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by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926)

Ritter
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Reitet der Ritter in schwarzem Stahl
hinaus in die rauschende Welt.
Und draußen ist Alles : der Tag und das Tal
und der Freund und der Feind und das Mahl im Saal
und der Mai und die Maid und der Wald und der Gral,
und Gott ist selber vieltausendmal
an alle Straßen gestellt .

Doch in dem Panzer des Ritters drinnen,
hinter den finstersten Ringen,
hockt der Tod und muß sinnen und sinnen :
Wann wird die Klinge springen
über die Eisenhecke,
die fremde befreiende Klinge,
die mich aus meinem Verstecke
holt, drin ich so viele
gebückte Tage verbringe,
daß ich mich endlich strecke
und spiele
und singe.

Confirmed with Rainer Maria Rilke, Sämtliche Werke, Band I, Leipzig: Insel-Verlag, 1926, p.572


Text Authorship:

  • by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926), "Ritter", appears in Das Buch der Bilder [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 Loretta Jankowski (b. 1950), "Ritter", 1982 [ mezzo-soprano and organ ], from Die Sehnsuchten, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Karl Julius Marx (1897 - 1985), "Ritter", op. 1 (Drei gemischte Chöre) no. 1 (1924), copyright © 1925 [ chorus ], In: Breitkopf & Härtel's Partitur-Bibliothek |v Nr. 2508, Wiesbaden : Breitkopf & Härtel, [195?] [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Hermann Moos (1896 - 1950), "Ritter", 1924 [ alto, violin and violoncello ], from Zwei Gedichte zu Hans Thomas sechzigstem Geburtstage; Gedichte aus Das Buch der Bilder von Rainer Maria Rilke, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Barend Roest Crollius (1912 - 2000), "Ritter", published 1948? [ mezzo-soprano and piano ], from Zes liederen, no. 4, 's-Gravenhage : Albersen [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Derek Young , "Ritter", 1959-1960, published 1989?, copyright © 1960 [ bass and piano ], from Das Buch der Bilder, no. 1, West Hagley : Lynwood [sung text not yet checked]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

  • Also set in English, a translation by Jessie Lemont (1872 - 1947) , "The Knight" ; composed by Kenneth E. Walton.
    • Go to the text.

Researcher for this page: Joost van der Linden [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2023-07-20
Line count: 19
Word count: 106

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