by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616)
Translation by François Pierre Guillaume Guizot (1787 - 1874)
All the world's a stage
Language: English
All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players: They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts, His acts being seven ages. At first the infant, Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms. And then the whining school-boy, with his satchel, And shining morning face, creeping like snail Unwillingly to school. And then the lover, Sighing like furnace, with a woful ballad Made to his mistress' eyebrow. Then a soldier, Full of strange oaths, and bearded like the pard, Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel, Seeking the bubble reputation Even in the cannon's mouth. And then the justice, In fair round belly with good capon lin'd, With eyes severe, and beard of formal cut, Full of wise saws and modern instances; And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts Into the lean and slipper'd pantaloon, With spectacles on nose and pouch on side, His youthful hose well sav'd, a world too wide For his shrunk shank; and his big manly voice, Turning again toward childish treble, pipes And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all, That ends this strange eventful history, Is second childishness and mere oblivion, Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), no title, appears in As You Like It, Act II, Scene 7 (Jaques) [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):
- by Huub de Lange (b. 1955), "All the world", published 2005 [ SATB chorus a cappella ], from Three Shakespeare Songs, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (François Pierre Guillaume Guizot)
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2008-02-28
Line count: 28
Word count: 212
Le monde entier est un théâtre
Language: French (Français)  after the English
Le monde entier est un théâtre, et les hommes et les femmes ne sont que des acteurs ; ils ont leurs entrées et leurs sorties. Un homme, dans le cours de sa vie, joue différents rôles ; et les actes de la pièce sont les sept âges. Dans le premier, c’est l’enfant, vagissant, bavant dans les bras de sa nourrice. Ensuite l’écolier, toujours en pleurs, avec son frais visage du matin et son petit sac, rampe, comme le limaçon, à contre-cœur jusqu’à l’école. Puis vient l’amoureux, qui soupire comme une fournaise et chante une ballade plaintive qu’il a adressée au sourcil de sa maîtresse. Puis le soldat, prodigue de jurements étranges et barbu comme le léopard, jaloux sur le point d’honneur, emporté, toujours prêt à se quereller, cherchant la renommée, cette bulle de savon, jusque dans la bouche du canon. Après lui, c’est le juge au ventre arrondi, garni d’un bon chapon, l’œil sévère, la barbe taillée d’une forme grave ; il abonde en vieilles sentences, en maximes vulgaires ; et c’est ainsi qu’il joue son rôle. Le sixième âge offre un maigre Pantalon en pantoufles, avec des lunettes sur le nez et une poche de côté : les bas bien conservés de sa jeunesse se trouvent maintenant beaucoup trop vastes pour sa jambe ratatinée ; sa voix, jadis forte et mâle, revient au fausset de l’enfance, et ne fait plus que siffler d’un ton aigre et grêle. Enfin le septième et dernier âge vient unir cette histoire pleine d’étranges événements ; c’est la seconde enfance, état d’oubli profond où l’homme se trouve sans dents, sans yeux, sans goût, sans rien.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by François Pierre Guillaume Guizot (1787 - 1874) [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in English by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), no title, appears in As You Like It, Act II, Scene 7 (Jaques)
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- [ None yet in the database ]
Researcher for this page: Guy Laffaille [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2016-01-20
Line count: 28
Word count: 264