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by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616)

O from what power hast thou this powerful might
 (Sung text for setting by D. Diamond)
 Matches original text
Language: English 
O from what power hast thou this powerful might
With insufficiency my heart to sway?
To make me give the lie to my true sight,
And swear that brightness doth not grace the day?
Whence hast thou this becoming of things ill,
That in the very refuse of thy deeds
There is such strength and warrantise of skill
That, in my mind, thy worst all best exceeds?
Who taught thee how to make me love thee more
The more I hear and see just cause of hate?
O, though I love what others do abhor,
With others thou shouldst not abhor my state:
  If thy unworthiness rais'd love in me,
  More worthy I to be belov'd of thee.

Composition:

    Set to music by David Leo Diamond (1915 - 2005), "O from what power hast thou this powerful might", 1964, published 1967 [ high voice and piano ], from We Two, no. 5, New York : Southern

Text Authorship:

  • by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), no title, appears in Sonnets, no. 150

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. 150, first published 1857


Researcher for this page: Barbara Miller

This text was added to the website: 2005-08-31
Line count: 14
Word count: 118

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