Siehe die Blumen, diese dem Irdischen treuen, denen wir Schicksal vom Rande des Schicksals leihn,— aber wer weiss es! Wenn sie ihr Welken bereuen, ist es an uns, ihre Reue zu sein. Alles will schweben. Da gehn wir umher wie Beschwerer, legen auf alles uns selbst, vom Gewichte entzückt; o was sind wir den Dingen für zehrende Lehrer, weil ihnen ewige Kindheit glückt. Nähme sie einer ins innige Schlafen und schliefe tief mit den Dingen—: o wie käme er leicht, anders zum anderen Tag, aus der gemeinsamen Tiefe Oder er bliebe vielleicht; und sie blühten und priesen ihn, den Bekehrten, der nun den Ihringen gleicht, allen den stillen Geschwistern im Winde der Wiesen.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926), no title, appears in Die Sonette an Orpheus 2, no. 14 [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 Francesc Xavier Gelabert i Muntaner (b. 1976), "allen der stillen Geschwistern im Winde der Wiesen", 2011 [ soprano, male voice, flute, and percussion ], from Die Stille vor Stille, no. 10, revised 2017; Donemus [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in English, a translation by James Blair Leishman (1902 - 1963) , no title ; composed by Colin Matthews.
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2023-08-02
Line count: 14
Word count: 113
Flowers, so faithful to earth that has sent them hither, whom we lend fate from the borders of fate — and yet who knows, when we think we see them regretfully wither, if it is not for us to be their regret? To all that would soar our selves are the grand aggravation, we lay them on all we encounter, proud of their weight; what terrifying teachers we are for that part of creation which loves its eternally childish state. Gould someone but take them right into his slumber and sleep deeply with things, how differently, lightly he’d wander back to a different day out of that communal deep. Or, it may be, he would stay, and they’d blossom and praise him, the converted, now one of them and all yonder silent brothers and sisters in woodlands and ways.
About the headline (FAQ)
Please note: this text, provided here for educational and research use, is in the public domain in Canada, but it may still be copyright in other legal jurisdictions. The LiederNet Archive makes no guarantee that the above text is public domain in your country. Please consult your country's copyright statutes or a qualified IP attorney to verify whether a certain text is in the public domain in your country or if downloading or distributing a copy constitutes fair use. The LiederNet Archive assumes no legal responsibility or liability for the copyright compliance of third parties.
Confirmed with Rainer Maria Rilke, Sonnets to Orpheus, London : The Hoghard Press, 1949, p.114
Text Authorship:
- by James Blair Leishman (1902 - 1963), no title [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926), no title, appears in Die Sonette an Orpheus 2, no. 14
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Colin Matthews (b. 1946), "Flowers, so faithful to earth that has sent them hither", 1975-76 [ voice and piano ], from Five Sonnets: To Orpheus, no. 5, Faber music [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this page: Joost van der Linden [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2023-08-30
Line count: 14
Word count: 139