Desdemona The poor soul sat sighing by a sycamore tree, Sing all a green willow: Her hand on her bosom, her head on her knee, Sing willow, willow, willow: The fresh streams ran by her, and murmur'd her moans; Sing willow, willow, willow; Her salt tears fell from her, and soften'd the stones; [Lay by these:--]1 Sing willow, willow, willow; [Prithee, hie thee; he'll come anon:--]1 Sing all a green willow [must be my garland.]2 [Sing all a green willow;]3 [Let nobody blame him; his scorn I approve,-]4 [Nay, that's not next.--Hark! who is't that knocks? Emilia: It's the wind.]1 Desdemona: [Sing willow, willow, willow,]3 [I call'd my love false love; but what said he then? Sing willow, willow, willow: If I court moe women, you'll couch with moe men!]4 [Sing willow, willow, willow,]3
5 Shakespeare Songs
Song Cycle by Arthur Sullivan, Sir (1842 - 1900)
?. The willow song  [sung text checked 1 time]
Text Authorship:
- by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), appears in The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice, Act IV scene 3 [an adaptation]
Based on:
- a text in Middle English from Volkslieder (Folksongs) , "Willow song", first published 1583
See other settings of this text.
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (François-Victor Hugo)
- RUS Russian (Русский) (Boris Leonidovich Pasternak)
1 not set by Fortner, Korngold, Parry, Vaughan Williams
2 Korngold: "my garland must be"
3 added by Korngold
4 not set by Parry, Vaughan Williams; Fortner: "I'd called my love false love, but what did he say? / Sing willow, willow willow,/ If I court moe women, you'll couch with moe men!"
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
. O Mistress Mine
O mistress mine, where are you roaming? O stay and hear, your true love's coming That can sing both high and low. [Trip]1 no [further]2, pretty sweeting; [Journeys]3 end in lovers' meeting, Ev'ry wise man's son doth know. What is love? 'Tis not hereafter; Present mirth hath present laughter; What's to come is still unsure: [In]4 delay there lies no plenty; Then [come kiss]5 me, sweet and twenty; Youth's a stuff will not endure.
Text Authorship:
- by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), no title, appears in Twelfth Night: or, What You Will, Act II, Scene 3 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
Set by Arthur Sullivan, Sir (1842 - 1900), published 1866 [ voice and piano ], Metzler & Co.View original text (without footnotes)
1 Korngold: "O trip"
2 [sic] ; and Hall: "farther"
3 Korngold: "For journeyes"
4 Korngold: "And in"
5 Korngold: "come and kiss"
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
. Rosalind
From the east to western Ind, No jewel is like Rosalind. Her worth, being mounted on the wind, Through all the world bears Rosalind. All the pictures fairest lined Are but black to Rosalind. Let no fair be kept in mind But the fair of Rosalind. [...] Thus Rosalind of many parts By heavenly synod was devised, Of many faces, eyes and hearts, To have the touches dearest prized. Heaven would that she these gifts should have, And I to live and die her slave.
Text Authorship:
- by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), appears in As You Like It [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
Set by Arthur Sullivan, Sir (1842 - 1900), published 1866 [ voice and piano ], Metzler & Co.Note: This is a combination of two different speeches from this play.
Researcher for this page: Andrew Schneider [Guest Editor]
1. Orpheus with his lute  [sung text checked 1 time]
Orpheus with his lute made trees, And the mountain-tops that freeze, Bow themselves, when he did sing: To his music, plants and flowers Ever [sprung]1; as sun and showers There had made a lasting spring. Everything that heard him play, Even the billows of the sea, Hung their heads, and then lay by. In sweet music is such art: Killing care and grief of heart Fall asleep, or, hearing, die.
Text Authorship:
- by John Fletcher (1579 - 1625), no title, appears in Henry VIII
- sometimes misattributed to William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616)
See other settings of this text.
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- DUT Dutch (Nederlands) (L. A. J. Burgersdijk)
- FIN Finnish (Suomi) (Paavo Cajander)
- GER German (Deutsch) (Julia Hamann) , "Orpheus", copyright © 2007, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Note: according to Miscellanies, Issues 3-4, published by the New Shakspere Society of Great Britain, "Shakspere wrote only 1168.5 of the 2822 lines of the play. The rest are Fletcher's." The song is part of the Fletcher portion of Henry VIII, and appears in Act III scene 1.
1 Greene: "rose"; Blitzstein: "sprang"Researcher for this page: Ted Perry
3. Sigh no more, ladies  [sung text checked 1 time]
Sigh no more, ladies, sigh no more, Men were deceivers ever; [One foot in sea and one on shore; To one thing constant never.]1 Then sigh not so, But let them go, And be you blithe and bonny; Converting all your sounds of woe Into Hey nonny, nonny. Sing no more ditties, sing no more, Of dumps so dull and heavy; [The fraud of men was ever so Since summer first was leavy.]2 Then sigh not so, But let them go, And be you blithe and bonny; Converting all your sounds of woe Into Hey nonny, nonny.
Text Authorship:
- by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), no title, appears in Much Ado About Nothing, Act II, Scene 3
See other settings of this text.
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- DUT Dutch (Nederlands) (Pauline Kroger) , "De samenzwering", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FIN Finnish (Suomi) (Erkki Pullinen) , copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FIN Finnish (Suomi) (Paavo Cajander)
- FRE French (Français) (François Pierre Guillaume Guizot)
- FRE French (Français) (François-Victor Hugo)
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Carlo Rusconi) , first published 1859
- POL Polish (Polski) (Jan Kasprowicz) , "Śpiew Baltazara", first published 1907
1 Fisher: "To one thing constant never,/ One foot in sea and one on shore."
2 Fischer: "Since summer first was leavy,/ The fraud of men was ever so."
Researcher for this page: Ted Perry