When I a fat and bean-fed horse beguile, Neighing in likeness of a filly foal: And sometime lurk I in a gossip's bowl, In very likeness of a roasted crab, And when she drinks,against her lips I bob And on her wither'd dewlap pour the ale. The wisest aunt,telling the saddest tale, Sometime for three-foot stool mistaketh me; Then slip I from her bum,down topples she, And 'tailor'cries,and falls into a cough; And then the whole quire hold their hips and laugh, And waxen in their mirth and neeze and swear A merrier hour was never wasted there. But,room,fairy!here comes Oberon. Fairy And here my mistress.Would that he were gone! [Enter,from one side,OBERON,with his train:from the other,TITANIA,with hers] OBERON Ill met by moonlight,proud Titania TITANIA What,jealous Oberon!Fairies,skip hence: I have forsworn his bed and company. OBERON Tarry,rash wanton:am not I thy lord? TITANIA Then I must be thy lady:but I know When thou hast stolen away from fairy land, And in the shape of Corin sat all day
When I a fat and bean-fed horse beguile, Neighing in likeness of a filly foal: And sometime lurk I in a gossip's bowl, In very likeness of a roasted crab, And when she drinks, against her lips I bob And on her wither'd dewlap pour the ale. The wisest aunt, telling the saddest tale, Sometime for three-foot stool mistaketh me; Then slip I from her bum, down topples she, And 'tailor' cries, and falls into a cough; And then the whole quire hold their hips and laugh, And waxen in their mirth and neeze and swear A merrier hour was never wasted there. But, room, fairy! here comes Oberon. Fairy And here my mistress. Would that he were gone! [Enter, from one side, OBERON, with his train; from the other, TITANIA, with hers] OBERON Ill met by moonlight, proud Titania. TITANIA What, jealous Oberon! Fairies, skip hence: I have forsworn his bed and company. OBERON Tarry, rash wanton: am not I thy lord? TITANIA Then I must be thy lady: but I know When thou hast stolen away from fairy land, And in the shape of Corin sat all day
Playing on pipes of corn and versing love To amorous Phillida.Why art thou here, Come from the farthest Steppe of India? But that,forsooth,the bouncing Amazon, Your buskin'd mistress and your warrior love, To Theseus must be wedded,and you come To give their bed joy and prosperity. OBERON How canst thou thus for shame,Titania, Glance at my credit with Hippolyta, Knowing I know thy love to Theseus? Didst thou not lead him through the glimmering night From Perigenia,whom he ravished? And make him with fair AEgle break his faith, With Ariadne and Antiopa? TITANIA These are the forgeries of jealousy: And never,since the middle summer's spring, Met we on hill,in dale,forest or mead, By paved fountain or by rushy brook, Or in the beached margent of the sea, To dance our ringlets to the whistling wind, But with thy brawls thou hast disturb'd our sport. Therefore the winds,piping to us in vain, As in revenge,have suck'd up from the sea Contagious fogs;which falling in the land Have every pelting river made so proud That they have overborne their continents: The ox hath therefore stretch'd his yoke in vain, The ploughman lost his sweat,and the green corn Hath rotted ere his youth attain'd a beard; The fold stands empty in the drowned field, And crows are fatted with the murrion flock; The nine men's morris is fill'd up with mud, And the quaint mazes in the wanton green For lack of tread are undistinguishable: The human mortals want their winter here; No night is now with hymn or carol blest: Therefore the moon,the governess of floods
Playing on pipes of corn and versing love To amorous Phillida. Why art thou here, Come from the farthest Steppe of India? But that, forsooth, the bouncing Amazon, Your buskin'd mistress and your warrior love, To Theseus must be wedded, and you come To give their bed joy and prosperity. OBERON How canst thou thus for shame, Titania, Glance at my credit with Hippolyta, Knowing I know thy love to Theseus? Didst thou not lead him through the glimmering night From Perigenia, whom he ravished? And make him with fair AEgle break his faith, With Ariadne and Antiopa? TITANIA These are the forgeries of jealousy: And never, since the middle summer's spring, Met we on hill, in dale, forest or mead, By paved fountain or by rushy brook, Or in the beached margent of the sea, To dance our ringlets to the whistling wind, But with thy brawls thou hast disturb'd our sport. Therefore the winds, piping to us in vain, As in revenge, have suck'd up from the sea Contagious fogs; which falling in the land Have every pelting river made so proud That they have overborne their continents: The ox hath therefore stretch'd his yoke in vain, The ploughman lost his sweat, and the green corn Hath rotted ere his youth attain'd a beard; The fold stands empty in the drowned field, And crows are fatted with the murrion flock; The nine men's morris is fill'd up with mud, And the quaint mazes in the wanton green For lack of tread are undistinguishable: The human mortals want their winter here; No night is now with hymn or carol blest: Therefore the moon, the governess of floods
Pale in her anger,washes all the air, That rheumatic diseases do abound: And thorough this distemperature we see The seasons alter:hoary-headed frosts Far in the fresh lap of the crimson rose, And on old Hiems'thin and icy crown An odorous chaplet of sweet summer buds Is,as in mockery,set:the spring,the summer, The childing autumn,angry winter,change Their wonted liveries,and the mazed world, By their increase,now knows not which is which: And this same progeny of evils comes From our debate,from our dissension; We are their parents and original OBERON Do you amend it then;it lies in you: Why should Titania cross her Oberon? I do but beg a little changeling boy, To be my henchman. TITANIA Set your heart at rest: The fairy land buys not the child of me. His mother was a votaress of my order: And,in the spiced Indian air,by night, Full often hath she gossip'd by my side, And sat with me on Neptune's yellow sands, Marking the embarked traders on the flood, When we have laugh'd to see the sails conceive And grow big-bellied with the wanton wind; Which she,with pretty and with swimming gait Following,--her womb then rich with my young squire,-- Would imitate,and sail upon the land, To fetch me trifles,and return again, As from a voyage,rich with merchandise. But she,being mortal,of that boy did die; And for her sake do I rear up her boy, And for her sake I will not part with him
Pale in her anger, washes all the air, That rheumatic diseases do abound: And thorough this distemperature we see The seasons alter: hoary-headed frosts Far in the fresh lap of the crimson rose, And on old Hiems' thin and icy crown An odorous chaplet of sweet summer buds Is, as in mockery, set: the spring, the summer, The childing autumn, angry winter, change Their wonted liveries, and the mazed world, By their increase, now knows not which is which: And this same progeny of evils comes From our debate, from our dissension; We are their parents and original. OBERON Do you amend it then; it lies in you: Why should Titania cross her Oberon? I do but beg a little changeling boy, To be my henchman. TITANIA Set your heart at rest: The fairy land buys not the child of me. His mother was a votaress of my order: And, in the spiced Indian air, by night, Full often hath she gossip'd by my side, And sat with me on Neptune's yellow sands, Marking the embarked traders on the flood, When we have laugh'd to see the sails conceive And grow big-bellied with the wanton wind; Which she, with pretty and with swimming gait Following, -- her womb then rich with my young squire, -- Would imitate, and sail upon the land, To fetch me trifles, and return again, As from a voyage, rich with merchandise. But she, being mortal, of that boy did die; And for her sake do I rear up her boy, And for her sake I will not part with him
OBERON How long within this wood intend you stay? TITANIA Perchance till after Theseus'wedding-day. If you will patiently dance in our round And see our moonlight revels,go with us; If not,shun me,and I will spare your haunts. OBERON Give me that boy,and I will go with thee. TITANIA Not for thy fairy kingdom.Fairies,away! We shall chide downright,if I longer stay. [Exit TITANIA with her train] OBERON Well,go thy way:thou shalt not from this grove Till I torment thee for this injury. My gentle Puck,come hither.Thou rememberest Since once I sat upon a promontory, And heard a mermaid on a dolphin's back Uttering such dulcet and harmonious breath That the rude sea grew civil at her song And certain stars shot madly from their spheres, To hear the sea-maid's music. PUCK I remember OBERON
OBERON How long within this wood intend you stay? TITANIA Perchance till after Theseus' wedding-day. If you will patiently dance in our round And see our moonlight revels, go with us; If not, shun me, and I will spare your haunts. OBERON Give me that boy, and I will go with thee. TITANIA Not for thy fairy kingdom. Fairies, away! We shall chide downright, if I longer stay. [Exit TITANIA with her train] OBERON Well, go thy way: thou shalt not from this grove Till I torment thee for this injury. My gentle Puck, come hither. Thou rememberest Since once I sat upon a promontory, And heard a mermaid on a dolphin's back Uttering such dulcet and harmonious breath That the rude sea grew civil at her song And certain stars shot madly from their spheres, To hear the sea-maid's music. PUCK I remember. OBERON
That very time I saw,but thou couldst not, Flying between the cold moon and the earth. Cupid all arm'd:a certain aim he took At a fair vestal throned by the west, And loosed his love-shaft smartly from his bow, As it should pierce a hundred thousand hearts; But I might see young Cupid's fiery shaft Quench'd in the chaste beams of the watery moon, And the imperial votaress passed on, In maiden meditation,fancy-free. Yet mark'd I where the bolt of Cupid fell: It fell upon a little western flower, Before milk-white,now purple with love's wound, And maidens call it love-in-idleness. Fetch me that flower;the herb I shew'd thee once: The juice of it on sleeping eye-lids laid Will make or man or woman madly dote Upon the next live creature that it sees. Fetch me this herb;and be thou here again Ere the leviathan can swim a league. PUCK I'll put a girdle round about the earth In forty minutes. [Exi词 OBERON Having once this juice, I'll watch Titania when she is asleep, And drop the liquor of it in her eyes. The next thing then she waking looks upon, Be it on lion,bear,or wolf,or bull, On meddling monkey,or on busy ape, She shall pursue it with the soul of love: And ere I take this charm from off her sight, As I can take it with another herb, I'll make her render up her page to me But who comes here?I am invisible; And I will overhear their conference
That very time I saw, but thou couldst not, Flying between the cold moon and the earth, Cupid all arm'd: a certain aim he took At a fair vestal throned by the west, And loosed his love-shaft smartly from his bow, As it should pierce a hundred thousand hearts; But I might see young Cupid's fiery shaft Quench'd in the chaste beams of the watery moon, And the imperial votaress passed on, In maiden meditation, fancy-free. Yet mark'd I where the bolt of Cupid fell: It fell upon a little western flower, Before milk-white, now purple with love's wound, And maidens call it love-in-idleness. Fetch me that flower; the herb I shew'd thee once: The juice of it on sleeping eye-lids laid Will make or man or woman madly dote Upon the next live creature that it sees. Fetch me this herb; and be thou here again Ere the leviathan can swim a league. PUCK I'll put a girdle round about the earth In forty minutes. [Exit] OBERON Having once this juice, I'll watch Titania when she is asleep, And drop the liquor of it in her eyes. The next thing then she waking looks upon, Be it on lion, bear, or wolf, or bull, On meddling monkey, or on busy ape, She shall pursue it with the soul of love: And ere I take this charm from off her sight, As I can take it with another herb, I'll make her render up her page to me. But who comes here? I am invisible; And I will overhear their conference