Friday, September 14, 2012

A Little Shakespeare


It's Friday, and I need a little Shakespeare. I've always loved this piece, written by a man to tell women not to spend their time fretting over the odd doings of men.


But beyond the subject and theme, the words themselves are so lovely and lyrical. That guy really knew what he was doing!


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

Sigh no more ditties, sing no more
    Of dumps so dull and heavy.
The fraud of men was ever so
    Since summer first was leafy.
Then sigh not so, but let them go,
    And be you blithe and bonny,
Converting all your sounds of woe
    Into hey, nonny, nonny.

-From Much Ado About Nothing

And in case you never saw it, here is the poem performed by the luminous Emma Thompson .


3 comments:

Natasha Larry said...

love it. :) Thanks for sharing.

Johanna Garth said...

Perfect words to buoy me into the weekend.

David M. Brown said...

I never liked Shakespeare at school but now I appreciate good old Will for his remarkable achievements. I don't profess to know what all the lines in his sonnets and plays mean but they are a privilege to read now :)