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Alas! 'tis true, I have gone here and there,
And made my self a motley to the view,
Gor'd mine own thoughts, sold cheap what is most dear,
Made old offences of affections new;
Most true it is, that I have look'd on truth
Askance and strangely; but, by all above,
These blenches gave my heart another youth,
And worse essays prov'd thee my best of love.
Now all is done, save what shall have no end:
Mine appetite I never more will grind
On newer proof, to try an older friend,
A god in love, to whom I am confin'd.
Then give me welcome, next my heaven the best,
Even to thy pure and most most loving breast.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), no title, appears in Sonnets, no. 110 [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 Richard Simpson (1820 - 1876), "Sonnet CX", 1865, published [1878] [ medium voice and piano ], first setting; in Sonnets of Shakespeare, Selected from a complete Setting and Miscellaneous Songs, ed. Natalie Macfarren, London : Stanley Lucas, Weber [sung text not yet checked]
- by Richard Simpson (1820 - 1876), "Alas 'tis true", <<1876 [ medium voice and piano ], second setting [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (François-Victor Hugo) , no title, appears in Sonnets de Shakespeare, no. 110, first published 1857
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2010-08-12
Line count: 14
Word count: 119
E’ vero, ahimè! Qua e là ho vagato agli altri mostrandomi come un tipo incostante, i miei pensieri ho sprecato, ciò ch’era caro ho svenduto, ai vecchi affetti nuove offese ho aggiunto. E’ vero che alla verità di sbieco e diffidente ho guardato; ma è pure, e soprattutto, vero che questo mio errare mi ha ringiovanito e le peggiori esperienze ti hanno anche mostrato quanto di meglio nel mio amore è custodito. Ora tutto è passato, accogli ciò che più non avrà fine: Non voglio più, con nuove esperienze, aguzzare il mio appetito per mettere alla prova un amico più vecchio, un dio in amore, che resta il mio confine. Dammi allora il benvenuto, nel più bel posto dopo il paradiso, sul tuo purissimo seno amabile e amoroso.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- Translation from English to Italian (Italiano) copyright © 2025 by Ferdinando Albeggiani, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
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Based on:
- a text in English by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), no title, appears in Sonnets, no. 110
This text was added to the website: 2025-07-16
Line count: 14
Word count: 128