by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616)
O, she doth teach the torches to burn...
Language: English
O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright! It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night As a rich jewel in an Ethiop's ear — Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear! So shows a snowy dove trooping with crows As yonder lady o'er her fellows shows. The measure done, I'll watch her place of stand And, touching hers, make blessed my rude hand. Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night.
Text Authorship:
- by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), appears in Romeo and Juliet [author's text not yet checked 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 Sheila Silver (b. 1946), "O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright", first performed 2015 [ soprano and piano ], from Three Songs for Diane Kalish; in memoriam, no. 1, Argenta Music
Publisher: Sheila Silver [external link]
Publisher: Sheila Silver [external link] [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this page: Joost van der Linden [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2026-02-13
Line count: 10
Word count: 86