King Lear: A Verse Translation
ISBN: 0-9752743-2-5
ISBN-13: 978-0-9752743-2-3
192 pages
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King Lear Translation Excerpt
This excerpt from Act Four, where Edgar—disguised as Poor Tom— discovers his father is now blind, shows how carefully the ENJOY SHAKESPEARE translations recreate all of Shakespeare's effects. In most of this scene, Shakespeare used blank verse (unrhymed iambic pentameter) with one stretch of prose.
Notice how this translation preserves the iambic pentameter rhythm across shared lines(highlighted for illustration purposes in this excerpt only, not in the published version). The prose lines are also highlighted.
Scene One. The Heath
[Enter Edgar]
EDGAR (masquerading as Poor Tom)
Better like this, to know that one’s despised,
Than still despised and flattered. For the worst,
The lowest thing, the most cast down by fortune,
Is always hopeful, never fearing loss.
The change we most lament is from the best;
The worst returns to laughter. Welcome, then,
You insubstantial air that I embrace!
This wretch to whom your winds have blown their worst
Owes nothing to your blasts.
[Enter Gloucester, led by an OLD MAN]
–But who is this?
My father, bloody-eyed?—World, world, O world!
If strange reversals didn’t make us hate you,
Life would not yield to death.
OLD MAN (tenant to Gloucester)
O my good lord,
I’ve been your tenant, and your father’s tenant,
For eighty years.
GLOUCESTER
Away, you get away. Good friend, be gone.
Your kindness can do me no good at all
But might harm you.
OLD MAN
You cannot see the path.
GLOUCESTER
I have no path, and therefore need no eyes.
I stumbled when I saw. It’s seen so often,
Wealth makes us careless and our deprivations
Turn out to be our assets. O dear Edgar,
The fuel that fed your hoodwinked father’s wrath!
Were I to live to see you with my touch,
I’d say that I had eyes again!
OLD MAN
[sees Edgar] Who’s there?
EDGAR.
[Aside] O gods! How could I say “I’m at my worst?”
When now I’m worse than ever.
OLD MAN
It’s poor mad Tom.
EDGAR
[Aside] I may be worse off yet. It’s not the worst
As long as we can say “This is the worst.”
OLD MAN
Friend, where’re you going?
GLOUCESTER
Is it a beggar-man?
OLD MAN
Madman and beggar too.
GLOUCESTER
He has some reasoning, or he could not beg.
In last night’s storm I saw a man like this
Which made me think a man’s a worm. My son
Then came into my mind, and yet my mind
Was scarcely friends with him. I’ve heard more since.
As flies to thoughtless boys are we to gods—
They kill us just for sport.
EDGAR
[Aside] How could this be?—
Bad line of work to play the fool to sorrow
With everyone then angry. [to Gloucester] Bless you, master!
GLOUCESTER
Is that the naked fellow?
OLD MAN
Yes, my lord.
GLOUCESTER
I ask you then to leave us. For my sake
Catch up to us a mile or two ahead,
Toward Dover. Do it out of ancient love,
And bring some clothing for this naked soul,
Whom I’ll entreat to lead me.
OLD MAN
But, sir, he’s mad.
GLOUCESTER
Our time is plagued when madmen lead the blind.
Do what I ask, or rather what you wish.
Above all, please be gone.
OLD MAN
I’ll bring the best apparel that I have,
Whatever might befall me.
[Exit]
GLOUCESTER
Naked fellow—
EDGAR
Poor Tom’s a-cold. [Aside] This act is wearing thin.
GLOUCESTER
Come here, my fellow.
EDGAR
[Aside] And yet I must.—[to Gloucester] Bless your sweet eyes, they bleed.
GLOUCESTER
You know the way to Dover?
EDGAR
Each fence and gate on horse trail or footpath. Poor Tom’s been scared out of his blessed wits. The gods protect you, good man’s son, from the foul fiend! Five fiends have been inside poor Tom at once: the lord of lust, Obidicut; Hobbididence, prince of muteness; Mahu, stealing; Modo, murder; Flibbertigibbet, smirking and grimacing—who’ve since left to possess chambermaids and ladies-in-waiting. So, may the gods protect you, master!
GLOUCESTER
Here, take this [hands him his coin purse], you whom every plague of
heaven
Has humbled with each blow. What makes me wretched
Will make you happier. Heavens, do this always!
Let the extravagant and lust-fed man,
Who makes your law serve him, but will not see
Because he does not feel, feel your power quickly!
Then distribution will undo excess,
And all will have enough. Do you know Dover?
EDGAR
Yes, master.
GLOUCESTER
There is a cliff, whose high and arching head
Looks grimly down upon the deep below.
Just bring me to the very brim of it,
And I’ll repair the misery you now bear
With something precious with me. In that place
I will not need a guide.
EDGAR
Give me your arm.
Poor Tom will guide you.
[Exit]
© 2004 by Kent Richmond
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