You make me alone | You make me alone. Only you can I recast

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by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926)

Translation © by T. P. (Peter) Perrin

Du machst mich allein. Dich einzig kann...

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG FRE

Du machst mich allein. Dich einzig kann ich vertauschen.
Eine Weile bist du's, dann wieder ist es das Rauschen,
oder es ist ein Duft ohne Rest.
Ach, in den Armen hab ich sie alle verloren,
du nur, du wirst immer wieder geboren:
weil ich niemals dich anhielt, halt ich dich fest.

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926), no title, appears in Aus dem Nachlaß, in Lied, no. 3 [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 Natalie Bayada-Snoeren , "Lied" [ voice and piano ], from Songs of Rilke, no. 8c [sung text not yet checked]
by Anton von Webern (1883 - 1945), "Du machst mich allein", op. 8 (Zwei Lieder nach Gedichten von Rainer Maria Rilke) no. 2 (1910) [sung text checked 1 time]

The text above (or a part of it) is used in the following settings:

by Bernd Alois Zimmermann (1918 - 1970), "Lied der Abelone", 1939 [ mezzo-soprano and piano ], Schott
- View the full text. [sung text not yet checked]

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

ENG English (T. P. (Peter) Perrin) , "You make me alone", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Toi seule me crée", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
RUS Russian (Русский) (Greinem Izrailevich Ratgauz) , no title, copyright ©

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 6
Word count: 51

You make me alone

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

You make me alone.  Only you can I recast:
sometimes you're you, then later the rush of wind,
or a fragrance that does not last.
Ah, in my arms I have lost them all.
But you, you are forever reborn;
because I never have held you, I hold you fast.

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2008 by T. P. (Peter) Perrin, (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, appears in Aus dem Nachlaß, in Lied, no. 3
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2008-12-23
Line count: 6
Word count: 50