by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806 - 1861)
Translation by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926)
I never gave a lock of hair away
Language: English
I never gave a lock of hair away To a man, Dearest, except this to thee, Which now upon my fingers thoughtfully I ring out to the full brown length and say "Take it." My day of youth went yesterday; My hair no longer bounds to my foot's glee, Nor plant I it from rose- or myrtle-tree, As girls do, any more: it only may Now shade on two pale cheeks the mark of tears, Taught drooping from the head that hangs aside Through sorrow's trick. I thought the funeral-shears Would take this first, but Love is justified, - Take it thou, -- finding pure, from all those years, The kiss my mother left here when she died.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806 - 1861), no title, appears in Poems, in Sonnets from the Portuguese, no. 18, 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), "I never gave a lock of hair away", published 1910 [ medium voice and piano ], from Sonnets from the Portuguese, no. 18 [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. 18, first published 1908
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2007-12-14
Line count: 14
Word count: 116
Nie hab ich einem Mann von meinem Haar
Language: German (Deutsch) after the English
Nie hab ich einem Mann von meinem Haar etwas gegeben, außer dir hier dies; noch einmal halt ich es und fühle, wie's in seiner braunen Länge meines war, und sage: «Nimm». O meiner Jugend Tag war gestern. Und mein Haar tanzt nicht mehr leicht auf meines Ganges Wellen. Mädchen reicht sich Rose noch und Myrte hin und mag in ihrem Haare blühen, während meins um ein verweintes Antlitz hängt, um eins, das in die Hand des Schmerzes leis sich neigte. Wie nahe war der Totenschere Schnitt an diesem Haar. Nun wollte ich, ich reichte dir rein der Mutter letzten Kuß damit.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926), no title, appears in Sonette aus dem Portugiesischen, no. 18, 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. 18, 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):
- [ 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: 101