And here am I, and wood within this wood

Because I cannot meet my Hermia.

Hence, get thee gone, and follow me no more.

HELENA

You draw me, you hard-hearted adamant,

But yet you draw not iron; for my heart

Is true as steel. Leave you your power to draw,

And I shall have no power to follow you.

DEMETRIUS

Do I entice you? Do I speak you fair?

Or rather do I not in plainest truth

Tell you I do not nor I cannot love you?

HELENA

And even for that do I love you the more.

I am your spaniel, and, Demetrius,

The more you beat me I will fawn on you.

Use me but as your spaniel: spurn me, strike me,

Neglect me, lose me; only give me leave,

Unworthy as I am, to follow you.

What worser place can I beg in your love—

And yet a place of high respect with me—

Than to be used as you use your dog? 210

DEMETRIUS

Tempt not too much the hatred of my spirit;

For I am sick when I do look on thee.

HELENA

And I am sick when I look not on you.

DEMETRIUS

You do impeach your modesty too much,

To leave the city and commit yourself 215

Into the hands of one that loves you not;

To trust the opportunity of night,

And the ill counsel of a desert place,

With the rich worth of your virginity.

HELENA

Your virtue is my privilege, for that 220

It is not night when I do see your face;

Therefore I think I am not in the night,

Nor doth this wood lack worlds of company;

For you in my respect are all the world.

Then how can it be said I am alone, 225

When all the world is here to look on me?

DEMETRIUS

I’ll run from thee, and hide me in the brakes,

And leave thee to the mercy of wild beasts.

HELENA

The wildest hath not such a heart as you.

Run when you will. The story shall be changed: 230

Apollo flies, and Daphne holds the chase.

The dove pursues the griffin, the mild hind

Makes speed to catch the tiger: bootless speed,

When cowardice pursues, and valour flies.

DEMETRIUS

I will not stay thy questions. Let me go; 235

Or if thou follow me, do not believe

But I shall do thee mischief in the wood.

HELENA

Ay, in the temple, in the town, the field,

You do me mischief. Fie, Demetrius,

Your wrongs do set a scandal on my sex. 240

We cannot fight for love as men may do;

We should be wooed, and were not made to woo.

I’ll follow thee, and make a heaven of hell,

To die upon the hand I love so well.

⌈Exit Demetrius, Helena following him⌉

OBERON

Fare thee well, nymph. Ere he do leave this grove

Thou shalt fly him, and he shall seek thy love.

Enter Robin Goodfellow the puck

Hast thou the flower there? Welcome, wanderer.

ROBIN

Ay, there it is.

OBERON I pray thee give it me.

I know a bank where the wild thyme blows,

Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows, 250

Quite overcanopied with luscious woodbine,

With sweet musk-roses, and with eglantine.

There sleeps Titania sometime of the night,

Lulled in these flowers with dances and delight;

And there the snake throws her enamelled skin,

Weed wide enough to wrap a fairy in;

And with the juice of this I’ll streak her eyes,

And make her full of hateful fantasies.

Take thou some of it, and seek through this grove.

A sweet Athenian lady is in love 260

With a disdainful youth. Anoint his eyes;

But do it when the next thing he espies

May be the lady. Thou shalt know the man

By the Athenian garments he hath on.

Effect it with some care, that he may prove

More fond on her than she upon her love;

And look thou meet me ere the first cock crow.

ROBIN

Fear not, my lord. Your servant shall do so.

Exeunt severally

2.2 Enter Titania, Queen of Fairies, 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 reremice 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.

She lies down. Fairies sing

⌈FIRST FAIRY⌉

You spotted snakes with double tongue,

Thorny hedgehogs, be not seen; 10

Newts and blindworms, do no wrong;

Come not near our Fairy Queen.

⌈CHORUS⌉ ⌈dancing⌉

Philomel with melody,

Sing in our sweet lullaby;

Lulla, lulla, lullaby; lulla, lulla, lullaby. 15

Never harm

Nor spell nor charm

Come our lovely lady nigh.

So good night, with lullaby.

FIRST FAIRY

Weaving spiders, come not here;

Hence, you long-legged spinners, hence;

Beetles black, approach not near;

Worm nor snail do no offence.

⌈CHORUS⌉ ⌈dancing⌉