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When most I wink, then do mine eyes best see, For all the day they view things unrespected; But when I sleep, in dreams they look on thee, And darkly bright, are bright in dark directed. Then thou, whose shadow shadows doth make bright, How would thy shadow's form form happy show To the clear [day]1 with thy much clearer light, When to unseeing eyes thy shade shines so? How would, I say, mine eyes be blessed made By looking on thee in the living day, When in dead night thy fair imperfect shade Through heavy sleep on sightless eyes doth stay? All days are nights to see till I see thee, And nights bright days when dreams do show thee me.
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View original text (without footnotes)1 Britten: "days"
Text Authorship:
- by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), no title, appears in Sonnets, no. 43 [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 Edward Applebaum (b. 1937), "When most I wink, then do mine eyes best see", 1975, published 1982 [ soprano, alto, baritone, SSSAAABarBarBar chorus, and chamber orchestra ], from Cantata Concertante: "When dreams do show thee me", no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by David Bowerman (b. 1936), "When most I wink" [ voice and piano ], confirmed with a CD booklet [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Frank Bridge (1879 - 1941), "When most I wink", 1901 [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by (Edward) Benjamin Britten (1913 - 1976), "When most I wink, then do mine eyes best see", op. 60 no. 8, from Nocturne for tenor solo, seven obligato instruments and string orchestra, no. 8 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Bernard van Dieren (1887 - 1936), "Sonnet XLIII", 1916 [ baritone and orchestra ], from Diaphony (Diafonia), no. 4 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Richard Simpson (1820 - 1876), "Sonnet XLIII", 1865 [ medium voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Carlos Claudio Spies (1925 - 2020), "When most I wink, then do mine eyes best see", 1976-7, first performed 1978 [ satb quartet and piano ], from Five Sonnet-Settings, no. 4 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Lex Zwaap (1919 - 1988), as Lex van Delden, "When most I wink", op. 72 (Drie sonnetten van Shakespeare) no. 1 (1961) [ contralto and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in French (Français), a translation by François Pierre Guillaume Guizot (1787 - 1874) ; composed by Henri-Pierre Poupard, as Henri Sauguet.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Quan més parpellejo, millor hi veuen els meus ulls", copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (François-Victor Hugo) , no title, appears in Sonnets de Shakespeare, no. 43, first published 1857
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Più io li tengo chiusi, più i miei occhi son chiari", copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Ted Perry
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 14
Word count: 122
Più io li tengo chiusi, più i miei occhi son chiari, perché di giorno cose da niente osservano; Ma quando dormo, sei tu che in sogno appari, e, illuminati nel buio, la scura tenebra vincono. E allora tu, ombra che ogni ombra rischiara, quale ombra saresti, d'aspetto divino, nel chiaro giorno con la tua luce più chiara, se la tua ombra splende ai ciechi perfino? Quanto, io dico, faresti la mia vista beata se contemplasse te nella piena luce del giorno, Se già nella morta notte la tua bella ombra incompleta fa presa su occhi ciechi chiusi in pesante sonno? I giorni notte si fanno fino a che non ti scorgo, Le notti, giorni splendenti non appena ti sogno.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from English to Italian (Italiano) copyright © 2013 by Ferdinando Albeggiani, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
- a text in English by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), no title, appears in Sonnets, no. 43
This text was added to the website: 2013-05-13
Line count: 14
Word count: 119