by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806 - 1861)
Translation by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926)
My poet, thou canst touch on all the...
Language: English
My poet, thou canst touch on all the notes God set between His After and Before, And strike up and strike off the general roar Of the rushing worlds a melody that floats In a serene air purely. Antidotes Of medicated music, answering for Mankind's forlornest uses, thou canst pour From thence into their ears. God's will devotes Thine to such ends, and mine to wait on thine. How, Dearest, wilt thou have me for most use? A hope, to sing by gladly? or a fine Sad memory, with thy songs to interfuse? A shade, in which to sing -- of palm or pine? A grave, on which to rest from singing? Choose.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806 - 1861), no title, appears in Poems, in Sonnets from the Portuguese, no. 17, first published 1847 [author's text not yet checked 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), "My poet, thou canst touch on all the notes", published 1910 [ medium voice and piano ], from Sonnets from the Portuguese, no. 17 [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. 17, first published 1908
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2008-07-23
Line count: 14
Word count: 112
Du hast, mein Dichter, alle Macht zu...
Language: German (Deutsch) after the English
Du hast, mein Dichter, alle Macht zu rühren an Gottes äußersten und letzten Kreis und aus des Weltalls breitem Brausen leis ein Lied zu lösen und es hinzuführen durch klare Stille. Deine Heil-Kunst weiß ein Gegengift zu finden, dessen Kraft selbst Aufgegebene noch rätselhaft zu retten scheint. Gott gab dir das Geheiß dieses zu tun, sowie er mir befahl zu tun nach deinem Ort. Was soll ich sein: Vergangnes oder Kommendes, dass dein Gesang es grüße oder es beweine? Ein Schatten, der dich mahnt an Palmenhaine? Ein Grab, dabei du ruhst? - Du hast die Wahl.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926), no title, appears in Sonette aus dem Portugiesischen, no. 17, 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. 17, first published 1847
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: 95