by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616)
Translation by Anonymous / Unidentified Author
In youth, when I did love, did love
Language: English
In youth, when I did love, did love, Methought it was very sweet, To contract, O, the time, for, ah, my behove, O, methought, there was nothing meet. But age, with his stealing steps, Hath claw'd me in his clutch, And hath shipped me intil the land, As if I had never been such. A pick-axe, and a spade, a spade, For and a shrouding sheet: O, a pit of clay for to be made For such a guest is meet.
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Text Authorship:
- by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), no title, appears in Hamlet, Act V, Scene 1 [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 Wolfgang Fortner (1907 - 1987), "The gravedigger", 1946, published 1947 [ voice and piano ], from Songs nach Texten von William Shakespeare mit Klavierbegleitung , no. 11, Mainz : Schott, also set in German (Deutsch) [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Noël Lee (1924 - 2013), "The Gravedigger's Song", subtitle: "Chant du fossoyeur", 1953 [ baritone, unaccompanied ] [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in Danish (Dansk), a translation by Edvard Lembcke (1815 - 1897) ; composed by Peter Arnold Heise.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Wilhelm Petersen.
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist [an adaptation] ; composed by Carl Loewe.
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Karl Georg Mantey ; composed by Wolfgang Fortner.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Friedrich Hieronymus Truhn.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Also set in Russian (Русский), a translation by Boris Leonidovich Pasternak (1890 - 1960) ; composed by Georgiy Vasil'yevich Sviridov.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (François-Victor Hugo) , no title
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2003-10-21
Line count: 12
Word count: 81
Lied des Totengräber
Language: German (Deutsch) after the English
In der Jugend war ich verliebt, verliebt, Das dünkte mich so süß, Und was ich auch sonst für Kurzweil trieb, behagte mir nichts, wie dies. Doch Alter mit seinem schleichenden Tritt Hat mich gepackt mit der Faust, Und hat mich ins andre Land verschifft, Als hätt' ich hier nimmer gehaust. Ein Grabscheit und ein Spaten wohl, Dazu aus Lein ein Kleid, O, eine Grube im Lehm so hohl, Ist solchem Gast bereit.
Text Authorship:
- by Anonymous / Unidentified Author [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in English by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), no title, appears in Hamlet, Act V, Scene 1
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Wilhelm Petersen (1890 - 1957), "Lied des Totengräber", op. 46 no. 9, from Lieder aus Shakespeare-Dramen, no. 9. [text verified 1 time]
Researcher for this page: Matthias Gräff-Schestag
This text was added to the website: 2003-10-21
Line count: 12
Word count: 72