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O wenn [ein]1 Herz, längst wohnend im Entwöhnen, von aller Kunft und Zuversicht getrennt, erwacht und plötzlich hört, wie man es nennt: »Du Überfluß, Du Fülle [alles]2 Schönen!« Was soll es tun? Wie sich dem Glück versöhnen, das [endlich]3 seine Hand und Wange kennt? Schmerz zu verschweigen war sein Element, nun zwingt das Liebes-Staunen es, zu tönen. Hier tönt ein Herz, das sich im Gram verschwieg, und zweifelt, ob ihm dies zu Recht gebühre: o reich zu sein in seiner Armut Sieg. Wer hat denn Fülle? Wer verteilt das Meiste?-- Wer so verführt, daß er ganz weit verführe: Denn auch der Leib ist leibhaft erst im Geiste.
H. Apostel sets stanzas 1-2
About the headline (FAQ)
View text without footnotesConfirmed with Rainer Maria Rilke, Die Gedichte, Frankfurt am Main: Insel Verlag, 1997, pages 1023-1024.
1 Lilien: "mein"; further changes may exist not shown above.2 Apostel: "eines"
3 Apostel: "kommt und"
Text Authorship:
- by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926), "Sonett" [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 Hans Erich Apostel (1901 - 1972), "O wenn ein Herz, - - -", op. 6 (Vier Lieder) no. 1, published 1937, stanzas 1-2 [ voice and piano ], Wien: Universal-Edition, Nr. 10917 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Robert Haas (1886 - 1960), "Ein Herz" [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ignace Lilien (1897 - 1964), "O wenn mein Herz", 1922, copyright © 1960 [ low voice or medium voice and piano ], from Sechs Gedichte von R.M. Rilke, no. 6, Amsterdam : Donemus [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Sharon Krebs [Senior Associate Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2018-10-09
Line count: 14
Word count: 110
Oh when a heart, long dwelling in renunciation, separated from all coming and assurance, wakens and suddenly hears, how it is called: "Thou plenitude, thou abundance of [all that is beautiful]1!" What should it do? How reconcile itself with the happiness that [finally comes to know]2 its heart and cheek? To conceal pain was its element; now love's wonderment forces it to resound. Here rings a heart that kept silent in sorrow, and doubted whether this could rightfully be its due: oh, to be rich in the victory of its poverty. Who has abundancy then? Who distributes the most?-- He who thus allures that he might inveigle very deeply: For the body also is corporeal only in spirit.
About the headline (FAQ)
View text without footnotesTranslations of title(s):
"O wenn ein Herz, - - -" = "Oh when a heart, - - -"
"Sonett" = "Sonnet"
2 Apostel: "comes and knows"
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2018 by Sharon Krebs, (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.
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Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926), "Sonett"
This text was added to the website: 2018-11-09
Line count: 14
Word count: 121