by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806 - 1861)
Translation by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926)
I lived with visions for my company
Language: English
I lived with visions for my company Instead of men and women, years ago, And found them gentle mates, nor thought to know A sweeter music than they played to me. But soon their trailing purple was not free Of this world's dust, their lutes did silent grow, And I myself grew faint and blind below Their vanishing eyes. Then thou didst come--to be, Beloved, what they seemed. Their shining fronts, Their songs, their splendours, (better, yet the same, As river-water hallowed into fonts) Met in thee, and from out thee overcame My soul with satisfaction of all wants: Because God's gifts put man's best dreams to shame.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806 - 1861), no title, appears in Poems, in Sonnets from the Portuguese, no. 26, 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 lived with visions for my company", published 1910 [ medium voice and piano ], from Sonnets from the Portuguese, no. 26 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Michael Alexander Kimbell (b. 1946), "I lived with visions for my company", 1965-6 [ soprano and piano ], from Three 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. 26, 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: 108
Vor Jahren aber war mein Umgang sehr
Language: German (Deutsch) after the English
Vor Jahren aber war mein Umgang sehr unwirklich. Nicht zu Männern oder Frauen, nur zu Gesichten hatte ich Vertrauen, und dachte nie an anderen Verkehr und süßern Klang. Doch sie verstummten bald, ihr langer Purpur hing in Staub hinein, und meine kaum zu haltende Gestalt verblich mit ihrem Bilck. Du kamst, zu sein was jene schienen. Ihrer Stirnen Schimmer, ihr Glanz und ihr Gesang (wie Wasser das Weihwasser wird, nur anders noch und mehr) war so in dir, von dir aus mein Begehr weit überfüllend. Wir erträumen was, doch wenn Gott gibt, so übertrifft er immer.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926), no title, appears in Sonette aus dem Portugiesischen, no. 26, first published 1908 [author's text checked 1 time 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. 26, 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: 96