by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806 - 1861)
Translation by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926)
Because thou hast the power and own'st...
Language: English
Because thou hast the power and own'st the grace To look through and behind this mask of me, (Against which, years have beat thus blanchingly, With their rains,) and behold my soul's true face, The dim and weary witness of life's race, -- Because thou hast the faith and love to see, Through that same soul's distracting lethargy, The patient angel waiting for a place In the new Heavens, -- because nor sin nor woe, Nor God's infliction, nor death's neighbourhood, Nor all which others viewing, turn to go, Nor all which makes me tired of all, self-viewed, -- Nothing repels thee, . . . Dearest, teach me so To pour out gratitude, as thou dost, good!
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806 - 1861), no title, appears in Poems, in Sonnets from the Portuguese, no. 39, 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), "Because thou hast the power and own'st the grace", published 1910 [ medium voice and piano ], from Sonnets from the Portuguese, no. 39 [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. 39, first published 1908
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2007-12-13
Line count: 14
Word count: 114
Weil du die Macht hast und die Gnade,...
Language: German (Deutsch)  after the English
Weil du die Macht hast und die Gnade, hinter die Maske hinzuschauen und durch sie (die still verblich im Regen vieler Winter) und meiner Seele Antlitz findest, wie es dieses Lebens Wettlauf müd begleitet, - weil du, vom Glauben liebevoll geleitet, auch noch durch dieser Seele Lethargie hindurch den Engel siehst: geduldig, nie an neuen Himmeln zweifelnd, - weil nicht leicht Elend und Gottes Zorn und Nachbarschaft des Todes und was sonst die andern schreckt und was man, müde, in sich selbst entdeckt, - dich irgend abstößt: ... lehre mich die Kraft zur Dankbarkeit, die deiner Güte gleicht.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926), no title, appears in Sonette aus dem Portugiesischen, no. 39, 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. 39, 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: 95