by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806 - 1861)
Translation by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926)
I see thine image through my tears...
Language: English
I see thine image through my tears to-night, And yet to-day I saw thee smiling. How Refer the cause?--Beloved, is it thou Or I, who makes me sad? The acolyte Amid the chanted joy and thankful rite May so fall flat, with pale insensate brow, On the altar-stair. I hear thy voice and vow, Perplexed, uncertain, since thou art out of sight, As he, in his swooning ears, the choir's amen. Beloved, dost thou love? or did I see all The glory as I dreamed, and fainted when Too vehement light dilated my ideal, For my soul's eyes? Will that light come again, As now these tears come--falling hot and real?
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806 - 1861), no title, appears in Poems, in Sonnets from the Portuguese, no. 30, first published 1850 [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 Eleanor Everest Freer (1864 - 1942), "I see thine image through my tears to-night", published 1910 [ medium voice and piano ], from Sonnets from the Portuguese, no. 30 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Peter Tahourdin (1928 - 2009), "I see thine image through my tears to-night", 1968, first performed 1970 [ speaker, alto, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, 2 violins, viola, violoncello, tape ], from cantata Riders in Paradise [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- GER German (Deutsch) (Rainer Maria Rilke) , no title, appears in Sonette aus dem Portugiesischen, no. 30, first published 1908
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2007-12-14
Line count: 14
Word count: 111
Ich seh dein Bild durch Tränen heute...
Language: German (Deutsch) after the English
Ich seh dein Bild durch Tränen heute nacht und war doch froh, da ich dich sah bei Tag. Bist du's, Geliebter, der mich traurig macht? Bin ich es selbst? Wer klärt das auf? So mag der Akoluth unter Musik und Riten hinfallen auf sein Angesicht verstört, und wie er dann vom Chor das Amen hört, unfähig, seinen Sinnen zu gebieten, hör ich bestürzt und zweifelnd deinen Schwur, wenn du nicht da bist. Liebst du? War es nur in meinem Traum, wo diese Herrlichkeit mich überwand, mein lichtes Traumbild weit über mein Schaun erweiternd? Kehrt sie wieder und fällt wie diese Tränen greifbar nieder?
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926), no title, appears in Sonette aus dem Portugiesischen, no. 30, first published 1908 [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in English by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806 - 1861), no title, appears in Poems, in Sonnets from the Portuguese, no. 30, first published 1850
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 text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2009-02-19
Line count: 14
Word count: 104