by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616)
Translation by François-Victor Hugo (1828 - 1873)
If my dear love were but the child of...
Language: English
If my dear love were but the child of state, It might for Fortune's bastard be unfather'd, As subject to Time's love or to Time's hate, Weeds among weeds, or flowers with flowers gather'd. No, it was builded far from accident; It suffers not in smiling pomp, nor falls Under the blow of thralled discontent, Whereto th' inviting time our fashion calls: It fears not policy, that heretic, Which works on leases of short-number'd hours, But all alone stands hugely politic, That it nor grows with heat, nor drowns with showers. To this I witness call the fools of time, Which die for goodness, who have lived for crime.
About the headline (FAQ)
Authorship:
- by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), no title, appears in Sonnets, no. 124 [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 CXXIV", 1866 [high voice and piano], first setting [text not verified]
- by Richard Simpson (1820 - 1876), "Sonnet CXXIV", 1866 [low voice and piano], second setting [text not verified]
Available translations, adaptations, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (François-Victor Hugo) , no title, from Sonnets de Shakespeare, no. 124, published 1857
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2010-08-12
Line count: 14
Word count: 109
Si mon amour n'était qu'un enfant royal
Language: French (Français)  after the English
Si mon amour n'était qu'un enfant royal, il pourrait être déshérité comme un bâtard de la fortune ; il subirait l'alternative de la faveur et de la fureur du temps, comme les ronces ou comme les fleurs qui s'entassent sous la faucille. Non, mon amour a été élevé loin de tout accident. Il n'est pas gêné par la pompe souriante, et ne peut tomber sous le souffle du mécontentement servile, dont notre époque semble provoquer chez nous la mode. Il ne craint pas la politique, cette hérétique, qui ne travaille que sur des contrats de quelques heures : dans les régions supérieures où il se dresse, la chaleur ne peut pas plus le grandir que la pluie le noyer. Je laisse l'épreuve de ces vicissitudes aux bouffons du temps, dont la mort est un bien et dont la vie n'a été qu'un crime.
About the headline (FAQ)
Authorship:
- by François-Victor Hugo (1828 - 1873), no title, appears in Sonnets de Shakespeare, no. 124, first published 1857 [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. 124
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: 2010-08-19
Line count: 14
Word count: 143