The Tragedy of Antony and Cleopatra: Act 2, Scene 7 Translation

A side-by-side translation of Act 2, Scene 7 of The Tragedy of Antony and Cleopatra from the original Shakespeare into modern English.

  Original Text

 Translated Text

  Source: Folger Shakespeare Library

Music plays. Enter two or three Servants
with a banquet.

FIRST SERVANT Here they’ll be, man. Some o’ their
plants are ill-rooted already. The least wind i’ th’
world will blow them down.

SECOND SERVANT Lepidus is high-colored.

FIRST SERVANT They have made him drink alms-drink. 5

SECOND SERVANT As they pinch one another by the
disposition, he cries out “No more,” reconciles
them to his entreaty and himself to th’ drink.

FIRST SERVANT But it raises the greater war between
him and his discretion. 10

SECOND SERVANT Why, this it is to have a name in great
men’s fellowship. I had as lief have a reed that will
do me no service as a partisan I could not heave.

FIRST SERVANT To be called into a huge sphere, and not
to be seen to move in ’t, are the holes where eyes 15
should be, which pitifully disaster the cheeks.

Back at Pompey’s ship, the former enemies are all making merry together. The servants note that Lepidus is wasted, and the others tease him. He’s clearly not as great as the others, and hangs on like a third wheel.

A sennet sounded. Enter Caesar, Antony, Pompey,
Lepidus, Agrippa, Maecenas, Enobarbus, Menas, with
other Captains and a Boy.

ANTONY
Thus do they, sir: they take the flow o’ th’ Nile
By certain scales i’ th’ Pyramid; they know
By th’ height, the lowness, or the mean if dearth
Or foison follow. The higher Nilus swells, 20
The more it promises. As it ebbs, the seedsman
Upon the slime and ooze scatters his grain,
And shortly comes to harvest.

LEPIDUS You’ve strange serpents there?

ANTONY Ay, Lepidus. 25

LEPIDUS Your serpent of Egypt is bred now of your
mud by the operation of your sun; so is your
crocodile.

ANTONY They are so.

POMPEY
Sit, and some wine. A health to Lepidus! 30

LEPIDUS I am not so well as I should be, but I’ll ne’er
out.

ENOBARBUS, aside Not till you have slept. I fear me
you’ll be in till then.

LEPIDUS Nay, certainly, I have heard the Ptolemies’ 35
pyramises are very goodly things. Without contradiction
I have heard that.

MENAS, aside to Pompey
Pompey, a word.

POMPEY, aside to Menas Say in mine ear what is ’t.

MENAS (whispers in ’s ear)
Forsake thy seat, I do beseech thee, captain, 40
And hear me speak a word.

POMPEY, aside to Menas
Forbear me till anon.—This wine for Lepidus!

LEPIDUS What manner o’ thing is your crocodile?

ANTONY It is shaped, sir, like itself, and it is as broad as
it hath breadth. It is just so high as it is, and moves 45
with it own organs. It lives by that which nourisheth
it, and the elements once out of it, it
transmigrates.

LEPIDUS What color is it of?

ANTONY Of it own color too. 50

LEPIDUS ’Tis a strange serpent.

ANTONY ’Tis so, and the tears of it are wet.

CAESAR, aside to Antony Will this description satisfy
him?

ANTONY With the health that Pompey gives him, else he 55
is a very epicure.

POMPEY, aside to Menas
Go hang, sir, hang! Tell me of that? Away!
Do as I bid you.—Where’s this cup I called for?

MENAS, aside to Pompey
If for the sake of merit thou wilt hear me,
Rise from thy stool. 60

Antony and Lepidus have a long exchange about life in Egypt, and Lepidus is really interested in Egyptian pyramids, snakes, and crocodiles. Throughout this conversation, Pompey’s man Menas keeps whispering in his ear in an attempt to get him away from the table.

POMPEY I think th’ art mad!
He rises, and they walk aside.
The matter?

MENAS
I have ever held my cap off to thy fortunes.

POMPEY
Thou hast served me with much faith. What’s else
to say?— 65
Be jolly, lords.

ANTONY These quicksands, Lepidus,
Keep off them, for you sink.

MENAS, aside to Pompey
Wilt thou be lord of all the world?

POMPEY What sayst thou? 70

MENAS
Wilt thou be lord of the whole world? That’s twice.

POMPEY How should that be?

MENAS But entertain it,
And though thou think me poor, I am the man
Will give thee all the world. 75

POMPEY Hast thou drunk well?

MENAS
No, Pompey, I have kept me from the cup.
Thou art, if thou dar’st be, the earthly Jove.
Whate’er the ocean pales or sky inclips
Is thine, if thou wilt ha ’t. 80

POMPEY Show me which way.

MENAS
These three world-sharers, these competitors,
Are in thy vessel. Let me cut the cable,
And when we are put off, fall to their throats.
All there is thine. 85

Pompey finally gets up to hear what the man won’t tell him in his ear. Menas proposes that he cut the boat from the dock, and murder the three drunken triumvirs. This would make Pompey ruler of their shares of the world.

POMPEY Ah, this thou shouldst have done
And not have spoke on ’t! In me ’tis villainy;
In thee ’t had been good service. Thou must know
’Tis not my profit that does lead mine honor;
Mine honor, it. Repent that e’er thy tongue 90
Hath so betrayed thine act. Being done unknown,
I should have found it afterwards well done,
But must condemn it now. Desist and drink.

Pompey laments on hearing the plan: while he would’ve been glad if Menas had done it without asking, now that Menas has told him, he has to admit the murders would be dishonorable. He tells Menas to go back to drinking, and forget the whole thing. 

MENAS, aside For this
I’ll never follow thy palled fortunes more. 95
Who seeks and will not take when once ’tis offered
Shall never find it more.

Menas is angry and vows to leave Pompey’s service because the man won’t answer opportunity when it knocks him about the head.

POMPEY This health to Lepidus!

ANTONY, to Servant
Bear him ashore.—I’ll pledge it for him, Pompey.

ENOBARBUS
Here’s to thee, Menas. 100

MENAS Enobarbus, welcome.

POMPEY Fill till the cup be hid.

ENOBARBUS, pointing to the Servant carrying Lepidus
There’s a strong fellow, Menas.

MENAS Why?

ENOBARBUS He bears 105
The third part of the world, man. Seest not?

MENAS
The third part, then, is drunk. Would it were all,
That it might go on wheels.

ENOBARBUS Drink thou. Increase the reels.

MENAS Come. 110

Meanwhile, Lepidus has to be carried out from too much drinking.

POMPEY
This is not yet an Alexandrian feast.

ANTONY
It ripens towards it. Strike the vessels, ho!
Here’s to Caesar.

CAESAR I could well forbear ’t.
It’s monstrous labor when I wash my brain 115
And it grows fouler.

ANTONY Be a child o’ th’ time.

CAESAR Possess it, I’ll make answer.
But I had rather fast from all, four days,
Than drink so much in one. 120

ENOBARBUS, to Antony Ha, my brave emperor,
Shall we dance now the Egyptian bacchanals
And celebrate our drink?

POMPEY Let’s ha ’t, good soldier.

ANTONY Come, let’s all take hands 125
Till that the conquering wine hath steeped our
sense
In soft and delicate Lethe.

ENOBARBUS All take hands.
Make battery to our ears with the loud music, 130
The while I’ll place you; then the boy shall sing.
The holding every man shall beat as loud
As his strong sides can volley.

Music plays. Enobarbus places them hand in hand.

The Song.

BOY Come, thou monarch of the vine,
Plumpy Bacchus, with pink eyne. 135
In thy vats our cares be drowned.
With thy grapes our hairs be crowned.

ALL Cup us till the world go round,
Cup us till the world go round.

CAESAR
What would you more?—Pompey, goodnight.— 140
Good brother,
Let me request you off. Our graver business
Frowns at this levity.—Gentle lords, let’s part.
You see we have burnt our cheeks. Strong Enobarb
Is weaker than the wine, and mine own tongue 145
Splits what it speaks. The wild disguise hath almost
Anticked us all. What needs more words?
Goodnight.
Good Antony, your hand.

POMPEY I’ll try you on the shore. 150

ANTONY And shall, sir. Give ’s your hand.

POMPEY
O, Antony, you have my father’s house.
But what? We are friends! Come down into the boat.

ENOBARBUS
Take heed you fall not.

All but Menas and Enobarbus exit.

Menas, I’ll not on shore. 155

MENAS
No, to my cabin. These drums, these trumpets,
flutes! What!
Let Neptune hear we bid a loud farewell
To these great fellows. Sound and be hanged. Sound
out! Sound a flourish, with drums. 160

ENOBARBUS Hoo, says ’a! There’s my cap!
He throws his cap in the air.

MENAS Hoo! Noble captain, come.

They exit.

The remaining men dance the "Egyptian bacchanals." Hand-holding, singing, and drinking continues late into the night. Eventually, Caesar leaves and Antony stays on Pompey’s boat. Enobarbus stays with Menas.