Let me confess that we two must be twain | Let me confess that we two must be twain

Let me confess that we two must be twain

Language: English

Our translations: ITA

Let me confess that we two must be twain,
Although our undivided loves are one:
So shall those blots that do with me remain
Without thy help by me be borne alone.
In our two loves there is but one respect,
Though in our lives a separable spite,
Which though it alter not love's sole effect,
Yet doth it steal sweet hours from love's delight.
I may not evermore acknowledge thee,
Lest my bewailed guilt should do thee shame,
Nor thou with public kindness honour me,
Unless thou take that honour from thy name:
  But do not so; I love thee in such sort
  As, thou being mine, mine is thy good report.

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), appears in Sonnets, no. 36 [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 David Leo Diamond (1915 - 2005), "Let me confess that we two must be twain", 1964, published 1967 [ high voice and piano ], from We Two, no. 2, New York : Southern [sung text checked 1 time]
by Björn Johansson , "Let me confess that we two must be twain", 1970-3, first performed 1976 [ soprano and string quartet ], from ...notes of Music [sung text not yet checked]
by Eustace O'Connor , "Let me confess", published 1896 [ high voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Richard Simpson (1820 - 1876), "Sonnet XXXVI", 1865 [ duet for soprano and alto with 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. 36, first published 1857

This text was added to the website: 2005-08-31
Line count: 14
Word count: 113