I wasted time, and now doth time waste me.
W. Shakespeare ."Richard II"
Я долго время проводил без пользы,
Зато и время провело меня.
В. Шекспир. "Король Ричард II", перевод М. Донского
Перевела стихотворный монолог английского короля Ричарда II из сборника "Зеркало для магистратов" ('The Mirror for Magistrates', другой вариант перевода названия - "Зерцало правителей").
Этот сборник коллективного авторства был впервые издан в 1559 г. и несколько раз переиздавался с дополнениями. Принадлежит к источникам шекспировских исторических хроник. Сборник составлен из биографий исторических личностей в стихах, где речь идет от первого лица. Каждый рассказчик повествует, почему его жизнь окончилась именно при таких обстоятельствах, - показывает читателям наказанные пороки, как в зеркале.
В следующем ниже отрывке Ричард II, свергнутый и затем убитый король Англии, называет главной причиной своей гибели свое пренебрежение к законам, пока он был при власти, однако на примере свергнувшего его Генриха IV показывает также, что тому, кого приводит к власти переворот, не следует доверять своим соучастникам.
Рисунок рифм в отрывке довольно сложный; я хотела его сохранить по возможности. Это сказалось на точности перевода.
Оригинал:
Richard II (from 'The Mirror for Magistrates')
How king Richard the Second was for his evil governance deposed from his seate, in the yeare 1399, and murdered in prison the yeare following.
1.
Happy is the prince, that hath in welth the grace
To follow virtue, keeping vices under,
But woe to him whose will hath wisdome's place:
For who so renteth right and lawe asunder,
On him at length all the worlde shall wonder:
High byrth, choyce fortune, force, nor princely mace,
Can warrant king or keyser fro the case:
(Shame sueth sinne, as rayne drops doe the thunder:
Let princes therefore vertuous life embrace,
That willful pleasures cause them not to blunder.)
2.
Behold my hap, see how the seely rout
On mee doo gaze, and ech to other say:
See where hee lyeth, but late that was so stout,
Loe how the power, the pride, and rich aray
Of mighty rulers lightly fade away
The king, which erst kept all the realme in doute,
The yeriest rascall now dare checke and floute:
(What moulde bee kinges made of, but carion clay?
Behold his woundes how blew they bee about,
Which while hee liued, thought neuer to decay.)
3.
Mee think I heare the people thus deuise:
Wherefore, Baldwine, sith thou wil declare
How princes fell, to make the liuing wise,
My lawlesse life in no poynt see thou spare,
But paynt it out, that rulers may beware
Good counsayle, lawe, or vertue to despise:
For realmes haue rules, and rulers haue a sise,
(Which if they breake, thus much to say I dare
That eyther's griefs the other shall agrise
Till one bee lost, the other brought to care.)
4.
I was a king, who ruled all by lust,
Forcing but light of justice, right, or lawe,
Putting alwayes flatterers false in trust,
Ensuing such as could my vices clawe,
By faythfull counsayle passing not an hawe,
As pleasure prickt, so needes obay I must:
Hauling delight to feede and serue the gust,
(Three meales a day could scarse content my mawe:
Mee liked least to torney or to just,
To Venus sport my fancy did mee drawe:)
5.
Which to mayntayne, my people were sore polde
With fines, fifteenes, and loanes by way of prest,
Blanke charters, othes, and shiftes not knowne of olde,
For which the commons did mee sore detest:
I also solde the noble towne of Brest,
My fault wherein because mine uncle tolde,
[(For prince's actes may no wise bee controlde)]
I found the meanes his bowels to unbrest,
[The worthy peeres, which his cause did upholde
With long exile, or cruell death opprest.]
6.
None ayde I lackt in'any wicked deede,
For gaping gulles whome I promoted had,
Would furder all in hope of higher meede:
There can no king imagine ought so bad,
But shall finde some that will performe it glad:
For sickness seldome doth so swiftly breede,
As humours ill doe growe the griefe to feede:
(Thus kinge's estates of all bee worst bestad,
Abusde in welth, abandoned at neede,
And nerest harme when they bee least adrad.]
7.
My life and death the trueth of this hath tryde:
For while I fought in Ireland with my foes,
Mine uncle Edmund whome I left to guide
My realme at home, rebelliously arose
Percyes to helpe, which plied my depose:
And calde fro Fraunce earle Bolenbroke, whom I
Exiled had for ten
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