If music be the food of love , play on , Give me excess of it , that , surfeiting , The appetite may sicken and so die . That strain again ! It had a dying fall ; O , it came o'er my ear like the sweet sound That breathes upon a bank of violets , Stealing and giving odour ! Enough , no more ; ‘ Tis not so sweet now as it was before . O spirit of love , how quick and fresh art thou ! That , notwithstanding thy capacity Receiveth as the sea , nought enters there , Of what validity and pitch soe'er , But falls into abatement and low price Even in a minute . So full of shapes is fancy , That it alone is high fantastical . What , Curio ? Why , so I do , the noblest that I have . O , when mine eyes did see Olivia first , Methought she purg 'd the air of pestilence ! That instant was I turn 'd into a hart , And my desires , like fell and cruel hounds , E'er since pursue me . Enter VALENTINE How now ! what news from her ? O , she that hath a heart of that fine frame To pay this debt of love but to a brother , How will she love when the rich golden shaft Hath kill 'd the flock of all affections else That live in her ; when liver , brain , and heart , These sovereign thrones , are all supplied and fill 'd , Her sweet perfections , with one self king ! Away before me to sweet beds of flow'rs : Love-thoughts lie rich when canopied with bow'rs . Who saw Cesario , ho ? Stand you awhile aloof . Cesario , Thou know'st no less but all ; I have unclasp 'd To thee the book even of my secret soul . Therefore , good youth , address thy gait unto her ; Be not denied access , stand at her doors , And tell them there thy fixed foot shall grow Till thou have audience . Be clamorous and leap all civil bounds , Rather than make unprofited return . O , then unfold the passion of my love , Surprise her with discourse of my dear faith ! It shall become thee well to act my woes : She will attend it better in thy youth Than in a nuncio 's of more grave aspect . Dear lad , believe it , For they shall yet belie thy happy years That say thou art a man : Diana 's lip Is not more smooth and rubious ; thy small pipe Is as the maiden 's organ , shrill and sound , And all is semblative a woman 's part . I know thy constellation is right apt For this affair . Some four or five attend him- All , if you will , for I myself am best When least in company . Prosper well in this , And thou shalt live as freely as thy lord To call his fortunes thine . Give me some music . Now , good morrow , friends . Now , good Cesario , but that piece of song , That old and antique song we heard last night ; Methought it did relieve my passion much , More than light airs and recollected terms Of these most brisk and giddy-paced times . Come , but one verse . Who was it ? Seek him out , and play the tune the while . Thou dost speak masterly . My life upo n't , young though thou art , thine eye Hath stay 'd upon some favour that it loves ; Hath it not , boy ? What kind of woman is't ? She is not worth thee , then . What years , i ’ faith ? Too old , by heaven ! Let still the woman take An elder than herself ; so wears she to him , So sways she level in her husband 's heart . For , boy , however we do praise ourselves , Our fancies are more giddy and unfirm , More longing , wavering , sooner lost and won , Than women 's are . Then let thy love be younger than thyself , Or thy affection cannot hold the bent ; For women are as roses , whose fair flow'r Being once display 'd doth fall that very hour . O , fellow , come , the song we had last night . Mark it , Cesario ; it is old and plain ; The spinsters and the knitters in the sun , And the free maids that weave their thread with bones , Do use to chant it ; it is silly sooth , And dallies with the innocence of love , Like the old age . Ay ; prithee , sing . FESTE 'S SONG Come away , come away , death ; And in sad cypress let me be laid ; Fly away , fly away , breath , I am slain by a fair cruel maid . My shroud of white , stuck all with yew , O , prepare it ! My part of death no one so true Did share it . Not a flower , not a flower sweet , On my black coffin let there be strown ; Not a friend , not a friend greet My poor corpse where my bones shall be thrown ; A thousand thousand sighs to save , Lay me , O , where Sad true lover never find my grave , To weep there ! There 's for thy pains . I 'll pay thy pleasure , then . Give me now leave to leave thee . Let all the rest give place . I cannot be so answer 'd . There is no woman 's sides Can bide the beating of so strong a passion As love doth give my heart ; no woman 's heart So big to hold so much ; they lack retention . Alas , their love may be call 'd appetite- No motion of the liver , but the palate- That suffer surfeit , cloyment , and revolt ; But mine is all as hungry as the sea , And can digest as much . Make no compare Between that love a woman can bear me And that I owe Olivia . What dost thou know ? And what 's her history ? But died thy sister of her love , my boy ? Ay , that 's the theme . To her in haste . Give her this jewel ; say My love can give no place , bide no denay . Exeunt Belong you to the Lady Olivia , friends ? I know thee well . How dost thou , my good fellow ? Just the contrary : the better for thy friends . How can that be ? Why , this is excellent . Thou shalt not be the worse for me . There 's gold . O , you give me ill counsel . Well , I will be so much a sinner to be a double-dealer . There 's another . You can fool no more money out of me at this throw ; if you will let your lady know I am here to speak with her , and bring her along with you , it may awake my bounty further . That face of his I do remember well ; Yet when I saw it last it was besmear 'd As black as Vulcan in the smoke of war . A baubling vessel was he captain of , For shallow draught and bulk unprizable , With which such scathful grapple did he make With the most noble bottom of our fleet That very envy and the tongue of los Cried fame and honour on him . What 's the matter ? Notable pirate , thou salt-water thief ! What foolish boldness brought thee to their mercies Whom thou , in terms so bloody and so dear , Hast made thine enemies ? When came he to this town ? Here comes the Countess ; now heaven walks on earth . But for thee , fellow - fellow , thy words are madness . Three months this youth hath tended upon me- But more of that anon . Take him aside . Gracious Olivia- Still so cruel ? What , to perverseness ? You uncivil lady , To whose ingrate and unauspicious altars My soul the faithfull'st off'rings hath breath 'd out That e'er devotion tender 'd ! What shall I do ? Why should I not , had I the heart to do it , Like to the Egyptian thief at point of death , Kill what I love ? -  a savage jealousy That sometime savours nobly . But hear me this : Since you to non-regardance cast my faith , And that I partly know the instrument That screws me from my true place in your favour , Live you the marble-breasted tyrant still ; But this your minion , whom I know you love , And whom , by heaven I swear , I tender dearly , Him will I tear out of that cruel eye Where he sits crowned in his master 's spite . Come , boy , with me ; my thoughts are ripe in mischief : I 'll sacrifice the lamb that I do love To spite a raven 's heart within a dove . Come , away ! Husband ? Her husband , sirrah ? O thou dissembling cub ! What wilt thou be , When time hath sow 'd a grizzle on thy case ? Or will not else thy craft so quickly grow That thine own trip shall be thine overthrow ? Farewell , and take her ; but direct thy feet Where thou and I henceforth may never meet . My gentleman , Cesario ? How now , gentleman ? How is't with you ? One face , one voice , one habit , and two persons ! A natural perspective , that is and is not . Be not amaz 'd ; right noble is his blood . If this be so , as yet the glass seems true , I shall have share in this most happy wreck . Boy , thou hast said to me a thousand times Thou never shouldst love woman like to me . Give me thy hand ; And let me see thee in thy woman 's weeds . This savours not much of distraction . Madam , I am most apt t ’ embrace your offer .Your master quits you ; and , for your service done him , So much against the mettle of your sex , So far beneath your soft and tender breeding , And since you call 'd me master for so long , Here is my hand ; you shall from this time be You master 's mistress . Is this the madman ? Pursue him , and entreat him to a peace ; He hath not told us of the captain yet . When that is known , and golden time convents , A solemn combination shall be made Of our dear souls . Meantime , sweet sister , We will not part from hence . Cesario , come ; For so you shall be while you are a man ; But when in other habits you are seen , Orsino 's mistress , and his fancy 's queen . Exeunt all but the CLOWN CLOWN sings When that I was and a little tiny boy , With hey , ho , the wind and the rain , A foolish thing was but a toy , For the rain it raineth every day . But when I came to man 's estate , With hey , ho , the wind and the rain , ‘ Gainst knaves and thieves men shut their gate , For the rain it raineth every day . But when I came , alas ! to wive , With hey , ho , the wind and the rain , By swaggering could I never thrive , For the rain it raineth every day . But when I came unto my beds , With hey , ho , the wind and the rain , With toss-pots still had drunken heads , For the rain it raineth every day . A great while ago the world begun , With hey , ho , the wind and the rain , But that 's all one , our play is done , And we 'll strive to please you every day .