Fairy’s Song

William Shakespeare (1564–1616)

From “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Act II. Sc. 1.

OVER hill, over dale,

Thorough bush, thorough brier,

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;

These be rubies, fairy favors—

In those freckles live their savors.

I must go seek some dewdrops here,

And hang a pearl in every cowslip’s ear.