Desdemona The poor soul sat sighing by a sycamore tree, Sing all a green willow: Her hand on her bosom, her head on her knee, Sing willow, willow, willow: The fresh streams ran by her, and murmur'd her moans; Sing willow, willow, willow; Her salt tears fell from her, and soften'd the stones; [Lay by these:--]1 Sing willow, willow, willow; [Prithee, hie thee; he'll come anon:--]1 Sing all a green willow [must be my garland.]2 [Let nobody blame him; his scorn I approve,-]3 [Nay, that's not next. -- Hark! who is't that knocks? Emilia: It's the wind.]1 Desdemona: [I call'd my love false love; but what said he then? Sing willow, willow, willow: If I court moe women, you'll couch with moe men!]4
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View original text (without footnotes)1 omitted by Fortner, Korngold, Parry, Vaughan Williams
2 Korngold: "my garland must be"
3 omitted by Parry, Vaughan Williams, Fortner
4 omitted by Parry, Vaughan Williams
4 Fortner: "I'd called my love false love, but what did he say?/ Sing willow, willow willow,/ If I court moe women, you'll couch with moe men!"
Text Authorship:
- by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), appears in The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice, Act IV scene 3 [an adaptation] [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in Middle English from Volkslieder (Folksongs) , "Willow song", first published 1583
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Joseph W. Baber (b. 1937), "Willow song", op. 19 no. ? (1954-64), published 1976 [ high voice and piano ], from Shakespearean Songs, Lexington : Kelley [sung text not yet checked]
- by Granville Ransome Bantock, Sir (1868 - 1946), "The poor soul sat sighing", 1934 [ voice and piano ], from Six Shakespeare Songs, no. 4 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Mary Grant Carmichael (1851 - 1935), "A poor soul sat sighing", published 1885 [ SA chorus (or vocal duet for soprano and alto) with piano ], from Six Songs for two voices, from Shakespeare (reissued as Six Shakespeare Songs), no. 2, London : J. Curwen & Sons [sung text not yet checked]
- by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (1895 - 1968), "The willow", 1923, published 1925 [ high voice and piano ], from Shakespeare Songs, Book V, no. 2, London : Chester [sung text not yet checked]
- by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875 - 1912), "The Willow Song", op. 79 (1911), published 1911 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Wolfgang Fortner (1907 - 1987), "Willow, willow", 1946, published 1947 [ voice and piano ], from Songs nach Texten von William Shakespeare mit Klavierbegleitung , no. 5, Mainz : Schott, also set in German (Deutsch) [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897 - 1957), "Desdemona's song", op. 31 no. 1 (1940-1) [ soprano and piano ], from Four Shakespeare Songs, no. 1 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Charles Hubert Hastings Parry, Sir (1848 - 1918), "Willow, willow, willow", 1881-1883, published 1885, from English Lyrics, First Set, no. 4 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Betty Roe (b. 1930), "The willow song", published 1974 [ medium voice, flute, and piano ], from Four Shakespeare Songs, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Arthur Sullivan, Sir (1842 - 1900), "The willow song", published 1866 [ voice and piano ], from 5 Shakespeare Songs [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872 - 1958), "The willow song", 1890-2, published 1913, first performed 1913 [ SATB chorus a cappella ], from Three Elizabethan Songs, London : Joseph Williams [sung text checked 1 time]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in Danish (Dansk), a translation by Edvard Lembcke (1815 - 1897) ; composed by Peter Arnold Heise.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Also set in English, [adaptation] ; composed by Percy Aldridge Grainger.
- Also set in English, [adaptation] ; composed by Peter Warlock.
- Also set in English, [adaptation] ; composed by Edmund Horace Fellowes.
- Also set in French (Français), a translation by Henri Bassis (1916 - 1992) , copyright © ; composed by Joseph Kosma.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Carl Loewe.
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist [an adaptation] ; composed by Wilhelm Petersen.
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist [an adaptation] ; composed by Johann Rudolf Zumsteeg.
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Wolfgang Fortner.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation possibly by Johann Michael Vogl (1768 - 1840); composed by Johann Michael Vogl.
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Karl Georg Mantey ; composed by Wolfgang Fortner.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Hermann Wichmann.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Also set in Russian (Русский), a translation by Boris Leonidovich Pasternak (1890 - 1960) ; composed by Georgiy Vasil'yevich Sviridov.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (François-Victor Hugo)
- RUS Russian (Русский) (Boris Leonidovich Pasternak)
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 20
Word count: 119
Под ивою девушка в горе своем Сидела, склонившись тоскливо. Давайте про ивушку песню споем, Ах, ива, зеленая ива! От жалости к девушке плакал ручей, И двигались камни обрыва, Но слезы ручьями катились у ней. Ах, ива, зеленая ива! Кажется, кто-то стучит? Нет, это ветер! Она говорила: «Мне это урок, Упреки его справедливы; Из ивы сплетите мне, бедной, венок. Ах, ива, зеленая ива! Мой милый советует: я не один, Найди себе новое диво. Я вижусь с другими, есть много мужчин… Ах, ива, зеленая ива! Что-то чешутся глаза!.. К слезам, наверно… Свидетель - небесный свет, Что неизвестно мне, За что любовь его я потеряла!
About the headline (FAQ)
Please note: this text, provided here for educational and research use, is in the public domain in Canada, but it may still be copyright in other legal jurisdictions. The LiederNet Archive makes no guarantee that the above text is public domain in your country. Please consult your country's copyright statutes or a qualified IP attorney to verify whether a certain text is in the public domain in your country or if downloading or distributing a copy constitutes fair use. The LiederNet Archive assumes no legal responsibility or liability for the copyright compliance of third parties.
Show a transliteration: Default | DIN | GOST
Note on TransliterationsText Authorship:
- by Boris Leonidovich Pasternak (1890 - 1960) [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in English by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), appears in The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice, Act IV scene 3 [an adaptation]
Based on:
- a text in Middle English from Volkslieder (Folksongs) , "Willow song", first published 1583
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 ]
This text (or a part of it) is used in a work
- by Georgiy Vasil'yevich Sviridov (1915 - 1998), "Песня Дездемоны об иве"
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2021-08-29
Line count: 22
Word count: 101