by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616)
Translation by François-Victor Hugo (1828 - 1873)
But wherefore do not you a mightier way
Language: English
Our translations: ITA
But wherefore do not you a mightier way Make war upon this bloody tyrant, Time? And fortify your self in your decay With means more blessed than my barren rhyme? Now stand you on the top of happy hours, And many maiden gardens, yet unset, With virtuous wish would bear you living flowers, Much liker than your painted counterfeit: So should the lines of life that life repair, Which this, Time's pencil, or my pupil pen, Neither in inward worth nor outward fair, Can make you live your self in eyes of men. To give away yourself, keeps yourself still, And you must live, drawn by your own sweet skill.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), no title, appears in Sonnets, no. 16 [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 XVI", 1865 [ 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. 16, first published 1857
- FRE French (Français) (François Pierre Guillaume Guizot) , no title, appears in Œuvres Complètes de Shakspeare Volume VIII, in Sonnets, no. 16, first published 1863
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Sonnet XVI", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2007-10-12
Line count: 14
Word count: 110
Mais pourquoi ne prenez‑vous pas un...
Language: French (Français) after the English
Mais pourquoi ne prenez-vous pas un moyen plus puissant de faire la guerre au temps, ce sanglant despote ? Pourquoi ne vous fortifiez-vous pas vous-même contre la ruine avec des armes plus heureuses que ma rime stérile ? Vous voilà maintenant au faîte des heures fortunées ; et bien des jardins vierges, encore incultes, vous donneraient dans un vertueux désir de vivantes fleurs plus semblables à vous que votre portrait peint. Ainsi revivrait dans de vivants contours votre personne, que ni le crayon éphémère ni ma plume écolière ne peuvent faire vivre aux yeux des hommes dans sa perfection intérieure et ses grâces extérieures. Vous épancher au dehors, c'est vous conserver à jamais ; et vous vivrez nécessairement dans un doux portrait fait par vous-même.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by François-Victor Hugo (1828 - 1873), no title, appears in Sonnets de Shakespeare, no. 16, first published 1857 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in English by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), no title, appears in Sonnets, no. 16
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- [ None yet in the database ]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2010-08-16
Line count: 14
Word count: 121