William Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night's Dream

ACT II. 2. SCENE III. Another part of the wood.

[Enter TITANIA, 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 rere-mice 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.

      SONG.
        I.
FIRST FAIRY
   You spotted snakes, with double tongue,
     Thorny hedgehogs, be not seen;
   Newts and blind-worms do no wrong;
     Come not near our fairy queen:

     CHORUS.
   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.

        II.
SECOND FAIRY
   Weaving spiders, come not here;
     Hence, you long-legg'd spinners, hence;
   Beetles black, approach not near;
     Worm nor snail do no offence.

    CHORUS
Philomel with melody, &c.

FIRST FAIRY
Hence away; now all is well.
One, aloof, stand sentinel.

[Exeunt Fairies. TITANIA sleeps.]

[Enter OBERON.]

OBERON
What thou seest when thou dost wake,
[Squeezes the flower on TITANIA'S eyelids.]
Do it for thy true-love take;
Love and languish for his sake;
Be it ounce, or cat, or bear,
Pard, or boar with bristled hair,
In thy eye that shall appear
When thou wak'st, it is thy dear;
Wake when some vile thing is near.

[Exit.]

[Enter LYSANDER and HERMIA.]

LYSANDER
Fair love, you faint with wandering in the wood;
  And, to speak troth, I have forgot our way;
We'll rest us, Hermia, if you think it good,
  And tarry for the comfort of the day.

HERMIA
Be it so, Lysander: find you out a bed,
For I upon this bank will rest my head.