Qual è la tua sostanza, di che cosa è fatta

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by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616)

Translation © by Ferdinando Albeggiani

What is your substance, whereof are you...

Language: English

Our translations: ITA

What is your substance, whereof are you made,
That millions of strange shadows on you tend?
Since every one, hath every one, one shade,
And you but one, can every shadow lend.
Describe Adonis, and the counterfeit
Is poorly imitated after you;
On Helen's cheek all art of beauty set,
And you in Grecian tires are painted new:
Speak of the spring, and foison of the year,
The one doth shadow of your beauty show,
The other as your bounty doth appear;
And you in every blessed shape we know.
    In all external grace you have some part,
    But you like none, none you, for constant heart.

About the headline (FAQ)

See also Mobile for Shakespeare by Roman Haubenstock-Ramati

Text Authorship:

by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), no title, appears in Sonnets, no. 53 [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 LIII - What is your substance", subtitle: "The mirror", op. 125 (Shakespeare Sonnets), Heft 1 no. 7 (1944-7) [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Richard Simpson (1820 - 1876), "Sonnet LIII", 1864 [ medium voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

FRE French (Français) (François-Victor Hugo) , no title, appears in Sonnets de Shakespeare, no. 53, first published 1857
ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , no title, copyright © 2024, (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: 107

Qual è la tua sostanza, di che cosa è...

Language: Italian (Italiano) after the English

Qual è la tua sostanza, di che cosa è fatta,
se strane ombre a milioni compagnia ti fanno?  
Poiché ognuno, perché uno, solo un’ombra getta,
e attorno a te, invece,  così tante ombre stanno.
Se descrivete Adone, la sua figura
è, della tua, solo un misero ritratto;
Il viso di Elena abbellito con cura,
è l’ombra del tuo, in foggia greca rifatto:
Parlate della primavera, o del tempo del raccolto
La prima è solo l'ombra della tua bellezza,
L'altro appare come il dono generoso del tuo volto;
E ti riconosciamo in ogni benedetta fattezza.
     Tu possiedi una parte di ogni grazia esteriore
     ma nessuno ti è pari per costanza di cuore.

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

Translation from English to Italian (Italiano) copyright © 2024 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.
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Based on:

a text in English by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), no title, appears in Sonnets, no. 53
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2024-10-10
Line count: 14
Word count: 111