Need help with Helena's speech from all's well ends well

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bonnietaylor

Hello I need help with Helena's speech from all's well ends well.
The speech is in act1 scene3 and begins with 'Then I confess, here on my knee' and then ends with 'but riddle-like lives sweetly where she dies.'

I'm finding it very hard to get a translation so any translation would be a huge help.

Thanks!

Here we go:

Then, I confess,
Here on my knee, before high heaven and you,
That before you, and next unto high heaven,
I love your son.

This paragraph basically means "As you and God are my witness...". In other words, she's deeply in love

My friends were poor, but honest; so's my love:
My love is honest and simple
Be not offended; for it hurts not him
That he is loved of me My loving him doesn't do him any harm: I follow him not
By any token of presumptuous suit I've never tried it on with him;
Nor would I have him till I do deserve him;
Yet never know how that desert should be.
I won't tell him I love him until I can prove that I'm good enough for him- but I don't know how I can prove my worthiness

I know I love in vain, strive against hope;
Yet in this captious and intenible sieve
I still pour in the waters of my love
And lack not to lose still
I know it's hopeless to love him but I cannot stop myself

: thus, Indian-like,
Religious in mine error, I adore
The sun, that looks upon his worshipper,
But knows of him no more. My dearest madam,
Let not your hate encounter with my love
For loving where you do Don't be jealous of me because I love your son: but if yourself,
Whose aged honour cites a virtuous youth,
Did ever in so true a flame of liking
Wish chastely and love dearly, that your Dian
Was both herself and love: O, then, give pity
To her, whose state is such that cannot choose
But lend and give where she is sure to lose
;That seeks not to find that her search implies,
But riddle-like lives sweetly where she dies

If you ever loved someone like I love your son, please give me pity for I can't help loving him, even though I know it's hopeless

Basically Helena's confiding in the countess because her unrequited unspoken love for Bertram is killing her, basically. She worships him madly and would do anything for him, hence the complicated plot to win his love that follows.