Say that she rail; why then I'll tell her plain

Say that she rail; why then I'll tell...

Language: English

Say that she rail; why then I'll tell her plain
She sings as sweetly as a nightingale:
Say that she frown, I'll say she looks as clear
As morning roses newly wash'd with dew:
Say she be mute and will not speak a word;
Then I'll commend her volubility,
And say she uttereth piercing eloquence:
If she do bid me pack, I'll give her thanks,
As though she bid me stay by her a week:
If she deny to wed, I'll crave the day
When I shall ask the banns and when be married.

About the headline (FAQ)

Authorship:

by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), no title, appears in The Taming of the Shrew, Act 2, 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):

[ None yet in the database ]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

Also set in English, adapted by Frederic Reynolds (1764 - 1841) [an adaptation] FRE ; composed by Henry Rowley Bishop.

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

FRE French (Français) (François-Victor Hugo)

Researcher for this text: Dan Hladik

This text was added to the website: 2012-11-29
Line count: 11
Word count: 94