by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806 - 1861)
Translation by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926)
The first time that the sun rose on...
Language: English
The first time that the sun rose on thine oath To love me, I looked forward to the moon To slacken all those bonds which seemed too soon And quickly tied to make a lasting troth. Quick-loving hearts, I thought, may quickly loathe; And, looking on myself, I seemed not one For such man's love! -- more like an out-of-tune Worn viol, a good singer would be wroth To spoil his song with, and which, snatched in haste, Is laid down at the first ill-sounding note. I did not wrong myself so, but I placed A wrong on thee. For perfect strains may float 'Neath master-hands, from instruments defaced, -- And great souls, at one stroke, may do and doat.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806 - 1861), no title, appears in Poems, in Sonnets from the Portuguese, no. 32, 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 Louis Cheslock (1898 - 1981), "The first time that the sun rose on thine oath" [ mezzo-soprano or tenor and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Celius Dougherty (1902 - 1986), "The first time that the sun rose on thine oath", 1975 [ soprano and piano ], from Eglantine and Ivy [sung text not yet checked]
- by Eleanor Everest Freer (1864 - 1942), "The first time that the sun rose on thine oath", published 1910 [ medium voice and piano ], from Sonnets from the Portuguese, no. 32 [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. 32, 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: 118
Am ersten Tag in deiner Liebe sah
Language: German (Deutsch) after the English
Am ersten Tag in deiner Liebe sah ich bang dem Mond entgegen, weil ich meinte, er würde unaufhaltsam dieses da auflösen, das zu rasch und früh Vereinte. Wer rasch im Lieben ist, schätzt rasch gering, und was mich selbst betraf: ich war kein Ding für solchen Mannes Liebe. - Wer vermiede nicht eine Geige, welche seinem Liede nur Schaden tut: wer legte sie nicht hin beim ersten Mißton? Ach ich hatte recht für mich und für mein Herz, doch nicht für deines. Ist auch ein Instrument verbraucht und schlecht: für einen Meister ist Musik darin, - Handeln und Lieben ist den Großen eines.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926), no title, appears in Sonette aus dem Portugiesischen, no. 32, 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. 32, 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: 101