A Fairy Tale in Two Acts Taken from Shakespeare · William Shakespeare
AIR.
1st Fai. Flower, of this purple dye, Hit with cupid's archery, Sink in apple of her eye! When her lord she doth espy, Let him shine as gloriously As the Phoebus of the sky. When thou wak'st, if he be by, Beg of him for remedy. [Exit Fairy. Now, my Titania, wake you, my sweet queen. Queen. My Oberon! What visions have I seen! Methought I was enamour'd of a mortal. Ob. There lies your love. Queen. How came these things to pass? O how mine eyes do loath this visage now! Ob. Silence awhile. Robin, remove the man, And you mean while, Titania, music call, And strike more dead than common deep his senses. Queen. Musick, ho, musick! such as charmeth sleep. 2d Fai. Orpheus, with his lute, made trees, And the mountain tops that freeze, Bow themselves when he did sing, To his musick, plants and flowers Ever spring, as sun and showers There had made a lasting spring. [During this song the body is removed. Ob. Come, my Queen, take hand with me, Now thou and I are new in amity. 2d Fai. Sigh no more, lady, sigh no more Be not inconstant ever, One foot on sea, and one on shore, You can be happy never. [Lark sings. Puck. Fairy king, attend and mark, I do hear the morning lark. Ob. Then, my Queen, in silence sad, Trip we after the night's shade, We the globe can compass soon, Swifter than the wand'ring moon. Queen. Come, my lord, and in our flight, Tell me, how it came this night, That I sleeping here was found, With yon mortal on the ground. A Dance of Fairies.
Text from Project Gutenberg, public domain in the United States.