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QUOTES FROM THE BARD

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|

You have gone on and filled the time with all licentious measure, making your wills the scope of justice

PLAY: Timon of Athens
ACT/SCENE: 5.4
SPEAKER: First Senator
CONTEXT:
ALCIBIADES
Sound to this coward and lascivious town
Our terrible approach.
Till now you have gone on and filled the time
With all licentious measure, making your wills
The scope of justice; till now myself and such
As slept within the shadow of your power
Have wandered with our traversed arms and breathed
Our sufferance vainly: now the time is flush,
When crouching marrow in the bearer strong
Cries of itself ‘No more:’ now breathless wrong
Shall sit and pant in your great chairs of ease,
And pursy insolence shall break his wind
With fear and horrid flight.
FIRST SENATOR
Noble and young,
When thy first griefs were but a mere conceit,
Ere thou hadst power or we had cause of fear,
We sent to thee, to give thy rages balm,
To wipe out our ingratitude with loves
Above their quantity.

DUTCH:
Tot nu hebt gij den tijd in volle mate
Vervuld van uwen overmoed, uw will’keur
Tot wet doen zijn;

MORE:
Coward=Weak
Lascivious=Lustful
Licentious=Immoral
Measure=Conduct
Making wills the scope of justice=Bending justice to suit
Shadow=Influence
Crouching=Passive
Marrow=Spirit
Breathed=Expressed
Chairs of ease=High office
Pursy=Fat
Balm=Relief
Compleat:
Coward=Een bloodaard, lafhartige, laffe guyl
Lascivious=Geil, dartel, kriel
Licentious=Ongebonden, los, toomeloos
Measure=Maatregel
Shadow=Gunst, bescherming
To crouch=Neerbuigen, neerbogen liggen
Marrow=Merg
Pursy or pursie=(short-winded): Aamorstig; (Fat) Zwaarlyvig, corpulent

Topics: authority, justice

Categories: authority, Timon of Athens|

What thou wilt, thou rather shalt enforce it with thy smile than hew to ’t with thy sword

PLAY: Timon of Athens
ACT/SCENE: 5.4
SPEAKER: Second senator
CONTEXT:
SECOND SENATOR
Nor are they living
Who were the motives that you first went out;
Shame that they wanted cunning, in excess
Hath broke their hearts. March, noble lord,
Into our city with thy banners spread:
By decimation, and a tithed death—
If thy revenges hunger for that food
Which nature loathes—take thou the destined tenth,
And by the hazard of the spotted die
Let die the spotted.
FIRST SENATOR
All have not offended;
For those that were, it is not square to take
On those that are, revenges: crimes, like lands,
Are not inherited. Then, dear countryman,
Bring in thy ranks, but leave without thy rage:
Spare thy Athenian cradle and those kin
Which in the bluster of thy wrath must fall
With those that have offended: like a shepherd,
Approach the fold and cull the infected forth,
But kill not all together.
SECOND SENATOR
What thou wilt,
Thou rather shalt enforce it with thy smile
Than hew to’t with thy sword.

DUTCH:
Wat gij wenscht,
Dwingt gij veel eerder met een glimlach af,
Dan dat uw zwaard het wint.

MORE:
Motives=Reason
Went out=Were banished
Cunning=Skill
Decimation=Killing one in ten
Tithe=Levy one tenth part
Die=Singular form of dice
Compleat:
Motive=Beweegreden, beweegoorzaak
To decimate=Vertienen, den tienden soldaat by lotinge verstraffen
Decimation=Heffing van tienden, vertienen, straffen van den tienden man
Cunning=Loosheid, listigheid; Behendigheid
Tithe=Tiende
To gather tithes=Tienden inzamelen
Die=Dobbelsteen

Topics: mercy, revenge, reason

Categories: mercy, reason, Timon of Athens|

For those that were, it is not square to take in those that are, revenges: crimes, like lands, are not inherited

PLAY: Timon of Athens
ACT/SCENE: 5.6
SPEAKER: Second senator
CONTEXT:
SECOND SENATOR
Nor are they living
Who were the motives that you first went out;
Shame that they wanted cunning, in excess
Hath broke their hearts. March, noble lord,
Into our city with thy banners spread:
By decimation, and a tithed death—
If thy revenges hunger for that food
Which nature loathes—take thou the destined tenth,
And by the hazard of the spotted die
Let die the spotted.
FIRST SENATOR
All have not offended;
For those that were, it is not square to take
On those that are, revenges: crimes, like lands,
Are not inherited. Then, dear countryman,
Bring in thy ranks, but leave without thy rage:
Spare thy Athenian cradle and those kin
Which in the bluster of thy wrath must fall
With those that have offended: like a shepherd,
Approach the fold and cull the infected forth,
But kill not all together.
SECOND SENATOR
What thou wilt,
Thou rather shalt enforce it with thy smile
Than hew to’t with thy sword.

DUTCH:
Onbillijk waar’ ‘t, voor dooden hen, die leven,
Te laten boeten; zonden gaan niet over
Bij erf’nis, als een land.

Topics: mercy, revenge, reason

Categories: mercy, reason, Timon of Athens|

Not a man shall pass his quarter, or offend the stream of regular justice

PLAY: Timon of Athens
ACT/SCENE: 5.4
SPEAKER: Alcibiades
CONTEXT:
SECOND SENATOR
Throw thy glove,
Or any token of thine honour else,
That thou wilt use the wars as thy redress
And not as our confusion, all thy powers
Shall make their harbour in our town, till we
Have sealed thy full desire.
ALCIBIADES
Then there’s my glove;
Descend, and open your uncharged ports:
Those enemies of Timon’s and mine own
Whom you yourselves shall set out for reproof
Fall and no more: and, to atone your fears
With my more noble meaning, not a man
Shall pass his quarter, or offend the stream
Of regular justice in your city’s bounds,
But shall be rendered to your public laws
At heaviest answer.

DUTCH:
Geen man der mijnen zal ‘t hem aangewezen
Verblijf verlaten, noch den stroom van ‘t recht,
Dat in uw stad erkend is, tegenstreven,
Of door uw eigen wet wordt hij ten strengste
Ter rekenschap gedaagd.

MORE:
Throw thy glove=It was the tradition to throw down one’s glove, or gauntlet, to initiate a duel.
Redress=Reparation
Confusion=Destroy
Sealed=Satisfied
Uncharged=Not attacked
Reproof=Punishment
Quarter=Scope, assigned area
Remedied to=(some versions have rendered): Surrendered to
Heaviest answer=Most severe punishment
Compleat:
Redress=Herstelling, verhelping, verbetering, vergoeding, verligting
Confusion (ruin)=Verwoesting, bederf, ruine
Sealed=Gezegeld, verzegeld
Reproof=Bestraffing, berisping
Quarter=Lijfsgenade, kwartier
To render=Overgeeven

Topics: dispute, revenge

Categories: dispute, Timon of Athens|

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