Six Songs of William Shakespeare

Song Cycle by Steven R. Gerber (b. 1948)

1. Song
(Sung text)

Language: English

Take, o take those lips away,
That so sweetly were forsworn;
And those eyes, the break of day,
Lights that do mislead the morn:
But my kisses bring again;
Seals of love, but seal'd in vain, sealed in vain.

 ...

Text Authorship:

by Anonymous / Unidentified Author
sometimes misattributed to William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616)

See other settings of this text.

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

CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2024, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
DUT Dutch (Nederlands) (L. A. J. Burgersdijk)
FIN Finnish (Suomi) (Paavo Cajander)
FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
GER German (Deutsch) (Sarah L. Weller) , "Nimm, so nimm doch Deine Lippen fort", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
POL Polish (Polski) (Jan Kasprowicz) , "Śpiew Pacholęcia", Warsaw, first published 1907

Note: quoted by John Fletcher, in Bloody Brother, 1639 and by William Shakespeare, in Measure for Measure, Act IV, scene 1, c1604 (just one stanza)
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

2. Oh mistress mine
(Sung text)

Language: English

O mistress mine, where are you roaming?
O stay and hear, your true love's coming 
That can sing both high and low.

Trip no further, pretty sweeting;
Journeys end in lovers' meeting,
Ev'ry wise man's son doth know.

What is love? 'Tis not hereafter;
Present mirth hath present laughter;
What's to come is still unsure:

In delay there lies no plenty;
Then come kiss me, sweet and twenty;
Youth's a stuff will not endure.

Text Authorship:

by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), no title, appears in Twelfth Night: or, What You Will, Act II, Scene 3

See other settings of this text.

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

FIN Finnish (Suomi) (Paavo Cajander)
FRE French (Français) (François-Victor Hugo)
GER German (Deutsch) [singable] (David Paley) , "O Fräulein meins! Woher du wanderst", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
IRI Irish (Gaelic) [singable] (Gabriel Rosenstock) , copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ITA Italian (Italiano) (Paolo Montanari) , "O mia signora", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
POL Polish (Polski) (Józef Komierowski) , no title [an adaptation]

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

3. Tell me where is fancy bred
(Sung text)

Language: English

Tell me where is Fancy bred,
Or in the heart, or in the head?
How begot, how nourishèd?
Reply, reply.

It is engender'd in the eyes,
With gazing fed; and Fancy dies
In the cradle where it lies.
Let us all ring Fancy's knell:
I'll begin it, - Ding, dong, bell.

Text Authorship:

by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), no title, written 1596, appears in The Merchant of Venice, Act III, Scene 2

See other settings of this text.

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

CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2024, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Victor Hugo)
ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Dimmi dove nasce amore", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

4. Song4
(Sung text)

Language: English

Orpheus with his lute made trees,
And the mountain-tops that freeze,
  Bow themselves, when he did sing:	
To his music, plants and flowers
Ever sprung; as sun and showers
  There had made a lasting spring.

Everything that heard him play,
Even the billows of the sea,
  Hung their heads, and then lay by.
In sweet music is such art:
Killing care and grief of heart
  Fall asleep, or, hearing, die.

Text Authorship:

by John Fletcher (1579 - 1625), no title, appears in Henry VIII
sometimes misattributed to William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616)

See other settings of this text.

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

DUT Dutch (Nederlands) (L. A. J. Burgersdijk)
FIN Finnish (Suomi) (Paavo Cajander)
GER German (Deutsch) (Julia Hamann) , "Orpheus", copyright © 2007, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Note: according to Miscellanies, Issues 3-4, published by the New Shakspere Society of Great Britain, "Shakspere wrote only 1168.5 of the 2822 lines of the play. The rest are Fletcher's." The song is part of the Fletcher portion of Henry VIII, and appears in Act III scene 1.

Researcher for this page: Ted Perry

5. Under the greenwood tree
(Sung text)

Language: English

Under the greenwood tree
Who loves to lie with me,
And turn his 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.

 ...

Text Authorship:

by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), no title, appears in As You Like It, Act II, Scene 5

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)

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

6. Blow, blow thou winter wind
(Sung text)

Language: English

Blow, blow thou winter wind,
Thou art not so unkind
As man's ingratitude;
Thy tooth is not so keen
Because 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.

Freeze, freeze thou bitter sky,
Thou dost not bite so nigh
As benefits forgot:
Though thou the waters warp,
Thy sting is not so sharp
As friend 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.

Text Authorship:

by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), no title, appears in As You Like It, Act II, Scene 7

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)

Note: In Steele's score, "Heigh" is spelled "Hey"

Researcher for this page: Ted Perry

Total word count: 434

Six Songs of William Shakespeare

Song Cycle by Steven R. Gerber (b. 1948)

1. Song (Sung text)

2. Oh mistress mine (Sung text)

3. Tell me where is fancy bred (Sung text)

4. Song4 (Sung text)

5. Under the greenwood tree (Sung text)

6. Blow, blow thou winter wind (Sung text)

1. Song
(Sung text)

2. Oh mistress mine
(Sung text)

3. Tell me where is fancy bred
(Sung text)

4. Song4
(Sung text)

5. Under the greenwood tree
(Sung text)

6. Blow, blow thou winter wind
(Sung text)