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by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926)

O ihr Zärtlichen
 (Sung text for setting by S. Grill)
 Matches original text
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  ENG FRE
O ihr Zärtlichen, tretet zuweilen
in den Atem, der euch nicht meint,
laßt ihn an eueren Wangen sich teilen,
hinter euch zittert er, wieder vereint.

O ihr Seligen, o ihr Heilen,
die ihr der Anfang der Herzen scheint.
Bogen der Pfeile und Ziele von Pfeilen,
ewiger glänzt euer Lächeln verweint.

Fürchtet euch nicht zu leiden, die Schwere,
gebt sie zurück an der Erde Gewicht:
schwer sind die Berge. Schwer sind die Meere.

Selbst die als Kinder ihr pflanztet, die Bäume, 
wurden zu schwer längst; ihr trüget sie nicht.
Aber die Lüfte... aber die Räume...

Composition:

    Set to music by Stanley Grill (b. 1953), "O ihr Zärtlichen", copyright © 2012 [ tenor and piano ], from Sonnets to Orpheus, no. 4, confirmed with an online score

Text Authorship:

  • by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926), no title, appears in Die Sonette an Orpheus 1, no. 4

See other settings of this text.

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

  • ENG English (Knut W. Barde) , "Sonnet to Orpheus", copyright ©, (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 between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 14
Word count: 94

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