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Einer, der weiße Seide trägt, erkennt, daß er nicht erwachen kann; denn er ist wach und verwirrt von Wirklichkeit. So flieht er bange in den Traum und steht im Park, einsam im schwarzen Park. Und das Fest ist fern. Und das Licht lügt. Und die Nacht ist nahe um ihn und kühl. Und er fragt eine Frau, die sich zu ihm neigt: "Bist Du die Nacht?" Sie lächelt. Und da schämt er sich für sein weißes Kleid. Und möchte weit und allein und in Waffen sein. Ganz in Waffen.
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with Rainer Maria Rilke, Werke. Kommentiere Ausgabe in vier Bänden, herausgegeben von Manfred Engel, Ulrich Fülleborn, Horst Nalewski, August Stahl, Band I Gedichte 1895 bis 1910, herausgegeben von Manfred Engel und Ulrich Fülleborn, Frankfurt am Main: Insel Verlag, 1996, page 148.
Text Authorship:
- by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926), no title, written 1899, appears in Die Weise von Liebe und Tod des Cornets Christoph Rilke, no. 17, first published 1906 [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 Paul von Klenau (1883 - 1946), "Einer, der Weisse Seide trägt", 1918/1919, from Die Weise von Liebe und Tod des Kornetts Christoph Rilke, no. 17 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ton de Leeuw (1926 - 1996), "Einer, der Weisse Seide trägt", 1948, copyright © 1948 [ high voice and piano ], from Die Weise von Liebe und Tod des Cornets Christoph Rilke, no. 5, Amsterdam : Donemus [sung text not yet checked]
- by Frank Martin (1890 - 1974), "Bist Du die Nacht?", 1942 [ alto and chamber orchestra ], from Die Weise von Liebe und Tod des Cornets Christoph Rilke, no. 14 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Casimir von Pászthory (1886 - 1966), "Einer, der weiße Seide trägt, erkennt", 1914, first performed 1914 [ reciter and piano ], from Die Weise von Liebe und Tod des Cornets Christoph Rilke, no. 18, Leipzig: Fr. Kistner & C.F.W. Siegel, 1919 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Viktor Ullmann (1898 - 1944), "Einer, der weiße Seide trägt, erkennt", 1944 [ reciter and piano ], from Die Weise von Liebe und Tod des Cornets Christoph Rilke, Zweiter Teil, no. 3, Mainz: Schott Music GmbH & Co., 1995 [sung text checked 1 time]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in Czech (Čeština), a translation by Ladislav Fikar (1920 - 1975) , copyright © ; composed by František Chaun.
- 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 English, a translation by Margaret Dows Herter Norton (1894 - 1985) , no title, appears in The Lay of the Love and Death of Cornet Christopher Rilke, no. 17, copyright © ; composed by Lisa Bielawa.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Knut W. Barde) , "Are you the night?", copyright © 2006, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Margaret Dows Herter Norton) , no title, appears in The Lay of the Love and Death of Cornet Christopher Rilke, no. 17, copyright ©
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Quelqu'un qui porte de la soie réalise", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: John Versmoren , Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor] , Joost van der Linden [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 13
Word count: 89
One who is wearing white silk realizes that he cannot wake up; because he is awake and confused with reality. So he escapes, afraid, into the dream and stands in the park, alone in the black park. And the party is far. And the light is lying. And the night is close around him and cool. And he asks a woman who inclines toward him: "Are you the night?" She smiles. And then he is ashamed of his white clothes. And wants to be far away and alone and in arms. Completely in arms.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2006 by Knut W. Barde, (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.
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Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926), no title, written 1899, appears in Die Weise von Liebe und Tod des Cornets Christoph Rilke, no. 17, first published 1906
This text was added to the website: 2006-04-07
Line count: 13
Word count: 94