by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616)
Translation by François-Victor Hugo (1828 - 1873)
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
La clémence ne se commande pas
Language: French (Français)  after the English
La clémence ne se commande pas. Elle tombe du ciel, comme une pluie douce, sur le lieu qu’elle domine ; double bienfaisance, elle fait du bien à celui qui donne et à celui qui reçoit. Elle est la puissance des puissances. Elle sied aux monarques sur leur trône mieux que leur couronne. Leur sceptre représente la force du pouvoir temporel ; il est l’attribut d’épouvante et de majesté dont émanent le respect et la terreur des rois. Mais la clémence est au-dessus de l’autorité du sceptre. Elle trône dans le cœur des rois. elle est l’attribut de Dieu même ; et le pouvoir terrestre qui ressemble le plus à Dieu est celui qui tempère la justice par la clémence. Ainsi, juif, bien que la justice soit ton argument, considère ceci : qu’avec la stricte justice, nul de nous ne verrait le salut. C’est la clémence qu’invoque la prière, et c’est la prière même qui nous enseigne à tous à faire acte de clémence. Tout ce que je viens de dire est pour mitiger la justice de ta cause ; si tu persistes, le strict tribunal de Venise n’a plus qu’à prononcer sa sentence contre ce marchand.
About the headline (FAQ)
Authorship:
- by François-Victor Hugo (1828 - 1873), 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: 196