The Willow Song

General information

Lyricist: William Shakespeare Written as Desdemona's song in Othello, possibly using a pre-existing model.

Settings by composers (automatically updated)

• Anonymous — The Willow Song (Willow, willow, willow)  English Solo high
• William Armiger — Shakespeare Songs 4: Willow willow  English SATB
• John Christmas Beckwith — The poor soul sat sighing  English SATB
• Edward Smith Biggs — A poor soul sat sighing  English SSAB
• John Clarke-Whitfeld — Green willow  English SATB
• James Hook — The Willow Song  English solo high
• Pelham Humfrey — A poor soul sat sighing  English Solo high
• Charles Hubert Hastings Parry — Willow, willow, willow  English Solo Soprano, Solo Tenor
• Traditional — O willo, willo, willo  English solo high
• Ralph Vaughan Williams — The Willow Song  English SATB

Text and translations

English text A poor soul sat sighing by a sycamore tree, O willow, willow, o willow; With his hand on his bosom, his head on his knee, Sing willow, willow, o willow. Sing o the green willow, sing o the green willow, The willow shall be a garland for me, Sing o the green willow. He sighed in his singing, and after each groan, O willow, willow, o willow; I am dead to each pleasure, my true love is gone, Sing willow, willow, o willow. Sing o the green willow, sing o the green willow, The willow shall be a garland for me, Sing o the green willow. Let nobody blame me, her scorn I thus prove, O willow, willow, o willow; She was born to be fair, I to die for her love, Sing willow, willow, o willow. Sing o the green willow, sing o the green willow, The willow shall be a garland for me, Sing o the green willow. The text here is that of James Hook's version, being the most complete, and the best strophic model (designed for theatrical use). There are no two entirely consistent versions: see individual work pages for divergences. External links