×
Attention! Some of this material is not in the public domain.
It is illegal to copy and distribute copyright-protected material without permission. It is also illegal to reprint copyright texts or translations without the name of the author or translator.
Note: You must use the copyright symbol © when you reprint copyright-protected material.
See below for more information.
by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926)
Translation © by Robert Bly (b. 1926)
Mein Leben ist nicht diese steile Stunde
Language: German (Deutsch)
Our translations: FRE
Mein Leben ist nicht diese steile Stunde,
darin du mich so eilen siehst.
Ich bin ein Baum vor meinem Hintergrunde,
ich bin nur einer meiner vielen Munde
und jener, welcher sich am frühsten schließt.
Ich bin die Ruhe zwischen zweien Tönen,
die sich nur schlecht aneinander gewöhnen:
denn der Ton Tod will sich erhöhn -
Aber im dunklen Intervall versöhnen
sich beide zitternd.
Und das Lied bleibt schön.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926), "Mein Leben ist", written 1899, appears in Das Stundenbuch, in 1. Das Buch vom mönchischen Leben , no. 20, 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 Harold Blumenfeld (b. 1923), "Ich bin nicht diese steile Stunde", 1970 [ solo voice and optional chamber orchestra or jazz ensemble ], from Rilke, no. 3, Manuskript [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jonathan Blumhofer , "Mein Leben ist nicht diese steile Stunde" [ voice and orchestra ], from Rilke-Lieder, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Chris Fictoor (b. 1948), "Das Interval", 1999 [ soprano, alto, bass, chorus, orchestra ], from oratorio Rilke Lieder, no. 4, Ascolta [sung text not yet checked]
- by Stanley Grill (b. 1953), "Mein Leben", copyright © 2009 [ soprano, viola d'amore, and cello ], from Rilke Songs, no. 2, confirmed with an online score [sung text checked 1 time]
- by David Hamilton (b. 1955), "Mein Leben ist nicht diese steile Stunde", 2017 [ countertenor and men's chorus ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Christian Franz Peter Kram (b. 1968), "Mein Leben", published 2002, first performed 2003 [ voice and harp ], from Rilke-Lieder, no. 2, Hubert Hoche Musikverlag [sung text not yet checked]
- by Hinrich Luchterhandt (1928 - 2017), "Mein Leben ist nicht diese steile Stunde", 2003 [ women's chorus ], from Ich lebe mein Leben, no. 3, Edition Merseburger [sung text not yet checked]
- by Eglė Sausanavičiūtė (b. 1963), "Und das Lied bleibt schön", 1996 [ soprano, mixed chorus, flute, organ and double bass ], from cantata Und das Lied bleibt schön, placeholder [sung text not yet checked]
- by Rüdiger Seitz (1927 - 1991), "Mein Leben ist nicht diese steile Stunde", copyright © 1997 [ voice and piano ], from Mein Leben ist nicht diese steile Stunde, no. 3, Innsbruck : Ed. Triol [sung text not yet checked]
- by Josep Soler i Sardà (1935 - 2022), "Ich bin die Ruhe", 2006 [ voice, clarinet and piano ], from Der Gesang der Blinde, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Kay Westermann (b. 1958), "Mein Leben ist nicht diese steile Stunde", from 3 Lieder, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Regina Wittemeier (b. 1956), "Mein Leben ist nicht diese steile Stunde", op. 34 (Ich lebe mein Leben in wachsenden Ringen) no. 7, published 2003 [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in English, a translation by Robert Bly (b. 1926) , "My life is not this steeply sloping hour", appears in Selected Poems of Rainer Maria Rilke, first published 1981, copyright © by Harper and Row, (re)printed on this website with kind permission ; composed by Mark Abel, Larry Klein, Robert Benford Lepley.
- Also set in French (Français), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist , "Ma vie n’est pas cette heure abrupte" ; composed by Antoine Tisné.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Also set in Norwegian (Bokmål), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist [an adaptation] ; composed by Synne Skouen.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Ma vie n'est pas cette heure abrupte", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2008-05-19
Line count: 11
Word count: 67
My life is not this steeply sloping hour
Language: English after the German (Deutsch)
My life is not this steeply sloping hour in which you see me hurrying. Much stands behind me; I stand before it like a tree; I am only one of my many mouths, and at that, the one that will be still the soonest. I am the rest between two notes, which are somehow always in discord because Death’s note wants to climb over -- but in the dark interval, reconciled, they stay there trembling. And the song goes on, beautiful.
About the headline (FAQ)
Permission granted for use by the LiederNet Archive stemming from agreement on recording between Mark Abel and Harper and Row.
Text Authorship:
- by Robert Bly (b. 1926), "My life is not this steeply sloping hour", appears in Selected Poems of Rainer Maria Rilke, first published 1981, copyright © by Harper and Row, (re)printed on this website with kind permission [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926), "Mein Leben ist", written 1899, appears in Das Stundenbuch, in 1. Das Buch vom mönchischen Leben , no. 20, first published 1905
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Mark Abel (b. 1948), "My life is not this steeply sloping hour", 2004, published 2004 [ soprano and piano ], from Five Poems of Rainer Maria Rilke, no. 2, Oceangoing Music (ASCAP) [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Larry Klein (b. 1956), "The Song Goes On", copyright © 2010 [ voices and band ], The Imagine Project, Hancock Records [sung text not yet checked]
- by Robert Benford Lepley , "My Life Is Not This Steeply Sloping Hour" [ mixed chorus ], from Visions within, no. 4 [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2014-02-18
Line count: 13
Word count: 80