by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926)
Translation by Aleksandr Akimovich Bisk (1883 - 1973)
Ich möchte jemanden einsingen
Language: German (Deutsch)
Our translations: FRE
Ich möchte jemanden einsingen, bei jemandem sitzen und sein. Ich möchte dich wiegen und kleinsingen und begleiten schlafaus und schlafein. Ich möchte der Einzige sein im Haus, der wüsste: die Nacht war kalt. Und möchte horchen herein und hinaus in dich, in die Welt, in den Wald. Die Uhren rufen sich schlagend an, und man sieht der Zeit auf den Grund. Und unten geht noch ein fremder Mann und stört einen fremden Hund. Dahinter wird Stille. Ich habe groß die Augen auf dich gelegt; und sie halten dich sanft und lassen dich los, wenn ein Ding sich im Dunkel bewegt.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926), "Zum Einschlafen zu sagen", written 1900, appears in Das Buch der Bilder, first published 1920 [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 Dieter Acker (1940 - 2006), "Zum Einschlafen zu sagen", 1965, first performed 1965 [ soprano and piano ], from Zwei Lieder nach Rainer Maria Rilke, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jean-Paul Byloo (b. 1949), "Zum Einschlafen", 1995 [ mezzo-soprano and piano ], from Rilke Lieder, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Petr Eben (1929 - 2007), "Zum Einschlafen zu sagen", 1961, published 1966 [ voice and piano ], from Sechs Lieder nach Gedichten von Rainer Maria Rilke, no. 4, confirmed with a CD booklet [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Wim Franken (b. 1922), "Zum Einschlafen zu sagen", 1959, from Zes Rilke-liederen, no. 5 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Hermann Grabner (1886 - 1969), "Ich möchte jemanden einsingen", published 1956 [ voice and piano ], from Drei Rilke-Lieder, no. 2, Lippstadt : Kistner & Siegel [sung text not yet checked]
- by Axel Groffmann , "Zum Einschlafen zu sagen" [ voice and piano ], from 7 Lieder nach Gedichten von Rainer Maria Rilke, no. 4, Carol Musikverlag [sung text not yet checked]
- by Hanns Theodor Häusser , "Zum Einschlafen zu sagen" [ voice and guitar ], recorded on album: Singe, mein Herz! [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jorinde Jelen (b. 1976), "Zum Einschlafen zu sagen", 2014 [ voice and band ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Alfred Kaiserswerth (1955 - 1992), "Zum Einschlafen zu sagen", 1983 [ voice and guitar ], from Gesänge für Liebende, no. 4 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Viktor Kalabis (1923 - 2006), "Zum einschlafen zu sagen", op. 38 no. 1 (1974), published 2001, first performed 1976 [ high voice and strings ], from Pět romantických písní o lásce na slova R. M. Rilk, no. 1, manuscript / Editio Bärenreiter [sung text not yet checked]
- by Willy Kehrer (1902 - 1976), "Zum Einschlafen zu singen", op. 28, Heft 2 (Buch der Bilder) no. 5 (1922), first performed 1938 [ soprano and mezzo-soprano (ad libitum) and piano ], from Eine Rainer-Maria-Rilke-Stunde, no. 14, Thüringen : Willy-Kehrer-Archiv Schmölln [sung text not yet checked]
- by Hilde Kocher-Klein (1894 - 1975), "Zum Einschlafen zu sagen", op. 76a (Drei Rilke-Lieder für Singstimme und Klavier) no. 1 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Birgitta Lutz , "Zum Einschlafen zu sagen", published 2003 [ medium voice and piano ], from 10 Vertonungen nach Gedichten von Rainer Maria Rilke, no. 8, Abschrift des Manuskripts von Walter Stüber. Mit Zeichnungen von Karl Unverzagt [sung text not yet checked]
- by Carl Orff (1895 - 1982), "Zum Einschlafen zu sagen" [ speaker and drum ], from Drei kurze Sprechstücke in Begleitung einer Trommel, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Joachim Reidenbach (b. 1947), "Zum Einschlafen zu sagen" [ female voice, women's chorus, instrumental ensemble ], Edition Ferrimontana [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ludwig Rottenberg (1864 - 1932), "Zum Einschlafen zu sagen" [ voice and piano ], from Vier Gedichte, no. 3, Leipzig: Universal Edition [sung text not yet checked]
- by Willi Sendt (1907 - 1952), "Zum Einschlafen zu singen", copyright © 1956 [ voice and piano ], from Sechzehn Lieder, no. 15, Rodenkirchen : P. J. Tonger Musikverlag [sung text not yet checked]
- by Manfred Spiller (b. 1932), "Ich möchte jemanden einsingen", op. 4 no. 1 (1958-79) [ voice and piano ], from Liederbuch, no. 1, Edition Gravis Verlag [sung text not yet checked]
- by Oliver Steller (b. 1967), "Zum Einschlafen zu sagen", 2006 [ narrator, saxophone and double bass ], from Zwischen den Sternen. Gedichte. Briefe. Leben. , no. 6 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Peter Visser (b. 1939), "Zum Einschlafen", 1981, from Zes Rilke-liederen, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Rudolf Wagner-Régeny (1903 - 1969), "Zum Einschlafen zu sagen", copyright © 1966 [ voice and piano ], from Dahinter wird Stille, no. 1, Berlin ; Wiesbaden : Bote & Bock [sung text not yet checked]
- by Gerhard Wimberger (1923 - 2016), " Ich möchte jemanden einsingen", 2012 [ baritone and instrumental ensemble ], from Rilkelieder , no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in English, a translation by Albert Ernest Flemming , "To say before going to sleep", appears in Rainer Maria Rilke: Selected Poems, first published 1986, copyright © ; composed by John Beall, Harrison Birtwistle, Sir, Jake Heggie.
- Also set in English, a translation by Wendy Dixon ; composed by Stephen Yates.
- 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 Russian (Русский), a translation by Aleksandr Akimovich Bisk (1883 - 1973) , "Говорить ко сну" ; composed by Vladislav Mikhailovich Lebedev.
- Also set in Russian (Русский), a translation by Vyacheslav Glebovich Kupryanov (b. 1939) , "Слова перед сном" ; composed by Boris Semyonovich Vaikhansky.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "À dire pour endormir", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2008-09-13
Line count: 16
Word count: 100
Govorit` ko snu
Language: Russian (Русский) after the German (Deutsch)
Ya xotel by' kogo-to bayukat`, nad kem-to dolgo sheptat`, - ukachat` tebya, ubayukat`, ulozhit` tebya laskovo spat`. YA xotel by' edinstvenny'm by't`, kto znal, chto noch` xolodna, i dumat`, i slushat`, i mir storozhit`, i znat`, chto ty' ne odna. Tak chetko i chasto schitayut chasy', ya vremeni tajnu postig, a gde-to chuzhoj kovy'lyaet starik, i chuzhie zalayut psy'. I snova molchan`e. I, vzor moj sklonya, ya vizhu: v moem ty' plenu: no, esli shorox spugnet tishinu, ty' vnov` uskol`znesh` ot menya.
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 Der Goldene Schnitt / Золотое Сечение, Москва : Радуга, 1988, p. 697.
Show a transliteration: Default | DIN | GOST
Note on TransliterationsShow untransliterated (original) text
Text Authorship:
- by Aleksandr Akimovich Bisk (1883 - 1973), "Говорить ко сну" [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926), "Zum Einschlafen zu sagen", written 1900, appears in Das Buch der Bilder, first published 1920
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Vladislav Mikhailovich Lebedev (1943 - 2024), "Говорить ко сну" [ tenor and piano ], from Тихий друг пространств (Tikhij drug prostranstv) , no. 8 [sung text not yet checked]
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Joost van der Linden [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2024-03-09
Line count: 16
Word count: 81