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What potions have I drunk of Siren tears,
Distill'd from limbecks foul as hell within,
Applying fears to hopes, and hopes to fears,
Still losing when I saw myself to win!
What wretched errors hath my heart committed,
Whilst it hath thought itself so blessed never!
How have mine eyes out of their spheres been fitted,
In the distraction of this madding fever!
O benefit of ill! now I find true
That better is, by evil still made better;
And ruin'd love, when it is built anew,
Grows fairer than at first, more strong, far greater.
So I return rebuk'd to my content,
And gain by ill thrice more than I have spent.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), no title, appears in Sonnets, no. 119 [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 David Llewellyn Green , "What potions have I drunk of Siren tears", 1986 [ mezzo-soprano or baritone and piano ], from Five Songs of Sorrow and Reconciliation, no. 4 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Richard Simpson (1820 - 1876), "Sonnet CXIX", 1864-6 [ high 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. 119, first published 1857
- 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: 2010-08-12
Line count: 14
Word count: 113
Che pozioni ho bevuto di lacrime di sirena, Distillate da alambicchi immondi come l'inferno, associando a paure ogni speranza vana, Perdendo ancora quando di vincere credevo! Che sciagurati errori ha commesso il mio cuore, credendo di aver raggiunto il sommo della gioia! Con gli occhi fuorusciti dalle loro sfere, per un delirio febbrile divenuto follia! Oh benefico male! Apprendo ora che ogni miglior cosa è resa dal male migliore, E che un amore in rovina, può ricostruirsi ancora ricrescendo più bello, più forte e ancor maggiore. Così faccio ritorno, pentito, a chi mi ha sempre amato guadagnando, dal male, più di quanto avevo perduto.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- Translation from English to Italian (Italiano) copyright © 2025 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. 119
This text was added to the website: 2025-07-16
Line count: 14
Word count: 104