John Webster - The Duchess of Malfi

ACT IV
Scene I

BOSOLA. Your elder brother, the Lord Ferdinand,
Is come to visit you, and sends you word,
’Cause once he rashly made a solemn vow
Never to see you more, he comes i’ th’ night;
And prays you gently neither torch nor taper
Shine in your chamber: he will kiss your hand,
And reconcile himself; but for his vow
He dares not see you.

DUCHESS. At his pleasure. – Take hence
the lights. –
He’s come.

Enter Ferdinand.

FERDINAND. Where are you?

DUCHESS. Here sir.

FERDINAND. This darkness suits you well.

DUCHESS. I would ask you pardon.

FERDINAND. You have it; for I account it
The honorabl’st revenge, where I may kill,
To pardon. – Where are your cubs?

DUCHESS. Whom?

FERDINAND. Call them your children;
For though our national law distinguish bastards
From the true legitimate issue, compassionate nature
Makes them all equal.

DUCHESS. Do you visit me for this?
You violate a sacrament o’ th’ Church
Shall make you howl in hell for’t.

FERDINAND. It had been well
Could you have liv’d thus always; for, indeed,
You were too much i’ th’ light: – but no more;
I come to seal my peace with you. Here’s a hand
Gives her a dead man’s hand.
To which you have vow’d much love [...]

***********************************************************
Scene II

Enter Madmen who sing to a dismal kind of music.
Oh, let us howl some heavy note,
Some deadly dogged howl,
Sounding as from the threatening throat
Of beasts and fatal fowl!
As ravens, screech-owls, bulls, and bears,
We’ll bell*, and bawl our parts,
Till irksome noise have cloy’d your ears
And corrosived your hearts.

*bellow.
***********************************************************
BOSOLA. I am come to make thy tomb.

DUCHESS. Ha! my tomb?
Thou speak’st as if I lay upon my deathbed,
Gasping for breath: dost thou perceive me sick?

BOSOLA. Yes, and the more dangerously, since
thy sickness
Is insensible.

DUCHESS. Thou art not mad, sure: dost know
me? [...]

BOSOLA. My trade is to flatter the dead, not
the living; I am a tomb-maker.

DUCHESS. And thou com’st to make my tomb?

BOSOLA. Yes. [...]

***********************************************************
DUCHESS. [...] What death?

BOSOLA. Strangling;
Here are your executioners.

DUCHESS. I forgive them:
The apoplexy, catarrh, or cough o’ th’ lungs,
Would do as much as they do.

BOSOLA. Doth not death fright you?

DUCHESS. Who would be afraid on ’t,
Knowing to meet such excellent company
In th’ other world? [...]


********************************************
VOCABULARY:
to account – /to consider/ uważać, oceniać
bastard – bękart
to bawl – /to bellow, to shout, to yell/ krzyczeć, drzeć się
eg. My neighbours were making a lot of noise last night, bawling at each other all the time.
beast – bestia
to bellow – /to shout, to yell/ ryczeć, wrzeszczeć
chamber – sala
to cloy – przesycić, dostarczyć (przyjemności) w nadmiarze
compassionate – współczujący, litościwy
corrosive – (o substancji) żrący, gryzący
cub – młode różnych zwierząt (lwiątko, lisiątko); szczenię
deathbed – łoże śmierci
dismal – smętny, posępny, pełen melancholii
to distinguish – rozróżniać
dogged – uparty, zawzięty
executioner – oprawca
fatal – nieszczęsny, zgubny; śmiertelny
to flatter – schlebiać
fowl – dzikie ptactwo
gasping – konający, wydający ostatnie tchnienie
hence – stąd, skutkiem tego
to howl – zawyć
insensible – nieprzytomny, w stanie omdlenia
irksome – nieprzyjemny, przykry
legitimate – ślubny, prawowity
of legitimate birth – z prawego łoża
to make a vow – złożyć przysięgę, solenne przyrzeczenie
neither . . . nor . . . – ani . . . ani . . .
owl – sowa
to perceive – postrzegać
rashly – nierozważnie
raven – kruk
to reconcile – pogodzić
revenge – zemsta, odwet
to screech – zaskrzeczeć, zapiszczeć
to seal – przypieczętować
solemn – uroczysty; poważny
strangling – uduszenie
taper – długa cienka świeca
threatening – grożący, groźny
tomb – grób, grobowiec
torch – pochodnia, kaganek


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