The poor soul sat sighing by a sycamore tree,
Sing all a green willow:
Her hand on her bosom, her head on her knee,
Sing willow, willow, willow:
The fresh streams ran by her, and murmur’d her moans;
Sing willow, willow, willow;
Her salt tears fell from her, and soften’d the stones;
Lay by these.
– William Shakespeare
Othello, Act 4, Scene 3. Desdemona sings "The Willow Song" for Emilia, which has to be one of Shakespeare’s saddest songs. The melancholy ballad is about a weeping woman lamenting the cruelty of a lover who abandons her. Desdemona’s fate is foreshadowed in the mournful song.