by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926)
Translation © by Stephen Mitchell (b. 1943)
Du aber, Göttlicher, du, bis zuletzt...
Language: German (Deutsch)
Du aber, Göttlicher, du, bis zuletzt noch Ertöner, da ihn der Schwarm der verschmähten Mänaden befiel, hast ihr Geschrei übertönt mit Ordnung, du Schöner, aus den Zerstörenden stieg dein erbauendes Spiel. Keine war da, dass sie Haupt dir und Leier zerstör. Wie sie auch rangen und rasten, und alle die scharfen Steine, die sie nach deinem Herzen warfen, wurden zu Sanftem an dir und begabt mit Gehör. Schließlich zerschlugen sie dich, von der Rache gehetzt, während dein Klang noch in Löwen und Felsen verweilte und in den Bäumen und Vögeln. Dort singst du noch jetzt. O du verlorener Gott! Du unendliche Spur! Nur weil dich reißend zuletzt die Feindschaft verteilte, sind wir die Hörenden jetzt und ein Mund der Natur.
H. Birtwistle sets stanzas 3-4
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926), no title, written 1922, appears in Die Sonette an Orpheus 1, no. 26 [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 Holger Arden (b. 1946), "Sonett XXVI Teil 1", 2022 [ tenor, mixed chorus, 2 lyres, clarinet and piano ], from Die Orpheus Sonetten, no. 2, NB noter [sung text not yet checked]
- by Bruce Christian Bennett (b. 1968), "Du aber, Göttlicher, du", from Two Lieder, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Günter Bialas (1907 - 1992), "Du aber, Göttlicher", 1946 [ medium voice and orchestra ], from Orpheus singt. Sonette an Orpheus für mittlere Stimme und Orchester, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Harrison Birtwistle, Sir (1934 - 2022), "Elegy 20, Sonnet I, 26", 2003-04, first performed 2004, stanzas 3-4 [ oboe, harp and countertenor ], from Orpheus elegies, no. 25, Boosey & Hawkes [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Vivian Fine (1913 - 2000), "Sonnet to Orpheus", 1984 [ voice and string quartet ], from Ode to Henry Purcell, no. 3 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Stanley Grill (b. 1953), "Du aber, Göttlicher", copyright © 2012 [ tenor and piano ], from Sonnets to Orpheus, no. 26, confirmed with an online score [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Bernd Hänschke (b. 1948), "Du aber, Göttlicher", 1992 [ chorus ], from An Orpheus, no. 2, Selbstverlag [sung text not yet checked]
- by Volker David Kirchner (b. 1942), "Du aber, Göttlicher", 1968/87, copyright © 1989 [ baritone, horn and piano ], from Orfeo, no. 5, Mainz [etc.] : Schott [sung text not yet checked]
- by Josep Soler i Sardà (1935 - 2022), "Sonett 26", 1960 [ voice and piano ], from Die Sonette an Orpheus, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in English, a translation by Stephen Mitchell (b. 1943) , copyright © ; composed by Eric Moe.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English [singable] (T. P. (Peter) Perrin) , copyright © 2009, (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: 2008-07-13
Line count: 14
Word count: 120
But you, divine poet, you who sang on...
Language: English after the German (Deutsch)
But you, divine poet, you who sang on till the end [ ... ]
About the headline (FAQ)
This text may be copyright, so we will not display it until we obtain permission to do so or discover it is public-domain.Text Authorship:
- by Stephen Mitchell (b. 1943), copyright © [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926), no title, written 1922, appears in Die Sonette an Orpheus 1, no. 26
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Eric Moe (b. 1954), "But you, divine poet, you who sang on till the end", 1997 [ soprano, oboe, string quartet and piano ], from Sonnets to Orpheus, no. 5 [sung text checked 1 time]
This text was added to the website: 2023-12-14
Line count: 14
Word count: 127