Oh, heat, dry up my brains! Salty tears, burn my eyes! By heaven,
I'll get revenge for your madness! Oh, you springtime
rose, dear maiden, kind sister, sweet Ophelia! Is it possible that a
young woman's mind could fade away as easily as an old
man's life? Human nature is refined and
thoughtful—person graciously gives a valuable part of
herself away to her beloved, as Ophelia has sent off her sanity to
her dead father.
OPHELIA
140
(sings)
They bore him barefaced on the
bier,
Hey, non nonny,
nonny, hey, nonny,
And in his grave rained many a
tear.
Fare you well, my dove.
OPHELIA
(sings)
They carried him uncovered in
the coffin,
Hey non nonny,
nonny, hey nonny.
And tears poured down into his
grave.
Good-bye, honey.
LAERTES
Hadst thou thy wits, and didst persuade revenge,
It could not move thus.
LAERTES
If you were sane and could urge me to take revenge, you
couldn't be more persuasive than you are now.
OPHELIA
You must sing
A-down
a-down—And
you,
Call him
a-
145
down-a—Oh, how the wheel
becomes it! It is the false
steward that stole his master's daughter.
OPHELIA
You're supposed to sing, “A down
a-down,” and you, “Call him
a-down-a.” Oh, how it turns around like a wheel! Like the
worker who stole his boss's daughter.
LAERTES
This nothing's more than matter.
LAERTES
This nonsense means more than rational speech.
OPHELIA
There's rosemary, that's for remembrance.
Pray you, love,
remember. And there is pansies, that's for
thoughts.
OPHELIA
Look at my flowers. There's rosemary, that's
for remembering. Please remember, love. And there are pansies,
they're for thoughts.
