by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806 - 1861)
Translation by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926)
Is it indeed so? If I lay here dead
Language: English
Is it indeed so? If I lay here dead, Wouldst thou miss any life in losing mine? And would the sun for thee more coldly shine Because of grave-damps falling round my head? I marvelled, my Belovëd, when I read Thy thought so in the letter. I am thine -- But . . . so much to thee? Can I pour thy wine While my hands tremble? Then my soul, instead Of dreams of death, resumes life's lower range. Then, love me, Love! look on me -- breathe on me! As brighter ladies do not count it strange, For love, to give up acres and degree, I yield the grave for thy sake, and exchange My near sweet view of heaven, for earth with thee!
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806 - 1861), no title, appears in Poems, in Sonnets from the Portuguese, no. 23, 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), "Is it indeed so?", published 1910 [ medium voice and piano ], from Sonnets from the Portuguese, no. 23 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Harold (Hal) Herman Schaefer (b. 1925), "I yield the grave for thy sake", published 1966 [ medium-high voice and piano ] [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. 23, first published 1908
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2008-07-24
Line count: 14
Word count: 123
So ist es wirklich wahr, daß, stürb ich...
Language: German (Deutsch) after the English
So ist es wirklich wahr, daß, stürb ich dir, du fühltest, wie das Leben dann um meins weniger würde. Dieses Sonnenscheins Gefühl, es trübte sich für dich, wenn hier um mein Gesicht Grabschwärze wäre? Fast erschrak ich, da du's schriebst. Ich bin ja dein; aber daß du an mir so Großes hast -? So dürfte meine Hand dir deinen Wein einschenken, meine bebende? O dann träum ich nicht mehr vom Tod. Dann sieh mich an, Geliebter, liebe mich, umgib mich ganz. Sehr große Damen taten ihren Glanz um solche Dinge ab. Ich aber werde dem nahen Himmel fremd um deine Erde.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926), no title, appears in Sonette aus dem Portugiesischen, no. 23, 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. 23, 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: 100