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Hättest du der Einfalt nicht, wie sollte dir geschehn, was jetzt die Nacht erhellt? Sieh, der Gott, der über Völkern grollte, macht sich mild und kommt in dir zur Welt. Hast du dir ihn größer vorgestellt? Was ist Größe? Quer durch alle Maße, die er durchstreicht, geht sein grades Los. Selbst ein Stern hat keine solche Straße. Siehst du, diese Könige sind groß, und sie schleppen dir vor deinen Schooß Schätze, die sie für die größten halten, und du staunst vielleicht bei dieser Gift -: aber schau in deines Tuches Falten, wie er jetzt schon alles übertrifft. Aller Amber, den man weit verschifft, jeder Goldschmuck und das Luftgewürze, das sich trübend in die Sinne streut: alles dieses war von rascher Kürze, und am Ende hat man es bereut. Aber (du wirst sehen): Er erfreut.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926), "Geburt Christi", appears in Das Marien-Leben, no. 7, first published 1912 [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 Maria Bach (1896 - 1978), "Geburt Christi", 1950-65 [ soprano and piano ], from Das Marienleben, no. 8, Wiener Stadt- und Landesbibliothek [sung text not yet checked]
- by Paul Hindemith (1895 - 1963), "Geburt Christi", op. 27 no. 7 (1922-3), rev. 1948, from Das Marienleben, no. 7 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Oswald Jaeggi (1913 - 1963), "Hättest du der Einfalt nicht", copyright © 1960 [ men's chorus ], Innsbruck ; Wien ; Zürich : Edition Helbling [sung text not yet checked]
- by Kurt Rapf (1922 - 2007), "Geburt Christi", copyright © 1988 [ soprano and organ ], from Fünf Lieder aus dem Marienleben, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Carl Rütti (b. 1949), "Geburt Christi", 1991 [ mezzo-soprano, harp and piano ], from Das Marien-Leben, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Hans Stadlmair (1929 - 2019), "Geburt Christi", 1998 [ soprano and hammered dulcimer ], from Mirjam, no. 5 [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Stéphane Goldet) (Pierre de Rosamel) , "Naissance du Christ", copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Nascita di Cristo", copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 20
Word count: 133
Senza la Tua innocenza, come ti poteva accadere, ciò che ora la notte tutta rischiara? Guarda, il Dio, che nutriva rancore per gli uomini, si è fatto mite e viene al mondo in Te. Te lo immaginavi forse più grande? Ma grandezza cos'è? Oltre ogni limite, che per Lui è nulla, dritto procede il suo destino. Neanche una stella ha un simile percorso. Guarda, questi re sono potenti, e ammonticchiano davanti al grembo Tuo quei tesori, che essi stimano più grandi, e tu forse di questi doni ti stupisci - : ma guarda Lui, fra le pieghe del tuo panno, come ogni cosa, già adesso, sopravanza. Tutta l'ambra, giunta da lontano, ogni ornamento d'oro e l'aroma di incenso, che, sparso nell'aria, tutti i sensi inebria: tutto questo, velocemente passa e lascia, alla fine, soltanto rimpianto. Ma (lo vedrai): Egli dona la gioia.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to Italian (Italiano) copyright © 2009 by Ferdinando Albeggiani, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926), "Geburt Christi", appears in Das Marien-Leben, no. 7, first published 1912
This text was added to the website: 2009-03-18
Line count: 20
Word count: 140