But yet an union in partition;
But united at the base,
Two lovely berries moulded on one stem;
Two lovely cherries joined at the stem.
So, with two seeming bodies, but one heart;
Seemingly we had two different bodies, but always one heart,
Two of the first, like coats in heraldry,
Like two coats of arms on a shield
Due but to one and crowned with one crest.
That pledge their allegiance to the same king, crowned with a single crest.
And will you rent our ancient love asunder,
And now will you break the bonds of all of this
To join with men in scorning your poor friend?
By joining with these men in mocking me?
It is not friendly, 'tis not maidenly:
It is neither friendly nor ladylike:
Our sex, as well as I, may chide you for it,
All women would do well to criticize you for it,
Though I alone do feel the injury.
Though I am the only woman hurt by it.
HERMIA
I am amazed at your passionate words.
What you are saying stuns me.
I scorn you not: it seems that you scorn me.
I do not hold you in contempt, but it seems you think of me that way.
HELENA
Have you not set Lysander, as in scorn,
Didn’t you make Lysander, from your contempt for me,
To follow me and praise my eyes and face?
Follow me and compliment my looks?
And made your other love, Demetrius,
And then didn’t you make the other man who loves you, Demetrius,
Who even but now did spurn me with his foot,
Who at all times before now turned me away, even with his foot,
To call me goddess, nymph, divine and rare,
Call me a goddess, a fairy, divine and rare,
Precious, celestial? Wherefore speaks he this
Precious and heavenly? Why else would he say this
To her he hates? and wherefore doth Lysander
To the one he hates? And why does Lysander
Deny your love, so rich within his soul,
Deny his love for you, which before was all he could talk about,
And tender me, forsooth, affection,
And now give me, really, signs of affection –
But by your setting on, by your consent?
Why else but from you consenting to it and asking him to do it?
What thought I be not so in grace as you,
What did you think, seeing me in such an unhappy position,
So hung upon with love, so fortunate,
So obsessed with love, so happy to be in love
But miserable most, to love unloved?
But all the more miserable to be in love without being loved in return?
This you should pity rather than despise.
You should pity me instead of mock me.
HERNIA
I understand not what you mean by this.
I don’t know what you mean by what you are saying.
HELENA
Ay, do, persever, counterfeit sad looks,
Fine, continue your fake sadness,
Make mouths upon me when I turn my back;
And laugh silently at me when I turn around,
Wink each at other; hold the sweet jest up:
Wink at each other, keep up your joke.
This sport, well carried, shall be chronicled.
This game, carried out long enough, will be remembered.
If you have any pity, grace, or manners,
If you have any pity, grace, or manners,
You would not make me such an argument.
You would not make me even have to appeal like this.
But fare ye well: 'tis partly my own fault;
But have fun – it’s all partly my own fault I guess,
Which death or absence soon shall remedy.
And death or running away will fix it soon enough.
LYSANDER
Stay, gentle Helena; hear my excuse:
Wait, Helena, hear what I have to say,
My love, my life my soul, fair Helena!
Dear love, the life of my soul, beautiful Helena!
HELENA
O excellent!
Great, more joking.
HERMIA
Sweet, do not scorn her so.
Darling, do not mock her like that.
DEMETRIUS
If she cannot entreat, I can compel.
If Hermia can’t get you to stop, I can force you to.
LYSANDER
Thou canst compel no more than she entreat:
Your forcing will have no more strength than Hermia’s pleas.
Thy threats have no more strength than her weak prayers.
Your threats are not stronger than her prayers.
Helen, I love thee; by my life, I do:
Helena, I swear by my life that I love you,
I swear by that which I will lose for thee,
And will lose that life for you,
To prove him false that says I love thee not.
Just to prove Demetrius wrong who says I do not love you.
DEMETRIUS
I say I love thee more than he can do.
I say I love you more than Lysander does.
LYSANDER
If thou say so, withdraw, and prove it too.
If you think so, then draw your sword and prove it.
DEMETRIUS
Quick, come!
Alright, come!
HERMIA
Lysander, whereto tends all this?
Lysander, why are you doing all of this?
LYSANDER
Away, you Ethiope!
Get away from me, African woman!
DEMETRIUS
No, no; he'll
No, he’ll
Seem to break loose; take on as you would follow,
Pretend to leave you, Hermia. And you Lysander will pretend to fight
But yet come not: you are a tame man, go!
But will not advance toward me. You are a cowardly man, go away!
LYSANDER
Hang off, thou cat, thou burr! vile thing, let loose,
Get off of me, you cat, you thorn! Awful thing, let go of me,
Or I will shake thee from me like a serpent!
Hermia, or I will shake you off as if you are a serpent!
HERMIA
Why are you grown so rude? what change is this?
Why have you become so mean? What changed?
Sweet love,--
My love--
LYSANDER
Thy love! out, tawny Tartar, out!
Your love! No, get away, you black skinned Tartar!
Out, loathed medicine! hated potion, hence!
Out, evil medicine, hated potion!
HERMIA
Do you not jest?
Are you not joking?
HELENA
Yes, sooth; and so do you.
Yes, of course he is, and you are as well.
LYSANDER
Demetrius, I will keep my word with thee.
Demetrius, I will duel you now.
DEMETRIUS
I would I had your bond, for I perceive
I wish I believed your bond, for I see
A weak bond holds you: I'll not trust your word.
That you seem to make promises you break easily, so I won’t trust your word.
LYSANDER
What, should I hurt her, strike her, kill her dead?
What must I do, hurt Hermia? Hit her? Kill her?
Although I hate her, I'll not harm her so.
Though I hate her, I will not do that.
HERMIA
What, can you do me greater harm than hate?
What harm can you do to me that is greater than hate?
Hate me! wherefore? O
me! what news, my love!
Hate me! Why? Oh my! What has happened, my love?
Am not I Hermia? are not you Lysander?
Aren’t I Hermia? Aren’t you Lysander?
I am as fair now as I was erewhile.
I am just as beautiful as I was before.
Since night you loved me; yet since night you left me:
Since the night started you still loved me, but then you left me:
Why, then you left me--O, the gods forbid!--
Then you left me-- Oh God forbid!--
In earnest, shall I say?
Did you really? Must I admit that?
LYSANDER
Ay, by my life;
Yes, I did,
And never did desire to see thee more.
And I do not wish to see you again.
Therefore be out of hope, of question, of doubt;
Stop questioning and stop wondering, stop hoping:
Be certain, nothing truer; 'tis no jest
Be certain, because nothing is more true than this: I am not joking
That I do hate thee and love Helena.
That I hate you and love Helena.
HERMIA
O me! you juggler! you canker-blossom!
Oh my! Helena, you awful thorn!
You thief of love! what, have you come by night
You thief! Did you come in the night
And stolen my love's heart from him?
And steal Lysander’s heart from me?
HELENA
Fine, i'faith!
That’s a nice touch.
Have you no modesty, no maiden shame,
Have you no shame at all,
No touch of bashfulness? What, will you tear
No slight remorse? Are you trying to make me angry
Impatient answers from my gentle tongue?
In order to get me to say impatient and evil things?
Fie, fie! you counterfeit, you puppet, you!
Damn you! You fake, you puppet!
HERMIA
Puppet? why so? ay, that way goes the game.
Puppet? Why that? Oh now I see.
Now I perceive that she hath made compare
Helena has compared
Between our statures; she hath urged her height;
Our heights, and, taller, has praised her own height:
And with her personage, her tall personage,
Because she is tall, taller than me,
Her height, forsooth, she hath prevail'd with him.
She has convinced Lysander to love her instead.
And are you grown so high in his esteem;
Did you grow in his eyes because of this?
Because I am so dwarfish and so low?
Because I am so short, like a dwarf, and thus a person of lower quality?
How low am I, thou painted maypole? speak;
Well how low of a person am I, you who is as tall as a maypole?
How low am I? I am not yet so low
I know this much: I am not so short
But that my nails can reach unto thine eyes.
That I cannot scratch your eyes out with my nails.
HELENA
I pray you, though you mock me, gentlemen,
Please, men, though you are making fun of me,
Let her not hurt me: I was never curst;
Don’t let her hurt me. I was never cursed at
I have no gift at all in shrewishness;
And am not good at being an evil woman.
I am a right maid for my cowardice:
It is better that I am a coward,
Let her not strike me. You perhaps may think,
But let her not hit me. You may think that
Because she is something lower than myself,
Because she is shorter
That I can match her.
I can fight her off.
HERMIA
Lower! hark, again.
See! She says “shorter” again.
HELENA
Good Hermia, do not be so bitter with me.
Hermia, do not be bitter with me.
I evermore did love you, Hermia,
I have always loved you, Hermia,
Did ever keep your counsels, never wrong'd you;
Always kept your secrets, never wronged you,
Save that, in love unto Demetrius,
Until this: because of my love for Demetrius
I told him of your stealth unto this wood.
I told him of your plans to run away into the forest.
He follow'd you; for love I follow'd him;
He followed you and for love I followed him,
But he hath chid me hence and threaten'd me
But then he turned me away and threatened
To strike me, spurn me, nay, to kill me too:
To hit me, no, even to kill me.
And now, so you will let me quiet go,
Now, let me quietly go away,
To Athens will I bear my folly back
Back to Athens where I will bring my mistakes with me
And follow you no further: let me go:
And will not follow you anymore. Let me go,
You see how simple and how fond I am.
You see see how simple and foolishly in love I am.
HERMIA
Why, get you gone: who is't that hinders you?
Then go: what keeps you here?
HELENA
A foolish heart, that I leave here behind.
A foolish heart that I must force myself to give up.
HERMIA
What, with Lysander?
Your love for Lysander?
HELENA
With Demetrius.
For Demetrius.
LYSANDER
Be not afraid; she shall not harm thee, Helena.
Do not fear, Helena, Hermia will not hurt you.
DEMETRIUS
No, sir, she shall not, though you take her part.
No, she won’t, even if you, Lysander, try to help her.
HELENA
O, when she's angry, she is keen and shrewd!
Oh, she is so smart and vicious when she is angry!
She was a vixen when she went to school;
She was a vixen at school,
And though she be but little, she is fierce.
And though she is little, she can be fierce.
HERMIA
'Little' again! nothing but 'low' and 'little'!
“Little” again! You keep saying “low” and “little”!
Why will you suffer her to flout me thus?
Why do you both allow her to mock me like this?
Let me come to her.
Let me get to her.
LYSANDER
Get you gone, you dwarf;
Go away, you dwarf,
You minimus, of hindering knot-grass made;
You miniature thing made of grass,
You bead, you acorn.
You bead, you acorn.
DEMETRIUS
You are too officious
That is going to far,
In her behalf that scorns your services.
Especially for one who does not want your love or aid.
Let her alone: speak not of Helena;
Let Helena alone, do not speak for her
Take not her part; for, if thou dost intend
And stop taking Helena’s side. If you continue
Never so little show of love to her,
To treat Hermia so poorly,
Thou shalt aby it.
You’ll pay for it.
LYSANDER
Now she holds me not;
Hermia is nothing to me now.
Now follow, if thou darest, to try whose right,
Now, if you dare, follow me and let us see whose right,
Of thine or mine, is most in Helena.
Yours or mine, is Helena’s love.
DEMETRIUS
Follow! nay, I'll go with thee, cheek by
jole.
I will not follow – I will walk side by side with you.
Exeunt LYSANDER and DEMETRIUS
HERMIA
You, mistress, all this coil is 'long of you:
All of this fighting is because of you, Helena,
Nay, go not back.
Do not go back to Athens.
HELENA
I will not trust you, I,
I don’t trust you, and I
Nor longer stay in your curst company.
Will no longer stay here in your awful company.
Your hands than mine are quicker for a fray,
You are more desirous of a fight,
My legs are longer though, to run away.
But my long legs are better for running away.
Exit
HERMIA
I am amazed, and know not what to say.
I am amazed, and don’t know what to say.
Exit
OBERON
This is thy negligence: still thou mistakest,
This is your fault: either you made a mistake
Or else committ'st thy knaveries wilfully.
Or you are playing a prank on purpose.
PUCK
Believe me, king of shadows, I mistook.
Believe me, my king, I made a mistake.
Did not you tell me I should know the man
Remember that you told me I would recognize the man
By the Athenian garment be had on?
By his Athenian clothing?
And so far blameless proves my enterprise,
So far, I have done nothing wrong,
That I have 'nointed an Athenian's eyes;
Since I put the potion on an Athenian man’s eyes.
And so far am I glad it so did sort
Though I am glad it all turned out like this,
As this their jangling I esteem a sport.
Since I find their fighting a fun game to watch.
OBERON
Thou see'st these lovers seek a place to fight:
You saw as well as I did that the men are looking for a place to fight,
Hie therefore, Robin, overcast the night;
So go, Puck, and make the night cloudy.
The starry welkin cover thou anon
Cover the starry sky
With drooping fog as black as Acheron,
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) Page 318