SCENE II
(Another part of the wood)
(Enter Titania, 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
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,
Thorny hedgehogs, be not seen;
Newt 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 here;
Hence, you long-legged spinners, hence!
Beetles black, approach not near;
Worm nor snail, do no offense.
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.
First Fairy.
Hence, away! now all is well;
One aloof stand sentinel.
(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:
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 Oberon]
(The mischievous little Puck, wandering in the forest, meets a clownish fellow named Bottom. Very slyly Puck slips an ass's head over Bottom's hairy pate; and in this strange disguise the clown walks very near the flowery bank where Titania lies sleeping. He sings in a harsh voice and awakens the Fairy Queen. The charm makes her fall in love with Bottom, since he is the first creature she sees upon waking.)
Bottom (sings).
The ousel cock so black of hue,
With orange-tawny bill,
The throstle with his note so true,
The wren with little quill,—
Titania (awakening).
What angel wakes me from my flowery bed?
Bottom (sings).
The finch, the sparrow, and the lark,
The plain-song cuckoo grey,
Whose note full many a man doth mark—
And dares not answer nay;—
for, indeed, who would set his wit to so
foolish a bird? Who would give a bird the
lie, though he cry "cuckoo" never so?
Titania.
I pray thee, gentle mortal, sing again:
Mine ear is much enamor'd of thy note;
So is mine eye enthrallèd to thy shape,
And thy fair virtue's force perforce doth move me
On the first view to say, to swear, I love thee.
Bottom.
Methinks, mistress, you should have little
reason for that: and yet, to say the truth,
reason and love keep little company together
now-a-days; the more the pity, that
some honest neighbours will not make them
friends. Nay, I can gleek upon occasion.
Titania.
Thou art as wise as thou art beautiful.
Bottom.
Not so, neither: but if I had wit enough
to get out of this wood, I have enough to
serve mine own turn.
Titania.
Out of this wood do not desire to go:
Thou shalt remain here, whether thou wilt or no.
I am a spirit of no common rate,—
The Summer still doth tend upon my state;
And I do love thee. Therefore, go with me.
I'll give thee fairies to attend on thee;
And they shall fetch thee jewels from the deep,
And sing, while thou on pressèd flowers dost sleep:
And I will purge thy mortal grossness so.
That thou shalt like airy spirit go.
Peaseblossom! Cobweb! Moth! and Mustardseed!
(Enter Peaseblossom, Cobweb, Moth, and
Mustardseed)
Peaseblossom. Ready.
Cobweb. And I.
Moth. And I.
Mustardseed. And I.
All. Where shall we go?
Titania.
Be kind and courteous to this gentleman;
Hop in his walks, and gambol in his eyes;
Feed him with apricots and dewberries.
With purple grapes, green figs, and mulberries:
The honey-bags steal from the humble bees,
And for night-tapers crop their waxen thighs,
And light them at the fiery glow-worm's eyes,
To have my love to bed and to arise;
And pluck the wings from painted butterflies
To fan the moonbeams from his sleeping eyes.
Nod to him, elves, and do him courtesies.
Peaseblossom. Hail, mortal!
Cobweb. Hail!
Moth. Hail!
Mustardseed. Hail!
Titania.
Come, wait upon him; lead him to my bower.