How should I your true love know From another one? By his cockle hat and staff, And his sandal shoon.
Ophelia's Song
Set by Maude Valérie White (1855 - 1937), "Ophelia's Song", published 1882 [ voice and piano ], London: Boosey & Co.  [sung text checked 1 time]
Note: this setting is made up of several separate texts.
Authorship:
- by Anonymous / Unidentified Author, appears in Hamlet [an adaptation]
- sometimes misattributed to William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616)
Based on:
- a text in English possibly by Walter Raleigh, Sir (1552? - 1618)
See other settings of this text.
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (François-Victor Hugo) , no title
- GER German (Deutsch) (Friedrich Ludwig Schröder) , no title, appears in Dramatische Werke, in Hamlet, Prinz von Dänemark. Ein Trauerspiel in sechs Aufzügen. Nach Shakesspear [sic]
- GER German (Deutsch) (Karl Joseph Simrock) (Ludwig Wilhelm Friedrich Seeger) , no title, appears in Shakespeare in deutscher Übersetzung, in 6. Hamlet, first published 1868
- GER German (Deutsch) (Ludwig Wilhelm Friedrich Seeger) , no title, appears in Shakespeare in deutscher Übersetzung, in 6. Hamlet [an adaptation]
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , no title, copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- POL Polish (Polski) (Krystyn Ostrowski) , no title
Note: this is often referred to as the Walsingham Ballad, and is quoted in Shakespeare's Hamlet, Act IV, Scene 5. Ophelia is singing.
Dante Gabriel Rossetti's poem An old song ended refers to this song.
Researcher for this page: Ted Perry
He is dead and gone, lady, He is dead and gone; At his head a grass green turf, At his heels a stone.1
Authorship:
- by Anonymous / Unidentified Author
- sometimes misattributed to William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616)
See other settings of this text.
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (François-Victor Hugo)
- GER German (Deutsch) (Karl Joseph Simrock) (Ludwig Wilhelm Friedrich Seeger) , no title, appears in Shakespeare in deutscher Übersetzung, in 6. Hamlet
- GER German (Deutsch) (August Wilhelm Schlegel)
- GER German (Deutsch) (Friedrich Ludwig Schröder) , no title, appears in Dramatische Werke, in Hamlet, Prinz von Dänemark. Ein Trauerspiel in sechs Aufzügen. Nach Shakesspear [sic]
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , no title, copyright © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- POL Polish (Polski) (Krystyn Ostrowski) , no title
These words are sung by Ophelia in Shakespeare's play Hamlet, Act IV, Scene 5, but they are probably not by Shakespeare.
1 Rihm adds (using some words that are spoken in the Hamlet play): "Oho! Oho! Nay, but ... mark"Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
White his shroud as the mountain snow, [Larded]1 with sweet [flowers]2; Which bewept to the [grave did go]3 With true-love [showers]4.
Authorship:
- by Anonymous / Unidentified Author, appears in Hamlet
- sometimes misattributed to William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616)
See other settings of this text.
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (François-Victor Hugo) , no title
- GER German (Deutsch) (Karl Joseph Simrock) (Ludwig Wilhelm Friedrich Seeger)
- POL Polish (Polski) (Krystyn Ostrowski)
These words are sung by Ophelia in Shakespeare's play Hamlet, Act IV, Scene 5, but they are probably not by Shakespeare.
1 Castelnuovo-Tedesco: "Larded all"2 White: "flow'rs"
3 Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Grill: "ground did not go"
4 White: "show'rs"
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Malcolm Wren [Guest Editor]
And will he not come again? And will he not come again? No, no, he is dead: Go to thy death-bed: He never will come again. His beard was as white as snow, All flaxen was his poll: He is gone, [he is gone,]1 And we [cast away moan]2: God [ha']3 mercy on his soul! [And of all Christian souls, I pray God. God be wi' ye.]4
Authorship:
- by Anonymous / Unidentified Author, appears in Hamlet
- possibly by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), appears in Hamlet
See other settings of this text.
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (François-Victor Hugo) , no title
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , copyright © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) (Ludwig Wilhelm Friedrich Seeger) , no title, appears in Shakespeare in deutscher Übersetzung, in 6. Hamlet
- GER German (Deutsch) (Karl Joseph Simrock) (Ludwig Wilhelm Friedrich Seeger) , no title, appears in Shakespeare in deutscher Übersetzung, in 6. Hamlet, first published 1868
These words are sung by Ophelia in Shakespeare's play Hamlet, Act IV, Scene 5, but they are probably not by Shakespeare.
1 omitted by White.2 Castelnuovo-Tedesco: "moan as we're cast away"
3 Castelnuovo-Tedesco: "have"
4 omitted by White; Castelnuovo-Tedesco; Grill: "And on the souls of all good Christians, I pray God. God be with you."
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Malcolm Wren [Guest Editor]