISHERMAN What say you, master? 15

FIRST FISHERMAN Look how thou stirr’st now! Come
away, or I’ll fetch thee with a wanion.

THIRD FISHERMAN Faith, master, I am thinking of the
poor men that were cast away before us even now.

FIRST FISHERMAN Alas, poor souls, it grieved my heart 20
to hear what pitiful cries they made to us to help
them, when, welladay, we could scarce help
ourselves!

THIRD FISHERMAN Nay, master, said not I as much
when I saw the porpoise how he bounced and tumbled? 25
They say they’re half fish, half flesh. A plague
on them! They ne’er come but I look to be washed.
Master, I marvel how the fishes live in the sea.

FIRST FISHERMAN Why, as men do a-land: the great
ones eat up the little ones. I can compare our rich 30
misers to nothing so fitly as to a whale: he plays
and tumbles, driving the poor fry before him and
at last devours them all at a mouthful. Such
whales have I heard on a’ the land, who never leave
gaping till they swallowed the whole parish— 35
church, steeple, bells and all.

PERICLES, aside A pretty moral.

THIRD FISHERMAN But, master, if I had been the sexton,
I would have been that day in the belfry.

SECOND FISHERMAN Why, man? 40

THIRD FISHERMAN Because he should have swallowed
me too. And when I had been in his belly, I would
have kept such a jangling of the bells that he should
never have left till he cast bells, steeple, church, and
parish up again. But if the good King Simonides 45
were of my mind—

PERICLES, aside Simonides?

THIRD FISHERMAN We would purge the land of these
drones that rob the bee of her honey.

PERICLES, aside
How from the finny subject of the sea 50
These fishers tell the infirmities of men,
And from their wat’ry empire recollect
All that may men approve or men detect!—
Peace be at your labor, honest fishermen.

SECOND FISHERMAN Honest good fellow, what’s that? If 55
it be a day fits you, search out of the calendar, and
nobody look after it!

PERICLES
May see the sea hath cast upon your coast—

SECOND FISHERMAN What a drunken knave was the sea
to cast thee in our way! 60

PERICLES
A man whom both the waters and the wind
In that vast tennis court hath made the ball
For them to play upon entreats you pity him.
He asks of you that never used to beg.

FIRST FISHERMAN No, friend, cannot you beg? Here’s 65
them in our country of Greece gets more with begging
than we can do with working.

SECOND FISHERMAN, to Pericles Canst thou catch any
fishes, then?

PERICLES I never practiced it. 70

SECOND FISHERMAN Nay, then, thou wilt starve sure,
for here’s nothing to be got nowadays unless thou
canst fish for ’t.

PERICLES
What I have been I have forgot to know,
But what I am want teaches me to think on: 75
A man thronged up with cold. My veins are chill
And have no more of life than may suffice
To give my tongue that heat to ask your help—
Which, if you shall refuse, when I am dead,
For that I am a man, pray you see me buried. 80

FIRST FISHERMAN Die, quotha? Now gods forbid ’t, an I
have a gown. Here, come, put it on; keep thee
warm. Pericles puts on the garment. Now, afore
me, a handsome fellow! Come, thou shalt go home,
and we’ll have flesh for holidays, fish for fasting 85
days, and, moreo’er, puddings and flapjacks, and
thou shalt be welcome.

PERICLES I thank you, sir.

SECOND FISHERMAN Hark you, my friend. You said you
could not beg? 90

PERICLES I did but crave.

SECOND FISHERMAN But crave? Then I’ll turn craver
too, and so I shall ’scape whipping.

PERICLES Why, are your beggars whipped, then?

SECOND FISHERMAN O, not all, my friend, not all; for if 95
all your beggars were whipped, I would wish no
better office than to be beadle.—But, master, I’ll go
draw up the net. He exits with Third Fisherman.

PERICLES, aside
How well this honest mirth becomes their labor!

FIRST FISHERMAN Hark you, sir, do you know where 100
you are?

PERICLES Not well.

FIRST FISHERMAN Why, I’ll tell you. This is called Pentapolis,
and our king the good Simonides.

PERICLES “The good Simonides” do you call him? 105

FIRST FISHERMAN Ay, sir, and he deserves so to be called
for his peaceable reign and good government.

PERICLES He is a happy king, since he gains from his
subjects the name of “good” by his government.
How far is his court distant from this shore? 110

FIRST FISHERMAN Marry, sir, half a day’s journey. And
I’ll tell you, he hath a fair daughter, and tomorrow
is her birthday; and there are princes and knights
come from all parts of the world to joust and tourney
for her love. 115

PERICLES Were my fortunes equal to my desires, I
could wish to make one there.

FIRST FISHERMAN O, sir, things must be as they may;
and what a man cannot get he may lawfully deal
for his wife’s soul. 120

Enter the two other Fishermen, drawing up a net.

SECOND FISHERMAN Help, master, help! Here’s a fish
hangs in the net like a poor man’s right in the law:
’twill hardly come out. Ha! Bots on ’t, ’tis come at
last, and ’tis turned to a rusty armor.

PERICLES
An armor, friends? I pray you let me see it. 125
They pull out the armor.
Thanks, Fortune, yet, that after all thy crosses
Thou givest me somewhat to repair myself;
And though it was mine own, part of my heritage
Which my dead father did bequeath to me
With this strict charge even as he left his life, 130
“Keep it, my Pericles; it hath been a shield
’Twixt me and death,” and pointed to this brace,
“For that it saved me, keep it. In like necessity—
The which the gods protect thee from—may ’t
defend thee.” 135
It kept where I kept, I so dearly loved it,
Till the rough seas, that spares not any man,
Took it in rage, though calmed have given ’t again.
I thank thee for ’t; my shipwrack now’s no ill
Since I have here my father gave in his will. 140

FIRST FISHERMAN What mean you, sir?

PERICLES
To beg of you, kind friends, this coat of worth,
For it was sometime target to a king;
I know it by this mark. He loved me dearly,
And for his sake I wish the having of it, 145
And that you’d guide me to your sovereign’s court,
Where with it I may appear a gentleman.
And if that ever my low fortune’s better,
I’ll pay your bounties; till then, rest your debtor.

FIRST FISHERMAN Why, wilt thou tourney for the lady? 150

PERICLES
I’ll show the virtue I have borne in arms.

FIRST FISHERMAN Why, do ’ee take it, and the gods give
thee good on ’t.

SECOND FISHERMAN Ay, but hark you, my friend, ’twas
we that made up this garment through the rough 155
seams of the waters. There are certain condolements,
certain vails. I hope, sir, if you thrive, you’ll
remember from whence you had them.

PERICLES Believe ’t, I will. He puts on the armor.
By your furtherance I am clothed in steel, 160
And spite of all the rupture of the sea,
This jewel holds his biding on my arm.
Unto thy value I will mount myself
Upon a courser, whose delightful steps
Shall make the gazer joy to see him tread. 165
Only, my friend, I yet am unprovided
Of a pair of bases.

SECOND FISHERMAN We’ll sure provide. Thou shalt have
my best gown to make thee a pair; and I’ll bring
thee to the court myself. 170

PERICLES
Then honor be but a goal to my will;
This day I’ll rise or else add ill to ill.
They exit.