Comedy plays; French drama -- 17th century -- Translations into English
VALERE
What do you want, Dorine?
DORINE
Come here.
VALERE
No, no, I'm quite beside myself.
Don't hinder me from doing as she wishes.
DORINE
Stop!
VALERE
No. You see, I'm fixed, resolved, determined.
DORINE
So!
MARIANE (aside)
Since my presence pains him, makes him go,
I'd better go myself, and leave him free.
DORINE (leaving Valere, and running after Mariane)
Now t'other! Where are you going?
MARIANE
Let me be.
DORINE.
Come back.
MARIANE
No, no, it isn't any use.
VALERE (aside)
'Tis clear the sight of me is torture to her;
No doubt, t'were better I should free her from it.
DORINE (leaving Mariane and running after Valere)
Same thing again! Deuce take you both, I say.
Now stop your fooling; come here, you; and you.
(She pulls first one, then the other, toward the middle of the stage.)
VALERE (to Dorine)
What's your idea?
MARIANE (to Dorine)
What can you mean to do?
DORINE
Set you to rights, and pull you out o' the scrape.
(To Valere)
Are you quite mad, to quarrel with her now?
VALERE
Didn't you hear the things she said to me?
DORINE (to Mariane)
Are you quite mad, to get in such a passion?
MARIANE
Didn't you see the way he treated me?
DORINE
Fools, both of you.
(To Valere)
She thinks of nothing else
But to keep faith with you, I vouch for it.
(To Mariane)
And he loves none but you, and longs for nothing
But just to marry you, I stake my life on't.
MARIANE (to Valere)
Why did you give me such advice then, pray?
VALERE (to Mariane)
Why ask for my advice on such a matter?
DORINE
You both are daft, I tell you. Here, your hands.
(To Valere)
Come, yours.
VALERE (giving Dorine his hand)
What for?
DORINE (to Mariane)
Now, yours.
MARIANE (giving Dorine her hand)
But what's the use?
DORINE
Oh, quick now, come along. There, both of you--
You love each other better than you think.
(Valere and Mariane hold each other's hands some time without looking
at each other.)
VALERE (at last turning toward Mariane)
Come, don't be so ungracious now about it;
Look at a man as if you didn't hate him.
(Mariane looks sideways toward Valere, with just a bit of a smile.)
DORINE
My faith and troth, what fools these lovers be!
VALERE (to Mariane)
But come now, have I not a just complaint?
And truly, are you not a wicked creature
To take delight in saying what would pain me?
MARIANE
And are you not yourself the most ungrateful ... ?
DORINE
Leave this discussion till another time;
Now, think how you'll stave off this plaguy marriage.
MARIANE
Then tell us how to go about it.
DORINE
Well,
We'll try all sorts of ways.
(To Mariane)
Your father's daft;
(To Valere)
This plan is nonsense.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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