by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616)
Translation by François-Victor Hugo (1828 - 1873)
Let me confess that we two must be twain
Language: English
Our translations: ITA
Let me confess that we two must be twain, Although our undivided loves are one: So shall those blots that do with me remain Without thy help by me be borne alone. In our two loves there is but one respect, Though in our lives a separable spite, Which though it alter not love's sole effect, Yet doth it steal sweet hours from love's delight. I may not evermore acknowledge thee, Lest my bewailed guilt should do thee shame, Nor thou with public kindness honour me, Unless thou take that honour from thy name: But do not so; I love thee in such sort As, thou being mine, mine is thy good report.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), appears in Sonnets, no. 36 [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 Leo Diamond (1915 - 2005), "Let me confess that we two must be twain", 1964, published 1967 [ high voice and piano ], from We Two, no. 2, New York : Southern [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Björn Johansson , "Let me confess that we two must be twain", 1970-3, first performed 1976 [ soprano and string quartet ], from ...notes of Music [sung text not yet checked]
- by Eustace O'Connor , "Let me confess", published 1896 [ high voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Richard Simpson (1820 - 1876), "Sonnet XXXVI", 1865 [ duet for soprano and alto with 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. 36, first published 1857
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Sebbene uno sia il nostro amore, ed indiviso", copyright © 2007, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
This text was added to the website: 2005-08-31
Line count: 14
Word count: 113
Laisse‑moi te dire que tous deux nous...
Language: French (Français) after the English
Laisse-moi te dire que tous deux nous devons rester deux, bien que nos cœurs indivis ne fassent qu'un : ainsi les flétrissures qui s'attachent à moi, je les supporterai seul et sans ton aide. Dans nos deux amours nous n'avons qu'une dignité, malgré la fatalité qui sépare nos deux vies et qui, sans altérer en rien l'effet unique de l'affection, dérobe à ses jouissances tant de douces heures. Je dois désormais cesser de te reconnaître, de peur que mon ignominie pleurée ne te fasse honte. Et tu ne peux plus m'honorer d'une bienveillance publique sans retirer cet honneur à ton nom. Ne fais pas cela : je t'aime de telle sorte que, comme tu es à moi, à moi est ta réputation.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by François-Victor Hugo (1828 - 1873), no title, appears in Sonnets de Shakespeare, no. 36, first published 1857 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in English by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), appears in Sonnets, no. 36
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: 2010-08-17
Line count: 14
Word count: 120