Poem: 'Sigh No More' by William Shakespeare

[dwgm]

In honor of Shakespeare's birthday and death (April 23, both) we have this song from Much Ado About Nothing. I can still hear Emma Thompson reciting this at the beginning of that movie, which we must have seen a couple dozen times, at least. The children were scandalized and fascinated by the scenes shown during the credits, where everyone is joyously stripping off and bathing, and donning fresh clothing for the party later.

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.

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


~.~

Comments

[bombazzinedoll.livejournal.com]

Oh, Much Ado About Nothing is my favourite favourite Shakespeare play, surpassing even Hamlet (which is saying quite a lot), and I LOVE the Kenneth Brannagh adaptation to the point where I wore out my VHS and had to go procure a DVD.

One foot in sea, and one on shore,
To one thing constant never.

Probably my favourite line out of the whole piece.

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

I love those lines, too. I really need a DVD of that movie. Haven't watched it in far too long.