Beshrew that heart that makes my heart...
Language: English
Beshrew that heart that makes my heart to groan
For that deep wound it gives my friend and me!
Is't not enough to torture me alone,
But slave to slavery my sweet'st friend must be?
Me from myself thy cruel eye hath taken,
And my next self thou harder hast engross'd:
Of him, myself, and thee I am forsaken;
A torment thrice three-fold thus to be cross'd:
Prison my heart in thy steel bosom's ward,
But then my friend's heart let my poor heart bail;
Whoe'er keeps me, let my heart be his guard;
Thou canst not then use rigour in my jail:
And yet thou wilt; for I, being pent in thee,
Perforce am thine, and all that is in me.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [
Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2010-08-13
Line count: 14
Word count: 122
Sia maledetto il cuore che il mio cuore...
Language: Italian (Italiano)  after the English
Sia maledetto il cuore che il mio cuore tormenta,
per la ferita profonda inferta a me e al mio amico!
Di torturare me solo lui non si accontenta,
e anche il mio dolcissimo amico vuole forse suo schiavo?
Il tuo sguardo crudele mi ha reso straniero a me stesso
e in modo più crudele ha catturato l’altro mio io:
da lui, da me, da te io sono abbandonato adesso,
con triplice dolore tre volte crocifisso.
Fa’ pure prigioniero il mio cuore nel tuo gelido petto,
ma lasciami riscattare il cuore del mio amico,
fa’ che col mio povero cuore io l’abbia protetto,
e che la mia prigione sia così meno dura.
E se tu lo farai, essendo io prigioniero di te,
sarò per forza tuo, e tua sarà ogni cosa di me.
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.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
This text was added to the website: 2025-07-16
Line count: 14
Word count: 132