by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616)
If the dull substance of my flesh were...
Language: English
Available translation(s): ITA
If the dull substance of my flesh were thought, Injurious distance should not stop my way; For then despite of space I would be brought, From limits far remote where thou dost stay. No matter then although my foot did stand Upon the farthest earth removed from thee; For nimble thought can jump both sea and land As soon as think the place where he would be. But ah! thought kills me that I am not thought, To leap large lengths of miles when thou art gone, But that so much of earth and water wrought I must attend time's leisure with my moan, Receiving nought by elements so slow But heavy tears, badges of either's woe.
About the headline (FAQ)
Authorship:
- by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), no title, appears in Sonnets, no. 44 [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 Leslie Crabtree (b. 1941), "Sonnet XLIV", 2008 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Richard Simpson (1820 - 1876), "Sonnet XLIV", 1864 [ medium voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Lex Zwaap (1919 - 1988), as Lex van Delden, "If the dull substance of my flesh", op. 72 (Drie sonnetten van Shakespeare) no. 3 (1961) [ contralto and 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. 44, first published 1857
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Se l'ottusa sostanza della mia carne fosse intelletto", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2008-07-25
Line count: 14
Word count: 117