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Who is it that says most, which can say more,
Than this rich praise, -- that you alone, are you?
In whose confine immured is the store
Which should example where your equal grew.
Lean penury within that pen doth dwell
That to his subject lends not some small glory;
But he that writes of you, if he can tell
That you are you, so dignifies his story,
Let him but copy what in you is writ,
Not making worse what nature made so clear,
And such a counterpart shall fame his wit,
Making his style admired every where.
You to your beauteous blessings add a curse,
Being fond on praise, which makes your praises worse.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), no title, appears in Sonnets, no. 84 [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 LXXXIV", 1865-6 [ medium voice and piano ], first setting [sung text not yet checked]
- by Richard Simpson (1820 - 1876), "Sonnet LXXXIV", 1866 [ low voice and piano ], second setting [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. 84, 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: 115
Chi meglio potrà dire, di più raccontando, di questa ricca lode, -- che sei tu stesso soltanto? Tu sei il deposito dove sono murate le doti che possedere dovrebbe chi ti vuol stare a confronto. Una penuria misera potrebbe questa penna mostrare se non aggiungesse al suo oggetto qualche piccola gloria; ma chi di te scrive, solamente può dire che tu sei solo tu, e tanto basta a fare illustre la storia, si limiti quindi a copiare ciò che in te sta scritto, non peggiorando ciò che Natura molto bene ha descritto, tale riproduzione darà fama al suo ingegno, e il suo stile sarà ovunque ammirato e assai più degno. Ma alla tua benedetta bellezza una maledizione hai sommato, perché la tua avidità di lodi, ogni lode ha guastato.
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. 84
This text was added to the website: 2025-07-17
Line count: 14
Word count: 128