The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Part 369

OBERON. Do you amend it, then; it lies in you.

Why should t.i.tania cross her Oberon?

I do but beg a little changeling boy To be my henchman.

t.i.tANIA. Set your heart at rest; The fairy land buys not the child of me.

His mother was a vot'ress of my order; And, in the spiced Indian air, by night, Full often hath she gossip'd by my side; And sat with me on Neptune's yellow sands, Marking th' embarked traders on the flood; When we have laugh'd to see the sails conceive, And grow big-bellied with the wanton wind; Which she, with pretty and with swimming gait Following- her womb then rich with my young squire- Would imitate, and sail upon the land, To fetch me trifles, and return again, As from a voyage, rich with merchandise.

But she, being mortal, of that boy did die; And for her sake do I rear up her boy; And for her sake I will not part with him.

OBERON. How long within this wood intend you stay?

t.i.tANIA. Perchance till after Theseus' wedding-day.

If you will patiently dance in our round, And see our moonlight revels, go with us; If not, shun me, and I will spare your haunts.

OBERON. Give me that boy and I will go with thee.

t.i.tANIA. Not for thy fairy kingdom. Fairies, away.

We shall chide downright if I longer stay.

Exit t.i.tANIA with her train OBERON. Well, go thy way; thou shalt not from this grove Till I torment thee for this injury.

My gentle Puck, come hither. Thou rememb'rest Since once I sat upon a promontory, And heard a mermaid on a dolphin's back Uttering such dulcet and harmonious breath That the rude sea grew civil at her song, And certain stars shot madly from their spheres To hear the sea-maid's music.

PUCK. I remember.

OBERON. That very time I saw, but thou couldst not, Flying between the cold moon and the earth Cupid, all arm'd; a certain aim he took At a fair vestal, throned by the west, And loos'd his love-shaft smartly from his bow, As it should pierce a hundred thousand hearts; But I might see young Cupid's fiery shaft Quench'd in the chaste beams of the wat'ry moon; And the imperial vot'ress pa.s.sed on, In maiden meditation, fancy-free.

Yet mark'd I where the bolt of Cupid fell.

It fell upon a little western flower, Before milk-white, now purple with love's wound, And maidens call it Love-in-idleness.

Fetch me that flow'r, the herb I showed thee once.

The juice of it on sleeping eyelids laid Will make or man or woman madly dote Upon the next live creature that it sees.

Fetch me this herb, and be thou here again Ere the leviathan can swim a league.

PUCK. I'll put a girdle round about the earth In forty minutes. Exit PUCK OBERON. Having once this juice, I'll watch t.i.tania when she is asleep, And drop the liquor of it in her eyes; The next thing then she waking looks upon, Be it on lion, bear, or wolf, or bull, On meddling monkey, or on busy ape, She shall pursue it with the soul of love.

And ere I take this charm from off her sight, As I can take it with another herb, I'll make her render up her page to me.

But who comes here? I am invisible; And I will overhear their conference.

Enter DEMETRIUS, HELENA following him

DEMETRIUS. I love thee not, therefore pursue me not.

Where is Lysander and fair Hermia?

The one I'll slay, the other slayeth me.

Thou told'st me they were stol'n unto this wood, And here am I, and wood within this wood, Because I cannot meet my Hermia.

Hence, get thee gone, and follow me no more.

HELENA. You draw me, you hard-hearted adamant; But yet you draw not iron, for my heart Is true as steel. Leave you your power to draw, And I shall have no power to follow you.

DEMETRIUS. Do I entice you? Do I speak you fair?

Or, rather, do I not in plainest truth Tell you I do not nor I cannot love you?

HELENA. And even for that do I love you the more.

I am your spaniel; and, Demetrius, The more you beat me, I will fawn on you.

Use me but as your spaniel, spurn me, strike me, Neglect me, lose me; only give me leave, Unworthy as I am, to follow you.

What worser place can I beg in your love, And yet a place of high respect with me, Than to be used as you use your dog?

DEMETRIUS. Tempt not too much the hatred of my spirit; For I am sick when I do look on thee.

HELENA. And I am sick when I look not on you.

DEMETRIUS. You do impeach your modesty too much To leave the city and commit yourself Into the hands of one that loves you not; To trust the opportunity of night, And the ill counsel of a desert place, With the rich worth of your virginity.

HELENA. Your virtue is my privilege for that: It is not night when I do see your face, Therefore I think I am not in the night; Nor doth this wood lack worlds of company, For you, in my respect, are all the world.

Then how can it be said I am alone When all the world is here to look on me?

DEMETRIUS. I'll run from thee and hide me in the brakes, And leave thee to the mercy of wild beasts.

HELENA. The wildest hath not such a heart as you.

Run when you will; the story shall be chang'd: Apollo flies, and Daphne holds the chase; The dove pursues the griffin; the mild hind Makes speed to catch the tiger- bootless speed, When cowardice pursues and valour flies.

DEMETRIUS. I will not stay thy questions; let me go; Or, if thou follow me, do not believe But I shall do thee mischief in the wood.

HELENA. Ay, in the temple, in the town, the field, You do me mischief. Fie, Demetrius!

Your wrongs do set a scandal on my s.e.x.

We cannot fight for love as men may do; We should be woo'd, and were not made to woo.

Exit DEMETRIUS I'll follow thee, and make a heaven of h.e.l.l, To die upon the hand I love so well. Exit HELENA OBERON. Fare thee well, nymph; ere he do leave this grove, Thou shalt fly him, and he shall seek thy love.

Re-enter PUCK

Hast thou the flower there? Welcome, wanderer.

PUCK. Ay, there it is.

OBERON. I pray thee give it me.

I know a bank where the wild thyme blows, Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows, Quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine, With sweet musk-roses, and with eglantine; There sleeps t.i.tania sometime of the night, Lull'd in these flowers with dances and delight; And there the snake throws her enamell'd skin, Weed wide enough to wrap a fairy in; And with the juice of this I'll streak her eyes, And make her full of hateful fantasies.

Take thou some of it, and seek through this grove: A sweet Athenian lady is in love With a disdainful youth; anoint his eyes; But do it when the next thing he espies May be the lady. Thou shalt know the man By the Athenian garments he hath on.

Effect it with some care, that he may prove More fond on her than she upon her love.

And look thou meet me ere the first c.o.c.k crow.

PUCK. Fear not, my lord; your servant shall do so. Exeunt

SCENE II.

Another part of the wood

Enter t.i.tANIA, with her train

t.i.tANIA. 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 The clamorous owl that nightly hoots and wonders At our quaint spirits. Sing me now asleep; Then to your offices, and let me rest.

The FAIRIES Sing

FIRST FAIRY. You spotted snakes with double tongue, Th.o.r.n.y hedgehogs, be not seen; Newts and blind-worms, do no wrong, Come not near our fairy Queen.

CHORUS. 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 good night, 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.

CHORUS. Philomel with melody, etc. [t.i.tANIA Sleeps]

FIRST FAIRY. Hence away; now all is well.

One aloof stand sentinel. Exeunt FAIRIES

Enter OBERON and squeezes the flower on t.i.tANIA'S eyelids

OBERON. What thou seest when thou dost wake, Do it for thy true-love take; Love and languish for his sake.

Be it ounce, or cat, or bear, Pard, or boar with bristled hair, In thy eye that shall appear When thou wak'st, it is thy dear.

Wake when some vile thing is near. Exit

Enter LYSANDER and HERMIA

LYSANDER. Fair love, you faint with wand'ring 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.

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

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

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

LYSANDER. O, take the sense, sweet, of my innocence!