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When my love swears that she is made of truth,
I do believe her though I know she lies,
That she might think me some untutor'd youth,
Unlearned in the world's false subtleties.
Thus vainly thinking that she thinks me young,
Although she knows my days are past the best,
Simply I credit her false-speaking tongue;
On both sides thus is simple truth suppressed.
But wherefore says she not she is unjust?
And wherefore say not I that I am old?
O! love's best habit is in seeming trust,
And age in love loves not to have years told:
Therefore I lie with her, and she with me,
And in our faults by lies we flatter'd be.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), no title, appears in Sonnets, no. 138 [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 Wallingford Riegger (1885 - 1961), "A Shakespeare Sonnet (No. 138)", op. 65, published 1957 [ baritone, SSABar chorus, and orchestra ], New York : Associated [sung text not yet checked]
- by Richard Simpson (1820 - 1876), "Sonnet CXXXVIII", 1865 [ medium voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
Another version of this text exists in the database.
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (François-Victor Hugo) , no title, appears in Sonnets de Shakespeare, no. 138, 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: 117
Quando il mio amore giura d’essere sincera, io voglio crederle, pur sapendo che mente, perché possa pensarmi un’anima immatura, inesperta del mondo e delle sue false apparenze. Così, per vanità fingo una ingenuità dovuta a giovinezza, anche se, che non sono più giovane, lei lo conosce bene e faccio mostra di fidarmi di ogni sua parola falsa con l’effetto che entrambi viviamo nella finzione. Ma perché lei non vuole ammettere di essere infedele? E perché io dei miei anni non voglio parlare? E’ perché l’amore migliora se non è sempre leale, e, in amore, di vecchiaia non si ama parlare. Per questo ci inganniamo a vicenda facendo all’amore, e su ogni nostro difetto ci lusinga mentire.
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. 138
This text was added to the website: 2025-07-16
Line count: 14
Word count: 116