Printable version of this page

As You Like It: Act 2 Scene 5

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.

JAQUES

More, more, I prithee, more.

AMIENS

It will make you melancholy, Monsieur Jaques.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

SONG.

Who doth ambition shun

[All together here]

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.

JAQUES

I'll give you a verse to this note that I made

yesterday in despite of my invention.

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.

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.

[Exeunt severally]