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Was irren meine Hände in den Pinseln? Wenn ich dich male, Gott, du merkst es kaum. Ich fühle dich. An meiner Sinne Saum beginnst du zögernd, wie mit vielen Inseln, und deinen Augen, welche niemals blinseln, bin ich der Raum. Du bist nicht mehr inmitten deines Glanzes, wo alle Linien des Engeltanzes die Fernen dir verbrauchen wie Musik, - du wohnst in deinem allerletzten Haus. Dein ganzer Himmel horcht in mich hinaus, weil ich mich sinnend dir verschwieg.
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Text Authorship:
- by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926), "Was irren meine Hände", written 1899, appears in Das Stundenbuch, in 1. Das Buch vom mönchischen Leben , no. 18, first published 1905 [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 Wolfgang Hildemann (1925 - 1995), "Was irren meine Hände in den Pinseln", published 1992 [ mixed chorus a cappella ], Tonger, Musikverlag Köln [sung text not yet checked]
- by Svein Hundsnes (b. 1951), "Die Linien des Engeltanzes", 1991, first performed 1991 [ baritone, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, violin, viola, violoncello, piano ], from Rilke-Lieder, no. 6, NB noter [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Pourquoi mes mains se fourvoient-elles avec le pinceau ?", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2011-10-22
Line count: 12
Word count: 77
Pourquoi mes mains se fourvoient-elles avec le pinceau ? Lorsque je te peins, Dieu, tu le remarques à peine. Je te sens. À la lisière de mes sens tu commences, hésitant, comme parmi mille îles, et à tes yeux qui n'ont jamais cillé, je suis l'espace. Tu n'es plus au milieu de ta splendeur, où les danses de longues théories d'anges épuisent pour toi les distances, comme la musique -- tu habites ta toute dernière demeure. Ton ciel tout entier écoute en moi car devant toi je songe en silence.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to French (Français) copyright © 2012 by Pierre Mathé, (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), "Was irren meine Hände", written 1899, appears in Das Stundenbuch, in 1. Das Buch vom mönchischen Leben , no. 18, first published 1905
This text was added to the website: 2013-01-22
Line count: 12
Word count: 89