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by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926)
Translation © by Ferdinando Albeggiani

Wer hat bedacht, daß bis zu ihrem Kommen
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  ENG FRE ITA
Wer hat bedacht, daß bis zu ihrem Kommen
der viele Himmel unvollständig war?
Der Auferstandne hatte Platz genommen,
doch neben ihm, durch vierundzwanzig Jahr,
war leer der Sitz. Und sie begannen schon
sich an die reine Lücke zu gewöhnen,
die wie verheilt war, denn mit seinem schönen
Hinüberscheinen füllte sie der Sohn.

So ging auch sie, die in die Himmel trat,
nicht auf ihn zu, so sehr es sie verlangte;
dort war kein Platz, nur Er war dort und prangte
mit einer Strahlung, die ihr wehe tat.
Doch da sie jetzt, die rührende Gestalt,
sich zu den neuen Seligen gesellte
und unauffällig, licht zu licht, sich stellte,
da brach aus ihrem Sein ein Hinterhalt
von solchem Glanz, daß der von ihr erhellte
Engel geblendet aufschrie: Wer ist die?
Ein Staunend war. Dann sahn sie alle, wie
Gott-Vater oben unsern Herrn verhielt,
so daß, von milder Dämmerung umspielt,
die leere Stelle wie ein wenig Leid
sich zeigte, eine Spur von Einsamkeit,
wie etwas, was er noch ertrug, ein Rest
irdischer Zeit, ein trockenes Gebrest -.
Man sah nach ihr; sie schaute ängstlich hin,
weit vorgeneigt, als fühlte sie: ich bin
sein längster Schmerz -: und stürzte plötzlich vor.
Die Engel aber nahmen sie zu sich
und stützten sie und sangen seliglich
und trugen sie das letzte Stück empor.

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

  • by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926), no title, appears in Das Marien-Leben, in Vom Tode Mariae, no. 2, first published 1912 [author's text not yet checked 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 Maria Bach (1896 - 1978), "Wer hat bedacht", 1956 [ voice and piano or string orchestra ], from Drei Stücke vom Tode Mariä, no. 2, Wiener Stadt- und Landesbibliothek [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Paul Hindemith (1895 - 1963), "Vom Tode Mariä II", op. 27 no. 14 (1922-3), rev. 1948, from Das Marienleben, no. 14 [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Siegfried Garibaldi Kallenberg (1867 - 1944), "Wer hat bedacht", 1926 [ alto, 2 violins, viola, violoncello and double bass ], from 6 Gesänge aus dem Marienleben von Rainer Maria Rilke, no. 5 [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Josep Soler i Sardà (1935 - 2022), "Vom Tode Mariae, Stücke II", 1990 [ high voice, chorus, and organ ], from Dormició de Maria, no. 4 [sung text not yet checked]

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

  • ENG English (Knut W. Barde) , "From the Death of Mary", copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • FRE French (Français) (Stéphane Goldet) (Pierre de Rosamel) , "Sur la mort de Marie II", copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Morte di Maria II", copyright © 2009, (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: 31
Word count: 216

Morte di Maria II
Language: Italian (Italiano)  after the German (Deutsch) 
Chi ha mai pensato, che fino alla Sua venuta
lo sterminato cielo fosse incompleto?
Il Risorto aveva preso il Suo posto,
e tuttavia, accanto a Lui per ventiquattro anni,
un seggio era vuoto. E cominciavano già
ad abituarsi a quella pura lacuna,
che come risanata appariva, perché del Suo splendore
tutta la colmava il Figlio. 
 
Così anche Lei, quando fu assunta in cielo,
non andò verso Lui, anche se forte era il desiderio;
Non c'era posto, là solo Lui stava in trionfo
con un fulgore, che le fece male.
Ma quando poi, la commovente figura
prese ad accompagnarsi con i nuovi beati
e, in modo discreto, luce a luce si aggiunse,
allora dal Suo più profondo essere traboccò
una riserva di cotanto splendore che, abbagliato
da quella luce, un angelo gridò: Chi è costei?  
E stupirono tutti. Poi videro come
Dio -- Padre in alto tratteneva nostro Signore,
in modo che, da un più mite chiarore circondato,
il posto vuoto, come un dolore lieve,
ricomparisse, come una traccia di solitudine,
come qualcosa, che ancora sopportava un residuo
di tempo terrestre, una ferita asciutta -.  
E guardarono a Lei; lei ricambiò timidamente gli sguardi
quasi inchinandosi, come se pensasse: sono io
per Lui il dolore più lungo -: poi cadde in avanti.
Ma gli angeli la presero tra le braccia
e la sostennero e cantarono beati
e per l'ultimo tratto in alto la portarono. 

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from German (Deutsch) to Italian (Italiano) copyright © 2009 by Ferdinando Albeggiani, (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 Das Marien-Leben, in Vom Tode Mariae, no. 2, first published 1912
    • Go to the text page.

 

This text was added to the website: 2009-03-18
Line count: 31
Word count: 231

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This website began in 1995 as a personal project by Emily Ezust, who has been working on it full-time without a salary since 2008. Our research has never had any government or institutional funding, so if you found the information here useful, please consider making a donation. Your help is greatly appreciated!
–Emily Ezust, Founder

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