by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616)
Translation by François-Victor Hugo (1828 - 1873)
My mistress' eyes are nothing like the...
Language: English
Our translations: ITA
My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun; Coral is far more red, than her lips red; If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun; If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head. I have seen roses damask'd, red and white, But no such roses see I in her cheeks; And in some perfumes is there more delight Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks. I love to hear her speak, yet well I know That music hath a far more pleasing sound; I grant I never saw a goddess go, -- My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground: And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare As any she belied with false compare.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), no title, appears in Sonnets, no. 130 [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 Paavo Heininen (b. 1938), "True and false compare", op. 19 no. 3 (1973), first performed 1979 [ voice and piano ], from Love's Philosophy, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897 - 1957), "My mistress' eye", op. 38 (5 Lieder) no. 5 (1948) [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by David Passmore (b. 1954), "My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun" [ mezzo-soprano and piano ], from Seven Dark Lady Sonnets , no. 1 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Richard Simpson (1820 - 1876), "Sonnet CXXX", 1862-4 [ medium voice 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. 130, first published 1857
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Gli occhi della mia donna non sono come il sole", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 14
Word count: 123
Les yeux de ma maîtresse n'ont rien de...
Language: French (Français) after the English
Les yeux de ma maîtresse n'ont rien de l'éclat du soleil. Le corail est beaucoup plus rouge que le rouge de ses lèvres ; si la neige est blanche, certes sa gorge est brune. S'il faut pour cheveux des fils d'or, des fils noirs poussent sur sa tête. J'ai vu des roses de Damas, rouges et blanches, mais je n'ai pas vu sur ses joues de roses pareilles : et certains parfums ont plus de charme que l'haleine qui s'exhale de ma maîtresse. J'aime à l'entendre parler, et pourtant je sais bien que la musique est beaucoup mieux harmonieuse. J'accorde que je n'ai jamais vu marcher une déesse : ma maîtresse, en se promenant, reste pied à terre. Et cependant, par le ciel ! je trouve ma bien-aimée aussi gracieuse que toutes les donzelles calomniées par une fausse comparaison.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by François-Victor Hugo (1828 - 1873), no title, appears in Sonnets de Shakespeare, no. 130, first published 1857 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in English by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), no title, appears in Sonnets, no. 130
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 ]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2010-08-19
Line count: 14
Word count: 135