The expense of spirit in a waste of shame
Is lust in action: and till action, lust
Is perjur'd, murderous, bloody, full of blame,
Savage, extreme, rude, cruel, not to trust;
Enjoy'd no sooner but despised straight;
Past reason hunted; and no sooner had,
Past reason hated, as a swallow'd bait,
On purpose laid to make the taker mad:
Mad in pursuit and in possession so;
Had, having, and in quest, to have extreme;
A bliss in proof, -- and prov'd, a very woe;
Before, a joy propos'd; behind a dream.
All this the world well knows; yet none knows well
To shun the heaven that leads men to this hell.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), no title, appears in Sonnets, no. 129 [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 Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (1895 - 1968), "Sonnet CXXIX - Th'expense of Spirit", op. 125 (Shakespeare Sonnets), Heft 2 no. 2 (1945) [ SATB chorus and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by David Passmore (b. 1954), "The expense of spirit in a waste of shame" [ mezzo-soprano and piano ], from Seven Dark Lady Sonnets , no. 4 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Richard Simpson (1820 - 1876), "Sonnet CXXIX", 1866 [ baritone and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CZE Czech (Čeština) (Josef Václav Sládek)
- CZE Czech (Čeština) (Josef Václav Sládek) , "Sonet 129"
- FRE French (Français) (François-Victor Hugo) , no title, appears in Sonnets de Shakespeare, no. 129, first published 1857
- GER German (Deutsch) (Richard Flatter) , appears in Die Fähre, Englische Lyrik aus fünf Jahrhunderten, first published 1936
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2010-08-11
Line count: 14
Word count: 110
Verbrauch von Geist in einem Wust von Schande Ist Lust beim Werk; und bis zum Werk ist Lust Von Meineid, Mordgier, Blut voll bis zum Rande, Wild, grausam, roh, nur ihres Ziels bewußt. Kaum erst gesättigt – Ekel, Überdruß; Sinnlos gejagt und, nicht so bald besessen, Sinnlos gehaßt wie Gift nach dem Genuß, Das, ausgelegt, den toll macht, der´s gegessen. Toll in der Sucht und Jagd, toll beim Verein – Besitz, Begierde ohne Zucht und Zaum; Rausch im Genuß, doch kaum genossen – Pein; Vorher – ersehntes Glück, nachher – ein Traum. Das alles weiß man; nur nicht, wie man flieht Aus diesem Himmel, der zur Hölle zieht.
About the headline (FAQ)
Please note: this text, provided here for educational and research use, is in the public domain in Canada, but it may still be copyright in other legal jurisdictions. The LiederNet Archive makes no guarantee that the above text is public domain in your country. Please consult your country's copyright statutes or a qualified IP attorney to verify whether a certain text is in the public domain in your country or if downloading or distributing a copy constitutes fair use. The LiederNet Archive assumes no legal responsibility or liability for the copyright compliance of third parties.
Confirmed with Die Fähre, Englische Lyrik aus fünf Jahrhunderten Übersetzt von Richard Flatter, Walter Krieg Verlag, Wien-Bad Bocklet-Zürich, 1954, 2nd edition (1st edition 1936), page 95.
Text Authorship:
- by Richard Flatter (1891 - 1960), appears in Die Fähre, Englische Lyrik aus fünf Jahrhunderten, first published 1936 [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. 129
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: Volkmar Henschel
This text was added to the website: 2021-02-24
Line count: 14
Word count: 108