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Sweetest love, I do not go,
For weariness of thee,
Nor in hope the world can show
A fitter love for me ;
But since that I
[At the last must part, 'tis best,
Thus to use myself in jest
By feigned]1 deaths to die.
Yesternight the sun went hence,
And yet is here to-day ;
He hath no desire nor sense,
Nor half so short a way ;
Then fear not me,
But believe that I shall make
Speedier journeys, since I take
More wings and spurs than he.
O how feeble is man's power,
That if good fortune fall,
Cannot add another hour,
Nor a lost hour recall ;
But come bad chance,
And we join to it our strength,
And we teach it art and length,
Itself o'er us to advance.
When thou sigh'st, thou sigh'st not wind,
But sigh'st my soul away ;
When thou weep'st, unkindly kind,
My life's blood doth decay.
It cannot be
That thou [lovest]2 me as thou say'st,
If in thine my life thou waste,
That art the best of me.
Let not thy divining heart
Forethink me any ill ;
Destiny may take thy part,
And may thy fears fulfil.
But think that we
Are but turn'd aside to sleep.
They who one another keep
Alive, ne'er parted be.
M. Emery sets stanzas 1, 4
O. Penard sets stanza 1 in (at least) one setting - see below for more information
O. Penard sets stanza 2 in (at least) one setting - see below for more information
O. Penard sets stanza 3 in (at least) one setting - see below for more information
O. Penard sets stanza 4 in (at least) one setting - see below for more information
O. Penard sets stanza 5 in (at least) one setting - see below for more information
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)1 Emery: "Must die at last, 'tis best/ To use myself in jest/Thus by feign'd"
2 Emery: "lov'st"
Text Authorship:
- by John Donne (1572 - 1631), "Song: Sweetest love, I do not go" [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 Anonymous/Unidentified Artist , "Sweetest love, I do not go", published 1961 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Matthew Emery (b. 1991), "Sweetest love, I do not go", 2013, stanzas 1,4 [ SATB chorus a cappella ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Bryan Kelly (b. 1934), "Sweetest love, I do not go", published 1961 [ baritone and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Olivier Penard (b. 1974), "Sweetest love", op. 18 no. 1 (2003), published 2003, stanza 1 [ baritone and piano ], from The Others Death, no. 1, Édition Jobert [sung text not yet checked]
- by Olivier Penard (b. 1974), "Yesternight", op. 18 no. 2 (2003), published 2003, stanza 2 [ baritone and piano ], from The Others Death, no. 2, Édition Jobert [sung text not yet checked]
- by Olivier Penard (b. 1974), "O how feeble is mans power", op. 18 no. 3 (2003), published 2003, stanza 3 [ baritone and piano ], from The Others Death, no. 3, Édition Jobert [sung text not yet checked]
- by Olivier Penard (b. 1974), "When thou sigh'st", op. 18 no. 4 (2003), published 2003, stanza 4 [ baritone and piano ], from The Others Death, no. 4, Édition Jobert [sung text not yet checked]
- by Olivier Penard (b. 1974), "Let not thy divining heart", op. 18 no. 5 (2003), published 2003, stanza 5 [ baritone and piano ], from The Others Death, no. 5, Édition Jobert [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ronald Perera (b. 1941), "Song", 1962 [ medium voice and piano ], from Two Donne Songs, no. 2, Pear Tree Press Music Publishers distributed by Subito Music Corp. [sung text not yet checked]
- by Bernard George Stevens (1916 - 1983), "Sweetest love, I do not go", published 1948, from Three Songs: The Words by John Donne [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Mio dolcissimo amore", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2009-01-08
Line count: 40
Word count: 215
Mio dolcissimo amore, io congedo non prendo Perché di te sono stanco, o perché spero di trovare al mondo un amore più adatto; ma poiché è mia sorte alla fine morire, allora è meglio, che faccia l'abitudine, per scherzo, a morire così, fingendo la mia morte. Il sole è andato via la sera avanti, e tuttavia è qui di nuovo al mattino; esso non ha desideri o sentimenti, né breve come il mio è il suo cammino; Perciò, abbandona il timore che avverti Per me, e confida nel fatto che farò un più rapido viaggio, perché ho ali e sproni di quello più forti. Oh quanto è fragile il potere dell'uomo, Che, se gli tocca la buona fortuna, non riesce ad aggiungervi un istante solo, o riavere indietro un'ora perduta; Ma se sopravviene la sorte avversa, con le nostre stesse forze la accresciamo e le insegniamo modo e durata così che su di noi acquisti vantaggio. Quando tu sospiri, non sospiri fiato, ma l'anima mia stessa stai esalando; E quando tu, dolcissima crudele, versi il tuo pianto, il sangue di mia vita stai corrompendo. Cosa vera non è, Che mi ami come tu affermi, Se la mia vita si distrugge in te Che ogni cosa migliore di me incarni. Non consentire al tuo cuore indovino Di temere per me qualche sventura; Può decidere di darti ragione il destino Ed inverare la tua paura. Immagina invece che noi, soltanto Ci siamo dati le spalle per dormire. Quelli che si tengono l'un con l'altro Vivi, nulla li potrà separare.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from English to Italian (Italiano) copyright © 2009 by Ferdinando Albeggiani, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
- a text in English by John Donne (1572 - 1631), "Song: Sweetest love, I do not go"
This text was added to the website: 2009-05-27
Line count: 40
Word count: 257