The sun begins to gild the western sky,
And now it is about the very hour
That Silvia at Friar Patrick’s cell should meet me.
She will not fail, for lovers break not hours,
Unless it be to come before their time,
So much they spur their expedition.
The sun is starting to turn the western sky golden, and now it's about the right time that Silvia should meet me at Friar Patrick's cell. She won't be late, because lovers never break their promised times, unless it's to arrive early, they're so eager to get there.
The sun is turning the sky gold over in the west, and it's about time for Silvia to meet me at Friar Patrick's place. She won't be late—lovers never miss their meetings, and if anything they show up early because they're so excited to see each other.
sun's turning the sky gold it's about time silvia will be there lovers are always early
See where she comes. Lady, a happy evening!
Look, here she comes. My lady, good evening to you!
There you are! Good evening, lady.
there u are happy evening
Amen, amen. Go on, good Eglamour,
Out at the postern by the abbey wall.
I fear I am attended by some spies.
Yes, yes. Go ahead, good Eglamour, exit through the small gate by the abbey wall. I'm worried I'm being watched by some spies.
Amen, amen. Go on, Eglamour, sneak out through that side gate by the abbey wall. I think there are people watching me.
yes yes go out the side gate i think people are watching me
Fear not. The forest is not three leagues off;
If we recover that, we are sure enough.
Don't worry. The forest is not even three miles away; if we get there, we'll be safe enough.
Don't worry. The forest is just a few miles away, and once we get there, we'll be in the clear.
don't worry forest is just miles away we'll be safe
The Reckoning
In this tiny, breathless scene Silvia makes her escape from Milan, and the play's action finally moves from the court to the forest. Eglamour's confident line that 'lovers break not hours' says a lot about Silvia's resolve: she arrives right on time for a dangerous flight from her father's house. Her nervous talk of spies raises the tension, and Eglamour's calm 'Fear not' sounds a little too sure of itself. Notice how short and clipped everything is. There is no time for speeches here, just the urgency of leaving. The forest they are hurrying toward promises safety, but it is where every plotline in the play is about to collide.
If this happened today…
You have planned to leave home in secret. A friend you trust has agreed to drive you, and he is parked round the back at the agreed time, telling himself you will definitely show because this matters so much to you. You come out fast, look over your shoulder, and whisper that you think someone is watching. 'Relax,' he says, 'we just need to hit the highway and then we are fine.' You both get in the car hoping he is right.