Attention! Some of this material is not in the public domain.
It is illegal to copy and distribute our copyright-protected material without permission. It is also illegal to reprint copyright texts or translations without the name of the author or translator.
To inquire about permissions and rates, contact Emily Ezust at licenses@email.lieder.example.net
If you wish to reprint translations, please make sure you include the names of the translators in your email. They are below each translation.
Note: You must use the copyright symbol © when you reprint copyright-protected material.
War ein Fenster offen? Ist der Sturm im Haus? Wer schlägt die Türen zu? Wer geht durch die Zimmer? -- Laß. Wer es auch sei. Ins Turmgemach findet er nicht. Wie hinter hundert Türen ist dieser große Schlaf, den zwei Menschen gemeinsam haben; so gemeinsam wie eine Mutter oder einen Tod.
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with Rainer Maria Rilke, Die Weise von Liebe und Tod des Cornets Christoph Rilke, Endgültige Fassung von 1906 Geschrieben 1899, Im Insel-Verlag zu Leipzig.
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 150.
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. 22, first published 1906 [author's text checked 2 times 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), "War ein Fenster offen?", 1918/1919, from Die Weise von Liebe und Tod des Kornetts Christoph Rilke, no. 22 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Frank Martin (1890 - 1974), "War ein Fenster offen?", 1942 [ alto and chamber orchestra ], from Die Weise von Liebe und Tod des Cornets Christoph Rilke, no. 18 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Casimir von Pászthory (1886 - 1966), "War ein Fenster offen? Ist der Sturm im Haus?", published 1912 [ reciter and piano ], from Die Weise von Liebe und Tod des Cornets Christoph Rilke, no. 23, Leipzig: Fr. Kistner & C.F.W. Siegel, 1919 [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. 22, copyright © ; composed by Lisa Bielawa.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Knut W. Barde) , "Was there an open window?", 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. 22, copyright ©
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Une fenêtre était-elle ouverte ?", 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: 7
Word count: 50
Was there an open window? Is the storm inside the house? Who is slamming the doors shut? Who is going through the rooms? Let it be. Whoever it may be. He will not find his way into the tower chamber. Like a sleep behind a hundred doors is this great sleep, that two people share; share like one mother or one death.
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.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
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. 22, first published 1906
This text was added to the website: 2006-04-07
Line count: 7
Word count: 62