O! how I faint when I of you do write
Language: English
O! how I faint when I of you do write,
Knowing a better spirit doth use your name,
And in the praise thereof spends all his might,
To make me tongue-tied speaking of your fame!
But since your worth -- wide as the ocean is, --
The humble as the proudest sail doth bear,
My saucy bark, inferior far to his,
On your broad main doth wilfully appear.
Your shallowest help will hold me up afloat,
Whilst he upon your soundless deep doth ride;
Or, being wrack'd, I am a worthless boat,
He of tall building, and of goodly pride:
Then if he thrive and I be cast away,
The worst was this, -- my love was my decay.
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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 [
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This text was added to the website: 2010-08-12
Line count: 14
Word count: 116
Quando scrivo di te mancare mi sento
Language: Italian (Italiano)  after the English
Quando scrivo di te mancare mi sento
sapendo che un più alto spirito il tuo nome sta usando
e, mentre ti loda, con ogni sforzo è intento
a legarmi la lingua se pure io della tua fama parlo!
Ma poiché il tuo valore - al pari dell’immenso mare -
può l'umile vela come la più più orgogliosa sostenere,
la mia impudente barchetta, alla sua tanto inferiore,
sulla tua più ampia rotta si ostina a navigare.
Per mantenermi a galla basterà un leggero sostegno,
mentre lui potrà solcare i più profondi abissi;
e, se poi affonderò, sono una misero legno,
lui invece è ben costruito e con più solide assi:
E se lui avrà fortuna e io finirò affondato
Il peggio sarà questo: l’ amore mi ha rovinato.
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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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This text was added to the website: 2025-07-17
Line count: 14
Word count: 125