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So, now I have confess'd that he is thine,
And I my self am mortgag'd to thy will,
Myself I'll forfeit, so that other mine
Thou wilt restore to be my comfort still:
But thou wilt not, nor he will not be free,
For thou art covetous, and he is kind;
He learn'd but surety-like to write for me,
Under that bond that him as fast doth bind.
The statute of thy beauty thou wilt take,
Thou usurer, that putt'st forth all to use,
And sue a friend came debtor for my sake;
So him I lose through my unkind abuse.
Him have I lost; thou hast both him and me:
He pays the whole, and yet am I not free.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), no title, appears in Sonnets, no. 134 [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 CXXXIV", 1865-6 [ high voice and piano ] [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. 134, 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: 2010-08-13
Line count: 14
Word count: 121
Così, che lui ti appartiene ora confesso, e che pure io sono in balìa di ogni tua decisione, ti vorrei offrire in pegno proprio me stesso, perché l’altro me stesso tu mi restituisca a mia consolazione. Ma tu non lo vuoi e nemmeno lui è d’accordo, perché tu sei avida e lui non vuole essere sgarbato Lui doveva firmare solo come mio garante, quel contratto stretto che ci ha invece entrambi vincolato. Tu ora pretendi una penale, in pegno per la tua bellezza, tu, usuraia, che concedi solo per interesse ogni tua cosa e citi un mio caro amico che per me si era impegnato; e che così ho perduto per questo scortese abuso. Lui lo ho perduto, e tu possiedi lui e me; egli paga intero il suo debito ma non affranca 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.
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Based on:
- a text in English by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), no title, appears in Sonnets, no. 134
This text was added to the website: 2025-07-16
Line count: 14
Word count: 134
