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by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616)
Translation by Friedrich Martin von Bodenstedt (1819 - 1892)

So is it not with me as with that Muse
Language: English 
Our translations:  ITA
So is it not with me as with that Muse,
Stirred by a painted beauty to his verse,
Who heaven itself for ornament doth use
And every fair with his fair doth rehearse,
Making a couplement of proud compare
With sun and moon, with earth and sea's rich gems,
With April's first-born flowers, and all things rare,
That heaven's air in this huge rondure hems.
O! let me, true in love, but truly write,
And then believe me, my love is as fair
As any mother's child, though not so bright
As those gold candles fixed in heaven's air:
  Let them say more that like of hearsay well;
  I will not praise that purpose not to sell.

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

  • by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), no title, appears in Sonnets, no. 21

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. 21, first published 1857
  • ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Non mi appartiene quella Musa poetica", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2007-10-12
Line count: 14
Word count: 117

Sonet 21
 (Sung text for setting by A. Wallnöfer)
 See original
Language: German (Deutsch)  after the English 
Wohl gleicht nicht meine Muse jenem Lied,
Das an gemalter Schönheit sich begeistert,
Den Himmel selbst als Schmuck herniederzieht,
Und bildlich alles Schönen sich bemeistert
In tollem Suchen prunkender Vergleiche
Mit Sonn' und Mond, der blühenden Lenzesflur,
Mit Schätzen aus dem Erd' und Wasserreiche,
Und allen Seltenheiten der Natur.
Wahr wie mein Lieben sei auch mein Gedicht:
Drum glaub' mir, meine Liebe ist so schön,
Wie irgendeine, wenn auch so schön nicht
Wie jene Stern' in Himmelshöhn.
Lass and're stolzer sich in Worten zeigen, 
Ich rühme nicht, doch lieb' ich, was mein eigen!

Composition:

    Set to music by Adolf Wallnöfer (1854 - 1946), "Sonet 21", op. 78 no. 4, published 1904 [ tenor and piano ], from 5 Sonnette von William Shakespeare, no. 4, Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel, also set in English

Text Authorship:

  • by Friedrich Martin von Bodenstedt (1819 - 1892), no title

Based on:

  • a text in English by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), no title, appears in Sonnets, no. 21
    • Go to the text page.

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Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2009-12-05
Line count: 14
Word count: 92

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