Midsummer Night's Dream. ACT II SCENE I

(Puck is 'Robin Good-Fellow'.)

A wood near Athens.

Enter, from opposite sides, a Fairy, and Puck.

Puck: How now, spirit! Wither wander you?

Fairy: Over Hill, over dale, 

Thorough bush, thorough briar over park, over pale, 

Thorough flood, thorough fire, 

I do wander everywhere, 

Swifter than the moon's sphere; 

And I serve the fairy queen, 

To dew her orbs upon the green. 

The cowslips tall her pensioners be: 

In their gold coats spots you see; 

Those be rubies, fairy favours, 

In those freckles live their savours: 

I must go seek some dewdrops here. And hang a pearl in every cowslip's ear. Farewell, thou lob of spirits; I'll be gone: Our queen and all her elves come here anon.

I have vivid memories bordering on surreal of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' being performed by senior pupils at Kingwell Court Preparatory School that I attended in 1956. As sunset approaches, an almost magical hue of glowing colours, gradually retreating; disappearing below distant hills.

About the Author 

Simon Lever is a Featured Contributor at Bizcatalyst 360°, an author, creative writer, and storyteller. His voluntary activities include being a steward for the award-winning 'Kings and Scribes Exhibition: Birth of a Nation' and serving as a trustee at a community centre. Images courtesy of Simon Lever and The Wallace Collection, London.