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O ihr Zärtlichen, tretet zuweilen in den Atem, der euch nicht meint, laßt ihn an eueren Wangen sich teilen, hinter euch zittert er, wieder vereint. O ihr Seligen, o ihr Heilen, die ihr der Anfang der Herzen scheint. Bogen der Pfeile und Ziele von Pfeilen, ewiger glänzt euer Lächeln verweint. Fürchtet euch nicht zu leiden, die Schwere, gebt sie zurück an der Erde Gewicht: schwer sind die Berge. Schwer sind die Meere. Selbst die als Kinder ihr pflanztet, die Bäume, wurden zu schwer längst; ihr trüget sie nicht. Aber die Lüfte... aber die Räume...
H. Birtwistle sets line 14
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926), no title, appears in Die Sonette an Orpheus 1, no. 4 [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 Harrison Birtwistle, Sir (1934 - 2022), "Elegy 6, Sonnet I, 4", 2003-04, line 14 [ oboe, harp and countertenor ], from Orpheus elegies, no. 6, Boosey & Hawkes [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Nicolas Bolens (b. 1963), "But for the air, but for the heavens...", 1995 [ string quartet ], from Streichquartett; Sur quelques Mots de Rainer Maria Rilke, no. 5, Editions Papillon [sung text not yet checked]
- by Stanley Grill (b. 1953), "O ihr Zärtlichen", copyright © 2012 [ tenor and piano ], from Sonnets to Orpheus, no. 4, confirmed with an online score [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Walter Jentsch (1900 - 1979), "O ihr zärtlichen", op. 31 no. 1, copyright © 1955 [ chorus ], from Madrigalen aus den Sonetten an Orpheus von R.M. Rilke, no. 1, Hamburg : Sikorski [sung text not yet checked]
- by Peter Lieberson (1946 - 2011), "O ihr Zärtlichen" [ mezzo-soprano and piano ], from Five Rilke Songs, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Steen Pade (b. 1956), "Sonet", 1981 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Einojuhani Rautavaara (1928 - 2016), "O ihr Zärtlichen", 1956 [ voice and piano or orchestra ], from Fünf Sonette an Orpheus, no. 4 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by François Tousignant (b. 1955), "O ihr Zärtlichen", 1978 [ voice and instrumental ensemble ], from Premiers sonets sur R.M. Rilke, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in English, a translation by Stephen Mitchell (b. 1943) , no title, copyright © ; composed by Eric Moe.
- Also set in English, a translation by Darrel Hale , "Part One, Sonnet IV", copyright © 2018 ; composed by Jenni Brandon.
- Also set in English, a translation by James Blair Leishman (1902 - 1963) , no title ; composed by Colin Matthews.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Knut W. Barde) , "Sonnet to Orpheus", copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 14
Word count: 94
Oh you gentle ones, every once in a while step into the breath that is indifferent to you, let it be parted on your cheeks, behind you it trembles, reunited. Oh you blessed ones, oh you whole ones, you who seem to be the beginning of the hearts. Bow of arrows and target of arrows, your smile beams eternally with tears. Do not fear to suffer the heaviness, give it back to earth's weight: heavy are the mountains. Heavy are the oceans. Even what you planted as children, the trees, have long become too heavy; you could not carry them. But the breezes... but the spaces...
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © by Knut W. Barde, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926), no title, appears in Die Sonette an Orpheus 1, no. 4
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 14
Word count: 106