Romeo and Juliet / Ромео и Джульетта

Nurse

Now God in heaven bless thee. Hark you, sir.

Romeo

What say’st thou, my dear Nurse?

Nurse

Is your man secret? Did you ne’er hear say,

Two may keep counsel, putting one away?

Romeo

I warrant thee my man’s as true as steel.

Nurse

Well, sir, my mistress is the sweetest lady. Lord, Lord! When ’twas a little prating thing, – O, there is a nobleman in town, one Paris, that would fain lay knife aboard; but she, good soul, had as lief see a toad, a very toad, as see him.

I anger her sometimes, and tell her that Paris is the properer man, but I’ll warrant you, when I say so, she looks as pale as any clout in the versal world. Doth not rosemary and Romeo begin both with a letter?

Romeo

Ay, Nurse; what of that? Both with an R.

Nurse

Ah, mocker! That’s the dog’s name. R is for the-no, I know it begins with some other letter, and she hath the prettiest sententious of it, of you and rosemary, that it would do you good to hear it.

Romeo

Commend me to thy lady.

Nurse

Ay, a thousand times. Peter!

[Exit Romeo]

Peter

Anon.

Nurse

Before and apace.

[Exeunt.]

Scene V

Capulet’s Garden. Enter Juliet.

Juliet

The clock struck nine when I did send the Nurse,

In half an hour she promised to return.

Perchance she cannot meet him. That’s not so.

O, she is lame. Love’s heralds should be thoughts,

Which ten times faster glides than the sun’s beams,

Driving back shadows over lowering hills:

Therefore do nimble-pinion’d doves draw love,

And therefore hath the wind-swift Cupid wings.

Now is the sun upon the highmost hill

Of this day’s journey, and from nine till twelve

Is three long hours, yet she is not come.

Had she affections and warm youthful blood,

She’d be as swift in motion as a ball;

My words would bandy her to my sweet love,

And his to me.

But old folks, many feign as they were dead;

Unwieldy, slow, heavy and pale as lead.

Enter Nurse and Peter.

O God, she comes. O honey Nurse, what news?

Hast thou met with him? Send thy man away.

Nurse

Peter, stay at the gate.

[Exit Peter.]

Juliet

Now, good sweet Nurse, – O Lord, why look’st thou sad?

Though news be sad, yet tell them merrily;

If good, thou sham’st the music of sweet news

By playing it to me with so sour a face.