by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616)
O never say that I was false of heart Matches original text
Language: English
Our translations: ITA
O! never say that I was false of heart, Though absence seem'd my flame to qualify, As easy might I from my self depart As from my soul which in thy breast doth lie: That is my home of love: if I have rang'd, Like him that travels, I return again; Just to the time, not with the time exchang'd, So that myself bring water for my stain. Never believe though in my nature reign'd, All frailties that besiege all kinds of blood, That it could so preposterously be stain'd, To leave for nothing all thy sum of good; For nothing this wide universe I call, Save thou, my rose, in it thou art my all.
Composition:
- Set to music by Charles Hubert Hastings Parry, Sir (1848 - 1918), "O never say that I was false of heart", 1888-1906, published 1907 [ medium voice and piano ], from English Lyrics, Seventh Set, no. 4, London : Novello
Text Authorship:
- by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), no title, appears in Sonnets, no. 109
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. 109, first published 1857
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Ted Perry
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 14
Word count: 116