My true Love hath my heart and I have his. By just exchange, one [for]1 the other given: I hold his dear, and mine he cannot miss; There never was a [bargain better]2 driven[.]3 His heart in me keeps [me and him]4 in one; My heart in him his thoughts and senses [guides]5: He loves my heart, for once it was his own; I cherish his because in me it bides[.]3 His heart his wound received from my sight; My heart was wounded with his wounded heart; For as from me on him his hurt did light, So still methought in me his hurt did smart: Both equal hurt, in this change sought our bliss: My true Love hath my heart, and I have his.
A. Foote sets lines 1-8
S. Adler sets lines 1-8
C. Gounod sets lines 1-8
D. Carwithen sets lines 1-8
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)Confirmed with Love Songs of English Poets, 1500-1800, New York : D. Appleton and Company, 1892, in which it is titled "Sonnet to Stella", which is probably not the author's title.
Parodied in Archibald Stodart-Walker's My true friend hath my hat.
1 Foote: "to"2 Adler, Carwithen, Foote, Gounod, Rutter, Wilkinson: "better bargain"
3 Adler, Carwithen, Foote: ":/ My true Love hath my heart and I have his." (first line is repeated)
4 Adler, Carwithen, Foote: "him and me"
5 Adler, Carwithen: "guide"
Text Authorship:
- by Philip Sidney, Sir (1554 - 1586), no title, appears in Arcadia [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):
- by Samuel Hans Adler (b. 1928), "A ditto", published 1978, lines 1-8 [ high voice and piano ], from Three songs about love : to texts by early English poets, no. 2, Hinshaw Music, Chapel Hill, N.C. [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Doreen Carwithen (1922 - 2003), "Serenade", lines 1-8 [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Madeleine Dring (1923 - 1977), "My true love hath my heart" [ voice and piano ], confirmed with a score [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Arthur Foote (1853 - 1937), "A ditty", op. 26 (Eleven songs for voice and piano) no. 8, published 1892, lines 1-8 [ voice and piano ], Boston : A.P. Schmidt [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Charles Gounod (1818 - 1893), "My true love hath my heart", lines 1-8 [ voice and piano ], also set in French (Français) [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Jake Heggie (b. 1961), "My true love hath my heart", 1996 [ soprano (or vocal duet for soprano and mezzo-soprano), cello and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Gustav Holst (1874 - 1934), "My true love hath my heart", op. 16 no. 2 (1903) [ soprano and piano ], from Six Songs, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by William Martin Yeates Hurlstone (1876 - 1906), "My true love hath my heart", 1905, published 1907 [ soprano and piano ], from Four Songs [for soprano], no. 3, London, Novello: Avison Edition [sung text not yet checked]
- by John (Nicholson) Ireland (1879 - 1962), "My true love hath my heart", 1920, published 1921 [ voice and piano ], from Two Songs, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Andrzej Panufnik (1914 - 1991), "Love song", 1976, first performed 1977 [ voice and piano or harp ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by John Theodore Livingston Raynor (1909 - 1970), "My true love hath my heart", op. 80 (1945) [ baritone and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by John Theodore Livingston Raynor (1909 - 1970), "My true love hath my heart", op. 159 (1947) [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by John Theodore Livingston Raynor (1909 - 1970), "My true love hath my heart", op. 201 (1948) [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by John Theodore Livingston Raynor (1909 - 1970), "My True Love Hath My Heart", op. 347 (1952) [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by John Theodore Livingston Raynor (1909 - 1970), "My True Love Hath My Heart", op. 514 (1958) [sung text not yet checked]
- by John Theodore Livingston Raynor (1909 - 1970), "My True Love Hath My Heart", op. 521 (1958) [sung text not yet checked]
- by John Theodore Livingston Raynor (1909 - 1970), "My True Love Hath My Heart", op. 563 (1960) [sung text not yet checked]
- by John Theodore Livingston Raynor (1909 - 1970), "My True Love Hath My Heart", op. 581 (1961) [sung text not yet checked]
- by John Milford Rutter, CBE (b. 1945), "My true love hath my heart", from Birthday Madrigals, no. 2 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Arthur Somervell, Sir (1863 - 1937), "The Bargain", published 1935 [ voice and piano ], from Three Songs with Piano, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
The text above (or a part of it) is used in the following settings:
- by Stephen Wilkinson (b. 1919), "Nosegay" [ voice and piano ], from Eternal Summer, no. 12
Set in a modified version by Vivian Fine, Hans Gál, Charles Hubert Hastings Parry, Sir, Graham Peel, Arthur Somervell, Sir.
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in French (Français), a translation by (Paul) Jules Barbier (1825 - 1901) ; composed by Charles Gounod.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- GER German (Deutsch) (Richard Flatter) , "Der Handel", appears in Die Fähre, Englische Lyrik aus fünf Jahrhunderten, first published 1936
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Ted Perry
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 14
Word count: 125
Mein Liebster hat mein Herz und ich hab seins; Es ist ein Tausch, der uns noch nie verdrossen. Hoch schätz ich seins ein, teuer ist ihm meins – Ein beßrer Handel ward niemals geschlossen. Sein Herz in mir behütet mich wie ihn, Mein Herz in ihm lenkt all sein Tun und Handeln. Er liebt mein Herz, als wär´s ihm selbst verliehn, Ich liebe seins: es leitet all mein Wandeln. Es war mein Blick, der ihm sein Herz verwundet, Meins leidet Qual, wenn ich seins leiden seh; Es kann nicht sein, daß seins vom Leid gesundet, So lang das meine mitfühlt all sein Weh. Wenn wir auch zwei sind, unser Glück ist eins. Mein Liebster hat mein Herz und ich hab seins!
Please note: this text, provided here for educational and research use, is in the public domain in Canada, but it may still be copyright in other legal jurisdictions. The LiederNet Archive makes no guarantee that the above text is public domain in your country. Please consult your country's copyright statutes or a qualified IP attorney to verify whether a certain text is in the public domain in your country or if downloading or distributing a copy constitutes fair use. The LiederNet Archive assumes no legal responsibility or liability for the copyright compliance of third parties.
Confirmed with Die Fähre, Englische Lyrik aus fünf Jahrhunderten Übersetzt von Richard Flatter, Walter Krieg Verlag, Wien-Bad Bocklet-Zürich, 1954, 2nd edition (1st edition 1936), page 46.
Text Authorship:
- by Richard Flatter (1891 - 1960), "Der Handel", appears in Die Fähre, Englische Lyrik aus fünf Jahrhunderten, first published 1936 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in English by Philip Sidney, Sir (1554 - 1586), no title, appears in Arcadia
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: Volkmar Henschel
This text was added to the website: 2021-02-24
Line count: 14
Word count: 121