The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (522 page)

DEMETRIUS

Follow! nay, I'll go with thee, cheek by jole.

I will not follow – I will walk side by side with you.

Exeunt LYSANDER and DEMETRIUS

HERMIA

You, mistress, all this coil is 'long of you:

All of this fighting is because of you, Helena,

Nay, go not back.

Do not go back to Athens.

HELENA

I will not trust you, I,

I don’t trust you, and I

Nor longer stay in your curst company.

Will no longer stay here in your awful company.

Your hands than mine are quicker for a fray,

You are more desirous of a fight,

My legs are longer though, to run away.

But my long legs are better for running away.

Exit

HERMIA

I am amazed, and know not what to say.

I am amazed, and don’t know what to say.

Exit

OBERON

This is thy negligence: still thou mistakest,

This is your fault: either you made a mistake

Or else committ'st thy knaveries wilfully.

Or you are playing a prank on purpose.

PUCK

Believe me, king of shadows, I mistook.

Believe me, my king, I made a mistake.

Did not you tell me I should know the man

Remember that you told me I would recognize the man

By the Athenian garment be had on?

By his Athenian clothing?

And so far blameless proves my enterprise,

So far, I have done nothing wrong,

That I have 'nointed an Athenian's eyes;

Since I put the potion on an Athenian man’s eyes.

And so far am I glad it so did sort

Though I am glad it all turned out like this,

As this their jangling I esteem a sport.

Since I find their fighting a fun game to watch.

OBERON

Thou see'st these lovers seek a place to fight:

You saw as well as I did that the men are looking for a place to fight,

Hie therefore, Robin, overcast the night;

So go, Puck, and make the night cloudy.

The starry welkin cover thou anon

Cover the starry sky

With drooping fog as black as Acheron,

With a low fog as dark as the Acheron River,

And lead these testy rivals so astray

And make these fighting men lose each other

As one come not within another's way.

So they do not end up dueling.

Like to Lysander sometime frame thy tongue,

Sometimes speak like Lysander

Then stir Demetrius up with bitter wrong;

And get Demetrius angry at being wronged,

And sometime rail thou like Demetrius;

And sometimes speak like Demetrius.

And from each other look thou lead them thus,

Like this keep them away from each other

Till o'er their brows death-counterfeiting sleep

Until they fall asleep, appearing almost like they are dead.

With leaden legs and batty wings doth creep:

Then, creep quietly up to them with bat’s wings

Then crush this herb into Lysander's eye;

And put this antidote into Lysander’s eye

Whose liquor hath this virtuous property,

Which will, by it’s good qualities,

To take from thence all error with his might,

Remove the former potion

And make his eyeballs roll with wonted sight.

And make his eyes return to their natural sight.

When they next wake, all this derision

When they wake back up, all of this fighting

Shall seem a dream and fruitless vision,

Shall seem like a dream with no aftereffects,

And back to Athens shall the lovers wend,

And the lovers shall go back to Athens

With league whose date till death shall never end.

With their beloveds in order to marry them.

Whiles I in this affair do thee employ,

While you do this job,

I'll to my queen and beg her Indian boy;

I will go to Queen Titania and ask for her Indian boy

And then I will her charmed eye release

And then will give her eye the antidote so that she stops

From monster's view, and all things shall be peace.

Loving the monster, and finally all things will be peaceful.

PUCK

My fairy lord, this must be done with haste,

My king, this should be done quickly

For night's swift dragons cut the clouds full fast,

Since night is already fading quickly

And yonder shines Aurora's harbinger;

And far in the east the morning appears to be breaking.

At whose approach, ghosts, wandering here and there,

When that happens, the ghosts that wander about

Troop home to churchyards: damned spirits all,

Return to their homes in the graveyards, these damned spirits

That in crossways and floods have burial,

Who were not buried in holy grounds

Already to their wormy beds are gone;

Have already returned to their wormy graves.

For fear lest day should look their shames upon,

They are afraid that day will look at their shame

They willfully themselves exile from light

So they choose to stay away from the light

And must for aye consort with black-brow'd night.

And instead only come out at night.

OBERON

But we are spirits of another sort:

We are different spirits than them.

I with the morning's love have oft made sport,

I have often played in the morning with the morning’s blessing

And, like a forester, the groves may tread,

And am allowed, like a hunter, to walk through the forests

Even till the eastern gate, all fiery-red,

Even until the east is as red as fire

Opening on Neptune with fair blessed beams,

And the sun rises over the oceans, its blessed beams

Turns into yellow gold his salt green streams.

Turning the salty green seawater golden yellow.

But, notwithstanding, haste; make no delay:

In any case, hurry along

We may effect this business yet ere day.

So that we can finish this work before day starts.

Exit

PUCK

Up and down, up and down,

Up and down, and back and forth,

I will lead them up and down:

I will lead them all over.

I am fear'd in field and town:

Those who live in the town and the fields are afraid of me.

Goblin, lead them up and down.

I am Goblin who will lead them all over.

Here comes one.

Here is one now.

Re-enter LYSANDER

LYSANDER

Where art thou, proud Demetrius? speak thou now.

Where are you, Demetrius? Tell me.

PUCK

Here, villain; drawn and ready. Where art thou?

Here, you villain, with my sword ready. Where are you?

LYSANDER

I will be with thee straight.

I will be near you soon enough.

PUCK

Follow me, then,

Follow me, then,

To plainer ground.

To a good ground for battle.

Exit LYSANDER, as following the voice

Re-enter DEMETRIUS

DEMETRIUS

Lysander! speak again:

Lysander, speak!

Thou runaway, thou coward, art thou fled?

You coward, have you run away?

Speak! In some bush? Where dost thou hide thy head?

Speak! Are you hiding in a bush? Where?

PUCK

Thou coward, art thou bragging to the stars,

You coward, are you bragging to the heavens

Telling the bushes that thou look'st for wars,

And telling all of the bushes that you are ready to fight,

And wilt not come? Come, recreant; come, thou child;

But will not come at me? Come, miscreant, come you child.

I'll whip thee with a rod: he is defiled

I will beat you with a stick. Whoever

That draws a sword on thee.

Pulls a sword on me will become insulted.

DEMETRIUS

Yea, art thou there?

Hey, where are you?

PUCK

Follow my voice: we'll try no manhood here.

Follow my voice, we will not fight here.

Exeunt

Re-enter LYSANDER

LYSANDER

He goes before me and still dares me on:

When I come where he calls, then he is gone.

The villain is much lighter-heel'd than I:

I follow'd fast, but faster he did fly;

That fallen am I in dark uneven way,

And here will rest me.

Lies down

Come, thou gentle day!

For if but once thou show me thy grey light,

I'll find Demetrius and revenge this spite.

Sleeps

Re-enter PUCK and DEMETRIUS

PUCK

Ho, ho, ho! Coward, why comest thou not?

Ha ha! Coward, why haven’t you come yet?

DEMETRIUS

Abide me, if thou darest; for well I wot

Stay where you are, if you dare. I see

Thou runn'st before me, shifting every place,

You running ahead of me, changing your place,

And darest not stand, nor look me in the face.

Because you do not dare stop and stand up to me.

Where art thou now?

Now where are you?

PUCK

Come hither: I am here.

Come over here, I am here.

DEMETRIUS

Nay, then, thou mock'st me. Thou shalt buy this dear,

No, you are mocking me. You will pay for this

If ever I thy face by daylight see:

If I ever see you in the daylight.

Now, go thy way. Faintness constraineth me

Go along, I am too tired and must

To measure out my length on this cold bed.

Stretch out on the ground to sleep.

By day's approach look to be visited.

Prepare yourself to fight in the morning.

Lies down and sleeps

Re-enter HELENA

HELENA

O weary night, O long and tedious night,

Oh night that has been so long and tedious,

Abate thy hour! Shine comforts from the east,

Please end! Let the daylight break from the east

That I may back to Athens by daylight,

So that I can get back to Athens easily

From these that my poor company detest:

And leave these supposed friends who really hate me.

And sleep, that sometimes shuts up sorrow's eye,

Now I will sleep, and hope that sleep can quell my sorrow

Steal me awhile from mine own company.

By removing me from myself for a little.

Lies down and sleeps

PUCK

Yet but three? Come one more;

I’ve seen only three so far, where is the other?