Sir Arthur Sullivan: 5 Shakespeare Songs (The Lied and Art Song Texts Page: Texts and Translations to Lieder, mélodies, canzoni, and other classical vocal music)


Orpheus with his lute made trees,
And the mountain-tops that freeze,
Bow themselves, when he did sing:	

To his music, plants and flowers
Ever [sprung]¹; as sun and showers
There had made a lasting spring.

Everything that heard him play,
Even the billows of the sea,
Hung their heads, and then lay by.

In sweet music is such art:
Killing care and grief of heart
Fall asleep, or, hearing, die.

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Quoted in Shakespeare's Henry VIII, Act III scene 1
¹ Greene: "rose"; Blitzstein: "sprang"

Input by Ted Perry

3. Sigh no more, ladies

Language: English

Authorship

William Shakespeare (1564-1616)

Much Ado About Nothing

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Available translations (or transliterations, if applicable):

DUT

Dutch


Sigh no more, ladies, sigh no more,
Men were deceivers ever;
[ One foot in sea and one on shore;
To one thing constant never. ]¹
Then sigh not so,
But let them go,
And be you blithe and bonny;
Converting all your sounds of woe
Into Hey nonny, nonny.

Sing no more ditties, sing no more,
Of dumps so dull and heavy;
[ The fraud of men was ever so
Since summer first was leavy. ]¹
Then sigh not so,
But let them go,
And be you blithe and bonny;
Converting all your sounds of woe
Into Hey nonny, nonny.

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¹ Lines reversed in version set by Fisher

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?. The willow song

Language: English

Authorship

William Shakespeare (1564-1616)

The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice

Based on

text

folk poetry/song tradition

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Desdemona
 The poor soul sat sighing by a sycamore tree,
 Sing all a green willow:
 Her hand on her bosom, her head on her knee,
 Sing willow, willow, willow:
 The fresh streams ran by her, and murmur'd her moans;
 Sing willow, willow, willow;
 Her salt tears fell from her, and soften'd the stones;

 [Lay by these:--]¹

 Sing willow, willow, willow;

 [Prithee, hie thee; he'll come anon:--]¹

 Sing all a green willow [must be my garland.]²

 [Sing all a green willow;]³

 [Let nobody blame him; his scorn I approve,-]⁴

 [Nay, that's not next.--Hark! who is't that knocks? 

Emilia:
 It's the wind.]¹

Desdemona:
 [Sing willow, willow, willow,]³
 [I call'd my love false love; but what said he then? 
 Sing willow, willow, willow:
 If I court moe women, you'll couch with moe men!]⁴
 [Sing willow, willow, willow,]³

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¹ not set by Fortner, Korngold, Parry, Vaughan Williams
² Korngold: "my garland must be"
³ added by Korngold
⁴ not set by Parry, Vaughan Williams; Fortner: "I'd called my love false love, but what did he say? / Sing willow, willow willow,/ If I court moe women, you'll couch with moe men!"