Attention! Some of this material is not in the public domain.
It is illegal to copy and distribute our copyright-protected material without permission. It is also illegal to reprint copyright texts or translations without the name of the author or translator.
If you wish to reprint translations, please use the Reprint Basket (upper right hand corner).
Reminder: You must always use the copyright symbol © when you reprint copyright-protected material.
Why didst thou promise such a beauteous day,
And make me travel forth without my cloak,
To let base clouds o'ertake me in my way,
Hiding thy bravery in their rotten smoke?
'Tis not enough that through the cloud thou break,
To dry the rain on my storm-beaten face,
For no man well of such a salve can speak,
That heals the wound, and cures not the disgrace:
Nor can thy shame give physic to my grief;
Though thou repent, yet I have still the loss:
The offender's sorrow lends but weak relief
To him that bears the strong offence's cross.
Ah! but those tears are pearl which thy love sheds,
And they are rich and ransom all ill deeds.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), no title, appears in Sonnets, no. 34 [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 Juliana Hall (b. 1958), "Why didst thou promise such a beauteous day ", 2000, first performed 2001 [ baritone and piano ], from Love's Pilgrimage -- 5 songs for Baritone and Piano, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Richard Simpson (1820 - 1876), "Sonnet XXXIV", 1865 [ SAB chorus 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. 34, first published 1857
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Perché mi promettesti un giorno tanto sereno", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2010-08-11
Line count: 14
Word count: 120
Perché mi promettesti un giorno tanto sereno, al punto che senza mantello ho deciso di uscire, per consentire poi che odiose nubi, lungo il mio cammino, velino di nebbie corrotte tutto il tuo splendore? E non basta che tu, sopraggiungendo, le nuvole spezzi per asciugare la pioggia che percuote il mio volto, perché non c'è nessuno che quel rimedio apprezzi, che chiude la ferita, ma il male non ha tolto: Nè può la tua vergogna guarire il mio dolore; non cancella il mio danno che tu ti penta ora: è ben lieve conforto la pena dell'offensore per chi la croce porta per l'offesa severa. Eppure le tue lacrime sono perle d'amore, tanto preziose da farti perdonare.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from English to Italian (Italiano) copyright © 2012 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.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
- a text in English by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), no title, appears in Sonnets, no. 34
This text was added to the website: 2012-07-03
Line count: 14
Word count: 116