by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616)
Translation by François-Victor Hugo (1828 - 1873)
Look how the floor of heaven
Language: English
Look how the floor of heaven Is thick inlaid with patines of bright gold: There's not the smallest orb which thou behold'st But in his motion like an angel sings, Still quiring to the young-eyed cherubins; Such harmony is in immortal souls; But whilst this muddy vesture of decay Doth grossly close it in, we cannot hear it.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), no title, appears in The Merchant of Venice, Act V, Scene 1 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Ross Lee Finney (1906 - 1997), "Look how the floor of Heaven", from Three 17th Century Lyrics, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Virgil Garnett Thomson (1896 - 1989), "Look, how the floor of heaven", published 1963 [ voice and piano ], H. W. Gray [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (François Pierre Guillaume Guizot) , no title
- FRE French (Français) (François-Victor Hugo) , no title
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2008-12-09
Line count: 8
Word count: 58
Vois comme le parquet du ciel
Language: French (Français) after the English
Vois comme le parquet du ciel est partout incrusté de disques d’or lumineux. De tous ces globes que tu contemples, il n’est pas jusqu’au plus petit qui, dans son mouvement, ne chante comme un ange, en perpétuel accord avec les chérubins aux jeunes yeux ! Une harmonie pareille existe dans les âmes immortelles : mais tant que cette argile périssable la couvre de son vêtement grossier, nous ne pouvons l’entendre.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by François-Victor Hugo (1828 - 1873), no title [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in English by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), no title, appears in The Merchant of Venice, Act V, Scene 1
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- [ None yet in the database ]
Researcher for this page: Guy Laffaille [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2015-02-19
Line count: 8
Word count: 68