by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806 - 1861)
Translation by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926)
Accuse me not, beseech thee, that I wear
Language: English
Accuse me not, beseech thee, that I wear Too calm and sad a face in front of thine; For we two look two ways, and cannot shine With the same sunlight on our brow and hair. On me thou lookest with no doubting care, As on a bee shut in a crystalline; Since sorrow hath shut me safe in love's divine, And to spread wing and fly in the outer air Were most impossible failure, if I strove To fail so. But I look on thee -- on thee -- Beholding, besides love, the end of love, Hearing oblivion beyond memory; As one who sits and gazes from above, Over the rivers to the bitter sea.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806 - 1861), no title, appears in Poems, in Sonnets from the Portuguese, no. 15, first published 1850 [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), "Accuse me not, beseech thee", published 1910 [ medium voice and piano ], from Sonnets from the Portuguese, no. 15 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Robert William Jones (1932 - 1997), "Sonnet from the Portuguese, 15", 1972, first performed 1973 [ soprano and string quartet ], from Love Song [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ernest Campbell MacMillan (1893 - 1973), "Sonnet", published 1929 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926) , no title, appears in Sonette aus dem Portugiesischen, no. 15, first published 1908 ; composed by Erich Anders.
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2007-12-07
Line count: 14
Word count: 114
Klag mich nicht dessen an, daß ich dem...
Language: German (Deutsch) after the English
Klag mich nicht dessen an, daß ich dem deinen mein Antlitz traurig still entgegentrage. Wir sehen so verschieden in die Tage, daß Haar und Stirne nicht bei beiden scheinen. Du kannst um mich so ruhig sein wie um die Biene, die in ein Kristall geriet, seit deine Liebe meinen Schmerz ringsum umschlossen hat mit Herrlichkeit. Mich zieht nach draußen nichts, und wenn mich etwas riefe, so wär es Wahnsinn. Doch, in dich verloren, seh ich die Liebe und der Liebe Ende. Und das Vergessen rauscht in meine Ohren. So sieht, wer hoch sitzt, aller Ströme Wende und Ausgang in des Meeres bittre Tiefe.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926), no title, appears in Sonette aus dem Portugiesischen, no. 15, 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. 15, first published 1850
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Erich Anders (1883 - 1955), "Klag mich nicht dessen an", op. 28 no. 2, published 1918 [ voice and piano ], from Drei Portugiesische Sonette, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2009-02-19
Line count: 14
Word count: 103