by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616)
Translation by François-Victor Hugo (1828 - 1873)
Two households, both alike in dignity
Language: English
Two households, both alike in dignity, In fair Verona, where we lay our scene, From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean. From forth the fatal loins of these two foes A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life; Whole misadventured piteous overthrows Do with their death bury their parents' strife. The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love, And the continuance of their parents' rage, Which, but their children's end, nought could remove, Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage; The which if you with patient ears attend, What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.
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Authorship
- by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), no title, appears in Romeo and Juliet, the prologue [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)
- [ None yet in the database ]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation possibly by Johann Ludwig Tieck (1773 - 1853); composed by Boris Blacher.
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Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (François-Victor Hugo)
- GER German (Deutsch) (August Wilhelm Schlegel) , no title
- ROM Romanian (Română) (Ștefan Octavian Iosif)
- SPA Spanish (Español) (Marcelino Menéndez y Pelayo) , no title
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2007-11-22
Line count: 14
Word count: 106
Deux familles, égales en noblesse
Language: French (Français) after the English
Deux familles, égales en noblesse, Dans la belle Vérone, où nous plaçons notre scène, Sont entraînées par d’anciennes rancunes à des rixes nouvelles Où le sang des citoyens souille les mains des citoyens. Des entrailles prédestinées de ces deux ennemies A pris naissance, sous des étoiles contraires, un couple d’amoureux Dont la ruine néfaste et lamentable Doit ensevelir dans leur tombe l’animosité de leurs parents. Les terribles péripéties de leur fatal amour Et les effets de la rage obstinée de ces familles, Que peut seule apaiser la mort de leurs enfants, Vont en deux heures être exposés sur notre scène. Si vous daignez nous écouter patiemment, Notre zèle s’efforcera de corriger notre insuffisance.
About the headline (FAQ)
Authorship
Based on- a text in English by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), no title, appears in Romeo and Juliet, the prologue
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 text: Guy Laffaille [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2015-09-19
Line count: 14
Word count: 113