by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616)
I told you, sir, they were red‑hot with...
Language: English
I told you, sir, they were red-hot with drinking; So fun of valour that they smote the air For breathing in their faces, beat the ground For kissing of their feet; yet always bending Towards their project. Then I beat my tabour, At which, like unbacked colts, they pricked their ears, Advanced their eyelids, lifted up their noses As they smelt music. So I charmed their ears That calf-like they my lowing followed through Toothed briars, sharp furzes, pricking goss and thorns, Which entered their frail shins. At last I left them I'th' filthy-mantled pool beyond your cell, There dancing up to th' chins, that the foul lake O'er-stunk their feet.
About the headline (FAQ)
View text with all available footnotesAuthorship:
- by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), no title, appears in The Tempest, Act IV, Scene 1 (Ariel) [author's text not yet checked 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):
- [ None yet in the database ]
The text above (or a part of it) is used in the following settings:
- by Kaija Saariaho (b. 1952), "Ariel's Hail", 2000, published 2004? [ soprano, harp, and flute ], from The Tempest Songbook, no. 1
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (François-Victor Hugo)
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Andrea Maffei) , no title, first published 1869
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2010-01-21
Line count: 14
Word count: 111