Ophelia’s lament – Shakespeare: Hamlet (act 4, sceen 5)

How should I your true love know
From another one?
By his cockle hat and staff,
And his sandal shoon.

He is dead and gone, lady,
He is dead and gone;
At his head a grass-green turf,
At his heels a stone.

White his shroud as the mountain snow,
Larded vith sweet flowers;
Which bewept to the grave did go
With true love showers

Hogy lehetne felismerni,
Melyik ö, igaz szerelmed?
Kis kalapjáról, botjáról,
Saruban mint megy.

Elment már hölgyem, meghalt már,
Elment már, meghalt ő.
Feje táján fűcsomó,
Lábánál egy kő.

Hófehér, mint a hegytető,
Virágokkal véres,
Könnyel áztatott szemfedő,
Sírban már a kedves.

Hungarian translation by Gábor Domján

DESCANT LUTE

 

Built by: Bernd Holzgruber (’Wien 1979’)

Szoprán lant

 

 

DESCANT LUTE

Found the LP (Fallen Asleep Just Like Papa) of our once favourite group (OPO) on youtube we haven’t heard for decades and made this rendering of Ophelia’s song from it as a last minute birthday present for my wife (Hungarian translation & recording the night before). The original version has a beautifully elaborated version of the theme on 4 or 5 instruments which I couldn’t imitate on a single descant lute, thus this little intermezzo instead before repeating the first stanza.