by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806 - 1861)
Translation by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926)
And therefore if to love can be desert
Language: English
And therefore if to love can be desert, I am not all unworthy. Cheeks as pale As these you see, and trembling knees that fail To bear the burden of a heavy heart, - This weary minstrel-life that once was girt To climb Aornus, and can scarce avail To pipe now 'gainst the valley nightingale A melancholy music,--why advert To these things? O Beloved, it is plain I am not of thy worth nor for thy place! And yet, because I love thee, I obtain From that same love this vindicating grace To live on still in love, and yet in vain, - To bless thee, yet renounce thee to thy face.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806 - 1861), no title, appears in Poems, in Sonnets from the Portuguese, no. 11, first published 1856 [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 Eleanor Everest Freer (1864 - 1942), "And therefore if to love can be desert", published 1907 [ mezzo-soprano and piano ], from Sonnets from the Portuguese, no. 11 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Bernard James Naylor (1907 - 1986), "And therefore if to love can be desert", 1948 [ mezzo-soprano and string quartet ], from Sonnets from the Portuguese [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- GER German (Deutsch) (Rainer Maria Rilke) , no title, appears in Sonette aus dem Portugiesischen, no. 11, first published 1908
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2007-12-13
Line count: 14
Word count: 110
Darum wenns möglich ist, daß man...
Language: German (Deutsch) after the English
Darum wenns möglich ist, daß man verdient zu lieben, bin ich nicht ganz unwert. Schient ihr nicht vor Blässe, blasse Wangen? Knie, versagtet ihr nicht schon, kaum wissend wie dies schwere Herz hier tragen? Dieses Leben, das für sein Singen Gipfel träumte, wo kein Vogel singt, genügt nun eben eben, um eine Nachtigall im Tale so traurig zu übertönen. Doch wozu daran erinnern? Das ist klar, daß du unendlich mehr bist. Weil ich liebe, giebt mir diese Liebe Recht, sie weitertragend zu lieben wie ich dich bisher geliebt -: dich segnend, dir ins Angesicht entsagend.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926), no title, appears in Sonette aus dem Portugiesischen, no. 11, first published 1908 [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in English by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806 - 1861), no title, appears in Poems, in Sonnets from the Portuguese, no. 11, first published 1856
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- [ None yet in the database ]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2009-02-19
Line count: 14
Word count: 94