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by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926)
Translation © by Ferdinando Albeggiani

Konnte sie denn anders, als auf ihn
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  FRE ITA
Konnte sie denn anders, als auf ihn
stolz sein, der ihr Schlichtestes verschönte?
War nicht selbst die hohe, großgewöhnte
Nacht wie außer sich, da er erschien?

Ging nicht auch, daß er sich einst verloren,
unerhört zu seiner Glorie aus?
Hatten nicht die Weisesten die Ohren
mit dem Mund vertauscht? Und war das Haus

nicht wie neu von seiner Stimme? Ach
sicher hatte sie zu hundert Malen
ihre Freude an ihm auszustrahlen
sich verwehrt. Sie ging ihm staunend nach.

Aber ja bei jenem Hochzeitsfeste,
als es unversehns an Wein gebrach, -
sah sie hin und bat um eine Geste
und begriff nicht, daß er widersprach.

Und dann tat er's. Sie verstand es später,
wie sie ihn in seinen Weg gedrängt:
denn jetzt war er wirklich Wundertäter,
und das ganze Opfer war verhängt,

unaufhaltsam. Ja, es stand geschrieben.
Aber war es damals schon bereit?
Sie: sie hatte es herbeigetrieben
in der Blindheit ihrer Eitelkeit.

An dem Tisch voll Früchten und Gemüsen
freute sie sich mit und sah nicht ein,
daß das Wasser ihrer Tränendrüsen
Blut geworden war mit diesem Wein.

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

  • by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926), "Von der Hochzeit zu Kana", appears in Das Marien-Leben, no. 9, first published 1912 [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 Maria Bach (1896 - 1978), "Von der Hochzeit zu Kanaan", 1950-65 [ baritone and piano ], from Das Marienleben, no. 6, Wiener Stadt- und Landesbibliothek [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Paul Hindemith (1895 - 1963), "Von der Hochzeit zu Kana", op. 27 no. 9 (1922-3), rev. 1948, from Das Marienleben, no. 9 [sung text checked 1 time]

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

  • FRE French (Français) (Stéphane Goldet) (Pierre de Rosamel) , "Sur les noces de Cana", copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Le nozze di Cana", 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: 28
Word count: 177

Le nozze di Cana
Language: Italian (Italiano)  after the German (Deutsch) 
Come avrebbe potuto non essere Lei, orgogliosa
di Lui, che Lei, la più umile, aveva reso bella? 
Non era perfino l'immensa Notte, a cose grandi
abituata, come fuori di sé al Suo apparire? 
 
E non era forse, quel giorno che si era smarrito,
incredibilmente andato incontro alla Sua gloria?
Non avevano forse i saggi chiuso la bocca
per aprire le orecchie ed ascoltarlo? E il tempio
 
non era come rinato al suono della voce Sua? Ah,
certamente aveva dovuto cento volte e più
trattenersi dal manifestare radiosa la gioia
che da Lui le veniva. Lei lo seguiva stupita.
 
Ma quando a quella festa di nozze,
per un errore venne a mancare il vino, -
Lei si rivolse a Lui perché facesse un gesto
E non comprese  che Egli non voleva.
 
E tuttavia lo fece, Lei più tardi comprese,
di averlo spinto Lei per quella strada:
perché ora era davvero un uomo di miracoli, 
ed era completamente deciso il sacrificio,
 
né poteva arrestarsi. Sì, stava ormai scritto.
Ma era a quel tempo già pronto a quel destino?
Lei: Lei lo aveva spinto a questo,
accecata dalla sua vanità. 
 
Davanti alla mensa ricca di frutta e di verdure
Lei provava gioia con gli altri e non si accorse,
che negli occhi di Lui, al mutarsi dell'acqua
in vino, le lacrime s'erano fatte sangue. 

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), "Von der Hochzeit zu Kana", appears in Das Marien-Leben, no. 9, first published 1912
    • Go to the text page.

 

This text was added to the website: 2009-03-18
Line count: 28
Word count: 220

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This website began in 1995 as a personal project by Emily Ezust, who has been working on it full-time without a salary since 2008. Our research has never had any government or institutional funding, so if you found the information here useful, please consider making a donation. Your help is greatly appreciated!
–Emily Ezust, Founder

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