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QUOTES FROM THE BARD

You have been a boggler ever

PLAY: Antony and Cleopatra
ACT/SCENE: 3.13
SPEAKER: Antony
CONTEXT:
ANTONY
You have been a boggler ever.
But when we in our viciousness grow hard—
Oh, misery on ’t!— the wise gods seel our eyes,
In our own filth drop our clear judgments, make us
Adore our errors, laugh at ’s while we strut
To our confusion.
CLEOPATRA
Oh, is ’t come to this?
ANTONY
I found you as a morsel cold upon
Dead Caesar’s trencher. Nay, you were a fragment
Of Gneius Pompey’s, besides what hotter hours,
Unregistered in vulgar fame, you have
Luxuriously picked out. For I am sure,
Though you can guess what temperance should be,
You know not what it is.

DUTCH:
Steeds waart ge een weerhaan; —
Maar, ach! verstokken wij ons in de boosheid,
Dan blinden ons de wijze goden de oogen,
Zij domp’len ‘t klaar verstand in onze onreinheid,
En lachen, als wij, onzen waan aanbiddend,
Trotsch in ‘t verderf ons storten.

MORE:
Proverb: When God will punish he will first take away the understanding

Boggler=Equivocator, swerver, waverer
Seel=Close, blind
Trencher=Wooden plate
Fragment=Remnant, scrap
Vulgar fame=Common gossip
Luxuriously=Lustfully
Temperance=Modesty, chastity
Compleat:
To boggle=Haperen, stameren
He did not boggle at all at it=Hij stond ‘er niet verzet voor
To seel a hawk=Eenen valk een kap voor de oogen doen
Trencher=Tafelbord, houten tafelbord
Fragment=Een brok, stuk, afbreeksel
Vulgar=(common) Gemeen
Luxuriously=Weeldriglyk; overdaadiglyk
Temperance=Maatigheyd

Topics: proverbs and idioms, excess, reputation, judgment, ruin

Categories: Antony and Cleopatra, judgment, proverbs and idioms, reputation, ruin|

Harp not on that string, madam; that is past

PLAY: Richard III
ACT/SCENE: 4.4
SPEAKER: Richard
CONTEXT:
RICHARD
Harp not on that string, madam; that is past.
QUEEN ELIZABETH
Harp on it still shall I till heart-strings break.
RICHARD
Now by my George, my Garter, and my crown—
QUEEN ELIZABETH
Profaned, dishonoured, and the third usurped.
RICHARD
I swear—
QUEEN ELIZABETH
By nothing, for this is no oath.
Thy George, profaned, hath lost his lordly honour;
Thy garter, blemished, pawned his knightly virtue;
Thy crown, usurped, disgraced his kingly glory.
If something thou wouldst swear to be believed,
Swear then by something that thou hast not wronged.

DUTCH:
KONING RICHARD
Roer die snaar niet meer aan, dat is voorbij .
KONINGIN ELIZABETH
Ik roer die aan, tot hartesnaren springen .

MORE:
Proverb: Harp no more on that string

Profane=Desecrate
Compleat:
To profane=Ontheyligen, schenden, ontwyen
To pawn=Verpanden

Topics: proverbs and idioms, dispute, ruin

Categories: proverbs and idioms, Richard III, ruin|

You should have feared false times when you did feast

PLAY: Timon of Athens
ACT/SCENE: 4.3
SPEAKER: Flavius
CONTEXT:
FLAVIUS
No, my most worthy master; in whose breast
Doubt and suspect, alas, are placed too late:
You should have feared false times when you did feast:
Suspect still comes where an estate is least.
That which I show, heaven knows, is merely love,
Duty and zeal to your unmatched mind,
Care of your food and living; and, believe it,
My most honoured lord,
For any benefit that points to me,
Either in hope or present, I’d exchange
For this one wish, that you had power and wealth
To requite me, by making rich yourself.

DUTCH:
Neen, beste, dierb’re meester, in wiens borst
Argwaan en twijfel, — ach, eerst thans! — zich vestten.
Argwaan hadde eens, in gulden tijd, gebaat;
Steeds komt hij, als ‘t geluk verdween, te laat.

MORE:
Suspect=Suspicion
False=Uncertain, unreliable
Requite=Reward
Compleat:
Suspect=Wantrouwen, mistrouwen
To requite=Vergelden

Topics: ruin, suspicion, loyalty, poverty and wealth, money, value

Categories: loyalty, money, poverty and wealth, ruin, Timon of Athens|

In life’s uncertain voyage

PLAY: Timon of Athens
ACT/SCENE: 5.1
SPEAKER: Timon
CONTEXT:
TIMON
But yet I love my country, and am not
One that rejoices in the common wreck,
As common bruit doth put it.
FIRST SENATOR
That’s well spoke.
TIMON
Commend me to my loving countrymen,—
FIRST SENATOR
These words become your lips as they pass
thorough them.
SECOND SENATOR
And enter in our ears like great triumphers
In their applauding gates.
TIMON
Commend me to them,
And tell them that, to ease them of their griefs,
Their fears of hostile strokes, their aches, losses,
Their pangs of love, with other incident throes
That nature’s fragile vessel doth sustain
In life’s uncertain voyage, I will some kindness do them:
I’ll teach them to prevent wild Alcibiades’ wrath.

DUTCH:
Op ‘s levens ongewisse vaart, wil ik
Hun goed zijn en hun leeren, hoe zij ‘t woeden
Des wilden Alcibiades ontgaan.

MORE:
Common=Universal
Wreck=Ruin
Bruit=Rumour
Applauding=Receiving
Throes=Maladies
Fragile vessel=Body
Compleat:
Common=Gemeen
To wreck or go to wrack=Verlooren gaan, te gronde gaan
Bruit=Gerucht, geraas
To applaud=Toejuichen, pryzen

Topics: ruin, justice

Categories: ruin, Timon of Athens|

Yellow, glittering precious gold? This yellow slave will knit and break religions

PLAY: Timon of Athens
ACT/SCENE: 4.3
SPEAKER: Timon
CONTEXT:
TIMON
Who seeks for better of thee, sauce his palate
With thy most operant poison! What is here?
Gold? yellow, glittering, precious gold? No, gods,
I am no idle votarist: roots, you clear heavens!
Thus much of this will make black white, foul fair,
Wrong right, base noble, old young, coward valiant.
Ha, you gods! why this? what this, you gods? Why, this
Will lug your priests and servants from your sides,
Pluck stout men’s pillows from below their heads:
This yellow slave
Will knit and break religions, bless the accursed,
Make the hoar leprosy adored, place thieves
And give them title, knee and approbation
With senators on the bench: this is it
That makes the wappened widow wed again;
She, whom the spital-house and ulcerous sores
Would cast the gorge at, this embalms and spices
To the April day again. Come, damned earth,
Thou common whore of mankind, that put’st odds
Among the route of nations, I will make thee
Do thy right nature.

DUTCH:
Die gele ellend’ling schept
Godsdiensten, sloopt ze; zegent wie vervloekt zijn;
Maakt witmelaatschen aangebeen; helpt dieven
Aan titels, eerbetoon en lof, en plaatst ze
Bij senatoren in ‘t gestoelt

MORE:
Pluck stout men’s pillows=It was a custom to remove the pillow from under a dying man’s head to ease his dying
Sauce=Flavour, enhance
Operant=Active, effective
Idle=Insincere
Votarist=Votary, one who has taken a vow
Clear=Pure
Lug=Convey
Knit=Make
Approbation=Praise
With=Equal to
Wappened=Exhausted, stale
Spital-house=Hospital
Gorge=Vomit
Put’st odds=Creates contention, discord
Compleat:
Operative=Werkzaam
Clear=Klaar, helder, zuiver
Votary=Een die zich door een (religieuse) belofte verbonden heeft; die zich ergens toe heeft overgegeeven
To lug=Trekken
To knit friendship=Vriendschap aangaan
Knit together=Verknocht, t’zamengeknoopt
To set at odds=Twist stooken, oneenigheid verwekken
Approbation=Goedkeuring
Gorge=Keel, krop. To cast the gorge=Braaken

Burgersdijk notes:
Dit rukt aan mannen in des levens vaag ‘t hoofdkussen weg. Zinspeling op het gebruik van aan stervenden, om hun doodstrijd te bekorten, het hoofdkussen weg te trekken; het goud is oorzaak, dat dit ook op mannen in de kracht des levens beproefd, dat hun naar het leven gestaan wordt.

Kom, gij doemwaardige aarde enz. Deze doemwaardige aarde moet natuurlijk het goud zelf zijn; daar dit hier met den naam van het zoogenoemde element, dat hij Sh. steeds als loom en traag bekend staat, wordt toegesproken , is hier ingevoegd „log stof”, onm in de vertaling uit te drukken, wat, naar het mij voorkomt , de bedoeling van den dichter moet geweest zijn. Hierom is ook vertaald: „ik doe u slapen naar uwen waren aard”. In het Engelsch staat alleen: „ik wil u laten doen naar uwen waren aard”. Deze plaats, en ook het volgende, levert moeilijkheden op en wordt verschillend verklaard.

Topics: ambition, poverty and wealth, money, ruin

Categories: ambition, money, ruin, Timon of Athens|

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