Original
Modern English
Gallop apace, you fiery-footed steeds, Towards Phoebus’lodging.
Ride quickly, you fiery-footed horse, towards sun’s nighttime - resting place.
Such a waggoner As Phaeton would whip you to the west And bring in cloudy night immediately.
Such a waggoner as Phaeton would whip you to the west and bring in cloudy night immediately.
Spread thy close curtain, love-performing night, That runaway’s eyes may wink, and Romeo Leap to these arms, untalk’d of and unseen.
Spread your close curtain, love-performing night, so that everyone goes to, and Romeo leap into my arms, without anyone seeing.
Lovers can see to do their amorous rites By their own beauties:
Lovers can see enough to do their sexual rites, by their own beauties.
or, if love be blind, It best agrees with night.
Or, if love is blind, then it best suited to the night.
Come, civil night, Thou sober-suited matron, all in black, And learn me how to lose a winning match, Play’d for a pair of stainless maidenhoods.
Come, civil night, you sober-suited widow, all in black, and learn me how to lose a winning match, played for a pair of stainless virginity.
Hood my unmann’d blood, bating in my cheeks, With thy black mantle, till strange love, grow bold, Think true love acted simple modesty.
Hide my unmanned blood rushing in my cheeks, with your darkness, until my strange love grows bold enough to think of true love making as simple and delicate.
Come, night, come Romeo;
Come, night, come Romeo;
come, thou day in night; For thou wilt lie upon the wings of night Whiter than new snow upon a raven’s back.
Come, you are like a day during the night, lying upon the wings of night, whiter than new snow upon a raven’s back.
Come gentle night, come loving black-brow’d night, Give me my Romeo,
Come gentle night, come loving black-browed night, give me my Romeo.
and when I shall die, Take him and cut him out in little stars, And he will make the face of heaven so fine That all the world will be in love with night, And pay no worship to the garish sun.
And when I die, take him and cut him out in little stars that will make the face of heaven so fine that all the world will be in love with night, and pay no worship to the bright sun.
O, I have bought the mansion of a love, But not possess’d it;
O, I have bought the mansion of a love, but not possessed it.
and though I am sold, Not yet enjoy’d.
And though I am sold to Romeo, I am not yet enjoyed by him.
So tedious is this day As is the night before some festival To an impatient child that hath new robes And may not wear them.
So tedious is this day as is the night before some festival to an impatient child that has new clothes and did not wear them yet.
O, here comes my Nurse, And she brings news, and every tongue that speaks But Romeo’s name speaks heavenly eloquence.
O, here comes my Nurse, and she brings news, and every tongue that speaks of Romeo’s name speaks of heavenly significance.
Now, Nurse, what news?
Now, Nurse, what is the news?
What hast thou there?
What is that you have there?
The cords that Romeo bid thee fetch?
The rope ladder that Romeo told you to get?
Ay, ay, the cords.
Yes, yes, the rope ladder.
Ay me, what news? Why dost thou wring thy hands?
Yes me, what is your news? Why are you twisting and squeezing your hands?
Ah, well-a-day, he’s dead, he’s dead, he’s dead!
Ah, well-a-day, he’s dead, he’s dead, he’s dead!
We are undone, lady, we are undone.
We are done, lady, we are done.
Alack the day, he’s gone, he’s kill’d, he’s dead.
Curse the day, he’s gone, he’s kill’d, he’s dead.
Can heaven be so envious?
Can heaven be so envious?
Romeo can, Though heaven cannot.
Romeo can be, even though heaven cannot.
O Romeo, Romeo. Who ever would have thought it? Romeo!
O Romeo, Romeo. Who would have ever thought about it? Romeo!
What devil art thou, that dost torment me thus?
What devil are you that torments me like this?
This torture should be roar’d in dismal hell.
This torture should be roared in mournful hell.
Hath Romeo slain himself?
Has Romeo killed himself?
Say thou but Ay, And that bare vowel I shall poison more Than the death-darting eye of cockatrice.
Say yes, and that single word will poison me more than the deadly gaze of cockatrice.
I am not I if there be such an I; Or those eyes shut that make thee answer Ay.
I am not I if there be such an I or those eyes shut that make your answer ’yes’.
If he be slain, say Ay; or if not, No.
If he is dead, say ’yes’, or if not, say ’No’.
Brief sounds determine of my weal or woe.
These little words determine of my wound or sorrow.
I saw the wound, I saw it with mine eyes,
I saw the wound, I saw it with my own eyes.
God save the mark!—here on his manly breast. A piteous corse, a bloody piteous corse;
God bless the mark! — here on his manly breast, a pitiful corpse, a bloody pitiful corpse.
Pale, pale as ashes, all bedaub’d in blood, All in gore-blood. I swounded at the sight.
Pale, pale as ashes, all covered in blood, all in gore-blood. I fainted at the sight of it.
O, break, my heart. Poor bankrout, break at once.
O,you break my poor bankrupt heart at once.
To prison, eyes; ne’er look on liberty.
Go to the prison, eyes; never have the liberty to look at the world.
Vile earth to earth resign; end motion here, And thou and Romeo press one heavy bier.
I resign my body to wicked earth and lie motionless there and me and Romeo can share one heavy coffin.
O Tybalt, Tybalt, the best friend I had.
Oh Tybalt, Tybalt, the best friend I had.
O courteous Tybalt, honest gentleman!
O courteous Tybalt, honest gentleman!
That ever I should live to see thee dead.
If only had I not live to see him dead.
What storm is this that blows so contrary?
What storm is this that blows so contrary?
Is Romeo slaughter’d and is Tybalt dead?
Is Romeo killed and is Tybalt dead too ?
My dearest cousin, and my dearer lord?
My dearest cousin, and my dearer lord?
Then dreadful trumpet sound the general doom, For who is living, if those two are gone?
Then the dreadful trumpet may signal the doomsday, for who is living, if those two are gone?
Tybalt is gone, and Romeo banished,
Tybalt is dead and Romeo has been banished.
Romeo that kill’d him, he is banished.
Romeo who killed Tybalt, he is banished.
O God! Did Romeo’s hand shed Tybalt’s blood?
O God! Did Romeo’s hand shed Tybalt’s blood?
It did, it did; alas the day, it did.
It did, it did; Unfortunate day, it did.
O serpent heart, hid with a flowering face!
God! serpent heart, hidden with a flowering face!
Did ever dragon keep so fair a cave?
Did any dragon ever keep so fair a cave?
Beautiful tyrant, fiend angelical, Dove-feather’d raven, wolvish-ravening lamb!
A beautiful tyrant, a fiendish angel, a dove-feathered raven, a wolvish-ravening lamb!
Despised substance of divinest show!
Despised reality of divinest show!
Just opposite to what thou justly seem’st,
Just opposite to what he justly seemed to be.
A damned saint, an honourable villain!
A damned saint, an honourable villain!
O nature, what hadst thou to do in hell When thou didst bower the spirit of a fiend In mortal paradise of such sweet flesh?
Oh nature, what were you doing in hell when you placed the spirit of a demon in mortal paradise of such sweet flesh?
Was ever book containing such vile matter So fairly bound?
Was ever book containing such awful matter so fairly bound?
O, that deceit should dwell In such a gorgeous palace.
Oh, how could that betrayal hide in such a gorgeous palace.
There’s no trust, No faith, no honesty in men.
There’s no trust, no faith, no honesty in men.
All perjur’d, All forsworn, all naught, all dissemblers.
All untruthful, all commit crime, all wreck, all liars!
Ah, where’s my man? Give me some aqua vitae.
Ah, where’s my man? Give me some alcohol-
These griefs, these woes, these sorrows make me old.
These griefs, these woes, these sorrows make me old.
Shame come to Romeo.
Shame come to Romeo!
Blister’d be thy tongue For such a wish!
May blisters be on your tongue for such a wish!
He was not born to shame.
Romeo was not born to do something so shameful.
Upon his brow shame is asham’d to sit; For’tis a throne where honour may be crown’d
Upon his brow shame will be ashamed to sit, for he belongs to the throne where honour may be crowned.
Sole monarch of the universal earth.
Sole monarch of the universal earth.
O, what a beast was I to chide at him!
Oh, what a beast was I to condemn him!
Will you speak well of him that kill’d your cousin?
Will you speak well of him who killed your cousin?
Shall I speak ill of him that is my husband?
Should I speak ill of my own husband?
Ah, poor my lord, what tongue shall smooth thy name, When I thy three-hours’wife have mangled it?
Ah, my poor lord, what tongue will speak well of your name, when I, your three-hours’ wife have damaged it?
But wherefore, villain, didst thou kill my cousin?
But why, villain, did you kill my cousin?
That villain cousin would have kill’d my husband.
Maybe that villain cousin would have killed my husband.
Back, foolish tears, back to your native spring, Your tributary drops belong to woe, Which you mistaking offer up to joy.
Go back, foolish tears, go back to your native spring, your tributary drops belong to despair, Which you should instead offer up to joy.
My husband lives, that Tybalt would have slain, And Tybalt’s dead, that would have slain my husband.
My husband lives, that Tybalt would have killed otherwise, and Tybalt is dead, that would have killed my husband.
All this is comfort; wherefore weep I then?
All this is good news; So why should I weep then?
Some word there was, worser than Tybalt’s death, That murder’d me.
Some word there was, worse than Tybalt’s death, that kills me inside.
I would forget it fain, But O, it presses to my memory Like damned guilty deeds to sinners’minds.
I would forget it but I am compelled to press it to my memory like damned guilty deeds obliges sinners’ minds.
Tybalt is dead, and Romeo banished.
Tybalt is dead, and Romeo has been banished.
That‘banished,’that one word‘banished,’ Hath slain ten thousand Tybalts.
That word ‘banished’, that one word ‘banished’ is worse than killing ten thousand Tybalts.
Tybalt’s death Was woe enough, if it had ended there.
Tybalt’s death would have been a misery enough, if it had ended there.
Or if sour woe delights in fellowship, And needly will be rank’d with other griefs, Why follow’d not, when she said Tybalt’s dead, Thy father or thy mother, nay or both, Which modern lamentation might have mov’d?
Or if misery loves company, and one grief will be followed with other griefs, why Nurse did not follow him when she said ’Tybalt is dead, or that my father or my mother, or both were gone, which would have pushed me out of my grief.
But with a rear-ward following Tybalt’s death, ‘Romeo is banished’
But with the words following Tybalt’s death, ‘Romeo is banished’
—to speak that word Is father, mother, Tybalt, Romeo, Juliet, All slain, all dead.
To speak that word is same as saying that my father, mother, Tybalt, Romeo, Juliet, all are killed, all dead.
Romeo is banished, There is no end, no limit, measure, bound, In that word’s death,
’Romeo is banished’ - there is no end, no limit, measure, bound, in that word’s death.
no words can that woe sound.
No words can express that misery.
Where is my father and my mother, Nurse?
Where are my father and my mother, Nurse?
Weeping and wailing over Tybalt’s corse.
Weeping and wailing over Tybalt’s corpse.
Will you go to them? I will bring you thither.
Will you go to them? I will bring you there.
Wash they his wounds with tears.
Do they wash his wounds with their tears?
Mine shall be spent, When theirs are dry, for Romeo’s banishment.
My tears will be spent for Romeo’s banishment When their tears for Tybalt are over.
Take up those cords. Poor ropes, you are beguil’d, Both you and I; for Romeo is exil’d.
Take this rope ladder. Poor ropes, you are useless, both you and I; for Romeo is banished.
He made you for a highway to my bed, But I, a maid, die maiden-widowed.
He made you for a passage to my bedroom, but I, a virgin, will die as a virgin and a widow.
Come cords, come Nurse, I’ll to my wedding bed,
Come with me, rope ladder. Come with me, Nurse. I will go to me wedding bed.
And death, not Romeo, take my maidenhead.
And death, not Romeo, will take my virginity.
Hie to your chamber.
Go to your chamber.
I’ll find Romeo To comfort you. I wot well where he is.
I will find Romeo to comfort you. I know where he is.
Hark ye, your Romeo will be here at night.
Pay attention, your Romeo will be here tonight.
I’ll to him, he is hid at Lawrence’cell.
I will bring him, he is hiding at Lawrence’ cell.
O find him, give this ring to my true knight,
[Giving the nurse a ring] Oh, find him, give this ring to my true knight.
And bid him come to take his last farewell.
And tell him to come to me say a last farewell.