Can sleep so soundly as the wretched slave; Who, with a body fill'd, and vacant mind, Gets him to rest, cramm'd with distressful bread; And, but for ceremony, such a wretch, Winding up days with toil, and nights with sleep, 1843.] MIDSUMMER-NIGHT'S DREAM. ACT 4. Sc. 1. Her. GOD speed, fair Helena! Whither away? Hel. Call you me fair? that fair again unsay. Demetrius loves your fair : O happy fair! Your eyes are lode-stars and your tongue's sweet air More tuneable than lark to shepherd's ear, 30 κοιμώμεν, οὐκ ἂν ὕπνον ὧδ ̓ εἴδοι γλυκὺν ὡς ἄθλιός τις δοῦλος, ὃς τὸ σῶμα μὲν πληρής, κενὸς δὲ φροντίδων, ἀναψυχὴν ἰὼν τάχ' εὕρετ', ἐπιπόνου μεστός βορᾶς· κοὐκ εἶδ ̓ ἀπεχθῆ νύκτα, Ταρτάρου γόνον, λάτρις δ' ὅπως τις, ἡλίου κατ ̓ ὄμμ ̓ ἀεὶ, ἀπ' ἀντολῆς ἕως ἂν αὖ δύνῃ φάος, στάξας ἱδρῶτα νύχθ ̓ ὅλην εὐδαιμόνως καθεύδεν, εἶτα δ' ἐξ ὕπνου μεθ' ἡμέραν ὥρμησ ̓ ἀναστὰς ἡλίου ζεύξων δίφρον, οὕτω δὲ τῷ τρέχοντι συντρέχων ἔτει ἔστ ̓ ἂν θάνῃ κέρδιστον ἔσπευσεν πόνον. οὗτος δ ̓ ὁ τλήμων, σχῆμά γ ̓ εἰ μηδὲν παρῆν, 40 κάμπτων πόνῳ μὲν ἡμέρας, νύκτας δ ̓ ὕπνῳ, πάντως ἂν ἔζη βασιλέως κρείσσω βίον· ὅστις γε, δοῦλος ὤν περ, εἰρήνης τυχών κοινῆς ἐπηρετ ̓, ἀλλ ̓ ὅμως, νωθρον φρονῶν, οὐκ οἶδ' ὅσον δεῖ βασιλέα τηροῦντ ̓ ἔχειν, ὅπως ἀεὶ βέβαιος εἰρήνη μενεῖ, ἣ βούκολον μέλλει τιν ̓ αὐξήσειν πλέον. 1843.] ΕΡΜΙΑ. ΕΛΕΝΗ. ΛΥΣΑΝΔΡΟΣ. ΕΡΜ. ΕΛΕΝΗ καλή μοι, χαῖρε ποῖ δ' αἴρεις πόδα ; ΕΛ. καλήν μ ̓ ἄρ ̓ εἶπας; θἄτερ ̓ εἰ λέγοις πάλιν ; ἐρᾷ μὲν οὖν σοῦ τῆς καλῆς Δημήτριος, ὦ μακαρία συ καλλονῆς, σαὶ γὰρ κόραι ὡς ἄστρα μαρμαίρουσι, καὶ τὸ σὸν στόμα When wheat is green, when hawthorn buds appear. Sickness is catching; O, were favour so! Yours would I catch, fair Hermia, ere I go; My ear should catch your voice, my eye your eye, Her. I frown upon him, yet he loves me still. Her. I give him curses, yet he gives me love. Hel. O, that my prayers could such affection move! Her. The more I hate, the more he follows me. Hel. The more I love, the more he hateth me. Her. His folly, Helen, is no fault of mine. Hel. None, but your beauty; 'Would that fault were mine! Her. Take comfort; he no more shall see my face; Lysander and myself will fly this place.- Seem'd Athens as a paradise to me: O then, what graces in my love do dwell, 9 πνεῦμ ̓ ἡδὺ μέλπει μουσικώτερον κλύειν 21 ΕΡΜ. τό γ ̓ ὄμμα συννεφοῦσ ̓· ὁ δ ̓ οὐκ ἀπεῖπ ̓ ἐρῶν. βλέψῃ μὲ ἔναντα· νῦν γὰρ, ὡς εἰδῇς, δοκεῖ 1 Cf. Eur. Bacch. 4. 2 Cf. (Ed. Col. 320. Lys. Helen, to you our minds we will unfold: To-morrow night when Phoebe doth behold Her silver visage in the watery glass, Decking with liquid pearl the bladed grass, (A time that lovers' flights doth still conceal,) Through Athens' gates have we devis'd to steal. Her. And in the wood, where often you and I Upon faint primrose-beds were wont to lie, Emptying our bosoms of their counsel sweet; There my Lysander and myself shall meet: And thence, from Athens, turn away our eyes, To seek new friends and stranger companies. Farewell, sweet playfellow; pray thou for us, And good luck grant thee thy Demetrius! Keep word, Lysander: we must starve our sight From lovers' food, till morrow deep midnight. |