With a low fog as dark as the Acheron River,
And lead these testy rivals so astray
And make these fighting men lose each other
As one come not within another's way.
So they do not end up dueling.
Like to Lysander sometime frame thy tongue,
Sometimes speak like Lysander
Then stir Demetrius up with bitter wrong;
And get Demetrius angry at being wronged,
And sometime rail thou like Demetrius;
And sometimes speak like Demetrius.
And from each other look thou lead them thus,
Like this keep them away from each other
Till o'er their brows death-counterfeiting sleep
Until they fall asleep, appearing almost like they are dead.
With leaden legs and batty wings doth creep:
Then, creep quietly up to them with bat’s wings
Then crush this herb into Lysander's eye;
And put this antidote into Lysander’s eye
Whose liquor hath this virtuous property,
Which will, by it’s good qualities,
To take from thence all error with his might,
Remove the former potion
And make his eyeballs roll with wonted sight.
And make his eyes return to their natural sight.
When they next wake, all this derision
When they wake back up, all of this fighting
Shall seem a dream and fruitless vision,
Shall seem like a dream with no aftereffects,
And back to Athens shall the lovers wend,
And the lovers shall go back to Athens
With league whose date till death shall never end.
With their beloveds in order to marry them.
Whiles I in this affair do thee employ,
While you do this job,
I'll to my queen and beg her Indian boy;
I will go to Queen Titania and ask for her Indian boy
And then I will her charmed eye release
And then will give her eye the antidote so that she stops
From monster's view, and all things shall be peace.
Loving the monster, and finally all things will be peaceful.
PUCK
My fairy lord, this must be done with haste,
My king, this should be done quickly
For night's swift dragons cut the clouds full fast,
Since night is already fading quickly
And yonder shines Aurora's harbinger;
And far in the east the morning appears to be breaking.
At whose approach, ghosts, wandering here and there,
When that happens, the ghosts that wander about
Troop home to churchyards: damned spirits all,
Return to their homes in the graveyards, these damned spirits
That in crossways and floods have burial,
Who were not buried in holy grounds
Already to their wormy beds are gone;
Have already returned to their wormy graves.
For fear lest day should look their shames upon,
They are afraid that day will look at their shame
They willfully themselves exile from light
So they choose to stay away from the light
And must for aye consort with black-brow'd night.
And instead only come out at night.
OBERON
But we are spirits of another sort:
We are different spirits than them.
I with the morning's love have oft made sport,
I have often played in the morning with the morning’s blessing
And, like a forester, the groves may tread,
And am allowed, like a hunter, to walk through the forests
Even till the eastern gate, all fiery-red,
Even until the east is as red as fire
Opening on Neptune with fair blessed beams,
And the sun rises over the oceans, its blessed beams
Turns into yellow gold his salt green streams.
Turning the salty green seawater golden yellow.
But, notwithstanding, haste; make no delay:
In any case, hurry along
We may effect this business yet ere day.
So that we can finish this work before day starts.
Exit
PUCK
Up and down, up and down,
Up and down, and back and forth,
I will lead them up and down:
I will lead them all over.
I am fear'd in field and town:
Those who live in the town and the fields are afraid of me.
Goblin, lead them up and down.
I am Goblin who will lead them all over.
Here comes one.
Here is one now.
Re-enter LYSANDER
LYSANDER
Where art thou, proud Demetrius? speak thou now.
Where are you, Demetrius? Tell me.
PUCK
Here, villain; drawn and ready. Where art thou?
Here, you villain, with my sword ready. Where are you?
LYSANDER
I will be with thee straight.
I will be near you soon enough.
PUCK
Follow me, then,
Follow me, then,
To plainer ground.
To a good ground for battle.
Exit LYSANDER, as following the voice
Re-enter DEMETRIUS
DEMETRIUS
Lysander! speak again:
Lysander, speak!
Thou runaway, thou coward, art thou fled?
You coward, have you run away?
Speak! In some bush? Where dost thou hide thy head?
Speak! Are you hiding in a bush? Where?
PUCK
Thou coward, art thou bragging to the stars,
You coward, are you bragging to the heavens
Telling the bushes that thou look'st for wars,
And telling all of the bushes that you are ready to fight,
And wilt not come? Come, recreant; come, thou child;
But will not come at me? Come, miscreant, come you child.
I'll whip thee with a rod: he is defiled
I will beat you with a stick. Whoever
That draws a sword on thee.
Pulls a sword on me will become insulted.
DEMETRIUS
Yea, art thou there?
Hey, where are you?
PUCK
Follow my voice: we'll try no manhood here.
Follow my voice, we will not fight here.
Exeunt
Re-enter LYSANDER
LYSANDER
He goes before me and still dares me on:
When I come where he calls, then he is gone.
The villain is much lighter-heel'd than I:
I follow'd fast, but faster he did fly;
That fallen am I in dark uneven way,
And here will rest me.
Lies down
Come, thou gentle day!
For if but once thou show me thy grey light,
I'll find Demetrius and revenge this spite.
Sleeps
Re-enter PUCK and DEMETRIUS
PUCK
Ho, ho, ho! Coward, why comest thou not?
Ha ha! Coward, why haven’t you come yet?
DEMETRIUS
Abide me, if thou darest; for well I wot
Stay where you are, if you dare. I see
Thou runn'st before me, shifting every place,
You running ahead of me, changing your place,
And darest not stand, nor look me in the face.
Because you do not dare stop and stand up to me.
Where art thou now?
Now where are you?
PUCK
Come hither: I am here.
Come over here, I am here.
DEMETRIUS
Nay, then, thou mock'st me. T
hou shalt buy this dear,
No, you are mocking me. You will pay for this
If ever I thy face by daylight see:
If I ever see you in the daylight.
Now, go thy way. Faintness constraineth me
Go along, I am too tired and must
To measure out my length on this cold bed.
Stretch out on the ground to sleep.
By day's approach look to be visited.
Prepare yourself to fight in the morning.
Lies down and sleeps
Re-enter HELENA
HELENA
O weary night, O long and tedious night,
Oh night that has been so long and tedious,
Abate thy hour! Shine comforts from the east,
Please end! Let the daylight break from the east
That I may back to Athens by daylight,
So that I can get back to Athens easily
From these that my poor company detest:
And leave these supposed friends who really hate me.
And sleep, that sometimes shuts up sorrow's eye,
Now I will sleep, and hope that sleep can quell my sorrow
Steal me awhile from mine own company.
By removing me from myself for a little.
Lies down and sleeps
PUCK
Yet but three? Come one more;
I’ve seen only three so far, where is the other?
Two of both kinds make up four.
Two men and two women make four for the company.
Here she comes, curst and sad:
Here comes Hermia, cursed and sad:
Cupid is a knavish lad,
Cupid is a mean prankster
Thus to make poor females mad.
To women feel this poorly.
Re-enter HERMIA
HERMIA
Never so weary, never so in woe,
I have never been this exhausted or this sad,
Bedabbled with the dew and torn with briers,
And I am wet with dew, and scratched by the thorns.
I can no further crawl, no further go;
I cannot crawl any farther, much less walk.
My legs can keep no pace with my desires.
My legs are not as strong as my desire to get back to Athens,
Here will I rest me till the break of day.
So I will rest here for the rest of the night, until morning.
Heavens shield Lysander, if they mean a fray!
God protect Lysander if there is a duel!
Lies down and sleeps
PUCK
On the ground
Sleep here
Sleep sound:
On the ground
I'll apply
While I put this potion
To your eye,
In your eye,
Gentle lover, remedy.
Gentle lover, and it will fix you.
Squeezing the juice on LYSANDER's eyes
When thou wakest,
When you wake,
Thou takest
You will feel
True delight
Your true love again
In the sight
After you see
Of thy former lady's eye:
Hermia, whom you formerly loved.
And the country proverb known,
The saying in the country
That every man should take his own,
That “Every man should take his own,”
In your waking shall be shown:
And you will prove this when you wake:
Jack shall have Jill;
Jack will love Jill
Nought shall go ill;
And neither shall be upset,
The man shall have his mare again, and all shall be well.
The man will have his lady again, and everything will be good.
Exit
The same. LYSANDER, DEMETRIUS, HELENA, and HERMIA lying asleep.
Enter TITANIA and BOTTOM; PEASEBLOSSOM, COBWEB, MOTH, MUSTARDSEED, and other Fairies attending; OBERON behind unseen
TITANIA
Come, sit thee down upon this flowery bed,
Come over here and sit on this bed of flowers
While I thy amiable cheeks do coy,
While I brush your smooth cheeks
And stick musk-roses in thy sleek smooth head,
And places flowers in your hair
And kiss thy fair large ears, my gentle joy.
And kiss your beautiful, large ears, my joy.
BOTTOM
Where's Peaseblossom?
Where's Peaseblossom?
PEASEBLOSSOM
Ready.
Here.
BOTTOM
Scratch my head Peaseblossom. Where's Mounsieur Cobweb?
Please scratch my head, Peaseblossom. And where is Monsieur Cobweb?
COBWEB
Ready.
Here.
BOTTOM
Mounsieur Cobweb, good mounsieur, get you your
Monsieur Cobweb, good monsieur, fetch
weapons in your hand, and kill me a red-hipped
your weapons and kill a red-striped
humble-bee on the top of a thistle; and, good
bumblebee sitting on the top of a thistle for me, and then,
mounsieur, bring me the honey-bag. Do not fret
monsieur, bring me honey from it. Do not worry
yourself too much in the action, mounsieur; and,
too much while you are doing this, monsieur, and,
good mounsieur, have a care the honey-bag break not;
good monsieur, try not to break the honey bag:
I would be loath to have you overflown with a
I would hate to see you covered with
honey-bag, signior. Where's Mounsieur Mustardseed?
honey, signior. Where’s Monsieur Mustardseed?
MUSTARDSEED
Ready.
Here.
BOTTOM
Give me your neaf, Mounsieur Mustardseed. Pray you,
Give me your hand, Monsieur Mustardseed. Please,
leave your courtesy, good mounsieur.
do what I ask, good monsieur.
MUSTARDSEED
What's your Will?
What would you like me to do?
BOTTOM
Nothing, good mounsieur, but to help Cavalery Cobweb
Nothing, good monsieur, except to help Calvary Cobweb
to scratch. I must to the barber's, monsieur; for
scratch my head. I must go to a barber, monsieur, because
methinks I am marvellous hairy about the face; and I
I think my beard has grown out all around my face,
am such a tender ass, if my hair do but tickle me,
and my face is so tender that if hair only tickles it slightly,
I must scratch.
I must scratch it.
TITANIA
What, wilt thou hear some music,
Would you like to hear some music,
my sweet love?
my love?
BOTTOM
I have a reasonable good ear in music. Let's have
I have a good ear for music. Someone play
the tongs and the bones.
The triangle and the keys.
TITANIA
Or say, sweet love, what thou desirest to eat.
Or maybe, my love, you can say what you would like to eat.
BOTTOM
Truly, a peck of provender: I could munch your good
Really, a good bit of grass: I could munch on some
dry oats. Methinks I have a great desire to a bottle
dry oats. I think I really want a portion
of hay: good hay, sweet hay, hath no fellow.
of hay. There is nothing like good, sweet hay.
TITANIA
I have a venturous fairy that shall seek
I have a fairy that will find
The squirrel's hoar
d, and fetch thee new nuts.
The nuts a squirrel has hidden for winter, and will fetch you some of them.
BOTTOM
I had rather have a handful or two of dried peas.
I’d rather eat a handful or two of dried peas.
But, I pray you, let none of your people stir me: I
But, please, don’t let your fairies wait on me now: I
have an exposition of sleep come upon me.
am feeling incredibly tired all of a sudden.
TITANIA
Sleep thou, and I will wind thee in my arms.
Then sleep, and I will put my arms around you.
Fairies, begone, and be all ways away.
Fairies, go away in all directions.
Exeunt fairies
So doth the woodbine the sweet honeysuckle
The woodbine plant and the honeysuckle
Gently entwist; the female ivy so
Wrap around each other just as I am doing to you. So does the female ivy
Enrings the barky fingers of the elm.
Wrapping around the bark trunk of the elm.
O, how I love thee! how I dote on thee!
I love you so much and want to give you so much!
They sleep
Enter PUCK
OBERON
[Advancing] Welcome, good Robin.
Hello, good Robin.
See'st thou this sweet sight?
Do you see this sweet picture?
Her dotage now I do begin to pity:
I’m starting to pity her affection
For, meeting her of late behind the wood,
Because, when I met her recently here in the forest,
Seeking sweet favours from this hateful fool,
She was looking for gifts for this fool,
I did upbraid her and fall out with her;
And I argued and fought with her.
For she his hairy temples then had rounded
She has placed around his hairy head
With a coronet of fresh and fragrant flowers;
A crown of fresh, good smelling flowers:
And that same dew, which sometime on the buds
And the dew that rests on the flower buds,
Was wont to swell like round and orient pearls,
Which sometimes looks like perfectly round pearls from the Far East,
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) Page 319