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If the dull substance of my flesh were thought, Injurious distance should not stop my way; For then despite of space I would be brought, From limits far remote where thou dost stay. No matter then although my foot did stand Upon the farthest earth removed from thee; For nimble thought can jump both sea and land As soon as think the place where he would be. But ah! thought kills me that I am not thought, To leap large lengths of miles when thou art gone, But that so much of earth and water wrought I must attend time's leisure with my moan, Receiving nought by elements so slow But heavy tears, badges of either's woe.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), no title, appears in Sonnets, no. 44 [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 Leslie Crabtree (b. 1941), "Sonnet XLIV", 2008 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Richard Simpson (1820 - 1876), "Sonnet XLIV", 1864 [ medium voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Lex Zwaap (1919 - 1988), as Lex van Delden, "If the dull substance of my flesh", op. 72 (Drie sonnetten van Shakespeare) no. 3 (1961) [ contralto 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. 44, first published 1857
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Se l'ottusa sostanza della mia carne fosse intelletto", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2008-07-25
Line count: 14
Word count: 117
Se l'ottusa sostanza della mia carne fosse intelletto La distanza crudele non mi fermerebbe ora, perché mi ritroverei, dello spazio a dispetto, dai più remoti confini, là dove tu hai dimora. Che importerebbe, allora, che calcasse il mio piede La terra che, da te, resti la più remota; ché l'agile pensiero su terra e mare incede nell'attimo in cui immagina la sua lontana meta. Ah! Il pensiero di non esser pensiero, m'uccide tosto, pensiero che lunghe miglia varchi quando sei assente, ma purtroppo, poiché di acqua e di terra sono composto, devo aspettare i comodi del tempo, tutto gemente. Da così lenti elementi, senza altro frutto Che lacrime pesanti, segno del loro lutto.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from English to Italian (Italiano) copyright © 2008 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. 44
This text was added to the website: 2008-08-09
Line count: 14
Word count: 113