Act 2 scene 5
| Act II Scene V The Forest. | ||
| [Enter AMIENS, JAQUES, and others] | ||
| AMIENS | SONG. Under the greenwood tree Who loves to lie with me, And turn his merry note Unto the sweet bird's throat, Come hither, come hither, come hither: Here shall he see No enemy But winter and rough weather. |
5 |
| JAQUES | More, more, I prithee, more. | |
| AMIENS | It will make you melancholy, Monsieur Jaques. |
10 |
| JAQUES | I thank it. More, I prithee, more. I can suck melancholy out of a song, as a weasel sucks eggs. More, I prithee, more. |
|
| AMIENS | My voice is ragged: I know I cannot please you. | 15 |
| JAQUES | I do not desire you to please me; I do desire you to sing. Come, more; another stanzo: call you 'em stanzos? |
|
| AMIENS | What you will, Monsieur Jaques. | |
| JAQUES | Nay, I care not for their names; they owe me nothing. Will you sing? |
20 |
| AMIENS | More at your request than to please myself. | |
| JAQUES | Well then, if ever I thank any man, I'll thank you; but that they call compliment is like the encounter of two dog-apes, and when a man thanks me heartily, methinks I have given him a penny and he renders me the beggarly thanks. Come, sing; and you that will not, hold your tongues. |
25 |
| AMIENS | Well, I'll end the song. Sirs, cover the while; the duke will drink under this tree. He hath been all this day to look you. |
30 |
| JAQUES | And I have been all this day to avoid him. He is too disputable for my company: I think of as many matters as he, but I give heaven thanks and make no boast of them. Come, warble, come. |
35 |
| All together here |
SONG. Who doth ambition shun And loves to live i' the sun, Seeking the food he eats And pleased with what he gets, Come hither, come hither, come hither: Here shall he see No enemy But winter and rough weather. |
40 |
| JAQUES | I'll give you a verse to this note that I made yesterday in despite of my invention. |
45 |
| AMIENS | And I'll sing it. | |
| JAQUES | Thus it goes:-- | |
| If it do come to pass That any man turn ass, Leaving his wealth and ease, A stubborn will to please, Ducdame, ducdame, ducdame: Here shall he see Gross fools as he, An if he will come to me. |
50 55 |
|
| AMIENS | What's that 'ducdame'? | |
| JAQUES | 'Tis a Greek invocation, to call fools into a circle. I'll go sleep, if I can; if I cannot, I'll rail against all the first-born of Egypt. |
|
| AMIENS | And I'll go seek the duke: his banquet is prepared. |
60 |
| [Exeunt severally] |