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I give thee all -- I can no more -- Tho' poor the offering be; My heart and lute are all the store That I can bring to thee. A lute whose gentle song reveals The soul of love full well; And, better far, a heart that feels Much more than lute could tell. Tho' love and song may fail, alas! To keep life's clouds away, At least 'twill make them lighter pass, Or gild them if they stay. And even if Care at moments flings A discord o'er life's happy strain, Let Love but gently touch the strings, 'Twill all be sweet again!
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Text Authorship:
- by Thomas Moore (1779 - 1852), "My heart and lute" [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 Henry Rowley Bishop (1785 - 1855), "My heart and lute" [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Frederick Brandeis (1835 - 1899), "My heart and lute", published 1899 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Arthur Trickett , "I give thee all", published 1902 [ voice and piano ], in Vocalist (June) [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Gisbert, Freiherr von Vincke (1813 - 1892) , "Herz und Laute", appears in Rose und Distel, Poesien aus England und Schottland, in Drittes Buch ; composed by Joachim Raff, Wilhelm Heinrich Riehl, Georg Vierling, Nicolai von Wilm.
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Christian Reinhold (1813 - 1856) ; composed by Heinrich Friedrich von Saint-Julien.
- Also set in Norwegian (Bokmål), adapted by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Halfdan Kjerulf.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , copyright © 2026, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2003-10-19
Line count: 16
Word count: 102
Je te donne tout, je ne peux pas plus Malgré la pauvreté de mon offrande ; Mon cœur et mon luth Sont tout ce que j'ai à t'offrir. Une lyre dont le doux chant révèle Très bien l'âme de l'amour ; Et, bien mieux encore, un cœur qui ressent Bien plus que la lyre ne saurait dire. Même si l'amour et le chant peuvent faillir, hélas ! À éloigner les nuages de la vie, Au moins ils les rendront plus légers, Ou les égaieront s'ils s'attardent. Et même si le souci jette parfois Une dissonance sur les joyeux accents de la vie, Qu'Amour touche doucement les cordes, Et tout redeviendra doux !
About the headline (FAQ)
Translations of titles:
"I give thee all" = "Je te donne tout"
"My heart and lute" = "Mon cœeur et mon luth"
Text Authorship:
- Translation from English to French (Français) copyright © 2026 by Pierre Mathé, (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 Thomas Moore (1779 - 1852), "My heart and lute"
This text was added to the website: 2026-05-30
Line count: 16
Word count: 108