Diddily's Dream-land

          There was a law in the city of Athens which gave its men the power of the choosing, whom they wanted their daughters to marry. And what was worse if the daughter in question refused to marry the lucky individual, the father was then given the power to put their own child to death. Of course this didn't happen all the time but it did on occasion, and this is the story of that "one time"  of which this story is about.
 There lived at this time an old man, whose name was Egeus, he decided to go to the Duke of Athens and ask that his daughter, Hermia, be killed because she would not marry Demetrius, a young gentleman of a noble family of Athens, but not a very nice man really. Also the beautiful Hermia had already fallen in love and given her heart to another young Athenian , whose name was Lysander and by far the better catch of the two young gentlemen in question.
      It wasn't all Hermia's fault  that she didn't want to marry Demetrius, for he had already told her that he had been in love with Hermia's best friend Helena, and Helena still was very much in love with Demetrius, but he not so with her. Alas these reasons didn't help  or make any difference.... unfortunately not for Egeus didn't care about the love of these young people, all he wanted was his daughter to be put to death for not obeying him.
     Theseus, although quite powerful, wasn't powerful enough to change ther law but he did give Hermia four days to change her mind, then if she still refused to marry Demetrius, she was to be put to death.

     When Hermia was allowed to leave the Duke's presence she went straight to Lysander and  told him of the judgement laid upon her. Lysander was completely heart-broken, the thought of the girl he loved being taken from him, and to be forced into another marriage against her will.
Then after many tears, Lysander suddenly remembered that he had an aunt who lived outside Athens in a part that wasn't affected by this cruel death sentence. They straight away planned that Hermia steal away from her fathers house and together they would go to Lysanders aunt's house, where they would be married as soon as possible.
Quickly they decided that the best place for them to meet was in a small wood, where the two of them often met when Hermia and Helena were out walking in May.

     Hermia was so excited, a quick kiss and she was gone, to make her plans of escape. She told no one but her best friend Helena, who vowed to keep her secret but it was a secret soon broken , for she went straight away to tell Demetrius what Hermia and Lysander were planning to do,it is sad to think that Hermia one true friend deliberately set about destroying her friends happiness because, she so hated Demetrius for not loving her. And it worked for as soon as Demetrius heard of the lovers plans he went searching for them.

     The wood in which Lysander and Hermia had arranged to meet was a favourite haunt of the little beings we call Fairies. Oberon the king , and Titania the queen of the fairies, with all their tiny followers held their midnight festivities there. However things weren't very happy between King Oberon and his Queen. There had been a sad disagreement between them: they never met by moonlight in the shady walks of this lovely wood, instead they spent all their time quarreling, till all the fairy elves crept inside their acorn cups and hid away in fear.
The cause of this unhappy  disagreement was Titania's refusing to give Oberon a little changeling boy, whose mother had been Titania's friend; and upon her death the fairy queen stole the boy child away from his nurse, and brought him up in the woods. 

The very night on which the Hermia and Lysander were to meet in this wood, as Titania was walking with some of her maids of honour, she met Oberon with all his fairy courtiers.

'Ill met by moonlight, proud Titania,' said the fairy king, meaning that he wasn't really happy to meet her.   The queen replied: 'What, jealous Oberon, is it you? Come Fairies, lets away for I have no need of this Kings company.'

'O do wait awhile, rash fairy,' said Oberon; 'am I not your lord?  Tell me why does  Titania upset her Oberon? I only want your little changeling boy to be my page.'

'You might as well give up,' answered the queen;  'There is nothing in your whole fairy  kingdom that will buy my boy from me.' She then left Oberon in a great temper.

'In that case go on your way,' said Oberon: 'but I vow that before the morning comes I will make you very sorry for turning me down.'I don't think that was a very nice way for the King of the Fairy's to act do you children? Well Oberon then sent for Puck, his chief favourite and the one who advised him on matters of wisdom.

Puck (or as he was sometimes called, Robin Goodfellow) was a very cunning and could also be very mischievous,  He was always playing comical pranks in the neighbouring villages; sometimes getting into the dairies and skimming the milk, sometimes diving  into the butter-churn, and while he was dancing his fantastic shape in the churn, the poor dairymaid would be trying so hard to change her cream into butter, and  couldn't : nor did the village brewers do any better when they were trying to brew their ale; whenever Puck chose to play his tricks in the brewing copper, the ale was sure to be spoiled. Then when a few good neighbours met for a drink some comfortable ale together, Puck would jump into the bowl of ale in the likeness of a roasted crab, and when some old goody was going to drink he would bob against her lips, and spill the ale over her withered chin; and later on, when the same old lady was  telling her neighbours a sad and melancholy story, Puck would slip her three-legged stool from under her, and down toppled the poor old woman, and then the old gossips would hold their sides and laugh at her, and swear they had never laughed so much in ages.

'Come here, Puck,' said Oberon to this little merry wanderer of the night; 'Would you go and fetch me the flower which maids call Love in Idleness; the one that when the juice of the little purple flower is laid on the eyelids of those who sleep, it makes them fall in love with the first thing they see.  I will take some of the juice of that flower, and I will drop it on the eyelids of my Titania when she falls asleep; and no matter what it be , a  lion or bear, a meddling monkey, or even a busy ape; she will fall in love with and then before I apply the charm that will take the first charm away, I will make the price the boy she won't let me have as a page.

Puck, who loved  any form of prank ran to seek the flower for his  master; and while Oberon was waiting for Puck to return, he saw Demetrius and Helena enter the wood: he then overheard Demetrius telling Helena off for following him into the wood and after many unkind words on his part, and gentle replies from Helena, reminding him of his former love for her, he left her (as he said) to the mercy of the wild beasts, and she ran after him as swiftly as she could.

The fairy king, who was always friendly to true lovers, felt great compassion for Helena; and perhaps, as Lysander said they used to walk by moonlight in this pleasant wood, Oberon might have seen Helena in those happy times when she was beloved by Demetrius. However, that was in the past , but Oberon was sad for the fair Helena, that when Puck returned with the little purple flower, Oberon said to him:

'Take a part of this flower , for there has been a sweet Athenian lady here, who is in love with a very horrible youth; and if you find him sleeping, please drop some of the love-juice in his eyes,  but contrive to do it when she is near to him, so that the first thing he sees when he awakes may be this lady who he seems to despise so much. You will know the man by the Athenian garments which he wears.'

Puck promised to manage this matter very carefully: and then Oberon left him and he went to find Titania, she was in her bower, where she was preparing to for sleep. Her fairy bower was a bank, where grew wild thyme, cowslips, and sweet violets, under a canopy of wood-bine, musk-roses, and eglantine. There Titania always slept , for at least, some part of the night; her quilt was the enamelled skin of a snake, which, though a small cover, was quite wide enough to wrap a fairy in.

    He found Titania giving orders to her fairies, how they were to employ themselves while she slept. 'Some of you,' said her majesty, 'must kill cankers in the muskrose buds, and some wage war with the bats for their leathern wings, to make my small elves coats; and some of you keep watch that the clamorous owl, that nightly hoots, stays away and does not wake me: but first you may sing me to sleep.' Then the fairies began to sing this song:

'You spotted snakes with double tongue,
Thorny hedgehogs, be not seen;
Newts and blind-worms do no wrong,
Come not near our Fairy Queen.
Philomel, with melody,
Sing in our sweet lullaby,
Lulla, lulla, lullaby; lulla, lulla, lullaby;
Never harm, nor spell, nor charm,
Come our lovely lady nigh;
So good night with lullaby.'

When the fairies had sung their queen asleep with this pretty lullaby, they left her to perform the important services she had asked them to do. Oberon then softly drew near his Titania, and dropped some of the lovejuice on her eyelids, saying:

         But now we must leave Oberon and Titania and return to  Hermia, who made her escape out of her father's house that night, to avoid the death she was doomed to undego for she would never marry Demetrius.  And when she entered the wood, she found her dear Lysander waiting for her, to take her to his aunt's house; but before they had passed half through the wood, Hermia was so tired, that Lysander, who was very much in love with Hermia, and was so proud that she would even die rather than give herself to a man she didn't love persuaded her to rest till morning on a bank of soft moss, and lying down himself on the ground a little distance away, both of them soon fell fast asleep. Here they were found by Puck, who, seeing a handsome young man asleep, and perceiving that his clothes were made in the Athenian fashion, and that a pretty lady was sleeping near him, concluded that this must be the Athenian maid and her disdainful lover whom Oberon had sent him to seek; and he naturally enough conjectured that, as they were alone together, she must be the first thing he would see when he awoke; so, without more ado, he proceeded to pour some of the juice of the little purple flower into his eyes.

But alas it was not as it should have been, for at that very moment Helena came across Lysander's sleeping form, he awoke at the touch of her hand and instead of Hermia in front of him it was Helena, and so powerful was the love-charm, that all his love for Hermia vanished away, and Lysander fell in love with Helena.

Had he first seen Hermia when he awoke, the blunder Puck committed would have been of no consequence,  but for poor Lysander to be forced by a fairy love-charm to forget his own true Hermia, and to run after another lady, and leave Hermia asleep quite alone in a wood at midnight, was a very sad misadventure indeed.

 Helena had tried very hard to keep pace with Demetrius, even though he had said awful things about her. But she had to stop the pursuit for his strides were far longer then hers but soon she lost sight of Demetrius; and as she was wandering about, dejected and forlorn, she arrived at the place where Lysander was sleeping. Then, gently touching him, she said: 'Good sir, if you are alive, awake.' Upon which Lysander opened his eyes, and the love-charm began to work immediately.

Forgetting his love for Hermia, he turned all his love towards Helena as we already know, poor Helena, here in front of her was her best friends lover, promised to marry. She was so upset and thought Lysander to be so cruel to mock her this way. 'Oh!' said she, 'why was I born to be mocked and scorned by every one? Is it not enough, is it not enough, young man, that I can never get a sweet look or a kind word from Demetrius; but you, sir, must pretend to court me? I thought, Lysander, that you were a lord of more true gentleness.' And with these words, she ran away; and Lysander followed her, quite forgetful of his own Hermia, who was still asleep.

                       When Hermia awoke, she was in a sad fright at finding herself alone. She wandered about the wood, not knowing what was become of Lysander, or which way to go to seek for him. And meanwhile Demetrius, not being able to find Hermia and his rival Lysander, completely tired with his fruitless search, was observed again by Oberon fast asleep.

        Oberon had already learnt by some questions he had asked of Puck, that he had applied the love-charm to the wrong person's eyes; and now having found the person first intended, he touched the eyelids of the sleeping Demetrius with the love-juice, and he instantly awoke; and the first thing he saw being Helena, he then began to address love-speeches to Helena; and then Lysander who was following Helena, who in turn was being followed by Hermia , so all four of these Athenians arrived in the same place, but now there was Lysander who had fallen for Helena, then Demetrius who had also seen Helena and was back in love with her, and lastly Hermia who Demetrius was now in love with Helena as well. Phew what a run-a-round they were all having. And in the middle was poor Helena who thought that Demetrius, Lysander, and her once dear friend Hermia, were all in a plot together to make a fool out of her.

As for Hermia she was as much surprised as Helena; she knew not why Lysander and Demetrius, who both before loved her, had now become the lovers of Helena; and to Hermia the matter seemed to be no joke whatsoever.The ladies, who before had always been the dearest of friends, now fell about yelling and screaming at each other.

' Hermia,' said Helena, 'how could you send Lysander to tease me with such praises; and your other lover Demetrius, who told me he had only hatred of me now he calls me Goddess, Nymph, rare, precious, and celestial? He would not speak this way to me, whom he hates, if you did not send him to say  such foolish things. How can you be so unkind  Hermia, to join with men in scorning your poor friend. Have you forgot our school-day friendship? How often, Hermia, have we two, sitting on one cushion, both singing one song, with our needles working the same flower, both on the same sampler worked; growing up together like a double cherry on the tree, scarcely seeming parted! Hermia, it is not friendly of you, it is not maidenly to join with men in scorning your poor friend.'

Of course Hermia having no idea what was happening answered  her once though friend. 'I am amazed at your passionate words,' said Hermia: And all the while Hermia and Helena were speaking these angry words to each other, Demetrius and Lysander left them, to fight together in the wood for the love of Helena.

When they found the gentlemen had left them, they departed, and once more wandered weary in the wood in search of their lovers.

As soon as they were gone, the fairy king, who with little Puck had been listening to their quarrels, said to him: 'This is all your fault, Puck; or did you do it deliberately?'

  'Believe me, king of shadows,' answered Puck, 'it was a mistake;  you told me that the gentleman would be wearing Athenian garments? However, I am not sorry this has happened, for I think their arguing makes excellent sport.'

'You heard,' said Oberon, 'that Demetrius and Lysander are gone to seek a convenient place to fight in. I command you to overhang the night with a thick fog, and lead these quarrelsome lovers so astray in the dark, that they shall not be able to find each other. Change each of their voices to the other, and then when you have their attention lead them both on a merry chase until both are so tired they will need to rest and when you find they are asleep, drop the juice of this other flower into Lysanders eyes, and when he awakes he will forget his new love for Helena, and return to his old passion for Hermia; and then the two fair ladies may each one be happy with the man she loves, and they will think all that has passed was a nightmare. Now go quickly Puck for I must go to see what sweet love my Titania has found.'

             Titania was still sleeping, and Oberon seeing a clown near her, who had lost his way in the wood, and was likewise asleep: 'This fellow,' said he, 'shall be my Titania's true love'; and clapping an ass's head over the clown's, it seemed to fit him as well as if it had grown upon his own shoulders. But though Oberon fixed the ass's head on very gently, it awakened him, and rising up, unconscious of what Oberon had done to him, he went towards the bower where the fairy queen slept.

'Ah! what angel is that I see?' said Titania, opening her eyes, and the juice of the little purple flower beginning to take effect: 'are you as wise as you are beautiful?'

'Why, mistress,' said the foolish clown, 'if I have wit enough to find my way out of this wood, I have enough to serve my turn.'

'Please don't leave the wood,' said the enamoured queen. 'I am a spirit of great renown and I love you. Come with me, and you shall have your own fairies to attend upon you.'

She then called four of her fairies: their names were Pease-blossom, Cobweb, Moth, and Mustard-seed.

'Attend,' said the queen, 'upon this sweet gentleman; hop in his walks, and gambol in his sight; feed him with grapes and apricots, and steal for him the honeybags from the bees. Come, sit with me,' said she to the clown, 'and let me play with your amiable hairy cheeks, my beautiful ass! and kiss your fair large ears, my gentle joy!'

'Where is Pease-blossom?' said the ass-headed clown, not much regarding the fairy queen's courtship, but very proud of his new attendants.

'Here, sir,' said little Pease-blossom.

'Scratch my head,' said the clown. 'Where is Cobweb?'

'Here, sir,' said Cobweb.

'Good Mr Cobweb,' said the foolish clown, 'kill me the red humble bee on the top of that thistle yonder; and, good Mr Cobweb, bring me the honey-bag.

Where is Mustard-seed?'

'Here, sir,' said Mustard-seed: 'what is your will?' 'Nothing,' said the clown, 'good Mr Mustard-seed, but that you help Mr Pease-blossom to scratch; I must go to a barber's, Mr Mustard-seed, for methinks I am marvellous hairy about the face.'

'My sweet love,' said the queen, 'what will you have to eat? I have a fairy that can seek the squirrel's hoard, and fetch you some new nuts.'

'I had rather have a handful of dried pease,' said the clown, who with his ass's head had got an ass's appetite. 'But, I pray, let none of your people disturb me, for I have a mind to sleep.'

'Sleep, then,' said the queen, 'and I will hold you in my arms. O I love you so much! ' When the fairy king saw the clown sleeping in the arms of his queen, he advanced within her sight, and asked her why she was showering such love upon a simple ass.

This she could not deny, as the clown was then sleeping within her arms, with his ass's head crowned by her with flowers.Then when Oberon had teased her for some time, he again asked her for the changeling boy; which she, being very ashamed of being discovered by her lord with her new favourite, did not dare to refuse him.

Then Oberon, having took possession of the little boy he had so long wished for to be his page, took pity on the disgraceful situation into which, he had brought his Titania and threw some of the juice of the other flower into her eyes; and the fairy queen immediately recovered her senses, and wondered at the love she had ,had for the ass

Oberon likewise took the ass's head from off the clown, and left him to finish his nap with his own fool's head upon his shoulders.

Oberon and his Titania being now perfectly at peace with one another, he told her the story of Lysander and Demetrius, and their midnight quarrels; and she agreed to go with him and see the end of their adventures.

The fairy king and queen found the lovers and their fair ladies, at no great distance from each other, sleeping on a grass-plot; for Puck, to make amends for his former mistake, had contrived with the utmost diligence to bring them all to the same spot, unknown to each other: and he had carefully removed the charm from off the eyes of Lysander with the antidote the fairy king gave to him.

Hermia was the first to wake up, and she was wondering why it was Lysander had changed so.  Lysander presently opened his eyes, and seeing his dear Hermia, recovered his senses from the fairy charm, and explained his true love for Hermia; and they began to talk over the adventures of the night, not being certain if these things had really happened, or if they had both been dreaming the same bewildering dream.

Helena and Demetrius were by this time awake; and a sweet sleep having quieted Helena's disturbed and angry spirits, she listened with delight to the professions of love which Demetrius still made to her, and which, to her surprise as well as pleasure, she began to perceive were sincere.

These fair night-wandering ladies, now no longer rivals, became once more true friends; all the unkind words which had passed were forgiven, and they calmly consulted together what was best to be done in their present situation. It was soon agreed that, as Demetrius had given up his desire of Hermia, he should endeavour to prevail upon her father to revoke the cruel sentence of death which had been passed against her. Demetrius was preparing to return to Athens for this friendly purpose, when they were surprised with the sight of Egeus, Hermia's father, who came to the wood in pursuit of his runaway daughter.

When Egeus understood that Demetrius would not now marry his daughter, he no longer opposed her marriage with Lysander, but gave his consent that they should be wedded on the fourth day from that time, being the same day on which Hermia had been condemned to lose her life; and on that same day Helena joyfully agreed to marry her beloved and now faithful, Demetrius.

The fairy king and queen, who were invisible spectators of this reconciliation, and now saw the happy ending of the lovers' history, which was brought about through the help of Oberon, it received so much pleasure, that these kind spirits resolved to celebrate the approaching nuptials with sports and revels throughout their fairy kingdom.

And so, as all good stories shuold end up with a "Hip, Hip, Hooray," and "They all live happily ever after." We close our strange story or maybe it was all: A Dream on a warm Midsummers Night." !

I would like to thank William Shakespeare and Charles and Mary Lamb, for their help in trying to make this story more readable for the very youngest of the world. And the five art works comes from the pen of Margaret Tulloch, I have taken the liberty of colouring them in my old book befor scanning them into the story. 

Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev (1818-1883) This came from a Russian news-report

Stumble It!
 SNOWDROP AND THE DWARFS

STORY TELLER



In here there are some nice books of Barbie and her adventures.

  THE WILLOW- PATTERN PLATE

  Before we move on to the story telling I would like to introduce you to  some of the most famous books in the world.
I think we will stick to the Children's Books, otherwise I will still be doing this page tomorrow afternoon, next year.

THE END

DISCLAIMER Disclaimer: This website contains materials authored by me and also partly a collection of items from the internet. The collections are, I believe, in the Public Domain. In case any material, inadvertently put up, which has a copyright please do write to me and it will be removed. The compilations are for entertainment purposes only and have not been compiled for educational or historical purposes.dottido@hotmail.co.uk

Avery Hill Bedtime Stories
...... For those interested I have 2 books available in print: I Wish My Brother George Was Here and Then Along Comes TROLL . Left click on an image above to read a preview of select pages and/or obtain a copy. All my best,
Mr Avery does have a web site at
http://www.averyhillarts.com/

George Avery.
Email me: averygeo@alaweb.com