Pericles, Prince of Tyre: Act 3, Scene 2 Translation

Enter Lord Cerimon with two Suppliants.

CERIMON Philemon, ho!

Enter Philemon.

PHILEMON Doth my lord call?

CERIMON Get fire and meat for these poor men.
’T has been a turbulent and stormy night.

Philemon exits.

FIRST SUPPLIANT
I have been in many; but such a night as this, 5
Till now, I ne’er endured.

CERIMON
Your master will be dead ere you return.
There’s nothing can be ministered to nature
That can recover him. To Second Suppliant. Give
this to the ’pothecary, 10
And tell me how it works. Suppliants exit.

Enter two Gentlemen.

FIRST GENTLEMAN Good morrow.

SECOND GENTLEMAN Good morrow to your Lordship.

CERIMON
Gentlemen, why do you stir so early?

FIRST GENTLEMAN Sir, 15
Our lodgings, standing bleak upon the sea,
Shook as the earth did quake.
The very principals did seem to rend
And all to topple. Pure surprise and fear
Made me to quit the house. 20

SECOND GENTLEMAN
That is the cause we trouble you so early.
’Tis not our husbandry.

CERIMON O, you say well.

FIRST GENTLEMAN
But I much marvel that your Lordship, having
Rich tire about you, should at these early hours 25
Shake off the golden slumber of repose.
’Tis most strange
Nature should be so conversant with pain,
Being thereto not compelled.

CERIMON I hold it ever 30
Virtue and cunning were endowments greater
Than nobleness and riches. Careless heirs
May the two latter darken and expend,
But immortality attends the former,
Making a man a god. ’Tis known I ever 35
Have studied physic, through which secret art,
By turning o’er authorities, I have,
Together with my practice, made familiar
To me and to my aid the blessed infusions
That dwells in vegetives, in metals, stones; 40
And can speak of the disturbances
That Nature works, and of her cures; which doth
give me
A more content in course of true delight
Than to be thirsty after tottering honor, 45
Or tie my pleasure up in silken bags
To please the fool and death.

SECOND GENTLEMAN
Your Honor has through Ephesus poured forth
Your charity, and hundreds call themselves
Your creatures, who by you have been restored; 50
And not your knowledge, your personal pain, but even
Your purse, still open, hath built Lord Cerimon
Such strong renown, as time shall never—

Enter two or three Servants with a chest.

SERVANT
So, lift there.

CERIMON What’s that? 55

SERVANT Sir, even now
Did the sea toss up upon our shore this chest.
’Tis of some wrack.

CERIMON Set ’t down. Let’s look upon ’t.

SECOND GENTLEMAN
’Tis like a coffin, sir. 60

CERIMON What e’er it be,
’Tis wondrous heavy. Wrench it open straight.
If the sea’s stomach be o’ercharged with gold,
’Tis a good constraint of Fortune it belches upon us.

SECOND GENTLEMAN
’Tis so, my lord. 65

CERIMON How close ’tis caulked and bitumed!
Did the sea cast it up?

SERVANT
I never saw so huge a billow, sir,
As tossed it upon shore.

CERIMON Wrench it open. 70
Soft! It smells most sweetly in my sense.

SECOND GENTLEMAN A delicate odor.

CERIMON
As ever hit my nostril. So, up with it.

They open the chest.

O, you most potent gods! What’s here? A corse?

SECOND GENTLEMAN Most strange! 75

CERIMON
Shrouded in cloth of state, balmed and entreasured
With full bags of spices. A passport too!
Apollo, perfect me in the characters.
He reads.
Here I give to understand,
If e’er this coffin drives aland, 80
I, King Pericles, have lost
This queen, worth all our mundane cost.
Who finds her, give her burying.
She was the daughter of a king.
Besides this treasure for a fee, 85
The gods requite his charity.
If thou livest, Pericles, thou hast a heart
That ever cracks for woe. This chanced tonight.

SECOND GENTLEMAN
Most likely, sir.

CERIMON Nay, certainly tonight, 90
For look how fresh she looks. They were too rough
That threw her in the sea.—Make a fire within;
Fetch hither all my boxes in my closet.
A servant exits.
Death may usurp on nature many hours,
And yet the fire of life kindle again 95
The o’erpressed spirits. I heard of an Egyptian
That had nine hours lain dead,
Who was by good appliance recoverèd.

Enter one with boxes, napkins, and fire.

Well said, well said! The fire and cloths.
The rough and woeful music that we have, 100
Cause it to sound, beseech you. Music sounds. The
viol once more!
How thou stirr’st, thou block! The music there.
Music sounds.
I pray you, give her air. Gentlemen,
This queen will live. Nature awakes a warm breath 105
Out of her. She hath not been entranced
Above five hours. See how she gins to blow
Into life’s flower again.

FIRST GENTLEMAN The heavens, through you,
Increase our wonder, and sets up your fame 110
Forever.

CERIMON She is alive. Behold her eyelids—
Cases to those heavenly jewels which Pericles hath
lost—
Begin to part their fringes of bright gold. 115
The diamonds of a most praised water doth
Appear to make the world twice rich.—Live,
And make us weep to hear your fate, fair creature,
Rare as you seem to be.

She moves.

THAISA O dear Diana, 120
Where am I? Where’s my lord? What world is this?

SECOND GENTLEMAN Is not this strange?

FIRST GENTLEMAN Most rare!

CERIMON Hush, my gentle neighbors!
Lend me your hands. To the next chamber bear her. 125
Get linen. Now this matter must be looked to,
For her relapse is mortal. Come, come;
And Aesculapius guide us.

They carry her away as they all exit.