by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616)
Translation by Samuil Yakovlevich Marschak (1887 - 1964)

Music to hear, why hear'st thou music...
Language: English 
Available translation(s): FIN ITA
Music to hear, why hear'st thou music sadly?
Sweets with sweets war not, joy delights in joy.
Why lovest thou that which thou receivest not gladly,
Or else receivest with pleasure thine annoy?
If the true concord of well-tunèd sounds,
By unions married, do offend thine ear,
They do but sweetly chide thee, who confounds
In singleness the parts that thou shouldst bear.
Mark how one string, sweet husband to another,
Strikes each in each by mutual ordering,
Resembling sire and child and happy mother,
Who, all in one, one pleasing note do sing.
  Whose speechless song, being many, seeming one,
  Sings this to thee: "Thou single wilt prove none."

About the headline (FAQ)

Authorship:

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):


Researcher for this text: Jeroen Scholten

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 14
Word count: 110

Ty ‑ muzyka, no zvukam muzykal'nym
Language: Russian (Русский)  after the English 
Ty - muzyka, no zvukam muzykal'nym
Ty vnemleš' s neponjatnoju toskoj. 
Začem že ljubiš' to, čto tak pečal'no,
Vstrečaeš' muku radost'ju takoj? 
Gde tajnaja pričina ėtoj muki? 
Ne potomu li grust'ju ty ob"jat,
Čto strojno soglasovannye zvuki
Uprekom odinočestvu zvučat? 
Prislušajsja, kak družestvenno struny
Vstupajut v stroj i golos podajut, -
Kak budto mat', otec i otrok junyj
V sčastlivom edinenii pojut. 
Nam govorit soglas'e strun v koncerte,
Čto odinokij put' podoben smerti.

About the headline (FAQ)

Show a transliteration: Default | DIN | GOST

Note on Transliterations

Show untransliterated (original) text

Authorship:

Based on:

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):


Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2003-11-04
Line count: 14
Word count: 73