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Two Sonnets

Song Cycle by Florence Marga Richter (1926 - 2020)

1. Sonnet CXXVIII  [sung text not yet checked]

Language: English 
How oft when thou, my music, music play'st,
Upon that blessed wood whose motion sounds
With thy sweet fingers when thou gently sway'st
The wiry concord that mine ear confounds,
Do I envy those jacks that nimble leap,
To kiss the tender inward of thy hand,
Whilst my poor lips which should that harvest reap,
At the wood's boldness by thee blushing stand!
To be so tickled, they would change their state
And situation with those dancing chips,
O'er whom thy fingers walk with gentle gait,
Making dead wood more bless'd than living lips.
    Since saucy jacks so happy are in this,
    Give them thy fingers, me thy lips to kiss. 

Text Authorship:

  • by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), no title, appears in Sonnets, no. 128

See other settings of this text.

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

  • FRE French (Français) (François-Victor Hugo) , no title, appears in Sonnets de Shakespeare, no. 128, first published 1857
  • GER German (Deutsch) (Richard Flatter) , appears in Die Fähre, Englische Lyrik aus fünf Jahrhunderten, first published 1936
  • ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Quando tu , musica mia, musica ricavi", copyright © 2007, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

2. Sonnet LXXI  [sung text not yet checked]

Language: English 
No longer mourn for me when I am dead
Than you shall hear the surly sullen bell
Give warning to the world that I am fled
From this vile world with vilest worms to dwell:
Nay, if you read this line, remember not
The hand that writ it, for I love you so,
That I in your sweet thoughts would be forgot,
If thinking on me then should make you woe.
O! if, -- I say you look upon this verse,
When I [perhaps]1 compounded am with clay,
Do not so much as my poor name rehearse;
But let your love even with my life decay;
      Lest the wise world should look into your moan,
      And mock you with me after I am gone.

Text Authorship:

  • by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), no title, appears in Sonnets, no. 71

See other settings of this text.

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

  • FRE French (Français) (François-Victor Hugo) , no title, appears in Sonnets de Shakespeare, no. 71, first published 1857
  • GER German (Deutsch) (Ernst Eckstein) , "Sonett", subtitle: "(Nach dem Englischen des William Shakespeare.)", appears in In Moll und Dur, in 3. Dritte Abtheilung
  • ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Quando morrò, più a lungo, il tuo pianto", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

View text without footnotes
1 Parry: "perchance"

Researcher for this page: Ted Perry
Total word count: 235
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