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Act 2, Scene 1
Richard II Translation Act 2, Scene 2
Enter QUEEN, BUSHY, and BAGOT
BUSHY
Madam, your majesty is too much sad: You promised, when you parted with the king, To lay aside life-harming heaviness And entertain a cheerful disposition.
BUSHY
Madam, your majesty is sad too often: you promised, when you parted with the king, to lay aside depression and be cheerful.
QUEEN
To please the king I did; to please myself I cannot do it; yet I know no cause Why I should welcome such a guest as grief, Save bidding farewell to so sweet a guest As my sweet Richard : yet again, methinks, Some unborn sorrow, ripe in fortune's womb, Is coming towards me, and my inward soul With nothing trembles : at some thing it grieves, More than with parting from my lord the king.
QUEEN
To please the king I did, but to please myself I cannot do it. Yet I don't know why I welcome such a guest as grief, except because I had to say goodbye to so sweet a guest as my sweet Richard. And yet again, I feel as if some unborn sorrow, ready to be birthed by fortune, is coming towards me, and my soul is afraid of something; it grieves at something more than just my parting from the king.
BUSHY
Each substance of a grief hath twenty shadows, Which shows like grief itself, but is not so; For sorrow's eye, glazed with blinding tears, Divides one thing entire to many objects; Like perspectives, which rightly gazed upon Show nothing but confusion, eyed awry Distinguish form: so your sweet majesty, Looking awry upon your lord's departure, Find shapes of grief, more than himself, to wail; Which, look'd on as it is, is nought but shadows Of what it is not. Then, thrice-gracious queen, More than your lord's departure weep not: more's not seen; Or if it be, 'tis with false sorrow's eye, Which for things true weeps things imaginary.
BUSHY
For each real grief there are twenty imaginary shadows, which look like grief but are not so: for sorrow's eye, blurred with blinding tears, divides one thing into many objects. Like a perspective painting (which looked at directly is a mass of confusing shapes, but looked at from an angle shows a clear form), you, looking from an angle at your lord's departure, find more shapes of grief to distress you. But, looked at it is, it's nothing but unreal shadows. Then, most gracious queen, don't cry at anything more than your lord's departure: there isn't anything else, or if there is, you're seeing it with the eye of sorrow, whose tears create imaginary images.
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QUEEN
It may be so; but yet my inward soul Persuades me it is otherwise: howe'er it be, I cannot but be sad; so heavy sad As, though on thinking on no thought I think, Makes me with heavy nothing faint and shrink.
QUEEN
It may be so; and yet my inward soul tells me it's not. For whatever reason, I can't help but be sad: so extremely sad that, even if I'm not thinking of anything in particular, I feel exhausted and frightened by this heavy nothing weighing on me.
BUSHY
'Tis nothing but conceit, my gracious lady.
BUSHY
It's nothing but your imagination, my gracious lady.
QUEEN
'Tis nothing less: conceit is still derived From some forefather grief; mine is not so, For nothing had begot my something grief; Or something hath the nothing that I grieve: 'Tis in reversion that I do possess; But what it is, that is not yet known; what I cannot name; 'tis nameless woe, I wot.
QUEEN
It's less than even that: at least imagination has some grief at the root of it, whereas mine has no clear cause. Nothing has caused me grief about something, or something has caused me to grieve about nothing. Something is coming towards me, something that isn't yet known; what it is I cannot name; it's a nameless sadness, I know.
Enter GREEN
GREEN
God save your majesty! and well met, gentlemen:I hope the king is not yet shipp'd for Ireland.
GREEN
God save your majesty! and greetings, gentlemen: I hope the king has not left for Ireland yet.
QUEEN
Why hopest thou so? 'tis better hope he is; For his designs crave haste, his haste good hope: Then wherefore dost thou hope he is not shipp'd?
QUEEN
Why do you hope so? One had better hope he is, for he's in a hurry, and his success against the rebels requires speed—so why do you hope he isn't gone yet?
GREEN
That he, our hope, might have retired his power, And driven into despair an enemy's hope, Who strongly hath set footing in this land: The banish'd Bolingbroke repeals himself, And with uplifted arms is safe arrived At Ravenspurgh.
GREEN
Because then he, our hope, might have brought his army here and defeated our enemy's hopes—for banished Bolingbroke is back in England, and is safely arrived at Ravenspurgh with an army at his back.
QUEEN
Now God in heaven forbid!
QUEEN
Now God in heaven forbid!
GREEN
Ah, madam, 'tis too true: and that is worse, The Lord Northumberland, his son young Henry Percy, The Lords of Ross, Beaumond, and Willoughby, With all their powerful friends, are fled to him.
GREEN
Ah, madam, it's too true. And what's worse, the Lord Northumberland, his son young Henry Percy, and the Lords of Ross, Beaumond, and Willoughby, with all their powerful friends, have gone to fight with them.
BUSHY
Why have you not proclaim'd NorthumberlandAnd all the rest revolted faction traitors?
BUSHY
Why have you not proclaimed Northumberland and all the rest of the rebels as traitors?
GREEN
We have: whereupon the Earl of Worcester Hath broke his staff, resign'd his stewardship, And all the household servants fled with him To Bolingbroke.
GREEN
We have: and when we did so, the Earl of Worcester broke his staff and resigned his stewardship, and all the household servants went with him to Bolingbroke.
QUEEN
So, Green, thou art the midwife to my woe, And Bolingbroke my sorrow's dismal heir: Now hath my soul brought forth her prodigy, And I, a gasping new-deliver'd mother, Have woe to woe, sorrow to sorrow join'd.
QUEEN
So, Green, you are the midwife to my sadness, and Bolingbroke is the child of my sorrow: now my soul has brought forth her offspring, and I, a gasping new mother, have joined my unborn sorrow with a real one.
BUSHY
Despair not, madam.
BUSHY
Don't despair, madam.
QUEEN
Who shall hinder me? I will despair, and be at enmity With cozening hope: he is a flatterer, A parasite, a keeper back of death, Who gently would dissolve the bands of life, Which false hope lingers in extremity.
QUEEN
Who shall stop me? I will despair, and be an enemy to false hope: he is a flatterer, a parasite, and a keeper back of death—death, which would let us end our lives gently, when hope makes up live on and suffer.
Enter DUKE OF YORK
GREEN
Here comes the Duke of York.
GREEN
Here comes the Duke of York.
QUEEN
With signs of war about his aged neck: O, full of careful business are his looks! Uncle, for God's sake, speak comfortable words.
QUEEN
He's wearing armor; oh, and he looks worried! Uncle, for God's sake, speak comforting words.
DUKE OF YORK
Should I do so, I should belie my thoughts: Comfort's in heaven; and we are on the earth, Where nothing lives but crosses, cares and grief. Your husband, he is gone to save far off, Whilst others come to make him lose at home: Here am I left to underprop his land, Who, weak with age, cannot support myself: Now comes the sick hour that his surfeit made; Now shall he try his friends that flatter'd him.
DUKE OF YORK
If I did so, I would be lying: comfort's in heaven; and we are on the earth, where nothing lives but problems, cares and grief. Your husband went to save a far-away place, while others make him lose at home: I'm here to prop him up, but weak with age, I can't even support myself. Now comes the sickness after his over-indulgence; now he shall test the loyalty of the friends that flattered him.
Enter a Servant
SERVANT
My lord, your son was gone before I came.
SERVANT
My lord, your son was gone before I came.
DUKE OF YORK
He was? Why, so! go all which way it will! The nobles they are fled, the commons they are cold, And will, I fear, revolt on Hereford's side. Sirrah, get thee to Plashy, to my sister Gloucester; Bid her send me presently a thousand pound: Hold, take my ring.
DUKE OF YORK
He was? Why, then! What will be will be! The nobles are fled; the common people are cold and will, I fear, join Hereford's side.
[To servant] Go to Plashy, to my sister Gloucester; tell her to send me a thousand pounds as soon as she can; wait, take my ring.
SERVANT
My lord, I had forgot to tell your lordship,To-day, as I came by, I called there;But I shall grieve you to report the rest.
SERVANT
My lord, I had forgot to tell your lordship. Today, on way here, I stopped there—but I will grieve you to report the rest.
DUKE OF YORK
What is't, knave?
DUKE OF YORK
What is it, scoundrel?
SERVANT
An hour before I came, the duchess died.
SERVANT
An hour before I came, the duchess died.
DUKE OF YORK
God for his mercy! what a tide of woes Comes rushing on this woeful land at once! I know not what to do: I would to God, So my untruth had not provoked him to it, The king had cut off my head with my brother's. What, are there no posts dispatch'd for Ireland? How shall we do for money for these wars? Come, sister,—cousin, I would say—pray, pardon me.Go, fellow, get thee home, provide some cartsAnd bring away the armour that is there.
DUKE OF YORK
God for his mercy! What a tide of woes comes rushing on this sad land at once! I don't know what to do: I wish to God, provided I hadn't done anything disloyal, the king had cut off my head with my brother's. What, are there no messages sent to Ireland? How will we have money for these wars?
[To Queen] Come, sister—cousin, I would say—pray, pardon me. Go, man, go home, find some carts and bring us the armor that is there.
Exit Servant
DUKE OF YORK
Gentlemen, will you go muster men? If I know how or which way to order these affairs Thus thrust disorderly into my hands, Never believe me. Both are my kinsmen: The one is my sovereign, whom both my oath And duty bids defend; the other again Is my kinsman, whom the king hath wrong'd, Whom conscience and my kindred bids to right. Well, somewhat we must do. Come, cousin, I'll Dispose of you. Gentlemen, go, muster up your men, And meet me presently at Berkeley. I should to Plashy too; But time will not permit: all is uneven, And every thing is left at six and seven.
DUKE OF YORK
Gentlemen, will you go raise men for battle? I don't know how or which way to order the disorderly affairs that have been thrust into my hands, believe me. Both are of my family: the one is my sovereign, whom both my oath and duty bids me to defend; the other is also my kinsman, who the king has wronged, and conscience and my family bids me to fight for his rights. Well, we have to do something.
[To Queen] Come, cousin, I'll take you somewhere safe.
[To others] Gentlemen, go, raise your men, and meet me at Berkeley as soon as you can. I should go to Plashy too, but there's no time; everything is a mess.
Exeunt DUKE OF YORK and QUEEN
BUSHY
The wind sits fair for news to go to Ireland, But none returns . For us to levy power Proportionable to the enemy Is all unpossible.
BUSHY
The wind is good to send messages to Ireland, but we've heard nothing back. We can't raise an army the size of Bolingbroke's.
GREEN
Besides, our nearness to the king in loveIs near the hate of those love not the king.
GREEN
Besides, the king's enemies hate us because he loves us.
BAGOT
And that's the wavering commons: for their love Lies in their purses, and whoso empties them By so much fills their hearts with deadly hate.
BAGOT
And the wavering common people are his enemies too: they love their wallets, and whoever takes money from them fills their hearts with deadly hate.
BUSHY
Wherein the king stands generally condemn'd.
BUSHY
In that the king is condemned by everyone.
BAGOT
If judgement lie in them, then so do we,Because we ever have been near the king.
BAGOT
If they have power over us, we'll be condemned too, because we've been always near the king.
GREEN
Well, I will for refuge straight to Bristol castle:The Earl of Wiltshire is already there.
GREEN
Well, I'll go to Bristol castle now for safety; the Earl of Wiltshire is already there.
BUSHY
Thither will I with you; for little office The hateful commons will perform for us, Except like curs to tear us all to pieces. Will you go along with us?
BUSHY
I'll go there for you; for the common people won't do anything for us, except to tear us to pieces like dogs. Will you go along with us?
BAGOT
No; I will to Ireland to his majesty. Farewell: if heart's presages be not vain, We three here art that ne'er shall meet again.
BAGOT
No; I'll go to Ireland to his majesty. Goodbye: if the heart can predict the future, the three of us will never meet again.
BUSHY
That's as York thrives to beat back Bolingbroke.
BUSHY
Unless York succeeds in beating back Bolingbroke.
GREEN
Alas, poor duke! the task he undertakes Is numbering sands and drinking oceans dry: Where one on his side fights, thousands will fly. Farewell at once, for once, for all, and ever.
GREEN
Oh, poor duke! His task is like counting the sands or drinking an ocean dry; where one fights for him, thousands will fly to the other side. Goodbye at once, for once, forever.
BUSHY
Well, we may meet again.
BUSHY
Well, we may meet again.
BAGOT
I fear me, never.
BAGOT
I fear never.
Exeunt
