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by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926)

Diese Mühsal, durch noch Ungetanes
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  FRE
Diese Mühsal, durch noch Ungetanes
schwer und wie gebunden hinzugehn,
gleicht dem ungeschaffnen Gang des Schwanes.

Und das Sterben, dieses Nichtmehrfassen
jenes Grunds, auf dem wir täglich stehn,
seinem ängstlichen Sich-Niederlassen - :

in die Wasser, die ihn sanft empfangen
und die sich, wie glücklich und vergangen,
unter ihm zurückziehen, Flut um Flut;
während er unendlich still und sicher
immer mündiger und königlicher
und gelassener zu ziehn geruht.

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

  • by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926), "Der Schwan", appears in Neue Gedichte, first published 1892 [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 Andreas Birnbaum , "Der Schwan", from Dingwelten-Weltdinge, no. 13, Blackbird Musikverlag Produktion Andreas Homm [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Wim Franken (b. 1922), "Der Schwan", 1959, from Zes Rilke-liederen, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Ilse Fromm-Michaels (1888 - 1986), "Der Schwan", 1948/49 [ baritone and piano ], from Drei Rilke-Gesänge, no. 1, Sikorski [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Wolfgang Lackerschmid (b. 1956), "Der Schwan" [ voice and vibraphone ], from Neue jazzorientierte Lieder. Nach Texten von Rainer Maria Rilke, no. 4 [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Karl Julius Marx (1897 - 1985), "Der Schwan", op. 50 no. 1c (1949) [ voice and piano ], from Der Panther und andere Rilke-Gedichte, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Wilhelm Peter Radt (1899 - ?), "Der Schwan", published 1954 [ voice and piano ], from Lieder, no. 6, Wilhelmshaven : Heinrichhofen [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Robert Xavier Rodríguez (b. 1946), "Der Schwan", 1971 [ voice and piano ], from Four Poems from ‘Neue Gedichte’, no. 4, Alhambra [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Reinhold Ruiss , "Der Schwan" [ tenor and piano ], from Rilke Lieder, no. 6 [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Julian James Wachner (b. 1969), "Der Schwan" [ chorus ], from Rilke Songs, no. 4, E. C. Schirmer Music Company [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Erwin Zillinger (1893 - 1974), "Schwan" [ soprano and orchestra ], from Der zoologische Garten : eine heiter-besinnliche Liederfolge, Leipzig : Kistner & Siegel  [sung text not yet checked]

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

  • FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Le cygne", 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: 12
Word count: 66

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