Беспокойное бессмертие: 450 лет со дня рождения Уильяма Шекспира

Будем надеяться, что знакомство с этим новым, пусть и незаконченным, переводом «Ричарда III» поможет нашим читателям открыть новые сокровенные тайны неисчерпаемого таланта Шекспира.

Act I

Scene 1

^{Enter Richard Duke of Glouster, solus.}

Richard

Now is the winter of our discontent
Made glorious summer by this son of York,
And all the clouds that loured upon our house
In the deep bosom of the ocean buried.
Now are our brows bound with victorious wreaths,
Our bruis`ed arms hung up for monuments,
Our stern alarums changed to merry meetings,
Our dreadful marches to delightful measures.
Grim-visaged war hath smooth’d his wrinkled front,
And now, instead of mounting barb`ed steeds
To fright the souls of fearful adversaries,
He capers nimbly in a lady’s chamber
To the lascivious pleasing of a lute.
But I that am not shaped for sportive tricks
Nor made to court an amorous looking-glass,
I that am rudely stamped and want love’s majesty
To strut before a wanton ambling nymph,
I that am curtailed of this fair proportion,
Cheated of feature by dissembling nature,
Deformed, unfinished, sent before my time
Into this breathing world scarce half made up,
And that so lamely and unfashionable
That dogs bark at me as I halt by them,
Why, I, in this weak piping time of peace,
Have no delight to pass away the time,
Unless to spy my shadow in the sun
And descant on mine own deformity.
And therefore, since I cannot prove a lover
To entertain these fair well-spoken days,
I am determin`ed to prove a villain
And hate the idle pleasures of these days.
Plots have I laid, inductions dangerous,
By drunken prophecies, libels, and dreams
To set my brother Clarence and the king
In deadly hate the one against the other.
And if King Edward be as true and just
As I am subtle, false, and treacherous,
This day should Clarence closely be mewed up
About a prophecy which says that ’G’
Of Edward’s heirs the murderer shall be.
Dive, thoughts, down to my soul, here Clarence comes.

^{Enter Clarence and Brakenbury, guarded.}

Brother, good day. What means this arm`ed guard
That waits upon your grace?

Clarence

                                                     His majesty,
Tend’ring my person’s safety, hath appointed
This conduct to convey me to the Tower.

Richard

Upon what cause?

Clarence

                     Because my name is George.

Richard

Alack, my lord, that fault is none of yours.
He should for that commit your godfathers.
Oh, belike his majesty hath some intent
That you shall be new christened in the Tower.
But what’s the matter, Clarence? May I know?

Clarence