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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;
Never sees horrid night, the child of hell;
But, like a lackey, from the rise to set,
Sweats in the eye of Phœbus, and all night
Sleeps in Elysium; next day, after dawn,
Doth rise and help Hyperion to his horse;
And follows so the ever-running year
With profitable labour, to his grave;

And, but for ceremony, such a wretch,

Winding up days with toil, and nights with sleep,
Had the fore-hand and vantage of a king.
The slave, a member of the country's peace,
Enjoys it; but in gross brain little wots,
What watch the king keeps to maintain the peace,
Whose hours the peasant best advantages.

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,

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κοιμώμεν, οὐκ ἂν ὕπνον ὧδ' εὕδοι 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 τυχὼν κοινῆς ἐπηῦρετ ̓, ἀλλ ̓ ὅμως, νωθρὸν 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,
My tongue should catch your tongue's sweet melody.
Were the world mine, Demetrius being bated,
The rest I'd give to be to you translated.

O, teach me how you look; and with what art
You sway the motion of Demetrius' heart.

Her. I frown upon him, yet he loves me still.
Hel. O, that your frowns would teach my smiles
such skill!

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.-
Before the time I did Lysander see,

Seem'd Athens as a paradise to me:

O then, what graces in my love do dwell,
That he hath turn'd a heaven into hell!

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πνεῦμ ̓ ἡδὺ μέλπει μουσικώτερον κλύειν
ἢ κόρυδος, ἧσπερ βουκόλων ἀνδρῶν γένος
γέγηθ ̓ ἄκουον, εὖτ ̓ ἂν ᾖ χλωρὸς σταχὺς,
νέα δ ̓ ἐπανθῇ ταῖς ἀκάνθαισιν κάλυξ.
φεῦ. εἴθ ̓ ὤφελ', ὥσπερ αἱ νόσοι, πρὸς τὸν πέλας
ἕρπειν τὸ κάλλος, σὴν ὅπως παροῦσ ̓ ἐγὼ
μορφὴν παρέλαβον, ὄμματ ̓ ὀμμάτων βλέπος,
τὰ δ ̓ ὦτα φωνὴν, γλῶσσα δ ̓ αὖ γλώσσης μέλι.
εἰ δ ̓ οὖν νέμοιμι γῆς μόνη παγκληρίαν,
τἄλλ ̓ ἂν προείμην πάντα πλὴν Δημητρίου
ὥστ ̓ ἐξ ἐμαυτοῦ σῶμ ̓ ἀμείψασθαι τὸ σόν.
φέρ ̓ εἰπὲ, πρὸς Θεῶν, πῶς βλέπεις, ποίαις δὲ καὶ
τέχναισι τἀνδρὸς καρδίαν κατασχέθεις ;

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ΕΡΜ. τό γ ̓ ὄμμα συννεφοῦσ ̓· ὁ δ ̓ οὐκ ἀπεῖπ ̓ ἐρῶν.
ΕΛ. πῶς ταὔτ ̓ ἔχοιμ' ἂν φαιδρά νιν σαίνουσ' ἐγώ;
ΕΡΜ. ἀρῶν ἄποιν', ἔρωτί μ' ἀνταμείβεται.
ΕΛ. ὡς λιπαροῦσά γ ̓ ὤφελον ταὐτοῦ τυχεῖν.
ΕΡΜ. πλέον στυγοῦσαν πλέον ἀεὶ θηρᾷ λαβεῖν.
ΕΛ. πλέον δ ̓ ἔγωγ ̓ ἐρῶσα πλέον ἐχθαίρομαι.
ΕΡΜ. ὁ δ ̓ εἰ μέμηνεν, εἶτ ̓ ἐμοὶ ψόγου μέτα ;
ΕΛ. μορφῇ γε τῇ σῇ· τόνδ' ἔχοιμ' ἐγὼ ψόγον.
ΕΡΜ. καὶ μήν συ θάρσει τἀμά γ', ὡς οὐ μηκέτι

βλέψῃ μὲ ἔναντα· νῦν γὰρ, ὡς εἰδῇς, δοκεῖ
τῷδ ̓ ἀνδρὶ κἀμοὶ τῆσδ ̓ ἀφορμᾶσθαι χθονός.
ἐμοὶ γὰρ ἄστυ, πρὶν τὸν ἄνδρα τόνδ' ἰδεῖν, 30
μακάρων ἕδραισιν ἐξ ἴσου τιμώμενον
εἶτ ̓ ἐκ φαεννοῦ νερτέροις πρέπει μυχοῖς·
τοιαίδε χάριτες νυμφίῳ τὠμῷ πάρα.

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.

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