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by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616)

The little love‑god lying once asleep
 (Sung text for setting by J. Andriessen)
 Matches original text
Language: English 
The little Love-god lying once asleep,
Laid by his side his heart-inflaming brand,
Whilst many nymphs that vow'd chaste life to keep
Came tripping by; but in her maiden hand
The fairest votary took up that fire
Which many legions of true hearts had warm'd;
And so the general of hot desire
Was, sleeping, by a virgin hand disarm'd.
This brand she quenched in a cool well by,
Which from Love's fire took heat perpetual,
Growing a bath and healthful remedy,
For men diseas'd; but I, my mistress' thrall,
    Came there for cure and this by that I prove,
    Love's fire heats water, water cools not love. 

Composition:

    Set to music by Juriaan Andriessen (1925 - 1996), "The little love-god lying once asleep", from Thy black is fairest, 3 Shakespeare-sonnets, no. 3

Text Authorship:

  • by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), no title, appears in Sonnets, no. 154

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. 154, first published 1857
  • POL Polish (Polski) (Jan Kasprowicz) , "Sonet 154", appears in Z sonetów, no. 3, Warsaw, first published 1907


Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 14
Word count: 107

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