Scene II

[Another part of the wood]

Enter Titania, Queen of Fairies, with her train

TITANIA:

Come now, a roundel and a fairy song;
Then, for the third part of a minute, hence:
Some to kill cankers in the musk-rose buds;
Some war with rere-mice for their leathern wings,
To make my small elves coats; and some keep back(5)
The clamorous owl that nightly hoots and wonders
At our quaint spirits. Sing me now asleep;
Then to your offices, and let me rest.

TITANIA:

Come, now a dance and a fairy song,
Then, for the third part of a minute, leave here,
Some to kill bugs in the musk-rose buds,
Some to kill red-mice for their leather wings,
To make my small elves coats; and some to quiet
The noisy owl, that nightly hoots and wonders
About us. Sing me now to sleep,
Then go to your tasks, and let me rest.

The Fairies Sing

FIRST FAIRY:

[song]
You spotted snakes with double tongue,(10)
Thorny hedgehogs, be not seen;
Newts and blind-worms, do no wrong,
Come not near our fairy Queen.
CHORUSPhilomel with melody
Sing in our sweet lullaby.(15)
Lulla, lulla, lullaby; lulla, lulla, lullaby.
Never harm
Nor spell nor charm
Come our lovely lady nigh.
So good night, with lullaby.(20)

FIRST FAIRY:

You spotted snakes, with double tongue,
Thorny hedgehogs, be not seen;
Newts and blindworms do no wrong;
Come not near our fairy queen. Philomel, with melody,
Sing in our sweet lullaby.
Lulla, lulla, lullaby; lulla, lulla, lullaby.
Never harm, nor spell, nor charm,
Come our lovely lady nigh;
So goodnight, with lullaby.

SECOND FAIRY:

Weaving spiders, come not here;
Hence, you long-legg'd spinners, hence.
Beetles black, approach not near;
Worm nor snail do no offence.
CHORUSPhilomel with melody, &c.(25)

SECOND FAIRY:

Weaving spiders, come not here;
Hence, you long-legged spinners, hence;
Beetles black, approach not near;
Worm nor snail do no offence. Philomel, with melody,
Sing in our sweet lullaby.
Lulla, lulla, lullaby; lulla, lulla, lullaby.
Never harm, nor spell, nor charm,
Come our lovely lady nigh;
So goodnight, with lullaby.

FIRST FAIRY:

Hence away; now all is well.
One aloof stand sentinel.

FIRST FAIRY:

Let’s go; now all is well.
One of you, stand sentinel over there.

[Exeunt Fairies, Titania] Sleeps

Enter Oberon [and squeezes the flower on Titania's eyelids]

OBERON:

What thou seest when thou dost wake,
Do it for thy true-love take;
Love and languish for his sake.(30)
Be it ounce, or cat, or bear,
Pard, or boar with bristled hair,
In thy eye that shall appear
When thou wakest, it is thy dear.
Wake when some vile thing is near.(35)

OBERON:

What you see when you wake,
[Squeezes the flower on TITANIA'S eyelids.]
Take for your true-love;
Love and languish for his sake;
Whether it’s a cheetah, or a cat, or a bear,
A panther, or a boar with bristled hair,
When you wake, whatever you see,
It is your dear.
Wake when some vile thing is near.

[Exit]

Enter Lysander and Hermia

LYSANDER:

Fair love, you faint with wandering in the wood;
And, to speak troth, I have forgot our way;
We'll rest us, Hermia, if you think it good,
And tarry for the comfort of the day.

LYSANDER:

Fair love, you are exhausted with wandering in the forest.
And, to tell the truth, I’m lost.
If you think it’s OK, Hermia, let’s rest
And wait for daylight to move on.

HERMIA:

Be it so, Lysander: find you out a bed,(40)
For I upon this bank will rest my head.

HERMIA:

OK, Lysander. You find yourself a bed,
And I will rest my head upon this bank.

LYSANDER:

One turf shall serve as pillow for us both;
One heart, one bed, two bosoms, and one troth.

LYSANDER:

One bit of land will be a pillow for us both;
One heart, one bed, two bosoms, and one trust.

HERMIA:

Nay, good Lysander; for my sake, my dear,
Lie further off yet; do not lie so near.(45)

HERMIA:

No, good Lysander, for my sake, my dear,
Lie down over there away from me. Do not lie so near.

LYSANDER:

O, take the sense, sweet, of my innocence!
Love takes the meaning in love's conference.
I mean, that my heart unto yours is knit,
So that but one heart we can make of it;
Two bosoms interchained with an oath,(50)
So then two bosoms and a single troth.
Then by your side no bed-room me deny,
For lying so, Hermia, I do not lie.

LYSANDER:

Oh, sweetheart, take what I said in an innocent sense.
Love takes the meaning in love's conversation.
I mean that my heart is knit with yours,
So that we can make one heart of it.
Two bosoms intertwined with an oath,
So that there are two bosoms but one promise.
Then don’t tell me not to sleep by your side,
Because in sleeping near you, Hermia, I do not lie.

HERMIA:

Lysander riddles very prettily.
Now much beshrew my manners and my pride,(55)
If Hermia meant to say Lysander lied!
But, gentle friend, for love and courtesy
Lie further off, in human modesty;
Such separation as may well be said
Becomes a virtuous bachelor and a maid,(60)
So far be distant; and good night, sweet friend.
Thy love ne'er alter till thy sweet life end!

HERMIA:

Lysander riddles very prettily.
Now curse my manners and my pride
If Hermia meant to say Lysander lied!
But, gentle friend, lie over there
for love and courtesy. In human modesty,
Such a separation may well be called appropriate
For a virtuous bachelor and a maid.
So please, just lie over there; and good night, sweet friend.
May your love never change until your sweet life ends!

LYSANDER:

Amen, amen, to that fair prayer say I;
And then end life when I end loyalty!
Here is my bed; sleep give thee all his rest!(65)

LYSANDER:

Amen, amen, I say to that fair prayer,
And then my life end when I end loyalty!
Here is my bed. Sleep give you all his rest!

HERMIA:

With half that wish the wisher's eyes be press'd!

HERMIA:

May only half as much sleep do!

They sleep

Enter Puck

PUCK:

Through the forest have I gone,
But Athenian found I none,
On whose eyes I might approve
This flower's force in stirring love.
Night and silence.—Who is here?(70)
Weeds of Athens he doth wear:
This is he, my master said,
Despised the Athenian maid;
And here the maiden, sleeping sound,
On the dank and dirty ground.(75)
Pretty soul! she durst not lie
Near this lack-love, this kill-courtesy.
Churl, upon thy eyes I throw
All the power this charm doth owe:
When thou wakest let love forbid(80)
Sleep his seat on thy eyelid.
So awake when I am gone;
For I must now to Oberon.

PUCK:

I’ve gone through the whole forest,
But I haven’t found any Athenian
On whose eyes I might pour
This flower's juice to stir his love.
Night and silence! Who’s here?
He’s got Athenian clothes on.
This is the guy, as my master said,
Who despises the Athenian maid,
And here is the maiden, sleeping sound,
On the dank and dirty ground.
Pretty soul! she doesn’t dare lie
Near this lack-love, this kill-courtesy.
Rude man, I throw on your eyes
All the power that this charm has.
When you wake, let love forbid
You get any sleep.
So awake when I am gone;
For I must go now to Oberon.

Exit

Enter Demetrius and Helena, running

HELENA:

Stay, though thou kill me, sweet Demetrius.

HELENA:

Stay, though you kill me, sweet Demetrius.

DEMETRIUS:

I charge thee, hence, and do not haunt me thus.(85)

DEMETRIUS:

I order you, get far away from me and do not haunt me thus.

HELENA:

O, wilt thou darkling leave me? Do not so.

HELENA:

Oh, will you, a dark-natured man, leave me? Don’t.

DEMETRIUS:

Stay on thy peril; I alone will go.

DEMETRIUS:

Stay here at your own risk; I will go on alone.

Exit Demetrius

HELENA:

O, I am out of breath in this fond chase!
The more my prayer, the lesser is my grace.
Happy is Hermia, wheresoe'er she lies,(90)
For she hath blessed and attractive eyes.
How came her eyes so bright? Not with salt tears;
If so, my eyes are oft'ner wash'd than hers.
No, no, I am as ugly as a bear,
For beasts that meet me run away for fear;(95)
Therefore no marvel though Demetrius
Do, as a monster, fly my presence thus.
What wicked and dissembling glass of mine
Made me compare with Hermia's sphery eyne?
But who is here? Lysander! on the ground!(100)
Dead, or asleep? I see no blood, no wound.
Lysander, if you live, good sir, awake.

HELENA:

Oh, I am out of breath in this happy chase!
The more I pray, the less grace I have.
Hermia is happy, wherever she lies,
Because she has blessed and attractive eyes.
How did her eyes come to be so bright? Not with crying.
If so, my eyes are more often washed with tears than hers.
No, no, I am as ugly as a bear;
Because beasts that meet me run away afraid.
Therefore, it’s no marvel that Demetrius
As a monster, flies away from being with me.
What wicked and lying mirror of mine
Made me compare my eyes with Hermia's?
But who’s here?—Lysander! on the ground!
Dead? or asleep? I see no blood, no wound.
Lysander, if you live, good sir, wake up!

LYSANDER:

[Waking] And run through fire I will for thy sweet
sake.
Transparent Helena! Nature shows art,(105)
That through thy bosom makes me see thy heart.
Where is Demetrius? O, how fit a word
Is that vile name to perish on my sword!

LYSANDER:

[Waking.]
And I will run through fire, I will, for your sweet sake.
Transparent Helena! Nature has made it so that
I can see through your chest all the way to your heart.
Where is Demetrius? Oh, how fitting it is that
That vile name should perish on my sword!

HELENA:

Do not say so, Lysander; say not so.
What though he love your Hermia?(110)
Lord, what though?
Yet Hermia still loves you; then be content.

HELENA:

Don’t say that, Lysander, don’t say that.
So what if he loves your Hermia? Lord, so what?
Hermia still loves you. Then be content.

LYSANDER:

Content with Hermia! No: I do repent
The tedious minutes I with her have spent.
Not Hermia but Helena I love:(115)
Who will not change a raven for a dove?
The will of man is by his reason sway'd,
And reason says you are the worthier maid.
Things growing are not ripe until their season;
So I, being young, till now ripe not to reason;(120)
And touching now the point of human skill,
Reason becomes the marshal to my will,
And leads me to your eyes, where I o'erlook
Love's stories, written in Love's richest book.

LYSANDER:

Content with Hermia? No! I am sorry for
The tedious minutes I have spent with her.
I don’t love Hermia, but Helena.
Who will not exchange a raven for a dove?
The will of man is persuaded by his reason,
And reason says you are the worthier maid.
Things that grow are not ripe until it’s their season to be ripe,
So I, being young, have not been ripened in reason,
And touching the point of human skill now,
Reason has become the commander of my will,
And it leads me to your eyes, where I see
Love's stories, written in love's richest book.

HELENA:

Wherefore was I to this keen mockery born?(125)
When at your hands did I deserve this scorn?
Is't not enough, is't not enough, young man,
That I did never, no, nor never can,
Deserve a sweet look from Demetrius' eye,
But you must flout my insufficiency?(130)
Good troth, you do me wrong, good sooth, you do,
In such disdainful manner me to woo.
But fare you well; perforce I must confess
I thought you lord of more true gentleness.
O, that a lady of one man refused(135)
Should of another therefore be abused!

HELENA:

Why was I born to this keen mockery?
When did I earn this scorn at your hands?
Isn’t it enough, isn’t it enough, young man,
That I never did, no, nor never can
Deserve a sweet look from Demetrius' eye,
But you must joke about what I’m lacking?
Good lord, you do me wrong— good lord, you do—
To court me In such disdainful manner.
But goodbye. Of necessity, I must confess that
I thought you were the lord of more true gentleness.
Oh, that a lady of one man refused
Should therefore be abused by another!

Exit