by Philip Sidney, Sir (1554 - 1586)
My true love hath my heart See original
Language: English
My true Love hath my heart and I have his. By just exchange, one for the other given: I hold his dear, and mine he cannot miss; There never was a better bargain driven. His heart in me keeps me and him in one; My heart in him his thoughts and senses guides: He loves my heart, for once it was his own; I cherish his because in me it bides. His heart his wound received from my sight; My heart was wounded with his wounded heart; For as from me on him his hurt did light, So still methought in me his hurt did smart: Both equal hurt, in this change sought our bliss: My true Love hath my heart, and I have his.
Parodied in Archibald Stodart-Walker's My true friend hath my hat.
Composition:
- Set to music by John Milford Rutter, CBE (b. 1945), "My true love hath my heart", from Birthday Madrigals, no. 2
Text Authorship:
- by Philip Sidney, Sir (1554 - 1586), no title, appears in Arcadia
See other settings of this text.
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- GER German (Deutsch) (Richard Flatter) , "Der Handel", appears in Die Fähre, Englische Lyrik aus fünf Jahrhunderten, first published 1936
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Ted Perry
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 14
Word count: 131