Desdemona The poor soul sat sighing by a sycamore tree, Sing all a green willow: Her hand on her bosom, her head on her knee, Sing willow, willow, willow: The fresh streams ran by her, and murmur'd her moans; Sing willow, willow, willow; Her salt tears fell from her, and soften'd the stones; [Lay by these:--]1 Sing willow, willow, willow; [Prithee, hie thee; he'll come anon:--]1 Sing all a green willow [must be my garland.]2 [Sing all a green willow;]3 [Let nobody blame him; his scorn I approve,-]4 [Nay, that's not next.--Hark! who is't that knocks? Emilia: It's the wind.]1 Desdemona: [Sing willow, willow, willow,]3 [I call'd my love false love; but what said he then? Sing willow, willow, willow: If I court moe women, you'll couch with moe men!]4 [Sing willow, willow, willow,]3
Four Shakespeare Songs
Song Cycle by Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897 - 1957)
1. Desdemona's song  [sung text checked 1 time]
Authorship:
- by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), appears in The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice, Act IV scene 3 [an adaptation] [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in Middle English from Volkslieder (Folksongs) , "Willow song", first published 1583
See other settings of this text.
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (François-Victor Hugo)
- RUS Russian (Русский) (Boris Leonidovich Pasternak)
1 not set by Fortner, Korngold, Parry, Vaughan Williams
2 Korngold: "my garland must be"
3 added by Korngold
4 not set by Parry, Vaughan Williams; Fortner: "I'd called my love false love, but what did he say? / Sing willow, willow willow,/ If I court moe women, you'll couch with moe men!"
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
2. Under the greenwood tree  [sung text checked 1 time]
Under the greenwood tree Who loves to lie with me, And [turn]1 [his]2 merry note Unto the sweet bird's throat, Come hither, come hither, come hither: Here shall he see No enemy But winter and rough weather. Who doth ambition shun, And loves to live i' the sun, Seeking the food he eats, And pleas'd with what he gets, Come hither, come hither, come hither: Here shall he see No enemy But winter and rough weather. If it do come to pass That any man turn ass, Leaving his wealth and ease, A stubborn will to please, Ducdame, ducdame, ducdame: Here shall he see Gross fools as he, An if he will come to me. Under the greenwood tree Who loves to lie with me.
Authorship:
- by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), no title, appears in As You Like It, Act II, Scene 5 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
See other settings of this text.
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- DUT Dutch (Nederlands) (Mark de Vries) , "Onder het loofdak", copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FIN Finnish (Suomi) (Paavo Cajander)
- FRE French (Français) (François Pierre Guillaume Guizot)
- GER German (Deutsch) (Julia Hamann) , "Unterm Baum im Maienwald", copyright © 2007, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
1 Quilter: "tune"
2 Korngold: "the"
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
3. Blow, blow thou winter wind  [sung text checked 1 time]
Blow, blow thou winter wind, Thou art not so unkind As [man's]1 ingratitude; Thy tooth is not so keen [Because]2 thou art not seen, Although thy breath be rude. [ Heigh ho! sing heigh ho! unto the green holly: Most friendship is feigning, most loving mere folly: Then, heigh ho! the holly! This life is most jolly.]3 Freeze, freeze thou [bitter]4 sky, [Thou dost]5 not bite so [nigh]6 As benefits forgot: Though thou the waters warp, Thy sting is not so sharp As [friend]7 remember'd not. [ Heigh ho! sing heigh ho! unto the green holly: Most friendship is feigning, most loving mere folly: Then, heigh ho! the holly! This life is most jolly.]3
Authorship:
- by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), no title, appears in As You Like It, Act II, Scene 7 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
See other settings of this text.
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FIN Finnish (Suomi) (Paavo Cajander)
- FRE French (Français) (François Pierre Guillaume Guizot)
- GER German (Deutsch) [singable] (David Paley) , "Stürm, stürm du Winterwind!", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Soffia, soffia vento invernale", copyright © 2007, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Paolo Montanari) , "Soffia, soffia, vento d'inverno", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Note: In Steele's score, "Heigh" is spelled "Hey"
1 Arne: "men's"
2 Parry: "Although"
3 not set by Arne.
4 Fortner: "winter"
5 Clearfield, Holman: "That does"; Bridge: "That dost"
6 Korngold: "high"
7 Clearfield: "a friend"; Steele: "friends"
Researcher for this text: Ted Perry
4. When birds do sing  [sung text checked 1 time]
It was a lover and his lass, With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino That o'er the green [corn-field]1 did pass. In [the]2 spring time, the only pretty ring time, When birds do sing, hey ding a ding a ding; Sweet lovers love the spring. [Between the acres of the rye, With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino, These pretty country [folks]3 would lie, In the spring time, the only pretty ring time, When birds do sing, hey ding a ding a ding; Sweet lovers love the spring. ]4 [This carol they began that hour, With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino, How that [a life]5 was but a flower In the spring time, the only pretty ring time, When birds do sing, hey ding a ding a ding; Sweet lovers love the spring.]4 [And therefore take the present time]6 [With]7 a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino, For love is crownéd with the prime In the spring time, the only pretty ring time, When birds do sing, hey ding a ding a ding; Sweet lovers love the spring.
Authorship:
- by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), no title, appears in As You Like It, Act V, Scene 3 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
See other settings of this text.
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FIN Finnish (Suomi) (Paavo Cajander)
- FRE French (Français) (François Pierre Guillaume Guizot)
- GER German (Deutsch) (Johann Heinrich Voss) , "Ein Bursch' und Mägdlein, flink und schön", first published 1819
1 Morley: "cornfields"
2 omitted by Barton, Bush, and Morley, passim.
3 Delius, Dring: "folk"
4 In Dring and Parry, only the first and third lines are set.
5 sometimes "life"?
6 Barton, Morley : "Then, pretty lovers, take the time"
7 Bush: "And with"
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]