by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616)
Translation by François Pierre Guillaume Guizot (1787 - 1874)
But wherefore do not you a mightier way
Language: English
Available translation(s): ITA
But wherefore do not you a mightier way Make war upon this bloody tyrant, Time? And fortify your self in your decay With means more blessed than my barren rhyme? Now stand you on the top of happy hours, And many maiden gardens, yet unset, With virtuous wish would bear you living flowers, Much liker than your painted counterfeit: So should the lines of life that life repair, Which this, Time's pencil, or my pupil pen, Neither in inward worth nor outward fair, Can make you live your self in eyes of men. To give away yourself, keeps yourself still, And you must live, drawn by your own sweet skill.
About the headline (FAQ)
Authorship:
- by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), no title, appears in Sonnets, no. 16 [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 Richard Simpson (1820 - 1876), "Sonnet XVI", 1865. [medium voice and piano] [text not verified]
Available translations, adaptations, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (François-Victor Hugo) , no title, from Sonnets de Shakespeare, no. 16, published 1857
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , title 1: "Sonnet XVI", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (François Pierre Guillaume Guizot) , no title, from Oeuvres Complètes de Shakspeare Volume VIII, in Sonnets, no. 16, published 1863
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2007-10-12
Line count: 14
Word count: 110
Mais pourquoi ne faites‑vous pas une...
Language: French (Français)  after the English
Mais pourquoi ne faites-vous pas une guerre plus sanglante à ce tyran sanguinaire, le Temps? et pourquoi ne vous fortifiez-vous pas contre le déclin par des moyens plus heureux que des vers stériles? Vous êtes maintenant au faîte des jours heureux, bien des jardins vierges encore, et qui ne sont pas plantés, porteraient avec une vertueuse joie vos fleurs vivantes, bien plus ressemblantes que votre portrait en peinture. Alors les traits de la vie répareraient la vie, ce que ni le crayon du temps, ni ma plume son élève ne peuvent faire pour vous, ni comme valeur intime, ni comme beauté extérieure, ils vous feraient vivre aux yeux des hommes ; là vous donnant, vous vous conservez vous-même, et vous vivrez, dans un portrait retracé par votre adorable talent.
About the headline (FAQ)
Authorship:
- by François Pierre Guillaume Guizot (1787 - 1874), no title, appears in Œuvres Complètes de Shakspeare Volume VIII, in Sonnets, no. 16, first published 1863 [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 Sonnets, no. 16
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 text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2016-05-19
Line count: 14
Word count: 129