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Modern English
Pray thee, sweet Mistress Margaret, deserve well at my hands by helping me to the speech of Beatrice.
Please, sweet Mistress Margaret, do me a favor by helping me get a chance to speak with Beatrice.
Will you then write me a sonnet in praise of my beauty?
So, will you write me a poem praising my beauty?
In so high a style, Margaret, that no man living shall come over it; for, in most comely truth, thou deservest it.
In such a high style, Margaret, that no man alive will be able to match it; for, in all honesty, you deserve it.
To have no man come over me! why, shall I always keep below stairs?
No man will match me! So, should I stay downstairs forever?
Thy wit is as quick as the greyhound’s mouth; it catches.
Your wit is as quick as a greyhound’s mouth; it catches
And yours as blunt as the fencer’s foils, which hit, but hurt not.
And yours is as dull as a fencer’s sword, which hits, but doesn’t hurt.
A most manly wit, Margaret; it will not hurt a woman: and so, I pray thee, call Beatrice: I give thee the bucklers.
A very manly wit, Margaret; it won’t hurt a woman: so, please, call Beatrice: I give you the challenge.
Give us the swords; we have bucklers of our own.
Give us the swords; we have shields of our own.
If you use them, Margaret, you must put in the pikes with a vice; and they are dangerous weapons for maids.
If you use them, Margaret, you’ll need to tighten the points with a clamp; and they’re dangerous tools for women.
Well, I will call Beatrice to you, who I think hath legs.
Fine, I’ll call Beatrice to you, who I think has legs.
And therefore will come.
And so, she will come.
The god of love, That sits above, And knows me, and knows me, How pitiful I deserve,-- I mean in singing; but in loving, Leander the good swimmer, Troilus the first employer of panders, and a whole bookful of these quondam carpet-mangers, whose names yet run smoothly in the even road of a blank verse, why, they were never so truly turned over and over as my poor self in love. Marry, I cannot show it in rhyme; I have tried: I can find out no rhyme to ’lady’ but ’baby,’ an innocent rhyme; for ’scorn,’ ’horn,’ a hard rhyme; for, ’school,’ ’fool,’ a babbling rhyme; very ominous endings: no, I was not born under a rhyming planet, nor I cannot woo in festival terms.
The god of love, Who sits above, And knows me, and knows me, How poorly I deserve,-- I mean in singing; but in loving, Leander, the great swimmer, Troilus, the first to hire pimps, and a whole book of these former playboys, whose names still flow smoothly in the even rhythm of a blank verse, well, they were never turned over and over as much as I have been in love. But, I can’t show it in rhyme; I’ve tried: I can’t find a rhyme for ‘lady’ except ‘baby,’ a harmless rhyme; for ‘scorn,’ ‘horn,’ a tough rhyme; for ‘school,’ ‘fool,’ a silly rhyme; very unlucky endings: no, I was not born under a rhyming star, nor can I woo with formal words.
Sweet Beatrice, wouldst thou come when I called thee?
Sweet Beatrice, would you come when I called you?
Yea, signior, and depart when you bid me.
Yes, sir, and leave when you ask me.
O, stay but till then!
Oh, just wait until then!
’Then’ is spoken; fare you well now: and yet, ere I go, let me go with that I came; which is, with knowing what hath passed between you and Claudio.
"Then" has been said; goodbye now: and before I leave, let me leave with what I came for; which is, to know what has happened between you and Claudio.
Only foul words; and thereupon I will kiss thee.
Only bad words; and because of that, I’ll kiss you.
Foul words is but foul wind, and foul wind is but foul breath, and foul breath is noisome; therefore I will depart unkissed.
Bad words are just bad air, and bad air is just bad breath, and bad breath is unpleasant; so I will leave without a kiss.
Thou hast frighted the word out of his right sense, so forcible is thy wit. But I must tell thee plainly, Claudio undergoes my challenge; and either I must shortly hear from him, or I will subscribe him a coward. And, I pray thee now, tell me for which of my bad parts didst thou first fall in love with me?
You’ve twisted the meaning of the words, so strong is your wit. But I must tell you plainly, Claudio has accepted my challenge; and either I will hear from him soon, or I will call him a coward. Now, tell me honestly, which of my bad qualities made you first fall in love with me?
For them all together; which maintained so politic a state of evil that they will not admit any good part to intermingle with them. But for which of my good parts did you first suffer love for me?
All of them together; they created such a clever state of evil that no good quality could mix with them. But which of my good qualities made you first fall in love with me?
Suffer love! a good epithet! I do suffer love indeed, for I love thee against my will.
Suffer love! A good word! I do suffer love indeed, because I love you against my will.
In spite of your heart, I think; alas, poor heart! If you spite it for my sake, I will spite it for yours; for I will never love that which my friend hates.
In spite of your heart, I think; poor heart! If you hurt it for my sake, I’ll hurt it for yours; because I will never love what my friend hates.
Thou and I are too wise to woo peaceably.
You and I are too smart to fall in love quietly.
It appears not in this confession: there’s not one wise man among twenty that will praise himself.
That doesn’t show in this confession: there’s not one wise man out of twenty who will praise himself.
An old, an old instance, Beatrice, that lived in the lime of good neighbours. If a man do not erect in this age his own tomb ere he dies, he shall live no longer in monument than the bell rings and the widow weeps.
An old example, Beatrice, from the time of good neighbors. If a man doesn’t build his own tomb before he dies, his memory will last only as long as the bell rings and the widow cries.
And how long is that, think you?
And how long is that, do you think?
Question: why, an hour in clamour and a quarter in rheum: therefore is it most expedient for the wise, if Don Worm, his conscience, find no impediment to the contrary, to be the trumpet of his own virtues, as I am to myself. So much for praising myself, who, I myself will bear witness, is praiseworthy: and now tell me, how doth your cousin?
Good question: why, an hour of noise and a quarter of tears: that’s why it’s most important for the wise, if his conscience finds no reason to stop him, to announce his own virtues, just like I do for myself. So much for praising myself, who, I must admit, is worthy of praise. And now tell me, how is your cousin?
Very ill.
Very sick.
And how do you?
And how about you?
Very ill too.
Very sick as well.
Serve God, love me and mend. There will I leave you too, for here comes one in haste.
Serve God, love me and improve yourself. I’ll leave you here, because someone is coming quickly.
Madam, you must come to your uncle. Yonder’s old coil at home: it is proved my Lady Hero hath been falsely accused, the prince and Claudio mightily abused; and Don John is the author of all, who is fed and gone. Will you come presently?
Madam, you need to go to your uncle. There’s trouble at home: it’s been proven that Lady Hero was wrongly accused, the prince and Claudio were terribly deceived; and Don John is the one behind it all, he’s been fed and is gone. Will you come right away?
Will you go hear this news, signior?
Will you go hear this news, sir?
I will live in thy heart, die in thy lap, and be buried in thy eyes; and moreover I will go with thee to thy uncle’s.
I will live in your heart, die in your lap, and be buried in your eyes; and besides, I will go with you to your uncle’s.