Pericles, Prince of Tyre: Act 4, Scene 1 Translation

A side-by-side translation of Act 4, Scene 1 of Pericles, Prince of Tyre from the original Shakespeare into modern English.

  Original Text

 Translated Text

  Source: Folger Shakespeare Library

Enter Dionyza with Leonine.

DIONYZA
Thy oath remember. Thou hast sworn to do ’t.
’Tis but a blow which never shall be known.
Thou canst not do a thing in the world so soon
To yield thee so much profit. Let not conscience,
Which is but cold in flaming, thy bosom inflame 5
Too nicely. Nor let pity, which even women
Have cast off, melt thee; but be a soldier
To thy purpose.

LEONINE I will do ’t; but yet
She is a goodly creature. 10

DIONYZA The fitter, then,
The gods should have her. Here she comes weeping
For her only mistress’ death. Thou art resolved?

LEONINE I am resolved.

Wicked Dionyza meets up with her hitman, Leonine.

Dionyza warns Leonine not to wimp out when he goes to snuff out little Marina, even if the kid starts crying and begging and stuff.

Enter Marina with a basket of flowers.

MARINA
No, I will rob Tellus of her weed 15
To strew thy green with flowers. The yellows, blues,
The purple violets and marigolds
Shall as a carpet hang upon thy grave
While summer days doth last. Ay me, poor maid,
Born in a tempest when my mother died, 20
This world to me is as a lasting storm,
Whirring me from my friends.

Marina comes walking along with a basket of flowers. She's crying for her dead nurse, Lychorida.

DIONYZA
How now, Marina? Why do you keep alone?
How chance my daughter is not with you?
Do not consume your blood with sorrowing. 25
Have you a nurse of me! Lord, how your favor ’s
Changed with this unprofitable woe.
Come, give me your flowers. O’er the sea marge
Walk with Leonine. The air is quick there,
And it pierces and sharpens the stomach.—Come, 30
Leonine,
Take her by the arm. Walk with her.

MARINA No,
I pray you, I’ll not bereave you of your servant.

DIONYZA Come, come. 35
I love the king your father and yourself
With more than foreign heart. We every day
Expect him here. When he shall come and find
Our paragon to all reports thus blasted,
He will repent the breadth of his great voyage, 40
Blame both my lord and me that we have taken
No care to your best courses. Go, I pray you,
Walk, and be cheerful once again. Reserve
That excellent complexion, which did steal
The eyes of young and old. Care not for me. 45
I can go home alone.

MARINA Well, I will go,
But yet I have no desire to it.

DIONYZA Come, come,
I know ’tis good for you.—Walk half an hour, 50
Leonine, at the least. Remember
What I have said.

LEONINE I warrant you, madam.

DIONYZA
I’ll leave you, my sweet lady, for a while.
Pray walk softly; do not heat your blood. 55
What, I must have care of you.

MARINA My thanks, sweet madam. Dionyza exits.
Is this wind westerly that blows?

Dionyza tells Marina to stop blubbering and take a nice, long walk along the seashore with Uncle Leonine—it will totally make her feel better to get some fresh air.

LEONINE Southwest.

MARINA
When I was born, the wind was north. 60

LEONINE Was ’t so?

MARINA
My father, as nurse says, did never fear,
But cried “Good seamen!” to the sailors,
Galling his kingly hands haling ropes,
And, clasping to the mast, endured a sea 65
That almost burst the deck.

LEONINE When was this?

MARINA When I was born.
Never was waves nor wind more violent,
And from the ladder-tackle washes off 70
A canvas-climber. “Ha!” says one, “Wolt out?”
And with a dropping industry they skip
From stern to stern. The Boatswain whistles, and
The Master calls and trebles their confusion.

Marina agrees and starts getting chatty—she talks about her birth at sea and shares the stories she's heard about her parents.

LEONINE Come, say your prayers. 75

He draws his sword.

MARINA What mean you?

LEONINE
If you require a little space for prayer,
I grant it. Pray, but be not tedious, for
The gods are quick of ear, and I am sworn
To do my work with haste. 80

MARINA Why will you kill me?

LEONINE To satisfy my lady.

MARINA Why would she have me killed?
Now, as I can remember, by my troth,
I never did her hurt in all my life. 85
I never spake bad word, nor did ill turn
To any living creature. Believe me, la,
I never killed a mouse, nor hurt a fly.
I trod upon a worm against my will,
But I wept for ’t. How have I offended 90
Wherein my death might yield her any profit
Or my life imply her any danger?

LEONINE My commission
Is not to reason of the deed, but do ’t.

MARINA
You will not do ’t for all the world, I hope. 95
You are well-favored, and your looks foreshow
You have a gentle heart. I saw you lately
When you caught hurt in parting two that fought.
Good sooth, it showed well in you. Do so now.
Your lady seeks my life. Come you between, 100
And save poor me, the weaker.

LEONINE I am sworn
And will dispatch. He seizes her.

Leonine tells her she better say her prayers because he's a busy guy, and he has to hurry up and kill her.

Shocked, Marina tries to talk Leonine out of it. She points out that she's a really good person and has never hurt anyone in her entire life.

Enter Pirates.

FIRST PIRATE Hold, villain!

Leonine runs offstage.

SECOND PIRATE A prize, a prize! He seizes Marina. 105

THIRD PIRATE Half-part, mates, half-part. Come, let’s
have her aboard suddenly.

They exit, carrying Marina.

Enter Leonine.

LEONINE
These roguing thieves serve the great pirate Valdes,
And they have seized Marina. Let her go.
There’s no hope she will return. I’ll swear she’s dead, 110
And thrown into the sea. But I’ll see further.
Perhaps they will but please themselves upon her,
Not carry her aboard. If she remain,
Whom they have ravished must by me be slain.

He exits.

Then, out of nowhere, a bunch of pirates jump out and kidnap Marina. Seriously. We couldn't even begin to make that up, folks.

Leonine runs away like a scaredy-cat and says he'll tell Dionyza he killed Marina and threw her in the ocean.

Leonine figures the pirates will probably rape Marina on their ship before they toss her overboard.