Are we all met? Pat.
And here's a marvellous
convenient place for our rehearsal.
Peter Quince? What sayst thou,
Bully Bottom?
There are things in this comedy that
will never please.
First, Pyramus must draw a sword to
kill himself; which the ladies cannot abide.
Byr lakin, a parlous fear.
I believe we must leave the killing out,
when all is done.
Not a whit; I have a device
to make all well.
Write me a prologue; tell them that
I, Pyramus, am not Pyramus
but Bottom the weaver;
This will put them out of fear.
Will not the ladies be afeared
of the lion?
I fear it, I promise you.
Therefore, another prologue must tell
them plainly he is not a lion, but
Snug the joiner.
But there is two hard things, that is,
to bring the moonlight into the chamber
For you know Pyramus and Thisby
meet by moonlight.
Doth the moonshine that night we play
our play? A calendar
look in the Almanac, find out moonshine.
Or else one must come in with a
bush of thorns and a lanthorn
and say he comes to present the
person of moonshine.
Then there is another thing, we
must have a wall in the great chamber.
You can never bring in a wall.
What say you, Bottom?
Some man or other must present wall,
and let him hold his fingers thus
and through that cranny shall Pyramus
and Thisby whisper.
Then all is well.
Come, sit down every mother's son,
and rehearse your parts, every man
according to his cue.
Pyramus, you begin.
What hempen homespuns have we
swaggering here, So near the cradle
of our Fairy Queen?
Speak, Pyramus; Thisby, stand forth.
Thisby, the flowers of odious savours
sweet.
Odours odourous.
Odours savours sweet, so hath my
breath, my dearest Thisby dear.
But hark, a voice.
Stay thou but here awhile, and
by and by, I will to thee appear.
I'll follow you, I'll lead you
about around.
- Must I speak now? - Ay, marry must you.
For you must understand he goes
but to see a noise he heard, and is
to come again.
Most radiant Pyramus, most
lily-white of hue.
Of colour like the red rose on
triumphant briar.
Most briskly juvenal and eke most lovely
Jew as true as truest horse, that never
yet would tire
I'll meet thee Pyramus,
at Ninny's tomb.
Why, you must not speak that yet.
That you answer to Pyramus: you
speak all your part at once, cues and all.
Pyramus enter, your cue has past,
it is never tire.
O, as true as truest horse that
never yet would tire.
If I were fair, Thisby, I were only thine.
O monstrous, O strange!
We are haunted; pray masters,
fly masters, help!
Why do they run away?
This is a knavery to make me afeared.
O Bottom, thou art changed.
What do I see on thee?
What do you see? You see an asshead
of your own, do you?
Bless thee Bottom, thou art translated.
I see their knavery; this is to make
an ass of me.
to fright me, if they could.
But I will not stir from this place,
and will sing that they shall hear
I am not afraid.
The woosel cock, so black of hue,
With orange tawny bill
The throstle with his note so true,
The wren with little quill.