OBERON
What hast thou done? thou hast mistaken quite
OBERON
And laid the love-juice on some true-love's sight:
OBERON
Of thy misprision must perforce ensue
OBERON
Some true love turn'd and not a false turn'd true.
PUCK
Then fate o'er-rules, that, one man holding troth,
PUCK
A million fail, confounding oath on oath.
OBERON
About the wood go swifter than the wind,
OBERON
And Helena of Athens look thou find:
OBERON
All fancy-sick she is and pale of cheer,
OBERON
With sighs of love, that costs the fresh blood dear:
OBERON
By some illusion see thou bring her here:
OBERON
I'll charm his eyes against she do appear.
PUCK
I go, I go; look how I go,
PUCK
Swifter than arrow from the Tartar's bow.
OBERON
Flower of this purple dye,
OBERON
Hit with Cupid's archery,
OBERON
Sink in apple of his eye.
OBERON
When his love he doth espy,
OBERON
Let her shine as gloriously
OBERON
As the Venus of the sky.
OBERON
When thou wakest, if she be by,
OBERON
Beg of her for remedy.
PUCK
Captain of our fairy band,
PUCK
Helena is here at hand;
PUCK
And the youth, mistook by me,
PUCK
Pleading for a lover's fee.
PUCK
Shall we their fond pageant see?
PUCK
Lord, what fools these mortals be!
OBERON
Stand aside: the noise they make
OBERON
Will cause Demetrius to awake.
PUCK
Then will two at once woo one;
PUCK
That must needs be sport alone;
PUCK
And those things do best please me
PUCK
That befal preposterously.
Enter LYSANDER and HELENA
LYSANDER
Why should you think that I should woo in scorn?
LYSANDER
Scorn and derision never come in tears:
LYSANDER
Look, when I vow, I weep; and vows so born,
LYSANDER
In their nativity all truth appears.
LYSANDER
How can these things in me seem scorn to you,
LYSANDER
Bearing the badge of faith, to prove them true?
HELENA
You do advance your cunning more and more.
HELENA
When truth kills truth, O devilish-holy fray!
HELENA
These vows are Hermia's: will you give her o'er?
HELENA
Weigh oath with oath, and you will nothing weigh:
HELENA
Your vows to her and me, put in two scales,
HELENA
Will even weigh, and both as light as tales.
LYSANDER
I had no judgment when to her I swore.
HELENA
Nor none, in my mind, now you give her o'er.
LYSANDER
Demetrius loves her, and he loves not you.
DEMETRIUS
O Helena, goddess, nymph, perfect, divine!
DEMETRIUS
To what, my love, shall I compare thine eyne?
DEMETRIUS
Crystal is muddy. O, how ripe in show
DEMETRIUS
Thy lips, those kissing cherries, tempting grow!
DEMETRIUS
That pure congealed white, high Taurus snow,
DEMETRIUS
Fann'd with the eastern wind, turns to a crow
DEMETRIUS
When thou hold'st up thy hand: O, let me kiss
DEMETRIUS
This princess of pure white, this seal of bliss!
HELENA
O spite! O hell! I see you all are bent
HELENA
To set against me for your merriment:
HELENA
If you we re civil and knew courtesy,
HELENA
You would not do me thus much injury.
HELENA
Can you not hate me, as I know you do,
HELENA
But you must join in souls to mock me too?
HELENA
If you were men, as men you are in show,
HELENA
You would not use a gentle lady so;
HELENA
To vow, and swear, and superpraise my parts,
HELENA
When I am sure you hate me with your hearts.
HELENA
You both are rivals, and love Hermia;
HELENA
And now both rivals, to mock
HELENA
A trim exploit, a manly enterprise,
HELENA
To conjure tears up in a poor maid's eyes
HELENA
With your derision! none of noble sort
HELENA
Would so offend a virgin, and extort
HELENA
A poor soul's patience, all to make you sport.
LYSANDER
You are unkind, Demetrius; be not so;
LYSANDER
For you love Hermia; this you know I know:
LYSANDER
And here, with all good will, with all my heart,
LYSANDER
In Hermia's love I yield you up my part;
LYSANDER
And yours of Helena to me bequeath,
LYSANDER
Whom I do love and will do till my death.
HELENA
Never did mockers waste more idle breath.
DEMETRIUS
Lysander, keep thy Hermia; I will none:
DEMETRIUS
If e'er I loved her, all that love is gone.
DEMETRIUS
My heart to her but as guest-wise sojourn'd,
DEMETRIUS
And now to Helen is it home return'd,
DEMETRIUS
There to remain.
LYSANDER
Helen, it is not so.
DEMETRIUS
Disparage not the faith thou dost not know,
DEMETRIUS
Lest, to thy peril, thou aby it dear.
DEMETRIUS
Look, where thy love comes; yonder is thy dear.
