The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Part 370

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, 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.

HERMIA. Lysander riddles very prettily.

Now much beshrew my manners and my pride, 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, So far be distant; and good night, sweet friend.

Thy love ne'er alter till thy sweet life end!

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!

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

[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?

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.

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 wak'st let love forbid Sleep his seat on thy eyelid.

So awake when I am gone; For I must now to Oberon. Exit

Enter DEMETRIUS and HELENA, running

HELENA. Stay, though thou kill me, sweet Demetrius.

DEMETRIUS. I charge thee, hence, and do not haunt me thus.

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

DEMETRIUS. Stay on thy peril; I alone will go. Exit 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, 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; Therefore no marvel though Demetrius Do, as a monster, fly my presence thus.

What wicked and dissembling gla.s.s of mine Made me compare with Hermia's sphery eyne?

But who is here? Lysander! on the ground!

Dead, or asleep? I see no blood, no wound.

Lysander, if you live, good sir, awake.

LYSANDER. [Waking] And run through fire I will for thy sweet sake.

Transparent Helena! Nature shows art, 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!

HELENA. Do not say so, Lysander; say not so.

What though he love your Hermia? Lord, what though?

Yet 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: 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; 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.

HELENA. Wherefore was I to this keen mockery born?

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?

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 refus'd Should of another therefore be abus'd! Exit LYSANDER. She sees not Hermia. Hermia, sleep thou there; And never mayst thou come Lysander near!

For, as a surfeit of the sweetest things The deepest loathing to the stomach brings, Or as the heresies that men do leave Are hated most of those they did deceive, So thou, my surfeit and my heresy, Of all be hated, but the most of me!

And, all my powers, address your love and might To honour Helen, and to be her knight! Exit HERMIA. [Starting] Help me, Lysander, help me; do thy best To pluck this crawling serpent from my breast.

Ay me, for pity! What a dream was here!

Lysander, look how I do quake with fear.

Methought a serpent eat my heart away, And you sat smiling at his cruel prey.

Lysander! What, remov'd? Lysander! lord!

What, out of hearing gone? No sound, no word?

Alack, where are you? Speak, an if you hear; Speak, of all loves! I swoon almost with fear.

No? Then I well perceive you are not nigh.

Either death or you I'll find immediately. Exit

>

ACT III. SCENE I.

The wood. t.i.tANIA lying asleep

Enter QUINCE, SNUG, BOTTOM, FLUTE, SNOUT, and STARVELING

BOTTOM. Are we all met?

QUINCE. Pat, pat; and here's a marvellous convenient place for our rehearsal. This green plot shall be our stage, this hawthorn brake our tiring-house; and we will do it in action, as we will do it before the Duke.

BOTTOM. Peter Quince!

QUINCE. What sayest thou, bully Bottom?

BOTTOM. There are things in this comedy of Pyramus and Thisby that will never please. First, Pyramus must draw a sword to kill himself; which the ladies cannot abide. How answer you that?

SNOUT. By'r lakin, a parlous fear.

STARVELING. I believe we must leave the killing out, when all is done.

BOTTOM. Not a whit; I have a device to make all well. Write me a prologue; and let the prologue seem to say we will do no harm with our swords, and that Pyramus is not kill'd indeed; and for the more better a.s.surance, tell them that I Pyramus am not Pyramus but Bottom the weaver. This will put them out of fear.

QUINCE. Well, we will have such a prologue; and it shall be written in eight and six.

BOTTOM. No, make it two more; let it be written in eight and eight.

SNOUT. Will not the ladies be afeard of the lion?

STARVELING. I fear it, I promise you.

BOTTOM. Masters, you ought to consider with yourself to bring in- G.o.d s.h.i.+eld us!- a lion among ladies is a most dreadful thing; for there is not a more fearful wild-fowl than your lion living; and we ought to look to't.

SNOUT. Therefore another prologue must tell he is not a lion.

BOTTOM. Nay, you must name his name, and half his face must be seen through the lion's neck; and he himself must speak through, saying thus, or to the same defect: 'Ladies,' or 'Fair ladies, I would wish you' or 'I would request you' or 'I would entreat you not to fear, not to tremble. My life for yours! If you think I come hither as a lion, it were pity of my life. No, I am no such thing; I am a man as other men are.' And there, indeed, let him name his name, and tell them plainly he is Snug the joiner.

QUINCE. Well, it shall be so. But there is two hard things- that is, to bring the moonlight into a chamber; for, you know, Pyramus and Thisby meet by moonlight.

SNOUT. Doth the moon s.h.i.+ne that night we play our play?

BOTTOM. A calendar, a calendar! Look in the almanack; find out moons.h.i.+ne, find out moons.h.i.+ne.

QUINCE. Yes, it doth s.h.i.+ne that night.

BOTTOM. Why, then may you leave a cas.e.m.e.nt of the great chamber window, where we play, open; and the moon may s.h.i.+ne in at the cas.e.m.e.nt.

QUINCE. Ay; or else one must come in with a bush of thorns and a lantern, and say he comes to disfigure or to present the person of Moons.h.i.+ne. Then there is another thing: we must have a wall in the great chamber; for Pyramus and Thisby, says the story, did talk through the c.h.i.n.k of a wall.

SNOUT. You can never bring in a wall. What say you, Bottom?

BOTTOM. Some man or other must present Wall; and let him have some plaster, or some loam, or some rough-cast about him, to signify wall; and let him hold his fingers thus, and through that cranny shall Pyramus and Thisby whisper.

QUINCE. If that may be, then all is well. Come, sit down, every mother's son, and rehea.r.s.e your parts. Pyramus, you begin; when you have spoken your speech, enter into that brake; and so every one according to his cue.

Enter PUCK behind