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Eau qui se presse, qui court ... eau oublieuse
que la distraite terre boit,
hésite un petit instant dans ma main creuse,
souvient-toi!
Clair et rapide amour, indifférence,
presque absence qui court,
entre ton trop d'arrivée et ton trop de partance
tremble un peu de séjour.
About the headline (FAQ)
Authorship
- by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926), no title, written 1924/5, appears in Poèmes en langue française, in Vergers, no. 18, first published 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 Juan José Castro (1895 - 1968), "Eau qui se presse", 1945 [voice and piano], from Dos canciones de Rilke, no. 1. [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
- by Louis Durey (1888 - 1979), "Eau qui se presse", op. 42 no. 3 (1932), published 1966 [medium voice and piano], from Vergers, no. 3, Éd. Le Chant du Monde [ sung text checked 1 time]
- by Paul Hindemith (1895 - 1963), "Eau qui se presse", published 1999 [voice and piano], Schott [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
- by Harold C. King (1895 - 1984), "Vergers XVIII", 1983, from O Leben, Leben, wunderliche Zeit, no. 2. [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Laura (Pranada) Sylvis) , "Rushing, running water", copyright © 2004, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Laura Prichard) , "Water that presses on", copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
Text added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Last modified: 2014-06-16 10:01:46
Line count: 8
Word count: 46
Water that presses on, that runs… forgetful water
drunk by the distracted earth,
hesitate a moment in my hollow hand,
remember me!
Unclouded and speedy love, apathy,
[a feeling] approaching absence which flows
in between your too frequent arrivals and departures
float here awhile.
Authorship
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2016 by Laura Prichard, (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:
- a text in French (Français) by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926), no title, written 1924/5, appears in Poèmes en langue française, in Vergers, no. 18, first published 1926
Text added to the website: 2016-04-13 00:00:00
Last modified: 2016-04-13 20:57:29
Line count: 8
Word count: 44