English 10: Romeo and Juliet Unit
Act III scene iii: Friar Lawrence’s Soliloquy
Translation version
Enter Friar Laurence alone, with a basket.
FRIAR:
FRIAR:
The grey-ey'd morn smiles on the
The grey-eyed morning smiles on the
frowning night,
frowning night,
Check'ring the Eastern clouds with
Cutting the eastern clouds into squares
streaks of light;
with streaks of light;
And flecked darkness like a drunkard
And the flecked darkness reels like a
reels
drunkard
From forth day's path and Titan's
From the day's path and the sun’s hot
fiery wheels.
rays.
Now, ere the sun advance his burning
No, before the sun advances his burning
eye(5)
eye,
The day to cheer and night's dank
To cheer the day and to dry night's dank
dew to dry,
dew,
I must up-fill this osier cage of ours
I must fill up this, our cage made of reeds
With baleful weeds and preciousWith baleful weeds and precious-juiced
juiced flowers.
flowers.
The earth that's nature's mother is her
The earth, that is, nature's mother, is
tomb.
nature’s tomb.
What is her burying grave, that is her
The grave where she’s buried, that is also
womb;(10)
her womb,
And from her womb children of
And, from her womb, we find children of
divers kind
diverse kinds
We sucking on her natural bosom
When we are sucking on her natural
find;
bosom;
Many for many virtues excellent,
Many plants are excellent for many
None but for some, and yet all
virtues,
different.
Some have none, others have some, but
O, mickle is the powerful grace that
are all different.
lies(15)
O, the powerful grace that lies
In plants, herbs, stones, and their true
In plants, herbs, stones, and their true
qualities;
qualities, are great.
For naught so vile that on the earth
For nothing so vile lives on the earth
doth live
Except to give to the earth some special
But to the earth some special good
good;
doth give;
Nor anything so good but, strained from
Nor aught so good but, strain'd from
its beautiful use,
that fair use,
Goes against its true use, stumbling on
Revolts from true birth, stumbling on
abuse.
abuse.(20)
Virtue itself can turn to vice, if it is
Virtue itself turns vice, being
misapplied,
And vice sometime's by action
dignified.
Within the infant rind of this small
flower
Poison hath residence, and medicine
power;
For this, being smelt, with that part
cheers each part;(25)
Being tasted, slays all senses with the
heart.
Two such opposed kings encamp
them still
In man as well as herbs—grace and
rude will;
And where the worser is predominant,
Full soon the canker death eats up
that plant.(30)
misapplied;
And vice is sometimes dignified by
action.
Within the infant rind of this small flower
Poison lives, and medicine power.
For this flower, being smelled, cheers
each part with fragrance;
Being tasted, it slays the heart and all
senses.
Two such opposed kings set up camp
In man, as well as in herbs, grace and rude
will;
And where the worse human trait is
predominant,
The canker death eats up that plant very
soon