Attention! Some of this material is not in the public domain.
It is illegal to copy and distribute copyright-protected material without permission. It is also illegal to reprint copyright texts or translations without the name of the author or translator.
Note: You must use the copyright symbol © when you reprint copyright-protected material.
See below for more information.
Ich glaube an Alles noch nie Gesagte. Ich will meine frömmsten Gefühle befrein. Was noch keiner zu wollen wagte, wird mir einmal unwillkürlich sein. Ist das vermessen, mein Gott, vergieb. Aber ich will dir damit nur sagen: Meine beste Kraft soll sein wie ein Trieb, so ohne Zürnen und ohne Zagen; so haben dich ja die Kinder lieb. Mit diesem Hinfluten, mit diesem Münden in breiten Armen ins offene Meer, mit dieser wachsenden Wiederkehr will ich dich bekennen, will ich dich verkünden wie keiner vorher. Und ist das Hoffahrt, so lass mich hoffährtig sein für mein Gebet, das so ernst und allein vor deiner wolkigen Stirne steht.
D. Thomas sets stanzas 1-3
S. Ebel sets stanzas 1-3
G. Gordon sets stanza 3
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with Rainer Maria Rilke, Werke, kommentierte Ausgabe in vier Bänden, Band 1 Gedichte 1895 bis 1910, herausgegeben von Manfred Engel und Ulrich Fülleborn, Frankfurt am Main und Leipzig: Insel Verlag, 1996, page 162.
Text Authorship:
- by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926), "Alles noch nie Gesagte", written 1899, appears in Das Stundenbuch, in 1. Das Buch vom mönchischen Leben , no. 12, first published 1905 [author's text checked 2 times 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 Steven Ebel , "Wie keiner", 2010, stanzas 1-3 [ mezzo-soprano or tenor and piano ], from Der Schatzgräber, no. 2 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Siegfried Fournes (1896 - 1932), "Ich glaube an alles noch nie Gesagte", copyright © 1978 [ voice and piano ], from Gesamtausgabe der Lieder von Siegfried Fournes, no. 35, Steinkirchen : G. Fournes [sung text not yet checked]
- by Geoffrey Gordon (b. 1968), "Fluss", published 2018, stanza 3 [ soprano, mezzo-soprano, alto, tenor, baritone and bass ], from Fluss Land Stadt, no. 1, [United States] : SpencerSongs Music [sung text not yet checked]
- by Eugenia Manolides (b. 1975), "Ich glaube an Alles", 2001-2002 [ soprano, tenor and orchestra ], from Rilke-Lieder [sung text not yet checked]
- by David Evan Thomas (b. 1958), "Ein Gebet", published 2003, stanzas 1-3 [ high voice, piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in English, a translation by Jodi Goble (b. 1974) , copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission ; composed by Jodi Goble.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Tout ce qui est encore non dit", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Sharon Krebs [Senior Associate Editor], David Evan Thomas
This text was added to the website: 2006-06-14
Line count: 18
Word count: 107
I believe in all the silent words that have never been said. My longing is pure. I want to set it free so that which no one has dared to ask before will come to me, on its own, without coaxing. Tell me, Universe, is this too much to ask? If so, forgive me. But let me say to you before I go: I want the force of me to be unstoppable, no holding back, no expectations, Love in a rush, like children love, freely flowing, streaming everywhere, like no one has or will again, full-hearted, arms flung wide, sung to you at the top of my lungs into the open sea.
Text Authorship:
- by Jodi Goble (b. 1974), copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926), "Alles noch nie Gesagte", written 1899, appears in Das Stundenbuch, in 1. Das Buch vom mönchischen Leben , no. 12, first published 1905
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Jodi Goble (b. 1974), "I believe in all the silent words" [ soprano and piano ], from Circle of Light, no. 4 [sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this page: Joost van der Linden [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2025-10-16
Line count: 14
Word count: 112