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by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926)

Wir sind nur Mund. Wer singt das ferne...
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Wir sind nur Mund. Wer singt das ferne Herz, 
das heil inmitten aller Dinge weilt? 
Sein großer Schlag ist in uns eingeteilt 
in kleine Schläge. Und sein großer Schmerz 
ist, wie sein großer Jubel, uns zu groß. 
So reißen wir uns immer wieder los 
und sind nur Mund. Aber auf einmal bricht 
der große Herzschlag heimlich in uns ein, 
so daß wir schrein, --
und sind dann Wesen, Wandlung und Gesicht.

Available sung texts:   ← What is this?

•   T. Medek 

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Text Authorship:

  • by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926) [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 Tilo Medek (1940 - 2006), "Wir sind nur Mund. Wer singt das ferne Herz", 1980, copyright © 1982 [ chorus, orchestra ], from cantata Gethsemane, no. 6, Unkel am Rhein : Medek [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Erik Norby (1936 - 2007), "Wir sind nur Mund", 1985 [ mezzo-soprano and orchestra ], from Rilke-Lieder, no. 3 [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Fredrik Österling (b. 1966), "Wir sind nur Mund" [ mixed chorus ], Gehrmans Musikförlag [sung text not yet checked]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

  • Also set in English, a translation by Albert Ernest Flemming , "Heartbeat", copyright © ; composed by Andrea Clearfield.
    • Go to the text.

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2013-09-03
Line count: 10
Word count: 71

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