A Midsummer Night's Dream — Act 2, Scene 2

original text and modern English, side by side

Another part of the wood · Titania, First Fairy, Chorus, Second Fairy, Oberon, Lysander, Hermia, Puck, Helena, Demetrius

Titania's fairies sing her to sleep in her bower, and Oberon steals in and squeezes the love-juice onto her eyelids. Lysander and Hermia, lost in the wood, lie down apart to sleep; Puck mistakes Lysander for the scornful Athenian his master described and charms his eyes instead. Lysander wakes to the sight of Helena and instantly declares he loves her, leaving Hermia to wake alone from a nightmare and find him gone.

Enter Titania with her Train.

Titania

Come, now a roundel and a fairy song;

Come, let's have a dance in a ring 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 reremice 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.

Then, for a third of a minute, off with you — some to kill the grubs in the musk-rose buds, some to fight bats for their leathery wings to make coats for my little elves, and some to keep off the noisy owl that hoots all night and gawps at our strange spirits.

Sing me now asleep;

Now sing me to sleep,

Then to your offices, and let me rest.

then go about your duties and let me rest.

Fairies sing.

The fairies sing.

First Fairy

You spotted snakes with double tongue,

Thorny hedgehogs, be not seen;

You spotted snakes with forked tongues, you spiny hedgehogs — keep out of sight.

Newts and blind-worms do no wrong,

Come not near our Fairy Queen:

Newts and slow-worms, do no harm; come nowhere near our Fairy Queen.

Chorus

Philomel, with melody,

Sing in our sweet lullaby:

Lulla, lulla, lullaby; lulla, lulla, lullaby.

Nightingale, join in and sing our sweet lullaby: lulla, lulla, lullaby; lulla, lulla, lullaby.

Never harm, nor spell, nor charm,

Come our lovely lady nigh;

Let no harm, no spell, no charm come near our lovely lady.

So good night, with lullaby.

So good night, with a lullaby.

First Fairy

Weaving spiders, come not here;

Weaving spiders, stay away.

Hence, you long-legg’d spinners, hence.

Off with you, long-legged spinners, off.

Beetles black, approach not near;

Black beetles, don't come close.

Worm nor snail do no offence.

Worms and snails, do no mischief.

Chorus

Philomel with melody, &c.

Nightingale, join in and sing, and so on.

Second Fairy

Hence away!

Away now —

Now all is well.

all's well.

One aloof stand sentinel.

One of us stand guard at a distance.

Exeunt Fairies. Titania sleeps.

Enter Oberon.

Oberon

What thou seest when thou dost wake,

Whatever you see when you wake up,

Squeezes the flower on Titania’s eyelids.

Oberon

Do it for thy true love take;

take it for your true love.

Love and languish for his sake.

Love it and pine for it.

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.

Whether it's a lynx, a cat, a bear, a leopard or a bristling boar, whatever appears before your eyes when you wake will be your darling.

Wake when some vile thing is near.

And may you wake with something vile beside you.

Exit.

Enter Lysander and Hermia.

Lysander

Fair love, you faint with wand’ring in the wood.

My love, you're worn out from wandering the wood —

And, to speak troth, I have forgot our way.

and to tell the truth, I've lost our way.

We’ll rest us, Hermia, if you think it good,

And tarry for the comfort of the day.

Let's rest here, Hermia, if you think that's best, and wait for daylight to help us.

Hermia

Be it so, Lysander:

All right, Lysander.

find you out a bed,

For I upon this bank will rest my head.

Find yourself somewhere to lie down; I'll rest my head on this bank.

Lysander

One turf shall serve as pillow for us both;

One patch of grass will do as a pillow for both of us:

One heart, one bed, two bosoms, and one troth.

one heart, one bed, two bodies, one vow.

Hermia

Nay, good Lysander;

No, dear Lysander —

for my sake, my dear,

Lie further off yet, do not lie so near.

for my sake, lie further away. Don't lie so close.

Lysander

O take the sense, sweet, of my innocence!

Take my meaning kindly, love.

Love takes the meaning in love’s conference.

Lovers understand each other's words in the spirit they're meant.

I mean that my heart unto yours is knit,

So that but one heart we can make of it:

I mean that my heart is so tied to yours that the two make a single heart —

Two bosoms interchainèd with an oath,

So then two bosoms and a single troth.

two bodies chained together by a promise, so two bodies and one shared vow.

Then by your side no bed-room me deny;

So don't refuse me a place beside you.

For lying so, Hermia, I do not lie.

Lying there, Hermia, I'd be telling no lie.

Hermia

Lysander riddles very prettily.

Lysander plays with words very charmingly.

Now much beshrew my manners and my pride,

If Hermia meant to say Lysander lied!

Curse my manners and my pride if I meant to accuse Lysander of lying.

But, gentle friend, for love and courtesy

Lie further off, in human modesty,

But, dear friend, out of love and courtesy, lie further off — as ordinary modesty requires.

Such separation as may well be said

Becomes a virtuous bachelor and a maid,

So far be distant;

The distance people would say suits an honourable bachelor and an unmarried girl: keep that far away.

and good night, sweet friend:

And good night, sweet friend.

Thy love ne’er alter till thy sweet life end!

May your love never change until your life ends.

Lysander

Amen, amen, to that fair prayer say I;

And then end life when I end loyalty!

Amen, amen, I say to that lovely prayer — and let my life end when my loyalty does.

Here is my bed.

Here's my bed.

Sleep give thee all his rest!

May sleep give you all the rest it has.

Hermia

With half that wish the wisher’s eyes be pressed!

And may half that wish close the wisher's own eyes.

They sleep.

Enter Puck.

Puck

Through the forest have I gone,

But Athenian found I none,

On whose eyes I might approve

This flower’s force in stirring love.

I've searched the whole forest and haven't found a single Athenian whose eyes I could test this flower's love-power on.

Night and silence!

Night and silence —

Who is here?

who's this?

Weeds of Athens he doth wear:

He's wearing Athenian clothes.

This is he, my master said,

Despisèd the Athenian maid;

This must be the man my master meant, the one who scorned the Athenian girl.

And here the maiden, sleeping sound,

On the dank and dirty ground.

And here's the girl herself, sound asleep on the cold, dirty ground.

Pretty soul, she durst not lie

Near this lack-love, this kill-courtesy.

Poor soul — she didn't dare lie down near this loveless, discourteous brute.

Churl, upon thy eyes I throw

All the power this charm doth owe;

Well, boor, I'm pouring onto your eyes every bit of power this charm possesses.

When thou wak’st let love forbid

Sleep his seat on thy eyelid.

When you wake, let love keep sleep from ever settling on your eyelids again.

So awake when I am gone;

Wake up once I'm gone;

For I must now to Oberon.

I have to get back to Oberon.

Exit.

Enter Demetrius and Helena, running.

Helena

Stay, though thou kill me, sweet Demetrius.

Wait, Demetrius — even if it kills me, wait.

Demetrius

I charge thee, hence, and do not haunt me thus.

I'm ordering you: go away and stop hounding me like this.

Helena

O, wilt thou darkling leave me?

You'd leave me alone in the dark?

Do not so.

Please don't.

Demetrius

Stay, on thy peril;

Stay at your own risk.

I alone will go.

I'm going on alone.

Exit Demetrius.

Helena

O, I am out of breath in this fond chase!

The more my prayer, the lesser is my grace.

I'm completely out of breath from this hopeless chase — and the more I beg, the less favour I get.

Happy is Hermia, wheresoe’er she lies,

For she hath blessèd and attractive eyes.

Hermia's the lucky one, wherever she's lying now, because she has blessed, magnetic eyes.

How came her eyes so bright?

How did her eyes get so bright?

Not with salt tears.

If so, my eyes are oftener wash’d than hers.

Not from crying; if that were it, mine have been washed far more often.

No, no, I am as ugly as a bear,

No — the truth is I'm as ugly as a bear.

For beasts that meet me run away for fear:

Animals run from me in terror when they meet me.

Therefore no marvel though Demetrius

Do, as a monster, fly my presence thus.

So it's no wonder Demetrius flees from me as if I were a monster.

What wicked and dissembling glass of mine

Made me compare with Hermia’s sphery eyne?

What lying, flattering mirror of mine let me think I could compare with Hermia's starry eyes?

But who is here?

But who's this?

Lysander, on the ground!

Dead or asleep?

I see no blood, no wound.

Lysander, if you live, good sir, awake.

Lysander, if you're alive, sir, wake up.

Waking.

Lysander

And run through fire I will for thy sweet sake.

And I'll run through fire for your sweet sake.

Transparent Helena!

Radiant Helena!

Nature shows art,

That through thy bosom makes me see thy heart.

Nature has worked wonders — I can see your heart right through your breast.

Where is Demetrius?

Where's Demetrius?

O, how fit a word

Is that vile name to perish on my sword!

What a fitting name for a man to die on my sword.

Helena

Do not say so, Lysander, say not so.

Don't say such a thing, Lysander, don't.

What though he love your Hermia?

So what if he loves your Hermia?

Lord, what though?

Good God, what of it?

Yet Hermia still loves you.

Hermia still loves you.

Then be content.

Be satisfied with that.

Lysander

Content with Hermia?

Satisfied with Hermia?

No, I do repent

The tedious minutes I with her have spent.

No — I regret every dull minute I ever spent with her.

Not Hermia, but Helena I love.

It isn't Hermia I love, it's Helena.

Who will not change a raven for a dove?

Who wouldn't trade a raven for a dove?

The will of man is by his reason sway’d,

And reason says you are the worthier maid.

A man's will is governed by his reason, and reason tells me you're the worthier woman.

Things growing are not ripe until their season;

So I, being young, till now ripe not to reason;

Growing things aren't ripe until their season comes; I was too young to ripen into reason before now.

And touching now the point of human skill,

Reason becomes the marshal to my will,

And leads me to your eyes, where I o’erlook

Love’s stories, written in love’s richest book.

Now that I've reached the height of human judgment, reason takes command of my will and leads me to your eyes, where I can read love's own stories in love's richest book.

Helena

Wherefore was I to this keen mockery born?

Why was I born to be mocked so sharply?

When at your hands did I deserve this scorn?

What have I done to deserve this contempt from you?

Is’t not enough, is’t not enough, young man,

That I did never, no, nor never can

Deserve a sweet look from Demetrius’ eye,

But you must flout my insufficiency?

Isn't it enough, young man, isn't it enough that I never have and never can earn one kind look from Demetrius, without you sneering at my failure too?

Good troth, you do me wrong, good sooth, you do,

In such disdainful manner me to woo.

Honestly, you're wronging me — you really are — courting me in this scornful way.

But fare you well;

But goodbye.

perforce I must confess,

I thought you lord of more true gentleness.

I have to admit I thought you had more genuine decency in you.

O, that a lady of one man refus’d,

Should of another therefore be abus’d!

How awful that a woman turned down by one man should be insulted by another because of it.

Exit.

Lysander

She sees not Hermia.

She doesn't see Hermia.

Hermia, sleep thou there,

And never mayst thou come Lysander near!

Hermia, sleep on there, and may you never come near Lysander again.

For, as a surfeit of the sweetest things

The deepest loathing to the stomach brings;

Or as the heresies that men do leave

Are hated most of those they did deceive;

So thou, my surfeit and my heresy,

Of all be hated, but the most of me!

Just as an overdose of the sweetest things leaves the deepest disgust in the stomach, and just as a heresy someone abandons is hated most by the people it once fooled — so may you, my overdose and my heresy, be hated by everyone, and most of all by me.

And, all my powers, address your love and might

To honour Helen, and to be her knight!

And all my strength, devote your love and power to serving Helen and being her knight.

Exit.

Starting.

Hermia

Help me, Lysander, help me!

Do thy best

To pluck this crawling serpent from my breast!

Do what you can to pull this crawling snake off my breast!

Ay me, for pity!

Oh, have mercy!

What a dream was here!

Lysander, look how I do quake with fear.

What a dream that was — Lysander, look how I'm shaking with fear.

Methought a serpent eat my heart away,

And you sat smiling at his cruel prey.

I dreamed a snake was eating my heart away while you sat there smiling at its cruel meal.

Lysander!

What, removed?

What, gone?

Lysander! lord!

Lysander! My love!

What, out of hearing?

Can't you hear me?

Gone?

No sound, no word?

No sound, not a word?

Alack, where are you?

Oh, where are you?

Speak, and if you hear;

Speak, if you can hear me —

Speak, of all loves!

speak, for love's sake!

I swoon almost with fear.

I'm nearly fainting with fear.

No?

Nothing?

Then I well perceive you are not nigh.

Then I can tell you're not nearby.

Either death or you I’ll find immediately.

I'll go and find you now, or find my death.

Exit.

A Midsummer Night's Dream Act 2, Scene 2 summary

Who appears in this scene

Titania, First Fairy, Chorus, Second Fairy, Oberon, Lysander, Hermia, Puck, Helena, Demetrius — Another part of the wood.

Famous lines in A Midsummer Night's Dream Act 2, Scene 2, explained

“One turf shall serve as pillow for us both; / One heart, one bed, two bosoms, and one troth.” (line 41): Lysander uses the language of marriage vows to talk Hermia into sleeping beside him, and she gently refuses. The exchange matters because it shows the pair as they are before the magic touches them: genuinely in love, but with Lysander already willing to bend an argument to get what he wants. When he wakes charmed a hundred lines later and turns the same fluent reasoning on Helena, the audience recognizes the technique.
“Who will not change a raven for a dove?” (line 114): The drugged Lysander explains why he now prefers Helena to Hermia, insulting the dark-haired Hermia as a raven. What makes the line disturbing rather than merely silly is that he presents pure enchantment as the verdict of reason — he claims his will is now ruled by good judgment. Shakespeare's joke is that lovers always believe their preferences are rational, whether or not a flower is involved.

Keep reading

About this translation: the original text follows the public-domain Project Gutenberg Globe edition; the modern English translation was written in-house for Polytranslator and is reviewed on an ongoing basis (last revised August 2026). Free to print and photocopy for classroom use. Cite as: “A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act 2, Scene 2. Polytranslator side-by-side translation, polytranslator.com/shakespeare/midsummer-nights-dream/act-2-scene-2.”

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