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Act 2, Scene 1
Pericles Translation Act 2, Scene 2
Enter SIMONIDES, THAISA, Lords, and Attendants
SIMONIDES
Are the knights ready to begin the triumph?
SIMONIDES
Are the knights ready to begin the contest?
FIRST LORD
They are, my liege;And stay your coming to present themselves.
FIRST LORD
They are, sir, and are waiting to present themselves to you.
SIMONIDES
Return them, we are ready; and our daughter, In honour of whose birth these triumphs are, Sits here, like beauty's child, whom nature gat For men to see, and seeing wonder at.
SIMONIDES
Bring them in; I'm ready. Since this whole thing is in honor of her birthday, my beautiful daughter, whom Nature made for men to see, will sit here, where everyone can marvel at her.
Exit a Lord
THAISA
It pleaseth you, my royal father, to expressMy commendations great, whose merit's less.
THAISA
Father, you like bragging about me even when I don't deserve it.
SIMONIDES
It's fit it should be so; for princes are A model which heaven makes like to itself: As jewels lose their glory if neglected, So princes their renowns if not respected. 'Tis now your honour, daughter, to explain The labour of each knight in his device.
SIMONIDES
I have to—princes are as vain as the gods. Just like jewels lose their shine if they're not polished, princes lose their reputations if they're not respected. Now, daughter, it's your job to explain what each knight's emblem means.
THAISA
Which, to preserve mine honour, I'll perform.
THAISA
I'll do my best.
Enter a Knight; he passes over, and his Squire presents his shield to the Princess
SIMONIDES
Who is the first that doth prefer himself?
SIMONIDES
Who's this first knight?
THAISA
A knight of Sparta, my renowned father; And the device he bears upon his shield Is a black Ethiope reaching at the sun The word, 'Lux tua vita mihi.'
THAISA
A knight from Sparta, sir. The design on his shield shows an African man reaching toward the sun, with the motto "Your light is my life."
SIMONIDES
He loves you well that holds his life of you.
SIMONIDES
Sounds like he loves you a lot, if you're his whole life.
The Second Knight passes over
SIMONIDES
Who is the second that presents himself?
SIMONIDES
Who's the second knight?
THAISA
A prince of Macedon, my royal father; And the device he bears upon his shield Is an arm'd knight that's conquer'd by a lady; The motto thus, in Spanish, 'Piu por dulzura que por fuerza.'
THAISA
A prince of Macedon, sir. His design shows a knight being conquered by a lady. The motto, in Spanish, is "Better by sweetness than by force."
The Third Knight passes over
SIMONIDES
And what's the third?
SIMONIDES
And the third?
THAISA
The third of Antioch;And his device, a wreath of chivalry;The word, 'Me pompae provexit apex.'
THAISA
The third is from Antioch. His shield shows a green wreath, with the motto, "I'll fight my way to the top."
The Fourth Knight passes over
SIMONIDES
What is the fourth?
SIMONIDES
And the fourth?
THAISA
A burning torch that's turned upside down;The word, 'Quod me alit, me extinguit.'
THAISA
A burning torch turned upside down, with the motto, "That which lights me snuffs me out."
SIMONIDES
Which shows that beauty hath his power and will,Which can as well inflame as it can kill.
SIMONIDES
Which symbolizes that his love of beauty could as easily lead him to do great things as evil ones.
The Fifth Knight passes over
THAISA
The fifth, an hand environed with clouds,Holding out gold that's by the touchstone tried;The motto thus, 'Sic spectanda fides.'
THAISA
The fifth knight's shield shows a hand emerging from clouds, holding pure gold. His motto is, "Faith should be valued this way."
The Sixth Knight, PERICLES, passes over
SIMONIDES
And what'sThe sixth and last, the which the knight himselfWith such a graceful courtesy deliver'd?
SIMONIDES
And what about the sixth and the last? It's very polite to go last, you know.
THAISA
He seems to be a stranger; but his present isA wither'd branch, that's only green at top;The motto, 'In hac spe vivo.'
THAISA
I think he's a stranger. His shield design is a dead tree branch with only a little green at the top. The motto is, "This hope keeps me alive."
SIMONIDES
A pretty moral;From the dejected state wherein he is,He hopes by you his fortunes yet may flourish.
SIMONIDES
That's a nice moral. It means that he's currently down and out but hopes that, by marrying you, he'll be on his way to a better fortune.
FIRST LORD
He had need mean better than his outward show Can any way speak in his just commend; For by his rusty outside he appears To have practised more the whipstock than the lance.
FIRST LORD
He'll have to do better than this to prove himself. His rusty armor looks less like a knight's and more like it came from a junk shop.
SECOND LORD
He well may be a stranger, for he comesTo an honour'd triumph strangely furnished.
SECOND LORD
He must be a stranger, since he showed up with such a strange outfit.
THIRD LORD
And on set purpose let his armour rustUntil this day, to scour it in the dust.
THIRD LORD
And let his armor rust until today on purpose, before he wears it in the tournament.
SIMONIDES
Opinion's but a fool, that makes us scan The outward habit by the inward man. But stay, the knights are coming: we will withdraw Into the gallery.
SIMONIDES
It's foolish to judge a book by its cover. Wait, the knights are coming—let's go into the stadium.
Exeunt
