CLEOPATRA I [dream'd]1 there was an Emperor Antony: O, such another sleep, that I might see But such another man! DOLABELLA If it might please ye,-- CLEOPATRA [His face was as the heavens; and therein stuck A sun and moon, which kept their course, and lighted The little O, the earth.]2 DOLABELLA Most sovereign creature,-- CLEOPATRA His legs bestrid the ocean: his rear'd arm Crested the world: [his voice was propertied As all the tuned spheres, and that to friends; But when he meant to quail and shake the orb, He was as rattling thunder. For his bounty, There was no winter in't; an autumn 'twas That grew the more by reaping:]2 his delights Were dolphin-like; they show'd his back above The element they lived in: [in his livery Walk'd crowns and crownets; realms and islands were As plates dropp'd from his pocket.]2 DOLABELLA Cleopatra! CLEOPATRA Think you there was, or might be, such a man As this I dream'd of? DOLABELLA Gentle madam, no. CLEOPATRA You lie, up to the hearing of the gods. But, if there be, or ever were, one such, It's past the size of dreaming: [nature wants stuff To vie strange forms with fancy; yet, to imagine And Antony, were nature's piece 'gainst fancy, Condemning shadows quite.]2
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)Note: Mollicone's setting omits all of Dolabella's lines; Barber's includes only "Gentle madam, no". Mollicone's setting ends "As plates dropp'd from his pocket"
1 Barber: "dream't"2 omitted by Barber.
Authorship:
- by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), no title, appears in Antony and Cleopatra, Scene V, Act 2 [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 Henry Mollicone (b. 1946), "Cleopatra's dream", 1969, first performed 1970 [soprano and piano] [ sung text checked 1 time]
This text (or a part of it) is used in a work
- by Samuel Barber (1910 - 1981), "On the death of Antony", op. 40 no. 1 (1968), published 1968 [soprano, women's chorus, and piano], from Two Choruses from "Anthony and Cleopatra", no. 1
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (François-Victor Hugo) , no title
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2019-05-24
Line count: 38
Word count: 212
CLÉOPÂTRE. — Eh bien, j’ai rêvé qu’il y avait un empereur nommé Antoine… — Oh ! que ne puis-je refaire un pareil somme pour revoir — un homme pareil ! DOLABELLA. Si vous permettez… CLÉOPÂTRE. — Son visage était comme les cieux ; on y voyait briller — une lune et un soleil qui, dans leur cours, illuminaient — le petit orbe terrestre. DOLABELLA. Souveraine créature… CLÉOPÂTRE. — Il enjambait l’Océan ; son bras levé — faisait un cimier au monde ; sa voix était harmonieuse — comme les sphères, quand elle parlait à des amis : — mais quand il voulait dominer et ébranler l’univers, — c’était le cri de la foudre. Sa générosité — n’était pas d’hiver ; c’était un automne — fécondé par la moisson elle-même. Ses plaisirs — étaient autant de dauphins qui s’ébattaient au-dessus — de l’élément où ils vivaient. Dans sa livrée — erraient des couronnes et des tortils : des royaumes et des îles étaient — la monnaie qui tombait de ses poches. DOLABELLA. Cléopâtre ! CLÉOPÂTRE. — Crois-tu qu’il puisse y avoir ou qu’il y ait jamais eu un homme — comme celui dont j’ai rêvé ? DOLABELLA. Non, gracieuse madame. CLÉOPÂTRE. — Vous en avez menti, à la face des dieux ! — Mais, qu’il ait existé ou qu’il doive exister jamais, — un pareil être dépasse les proportions du rêve. La nature est bien souvent impuissante — à rivaliser avec les créations merveilleuses de la pensée ; mais, en concevant — un Antoine, la nature l’emporterait sur la pensée — et condamnerait au néant toutes les fictions.
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with William Shakespeare. Antoine et Cléopatre. Traduction par François-Victor Hugo. Œuvres complètes de Shakespeare, Pagnerre, 1868.
Note: some line breaks have been added to make this text line up with the original.
Authorship:
- by François-Victor Hugo (1828 - 1873), no title [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 Antony and Cleopatra, Scene V, Act 2
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: Andrew Schneider [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2019-05-25
Line count: 38
Word count: 267