IV.

FAIRY SONGS.

1.

(Fairy sings.)

OVER hill, over dale,

Thorough bush, thorough brier,
Over park, over pale,

Thorough flood, thorough fire,
I do wander everywhere,
Swifter than the moon's sphere;
And I serve the fairy queen,
To dew her orbs upon the green:
The cowslips tall her pensioners be;
In their gold coats spots you see;
Those be rubies, fairy favours,
In those freckles live their savours:
I must go seek some dew-drops here,
And hang a pearl in every cowslip's ear.
A Midsummer Night's Dream, ii. 1.

2.

(Oberon sings.)

I KNOW a bank where the wild thyme blows, Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows; Quite over-canopied 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.

A Midsummer Night's Dream, ii. 1.

3.

(Fairies sing.)

You spotted snakes, with double tongue,
Thorny hedge-hogs, be not seen;
Newts and blind-worms, do no wrong:
Come not near our fairy queen.
Philomel with melody,

Sing in our sweet lullaby :

Lulla, lulla, lullaby: lulla, lulla, lullaby.

Never harm,

Nor spell nor charm,

Come our lovely lady nigh;
So, good night, with lullaby.
Weaving spiders, come not here;

Hence, you long-legged spinners, hence!
Beetles black, approach not near;
Worm, nor snail, do no offence.

Philomel, with melody, &c.

A Midsummer Night's Dream, ii. 2.

4.

(Puck sings.)

Now the hungry lion roars,

And the wolf behowls the moon;
Whilst the heavy ploughman snores,
All with weary task fordone.
Now the wasted brands do glow,

Whilst the screech-owl, screeching loud,

Puts the wretch that lies in woe

In remembrance of a shroud.

Now it is the time of night
That the graves, all gaping wide,
Everyone lets forth his sprite,
In the churchway paths to glide;
And we fairies that do run

By the triple Hecate's team,
From the presence of the sun,
Following darkness like a dream,
Now are frolic: not a mouse
Shall disturb this hallowed house:
I am sent, with broom, before,
sweep the dust behind the door.

Το

A Midsummer Night's Dream, v. 1.

5.

(Juno and Ceres sing.)

HONOUR, riches, marriage-blessing,
Long continuance, and increasing,
Hourly joys be still upon you!
Juno sings her blessings on you.

Earth's increase, foison plenty,
Barns and garners never empty;
Vines with clustering bunches growing,
Plants with goodly burden bowing.

Spring come to you at the farthest
In the very end of harvest!
Scarcity and want shall shun you;
Ceres' blessing so is on you.

The Tempest, iv. 1.

6.

(Ariel sings.)

WHERE the bee sucks, there suck I;
In a cowslip's bell I lie;

There I couch when owls do cry.

On the bat's back I do fly

After summer merrily.

Merrily, merrily shall I live now

Under the blossom that hangs on the bough.

The Tempest, V.

1.

V.

REVEILLEZ.

HARK, hark! the lark at heaven's gate sings,

And Phoebus 'gins arise,

His steeds to water at those springs

On chaliced flowers that lies:

And winking Mary-buds begin
To ope their golden eyes:
With everything that pretty is,
My lady sweet, arise

Arise, arise!

VI.

LOVE RESTRAINED.

ON a day-alack the day!—
Love, whose month is ever May,
Spied a blossom passing fair,

G

Cymbeline, ii. 3.

Playing in the wanton air:
Through the velvet leaves the wind,
All unseen, can passage find;
That the lover, sick to death,

Wish himself the heaven's breath.

'Air,' quoth he, 'thy cheeks may blow;
Air, would I might triumph so!
But, alack! my hand is sworn

Ne'er to pluck thee from thy thorn:
Vow, alack, for youth unmeet,
Youth so apt to pluck a sweet!
Do not call it sin in me,

That I am forsworn for thee;

Thou, for whom Jove would swear
Juno but an Ethiope were;
And deny himself for Jove,

Turning mortal for thy love.'

Love's Labour's Lost, iv. 3.

VII.

6 Νικᾷ δὲ καὶ σίδηρον
Καὶ πῦρ καλή τις οὖσα.

TAKE, oh, take those lips away

That so sweetly were forsworn;
And those eyes, the break of day,
Lights that do mislead the morn.

But my kisses bring again;
Seals of love, but sealed in vain.

Measure for Measure, iv. 1.