Original
Modern English
Cousins, I hope the days are near at hand That chambers will be safe.
Cousins, I hope the time is coming soon When the houses will be safe again.
We doubt it nothing.
We have no doubt about it.
What wood is this before us?
What is this wood in front of us?
The wood of Birnam.
It’s Birnam Wood.
Let every soldier hew him down a bough And bear’t before him: thereby shall we shadow The numbers of our host and make discovery Err in report of us.
Let every soldier cut down a branch And carry it in front of him: this way we’ll hide The true number of our army and confuse The enemy’s reports about us.
It shall be done.
It will be done.
We learn no other but the confident tyrant Keeps still in Dunsinane, and will endure Our setting down before ’t.
We’ve heard nothing new except that the confident tyrant Still holds Dunsinane, and plans to face Our army there.
’Tis his main hope: For where there is advantage to be given, Both more and less have given him the revolt, And none serve with him but constrained things Whose hearts are absent too.
That’s his main hope: Because where there’s an opportunity to fight, Both the big and small armies have turned against him, And no one fights for him but people who are forced And whose hearts are not really in it.
Let our just censures Attend the true event, and put we on Industrious soldiership.
Let our rightful judgments Wait for the true outcome, and let’s get down to Hard-working soldiership.
The time approaches That will with due decision make us know What we shall say we have and what we owe. Thoughts speculative their unsure hopes relate, But certain issue strokes must arbitrate: Towards which advance the war.
The time is coming That will make it clear what we’ve gained and what we owe. Speculative thoughts and uncertain hopes are unreliable, But the final outcome will decide everything: Let the war move forward.