Scene II

[Another part of the wood]

Enter The King of Fairies [Oberon]

OBERON:

I wonder if Titania be awaked;
Then, what it was that next came in her eye,
Which she must dote on in extremity.

Enter Puck

Here comes my messenger.
How now, mad spirit!(5)
What night-rule now about this haunted grove?

OBERON:

I wonder if Titania is up yet,
And what it was that next came into her sight,
Which she must love in the extreme.
Here comes my messenger.—What’s up, mad spirit?
What’s going on now about this haunted grove?

PUCK:

My mistress with a monster is in love.
Near to her close and consecrated bower,
While she was in her dull and sleeping hour,
A crew of patches, rude mechanicals,(10)
That work for bread upon Athenian stalls,
Were met together to rehearse a play,
Intended for great Theseus' nuptial-day.
The shallowest thick-skin of that barren sort,
Who Pyramus presented, in their sport(15)
Forsook his scene and ent'red in a brake;
When I did him at this advantage take,
An ass's nole I fixed on his head.
Anon his Thisbe must be answered,
And forth my mimic comes. When they him spy,(20)
As wild geese that the creeping fowler eye,
Or russet-pated choughs, many in sort,
Rising and cawing at the gun's report,
Sever themselves and madly sweep the sky,
So, at his sight, away his fellows fly;(25)
And at our stamp here, o'er and o'er one falls;
He murder cries, and help from Athens calls.
Their sense thus weak, lost with their fears thus strong,
Made senseless things begin to do them wrong,
For briers and thorns at their apparel snatch;(30)
Some sleeves, some hats, from yielders all things catch.
I led them on in this distracted fear,
And left sweet Pyramus translated there;
When in that moment, so it came to pass,
Titania waked, and straightway loved an ass.(35)

PUCK:

My mistress is in love with a monster.
Near to her close and consecrated private place,
While she was sleeping,
A crew of actors, rude mechanicals,
That work for bread near Athenian shops,
Were met together to rehearse a play
Intended for great Theseus' wedding day.
The stupidest man of these dim country-folk
Who acted Pyramus in their rehearsal,
Exited from his scene and entered in a bunch of bushes,
When I took advantage of him
And I fixed donkey's head on his head.
Then, his Thisbe must be answered,
And my creation comes back to the rehearsal.
As wild geese that the see a creeping hunter,
Or red-headed clowns, in many varieties,
Rising and cawing at the gunshots,
Separate themselves and madly sweep the sky,
So his fellows fly away at the sight of him.
And at our music here, one falls over and over;
He cries, “Murder,” and calls for help from Athens.
Their senses thus weakened, lost within their strong fears,
Made senseless things begin to do them wrong,
Because briers and thorns catch their clothes,
Some sleeves, some hats. All things catch on the bushes.
I led them on in this troubled fear,
And left sweet Pyramus totally changed there.
When at that moment,—so it came to pass,—
Titania woke up, and straightway loved a donkey.

OBERON:

This falls out better than I could devise.
But hast thou yet latch'd the Athenian's eyes
With the love-juice, as I did bid thee do?

OBERON:

This works out better than I could have planned.
But have you touched the Athenian's eyes
With the love-juice yet, as I told you to?

PUCK:

I took him sleeping,—that is finish'd too,—
And the Athenian woman by his side;(40)
That, when he waked, of force she must be eyed.

Enter Demetrius and Hermia

PUCK:

I did it while he was sleeping,—that is finished too,—
And the Athenian woman by his side,
So that, when he woke up, she must, of course, be the first he saw.

OBERON:

Stand close; this is the same Athenian.

OBERON:

Stand close; this is the same Athenian.

PUCK:

This is the woman, but not this the man.

PUCK:

This is the woman, but not this the man.

DEMETRIUS:

O, why rebuke you him that loves you so?
Lay breath so bitter on your bitter foe.(45)

DEMETRIUS:

Oh, why do you reject him that loves you so?
Say these bitter things to your bitter foe.

HERMIA:

Now I but chide, but I should use thee worse,
For thou, I fear, hast given me cause to curse.
If thou hast slain Lysander in his sleep,
Being o'er shoes in blood, plunge in the deep,
And kill me too.(50)
The sun was not so true unto the day
As he to me. Would he have stolen away
From sleeping Hermia? I'll believe as soon
This whole earth may be bored, and that the moon
May through the centre creep and so displease(55)
Her brother's noontide with the Antipodes.
It cannot be but thou hast murder'd him;
So should a murderer look, so dead, so grim.

HERMIA:

Now I only scold, but I should give you worse;
Because you, I fear, has given me cause to curse.
If you have slain Lysander in his sleep,
Being in blood over your shoes, plunge the knife
Deep into me and kill me too.
The sun was not as true to the daytime
As he was to me. Would he have stolen away
From sleeping Hermia? I'd believe as quickly that
This whole earth may be bored, and that the moon
May creep through the centre and so disrupt
Her brother's noontide with the other side of the world.
It can only mean that you have murdered him;
A murderer should look like you, so dead, so grim.

DEMETRIUS:

So should the murdered look; and so should I,
Pierced through the heart with your stern cruelty;(60)
Yet you, the murderer, look as bright, as clear,
As yonder Venus in her glimmering sphere.

DEMETRIUS:

The murdered should look that way, and so should I,
Pierced through the heart with your stern cruelty.
Yet you, the murderer, look as bright, as clear,
As yonder Venus in her glimmering orbit.

HERMIA:

What's this to my Lysander? Where is he?
Ah, good Demetrius, wilt thou give him me?

HERMIA:

What's this got to do with my Lysander? Where is he?
Ah, good Demetrius, will you give him to me?

DEMETRIUS:

I had rather give his carcass to my hounds.(65)

DEMETRIUS:

I had rather give his carcass to my hounds.

HERMIA:

Out, dog! out, cur! Thou drivest me past the bounds
Of maiden's patience. Hast thou slain him, then?
Henceforth be never number'd among men!
O, once tell true; tell true, even for my sake!
Durst thou have look'd upon him being awake,(70)
And hast thou kill'd him sleeping? O brave touch!
Could not a worm, an adder, do so much?
An adder did it; for with doubler tongue
Than thine, thou serpent, never adder stung.

HERMIA:

Get out, dog! Get out, low-life! You drive me past the bounds
Of a maiden's patience. Have you slain him, then?
From this time forward, you will never be counted as a man!
Oh! For once tell the truth; tell the truth, even for my sake.
Did you dare to look at him, being awake,
And have you killed him sleeping? Oh brave touch!
Couldn’t a worm, a poisonous snake, do as much?
If a poisonous snake did it, because a snake, you serpent,
Never had a tongue that could speak out of both sides of his mouth!

DEMETRIUS:

You spend your passion on a misprised mood:(75)
I am not guilty of Lysander's blood;
Nor is he dead, for aught that I can tell.

DEMETRIUS:

You are wasting your anger on a mistaken idea.
I am not guilty of killing Lysander;
And he isn’t dead, as far as I can tell.

HERMIA:

I pray thee, tell me then that he is well.

HERMIA:

I beg you, tell me, then, that he is well.

DEMETRIUS:

An if I could, what should I get therefore?

DEMETRIUS:

And if I could, what should I get for saying so?

HERMIA:

A privilege, never to see me more.(80)
And from thy hated presence part I so;
See me no more, whether he be dead or no.

HERMIA:

The privilege of never seeing me again.—
And I will leave your hated presence so.
You will see me no more, whether he be dead or not.

Exit

DEMETRIUS:

There is no following her in this fierce vein;
Here, therefore, for a while I will remain.
So sorrow's heaviness doth heavier grow(85)
For debt that bankrupt sleep doth sorrow owe;
Which now in some slight measure it will pay,
If for his tender here I make some stay.

DEMETRIUS:

There is no following her in this fierce fit of anger.
Therefore, I will stay here for a while.
So sorrow's heaviness does heavier grow
Because my sleep has been interrupted.
I’ll try to catch up on my sleep and deal with this later.

Lie[s] down [and sleeps]

OBERON:

What hast thou done? Thou hast mistaken quite,
And laid the love-juice on some true-love's sight.(90)
Of thy misprision must perforce ensue
Some true love turn'd, and not a false turn'd true.

OBERON:

What have you done? You have made a major mistake,
And laid the love-juice on some true-love's sight.
Some true love turned false must follow because of your mistake,
And not a false love turned true.

PUCK:

Then fate o'er-rules, that, one man holding troth,
A million fail, confounding oath on oath.

PUCK:

Then fate overrules me, that, as one man keeping his promise,
A million fail in keeping theirs, confusing oath on oath.

OBERON:

About the wood go swifter than the wind,(95)
And Helena of Athens look thou find;
All fancy-sick she is and pale of cheer,
With sighs of love that costs the fresh blood dear.
By some illusion see thou bring her here;
I'll charm his eyes against she do appear.(100)

OBERON:

Get going around the forest, swifter than the wind,
And find Helena of Athens.
She is totally lovesick, and very pale, because sighs of love
Are keeping fresh blood from her face.
See that you bring her here by some illusion.
I'll charm his eyes in hope she appears.

PUCK:

I go, I go; look how I go,
Swifter than arrow from the Tartar's bow.

PUCK:

I go, I go; look how I go,—
Swifter than an arrow from the barbarian’s bow.

Exit

OBERON:

Flower of this purple dye,
Hit with Cupid's archery,
Sink in apple of his eye.(105)
When his love he doth espy,
Let her shine as gloriously
As the Venus of the sky.
When thou wakest, if she be by,
Beg of her for remedy.(110)

OBERON:

Flower with this purple dye,
Hit by Cupid's arrow,
Sink into the apple of his eye!
When his love he sees,
Let her shine as gloriously
As the Venus of the sky.—
When you wake, if she is near,
Beg her for the remedy.

[Re-]enter Puck

PUCK:

Captain of our fairy band,
Helena is here at hand,
And the youth, mistook by me
Pleading for a lover's fee;
Shall we their fond pageant see?(115)
Lord, what fools these mortals be!

PUCK:

Captain of our fairy band,
Helena is here at hand,
And the youth mistaken by me
Pleading for her love;
Shall we watch what they’re doing?
O, beware, my lord, of jealousy;
Lord, what fools these mortals be!

OBERON:

Stand aside. The noise they make
Will cause Demetrius to awake.

OBERON:

Stand aside. The noise they make
Will cause Demetrius to awake.

PUCK:

Then will two at once woo one.
That must needs be sport alone;(120)
And those things do best please me
That befall preposterously.

PUCK:

Then two will court one at the same time —
Can’t let that happen – it should only be one;
And those things please me best
That happen ridiculously.

Enter Lysander and Helena

LYSANDER:

Why should you think that I should woo in scorn?
Scorn and derision never come in tears.
Look when I vow, I weep; and vows so born,(125)
In their nativity all truth appears.
How can these things in me seem scorn to you,
Bearing the badge of faith, to prove them true?

LYSANDER:

Why should you think that I should not court you seriously?
You cannot find scorn and derision in tears of love.
Look, when I vow, I weep; and vows that are born in tears
Show the whole truth at that moment.
How can these things in me seem like ridicule to you,
When my tears prove them to be true?