by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616)
Translation by François Pierre Guillaume Guizot (1787 - 1874)
The quality of mercy is not strained
Language: English
The quality of mercy is not strained; It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest; It blesseth him that gives and him that takes: ‘T is mightiest in the mightiest; it becomes The throned monarch better than his crown: His sceptre shows the force of temporal power, The attribute to awe and majesty, Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings; But mercy is above this sceptred sway; It is enthronèd in the hearts of kings, It is an attribute to God himself; And earthly power doth then show likest God’s When mercy seasons justice. [Therefore, Jew, Though justice be thy plea, consider this, That, in the course of justice, none of us Should see salvation:]1 we do pray for mercy; And that same prayer doth teach us all to render The deeds of mercy. [I have spoke thus much To mitigate the justice of thy plea; Which if thou follow, this strict court of Venice Must needs give sentence ‘gainst the merchant there.]1
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)1 omitted by Hoiby.
Authorship:
- by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), no title, appears in The Merchant of Venice, Act IV, Scene 1 [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 Lee Hoiby (1926 - 2011), "Portia's Plea", 2004 [ voice and piano ], from Sonnets and Soliloquies, no. 4 [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (François Pierre Guillaume Guizot) , no title
- FRE French (Français) (François-Victor Hugo) , no title
- POL Polish (Polski) (Józef Paszkowski) , no title
- SPA Spanish (Español) (Marcelino Menéndez y Pelayo) , no title
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2015-02-14
Line count: 22
Word count: 173
Le caractère de la clémence est de...
Language: French (Français)  after the English
Le caractère de la clémence est de n'être point forcée. Elle tombe, comme la douce pluie du ciel sur le lieu placé au-dessous d'elle. Deux fois bénie, elle est bonne à celui qui donne et à celui qui reçoit. C'est la plus haute puissance du plus puissant. Elle sied au monarque sur le trône mieux que sa couronne. Son sceptre montre la force de son autorité temporelle; c'est l'attribut du pouvoir qu'on révère et de la majesté; mais la clémence est au-dessus de la domination du sceptre; elle a son trône dans le cœur des rois. C'est un des attributs de Dieu lui-même, et les puissances de la terre se rapprochent d'autant plus de Dieu, qu'elles savent mieux mêler la clémence à la justice. Ainsi, Juif, quoique la justice soit l'argument que tu fais valoir, fais cette réflexion, qu'en ne suivant que la justice, nul de nous ne pourrait espérer de salut: nous prions pour obtenir miséricorde; et cette prière nous enseigne à tous en même temps à pratiquer la miséricorde. Je me suis étendu sur ce sujet, dans le dessein de tempérer la rigueur de tes poursuites, qui, si tu les continues, forceront le tribunal de Venise à rendre d'après la loi un arrêt contre ce marchand.
About the headline (FAQ)
Authorship:
- by François Pierre Guillaume Guizot (1787 - 1874), no title [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in English by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), no title, appears in The Merchant of Venice, Act IV, Scene 1
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- [ None yet in the database ]
Researcher for this page: Guy Laffaille [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2015-02-19
Line count: 22
Word count: 208