by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616)
Translation by Ștefan Octavian Iosif (1875 - 1914)

Now old desire doth in his deathbed lie
Language: English 
 Now old desire doth in his deathbed lie,
And young affection gapes to be his heir;
That fair for which love groaned for and would die,
With tender Juliet matched, is not now fair.
Now Romeo is beloved and loves again,
Alike bewitched by the charm of looks;
But to his foe supposed he must complain,
And she steal love's sweet bait from fearful hooks.
Being held a foe, he may not have access
To breathe such vows as lovers use to swear,
And she as much in love, her means much less
To meet her new beloved anywhere;
But passion lends them power, time means, to meet,
Temp'ring extremities with extreme sweet.

About the headline (FAQ)

Confirmed with Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies, fourth Edition, London: Herringman, Brewster and Bentley, 1685. Appears in Romeo and Juliet, Act II, Prologue, page 310.


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Researcher for this page: Melanie Trumbull

This text was added to the website: 2019-09-12
Line count: 14
Word count: 114

Dorința veche‑acum pe moarte zace
Language: Romanian (Română)  after the English 
Dorința veche-acum pe moarte zace,
Iubire nouă să-i ia locul vine,
Frumoasa ce-l făcuse să suspine
Cu Julieta-alături nu-i mai place.
Romeo-acum iubește și-i iubit,
Sunt amândoi vrăjiți dintr-o privire,
Dar cu primejdii aste-a lor iubire,
El crede că-i urât și dușmănit.
Nu poate face sfinte jurăminte,
Fiind privit cu ochi dușmani de-ai ei,
Ea, deși prinsă-n vraja dragostei,
Nu știe cum să-i iasă înainte.
Dar patima când e prilejul vine
Să guste clipe dulci de farmec pline.

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

Based on:

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: Andrew Schneider [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2019-10-30
Line count: 14
Word count: 78