by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616)
Translation by François-Victor Hugo (1828 - 1873)
So oft have I invoked thee for my Muse
Language: English
So oft have I invoked thee for my Muse,
And found such fair assistance in my verse
As every alien pen hath got my use
And under thee their poesy disperse.
Thine eyes, that taught the dumb on high to sing
And heavy ignorance aloft to fly,
Have added feathers to the learned's wing
And given grace a double majesty.
Yet be most proud of that which I compile,
Whose influence is thine, and born of thee:
In others' works thou dost but mend the style,
And arts with thy sweet graces graced be;
But thou art all my art, and dost advance
As high as learning, my rude ignorance.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), no title, appears in Sonnets, no. 78 [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 LXXVIII", 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. 78, first published 1857
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2010-08-12
Line count: 14
Word count: 110
Je t'ai si souvent invoqué pour ma muse
Language: French (Français) after the English
Je t'ai si souvent invoqué pour ma muse, et tu as donné à mes vers une aide si éclatante, que toutes les autres plumes ont pris exemple sur moi et répandent leur poésie sous ton patronage. Tes yeux, qui ont appris à un muet à chanter si haut et à la lourde ignorance à voler dans les airs, ont ajouté des plumes à l'aile de la science et donné au talent une double majesté. Toutefois, sois fier surtout de mon œuvre, car elle est due à ton influence et née de toi. Dans les travaux des autres, tu ne fais qu'élever le style et ennoblir leur art de tes grâces suaves. Mais tu es tout mon art, à moi, et tu exaltes jusqu'à la science mon ignorance grossière.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by François-Victor Hugo (1828 - 1873), no title, appears in Sonnets de Shakespeare, no. 78, 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. 78
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: 2010-08-18
Line count: 14
Word count: 128