Fear no more the heat o' the sun

Fear no more the heat o' the sun,
Nor the furious winter's rages;
Thou thy worldly task hast done,
Home art gone, and ta'en thy wages;
Golden lads and girls all must,
[As chimney-sweepers,]1 come to dust.

Fear no more the frown o' the great;
Thou art past the tyrant's stroke:
Care no more to clothe and eat;
To thee the reed is as the oak:
The sceptre, learning, physic, must
All follow this, and come to dust.

Fear no more the lightning-flash,
Nor the all-dreaded thunder-stone;
Fear not slander, censure rash;
Thou hast finished joy and moan;
[All]2 lovers young, all lovers must
Consign to thee, and come to dust.

No exorciser harm thee!
Nor no witchcraft charm thee!
Ghost unlaid forbear thee!
Nothing ill come near thee!
Quiet consummation have;
And renownéd be thy grave!

by William Shakespeare (1564-1616) , no title, from Cymbeline, Act IV, Scene 2

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive)

by Gerald Finzi (1901-1956) , "Fear no more the heat o' the sun", op. 18 no. 3 (1929), from Let Us Garlands Bring, no. 3.
by Wolfgang Fortner (1907-1987) , "Fear no more", 1946 [voice and piano], from Songs nach Texten von William Shakespeare mit Klavierbegleitung, no. 9.
by Kenneth Leighton (1929-1988) , "Fear no more the heat of the sun", from 5 Shakespeare Songs, no. 1, available from the Kenneth Leighton Trust, e-mail jo (DOT) leighton (AT) blueyonder (DOT) co (DOT) uk
by Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry (1848-1918) , "Fear no more the heat o' the sun", published 1906, stanzas 1-3.
by Henry Hugo Pierson (1816-1873) , "Dirge: Fear no more the heat of the sun", stanzas 1,3-4, note: also set in German
by Roger Quilter (1877-1953) , "Fear no more the heat o' the sun", op. 23 no. 1.
by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) , "Dirge for Fidele", 1922. [two mezzo-sopranos and piano]

by Henry Hugo Pierson (1816-1873) , "Elegie: Fürchte nicht mehr Sonnenglut", note: also set in English

by Thomas Augustine Arne (1710-1778) , "Fear no more the heat of the sun (The Dirge in Cymbeline)"

FIN Finnish (Paavo Cajander)
ITA Italian (Ferdinando Albeggiani)

Added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.

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