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Let me look back upon thee. O thou wall, That girdlest in those wolves, dive in the earth, And fence not Athens! Matrons, turn incontinent! Obedience fail in children! slaves and fools, Pluck the grave wrinkled senate from the bench, And minister in their steads! to general filths Convert o’ the instant, green virginity, Do ’t in your parents’ eyes! bankrupts, hold fast; Rather than render back, out with your knives, And cut your trusters’ throats! bound servants, steal! Large-handed robbers your grave masters are, And pill by law. Maid, to thy master’s bed; Thy mistress is o’ the brothel! Son of sixteen, pluck the lined crutch from thy old limping sire, With it beat out his brains! Piety, and fear, Religion to the gods, peace, justice, truth, Domestic awe, night-rest, and neighbourhood, Instruction, manners, mysteries, and trades, Degrees, observances, customs, and laws, Decline to your confounding contraries, And let confusion live! Plagues, incident to men, Your potent and infectious fevers heap On Athens, ripe for stroke! Thou cold sciatica, Cripple our senators, that their limbs may halt As lamely as their manners. Lust and liberty Creep in the minds and marrows of our youth, That ’gainst the stream of virtue they may strive, And drown themselves in riot! Itches, blains, Sow all the Athenian bosoms; and their crop Be general leprosy! Breath infect breath, at their society, as their friendship, may merely poison! Nothing I’ll bear from thee, But nakedness, thou detestable town! Take thou that too, with multiplying bans! Timon will to the woods; where he shall find The unkindest beast more kinder than mankind. The gods confound--hear me, you good gods all-- The Athenians both within and out that wall! And grant, as Timon grows, his hate may grow To the whole race of mankind, high and low! Amen.
Let me look at you again. Oh, you wall, That surrounds these wolves, sink into the ground, And stop protecting Athens! Wives, lose all self-control! Let children stop obeying! Slaves and fools, Pull the old, wrinkled senators off their seats, And take their place! Turn everything to filth Immediately, turn your pure innocence to corruption, Do it in front of your parents! Bankrupts, hold tight; Instead of paying back, pull out your knives, And slit your creditors’ throats! Bound servants, steal! Robbers with big hands are your true masters, And they steal with the law on their side. Maid, go to your master’s bed; Your mistress is nothing but a prostitute! Son of sixteen, Take the walking stick from your old, crippled father, And beat him to death with it! Let piety, fear, Religion, peace, justice, truth, Respect for family, rest at night, and community, Education, manners, secrets, and skills, Titles, customs, traditions, and laws, All turn into their opposites, And let chaos take over! Plagues that affect humans, Bring your powerful, contagious fevers Down on Athens, ready to be destroyed! You cold sciatica, Disable our senators, so their limbs stop working As badly as their behavior. Lust and freedom Creep into the minds and bones of our youth, So they can fight against virtue, And drown themselves in excess! Itches, boils, Spread all over the Athenian people; and their result Be a general leprosy! Breath infects breath, And their friendships are like poison! I won’t take anything from you, Except for your nakedness, you disgusting city! Take that too, with endless curses! Timon will go to the woods, where he will find That the most vicious animal is kinder than humans. The gods punish—listen to me, all you good gods— The Athenians inside and outside that wall! And let it be that as Timon grows, his hatred grows For all of mankind, both the rich and the poor! Amen.