威尼斯商人

飘泊

葛萊西安諾        是的，大爺。
巴薩尼奧        我們的喜宴有你們的婚禮添興，那真是喜上加喜了。
葛萊西安諾        我們要跟他們打賭一千塊錢，看誰先養儿子。
尼莉莎        什么，還要賭一筆錢？
葛萊西安諾        不，我們怕是贏不了的，還是不下賭注了吧。可是誰來啦？羅蘭佐和他的异教徒嗎？什么！還有我那威尼斯老朋友薩萊尼奧？
　        　　　羅蘭佐、杰西卡及薩萊尼奧上。
巴薩尼奧        羅蘭佐、薩萊尼奧，雖然我也是初履此地，讓我僭用著這里主人的名義，歡迎你們的到來。親愛的鮑西婭，請您允許我接待我這几個同鄉朋友。

飘泊

PORTIA

    So do I, my lord:
    They are entirely welcome.

LORENZO

    I thank your honour. For my part, my lord,
    My purpose was not to have seen you here;
    But meeting with Salerio by the way,
    He did entreat me, past all saying nay,
    To come with him along.

SALERIO

    I did, my lord;
    And I have reason for it. Signior Antonio
    Commends him to you.

    Gives Bassanio a letter

BASSANIO

    Ere I ope his letter,
    I pray you, tell me how my good friend doth.

飘泊

鮑西婭        我也是竭誠歡迎他們。
羅蘭佐        謝謝。巴薩尼奧大爺，我本來并沒有想到要到這儿來看您，因為在路上碰見薩萊尼奧，給他不由分說地硬拉著一塊儿來啦。
薩萊尼奧        是我拉他來，大爺，我是有理由的。安東尼奧先生叫我替他向您致意。（給巴薩尼奧一信。）
巴薩尼奧        在我沒有拆開這信以前，請你告訴我我的好朋友近來好嗎？

飘泊

SALERIO

    Not sick, my lord, unless it be in mind;
    Nor well, unless in mind: his letter there
    Will show you his estate.

GRATIANO

    Nerissa, cheer yon stranger; bid her welcome.
    Your hand, Salerio: what's the news from Venice?
    How doth that royal merchant, good Antonio?
    I know he will be glad of our success;
    We are the Jasons, we have won the fleece.

SALERIO

    I would you had won the fleece that he hath lost.

PORTIA

    There are some shrewd contents in yon same paper,
    That steals the colour from Bassanio's cheek:
    Some dear friend dead; else nothing in the world
    Could turn so much the constitution
    Of any constant man. What, worse and worse!
    With leave, Bassanio: I am half yourself,
    And I must freely have the half of anything
    That this same paper brings you.

BASSANIO

    O sweet Portia,
    Here are a few of the unpleasant'st words
    That ever blotted paper! Gentle lady,
    When I did first impart my love to you,
    I freely told you, all the wealth I had
    Ran in my veins, I was a gentleman;
    And then I told you true: and yet, dear lady,
    Rating myself at nothing, you shall see
    How much I was a braggart. When I told you
    My state was nothing, I should then have told you
    That I was worse than nothing; for, indeed,
    I have engaged myself to a dear friend,
    Engaged my friend to his mere enemy,
    To feed my means. Here is a letter, lady;
    The paper as the body of my friend,
    And every word in it a gaping wound,
    Issuing life-blood. But is it true, Salerio?
    Have all his ventures fail'd? What, not one hit?
    From Tripolis, from Mexico and England,
    From Lisbon, Barbary and India?
    And not one vessel 'scape the dreadful touch
    Of merchant-marring rocks?

飘泊

薩萊尼奧        他沒有病，除非有點儿心病；也并不輕松，除非打開了心結。您看了他的信，就可以知道他的近況。
葛萊西安諾        尼莉莎，招待招待那位客人。把你的手給我，薩萊尼奧。威尼斯有些什么消息？那位善良的商人安東尼奧怎樣？我知道他听見了我們的成功，一定會十分高興；我們是兩個伊阿宋，把金羊毛取了來啦。
薩萊尼奧        我希望你們能夠把他失去的金羊毛取了回來，那就好了。
鮑西婭        那信里一定有些什么坏消息，巴薩尼奧的臉色都變白了；多半是一個什么好朋友死了，否則不會有別的事情會把一個堂堂男子激動到這個樣子的。怎么，越來越糟了！恕我冒瀆，巴薩尼奧，我是您自身的一半，這封信所帶給您的任何不幸的消息，也必須讓我分一半去。
巴薩尼奧        啊，親愛的鮑西婭！這信里所寫的，是自有紙墨以來最悲慘的字句。好小姐，當我初次向您傾吐我的愛慕之忱的時候，我坦白地告訴您，我的高貴的家世是我僅有的財產，那時我并沒有向您說謊；可是，親愛的小姐，單單把我說成一個兩袖清風的寒士，還未免夸張過分，因為我不但一無所有，而且還負著一身債務；不但欠了我的一個好朋友許多錢，還累他為了我的緣故，欠了他仇家的錢。這一封信，小姐，那信紙就像是我朋友的身体，上面的每一個字，都是一處血淋淋的創傷。可是，薩萊尼奧，那是真的嗎？難道他的船舶都一起遭難了？竟沒有一艘平安到港嗎？從特里坡利斯、墨西哥、英國、里斯本、巴巴里和印度來的船只，沒有一艘能夠逃過那些毀害商船的礁石的可怕的撞擊嗎？

飘泊

SALERIO

    Not one, my lord.
    Besides, it should appear, that if he had
    The present money to discharge the Jew,
    He would not take it. Never did I know
    A creature, that did bear the shape of man,
    So keen and greedy to confound a man:
    He plies the duke at morning and at night,
    And doth impeach the freedom of the state,
    If they deny him justice: twenty merchants,
    The duke himself, and the magnificoes
    Of greatest port, have all persuaded with him;
    But none can drive him from the envious plea
    Of forfeiture, of justice and his bond.

JESSICA

    When I was with him I have heard him swear
    To Tubal and to Chus, his countrymen,
    That he would rather have Antonio's flesh
    Than twenty times the value of the sum
    That he did owe him: and I know, my lord,
    If law, authority and power deny not,
    It will go hard with poor Antonio.

PORTIA

    Is it your dear friend that is thus in trouble?

BASSANIO

    The dearest friend to me, the kindest man,
    The best-condition'd and unwearied spirit
    In doing courtesies, and one in whom
    The ancient Roman honour more appears
    Than any that draws breath in Italy.

飘泊

薩萊尼奧        一艘也沒有逃過。而且即使他現在有錢還那猶太人，那猶太人也不肯收他。我從來沒有見過這种家伙，樣子像人，卻一心一意只想殘害他的同類；他不分晝夜地向公爵絮叨，說是他們倘不給他主持公道，那么威尼斯根本不成其為自由邦。二十個商人、公爵自己，還有那些最有名望的士紳，都曾勸過他，可是誰也不能叫他回心轉意，放棄他狠毒的控訴；他一口咬定，要求按照約文的規定，處罰安東尼奧違約。
杰西卡        我在家里的時候，曾經听見他向杜伯爾和丘斯，他的兩個同族的人談起，說他宁可取安東尼奧身上的肉，不愿收受比他的欠款多二十倍的錢。要是法律和威權不能阻止他，那么可怜的安東尼奧恐怕難逃一死了。
鮑西婭        遭到這樣危難的人，是不是您的好朋友？
巴薩尼奧        我的最親密的朋友，一個心腸最仁慈的人，熱心為善，多情尚義，在他身上存留著比任何意大利人更多的古代羅馬的俠義精神。

飘泊

PORTIA

    What sum owes he the Jew?

BASSANIO

    For me three thousand ducats.

PORTIA

    What, no more?
    Pay him six thousand, and deface the bond;
    Double six thousand, and then treble that,
    Before a friend of this description
    Shall lose a hair through Bassanio's fault.
    First go with me to church and call me wife,
    And then away to Venice to your friend;
    For never shall you lie by Portia's side
    With an unquiet soul. You shall have gold
    To pay the petty debt twenty times over:
    When it is paid, bring your true friend along.
    My maid Nerissa and myself meantime
    Will live as maids and widows. Come, away!
    For you shall hence upon your wedding-day:
    Bid your friends welcome, show a merry cheer:
    Since you are dear bought, I will love you dear.
    But let me hear the letter of your friend.

飘泊

鮑西婭        他欠那猶太人多少錢？
巴薩尼奧        他為了我的緣故，向他借了三千塊錢。
鮑西婭        什么，只有這一點數目嗎？還他六千塊錢，把那借約毀了；兩倍六千塊錢，或者照這數目再倍三倍都可以，可是万万不能因為巴薩尼奧的過失，害這樣一位好朋友損傷一根毛發。先和我到教堂里去結為夫婦，然后你就到威尼斯去看你的朋友；鮑西婭決不讓你抱著一顆不安宁的良心睡在她的身旁。你可以帶償還這筆小小借款的二十倍那么多的錢去；債務清了以后，就帶你的忠心的朋友到這儿來。我的侍女尼莉莎陪著我在家里，仍舊像未嫁的時候一樣，守候著你們的歸來。來，今天就是你結婚的日子，大家快快樂樂，好好招待你的朋友們。你既然是用這么大的代价買來的，我一定格外愛你。可是讓我听听你朋友的信。

飘泊

BASSANIO

    [Reads] Sweet Bassanio, my ships have all
    miscarried, my creditors grow cruel, my estate is
    very low, my bond to the Jew is forfeit; and since
    in paying it, it is impossible I should live, all
    debts are cleared between you and I, if I might but
    see you at my death. Notwithstanding, use your
    pleasure: if your love do not persuade you to come,
    let not my letter.

PORTIA

    O love, dispatch all business, and be gone!

BASSANIO

    Since I have your good leave to go away,
    I will make haste: but, till I come again,
    No bed shall e'er be guilty of my stay,
    No rest be interposer 'twixt us twain.

    Exeunt