Original Text |
Translated Text |
| Source: Folger Shakespeare Library |
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Enter Cominius as it were in retire, with Soldiers. | Cut to Cominius and his troops in the battlefield. |
COMINIUS
Breathe you, my friends. Well fought! We are come
off
Like Romans, neither foolish in our stands
Nor cowardly in retire. Believe me, sirs,
We shall be charged again. Whiles we have struck, 5
By interims and conveying gusts we have heard
The charges of our friends. The Roman gods
Lead their successes as we wish our own,
That both our powers, with smiling fronts
encount’ring, 10
May give you thankful sacrifice! Enter a Messenger. Thy news? MESSENGER
The citizens of Corioles have issued
And given to Lartius and to Martius battle.
I saw our party to their trenches driven, 15
And then I came away. COMINIUS Though thou speakest truth,
Methinks thou speak’st not well. How long is ’t
since? MESSENGER Above an hour, my lord. 20 COMINIUS
’Tis not a mile; briefly we heard their drums.
How couldst thou in a mile confound an hour
And bring thy news so late? MESSENGER Spies of the Volsces
Held me in chase, that I was forced to wheel 25
Three or four miles about; else had I, sir,
Half an hour since brought my report. He exits. | Cominius is delivering a pep talk to his soldiers when a messenger
arrives with news that Caius Martius was driven back to the trenches
outside of Corioles. (Major problem with ancient Rome: nobody has text
messaging or a Twitter account, so news travels slowly.) |
Enter Martius, bloody. | Just then, Caius Martius shows up all bloody |
COMINIUS Who’s yonder,
That does appear as he were flayed? O gods,
He has the stamp of Martius, and I have 30
Before-time seen him thus. MARTIUS Come I too late? COMINIUS
The shepherd knows not thunder from a tabor
More than I know the sound of Martius’ tongue
From every meaner man. 35 MARTIUS Come I too late? COMINIUS
Ay, if you come not in the blood of others,
But mantled in your own. MARTIUS O, let me clip you
In arms as sound as when I wooed, in heart 40
As merry as when our nuptial day was done
And tapers burnt to bedward! They embrace. | Martius and Cominius are very happy to see each other. As they
hug it out, Caius Martius compares the warm embrace to his super steamy
wedding night. (What? This is a play about ancient Rome. Violence and
warfare get these guys all hot and bothered.) |
COMINIUS
Flower of warriors, how is ’t with Titus Lartius? MARTIUS
As with a man busied about decrees,
Condemning some to death and some to exile; 45
Ransoming him or pitying, threat’ning th’ other;
Holding Corioles in the name of Rome
Even like a fawning greyhound in the leash,
To let him slip at will. COMINIUS Where is that slave 50
Which told me they had beat you to your trenches?
Where is he? Call him hither. MARTIUS Let him alone.
He did inform the truth. But for our gentlemen,
The common file—a plague! Tribunes for them!— 55
The mouse ne’er shunned the cat as they did budge
From rascals worse than they. COMINIUS But how prevailed you? MARTIUS
Will the time serve to tell? I do not think.
Where is the enemy? Are you lords o’ th’ field? 60
If not, why cease you till you are so? | Martius shares the good news about giving Corioles a beatdown. |
COMINIUS
Martius, we have at disadvantage fought
And did retire to win our purpose. MARTIUS
How lies their battle? Know you on which side
They have placed their men of trust? 65 COMINIUS As I guess,
Martius,
Their bands i’ th’ vaward are the Antiates,
Of their best trust; o’er them Aufidius,
Their very heart of hope. 70 | Next, Cominius brings his military bro up to speed on the current situation in the battlefield |
MARTIUS I do beseech you,
By all the battles wherein we have fought,
By th’ blood we have shed together, by th’ vows we
have made
To endure friends, that you directly set me 75
Against Aufidius and his Antiates,
And that you not delay the present, but,
Filling the air with swords advanced and darts,
We prove this very hour. | Martius asks if he can be in charge of Cominius' troops so he can take a special-ops team onto the battlefield and personally kill Tullus Aufidius.
|
COMINIUS Though I could wish 80
You were conducted to a gentle bath
And balms applied to you, yet dare I never
Deny your asking. Take your choice of those
That best can aid your action. MARTIUS Those are they 85
That most are willing. If any such be here—
As it were sin to doubt—that love this painting
Wherein you see me smeared; if any fear
Lesser his person than an ill report;
If any think brave death outweighs bad life, 90
And that his country’s dearer than himself;
Let him alone, or so many so minded,
Wave thus to express his disposition
And follow Martius. He waves his sword.
They all shout and wave their swords,
take him up in their arms, and cast up their caps. O, me alone! Make you a sword of me? 95
If these shows be not outward, which of you
But is four Volsces? None of you but is
Able to bear against the great Aufidius
A shield as hard as his. A certain number,
Though thanks to all, must I select from all. 100
The rest shall bear the business in some other fight,
As cause will be obeyed. Please you to march,
And I shall quickly draw out my command,
Which men are best inclined. COMINIUS March on, my fellows. 105
Make good this ostentation, and you shall
Divide in all with us. They exit. | Cominius and his soldiers are cool with this. Everyone's all "Oh! Oh!
Pick me, pick me, Caius Martius!" as they throw him up in the air and
cheer him on. |