Now my misery becomes complete, and namelessly

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by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Pietà

(Sung text for setting by H. Burghardt)

See original

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG FRE ITA

Jetzt wird mein Elend voll, und namenlos
erfüllt es mich. Ich starre wie des Steins
Inneres starrt.
Hart wie ich bin, weiß ich nur Eins:
Du wurdest groß --
. . . . . . und wurdest groß,
um als zu großer Schmerz
ganz über meines Herzens Fassung
hinauszustehn.
Jetzt liegst du quer durch meinen Schoß. 
Jetzt kann ich dich nicht mehr
gebären.

Composition:

Hans-Georg Burghardt

Text Authorship:

by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926), "Pietà", appears in Das Marien-Leben, no. 11, first published 1912

See other settings of this text.

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

ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , copyright © 2024, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Stéphane Goldet) (Pierre de Rosamel) , "Pieta", copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Pietà", copyright © 2009, (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 between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 12
Word count: 63

Pietà

(Sung text translation for setting by H. Burghardt)

See original

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

Now my misery becomes complete, and namelessly
it fills me. I congeal as the stone's
core congeals.
Hard as I am, I know only one thing:
You became great --
. . . . . . and became great
so as to overwhelm completely
the equanimity 
of my heart.
Now you lie diagonally through my lap. Now I can no longer
give birth to you.

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2024 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.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

a text in German (Deutsch) by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926), "Pietà", appears in Das Marien-Leben, no. 11, first published 1912
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This text was added to the website: 2024-02-06
Line count: 12
Word count: 65