by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926)
Translation © by Margaret Dows Herter Norton (1894 - 1985)
Da stieg ein Baum. O reine Übersteigung!
Language: German (Deutsch)
Our translations: FRE
Da stieg ein Baum. O reine Übersteigung! O Orpheus singt! O hoher Baum im Ohr. Und alles schwieg. Doch selbst in der verschweigung ging neuer Anfang, Wink und Wandlung vor. Tiere aus Stille drangen aus dem klaren gelösten wald von Lager und Genist; und da ergab sich, daß sie nicht aus List und nicht aus Angst in sich so leise waren, sondern aus Hören. Brüllen, Schrei, Geröhr schien klein in ihren Herzen. Und wo eben kaum eine Hütte war, dies zu empfangen, ein Unterschlupf aus dunkelstem Verlangen mit einem Zugang, dessen Pfosten beben, -- da schufst du ihnen Tempel im Gehör.
H. Birtwistle sets line 1
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926), no title, appears in Die Sonette an Orpheus 1, no. 1 [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 Günter Bialas (1907 - 1992), "Da stieg ein Baum", 1946 [ medium voice and orchestra ], from Orpheus singt. Sonette an Orpheus für mittlere Stimme und Orchester, no. 5 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Harrison Birtwistle, Sir (1934 - 2022), "Elegy 1, Sonnet I, 1", 2003-04, first performed 2004, line 1 [ oboe, harp and countertenor ], from Orpheus elegies, no. 1, Boosey & Hawkes [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Nicolas Bolens (b. 1963), "Animal from the stillness...", 1995 [ string quartet ], from Streichquartett; Sur quelques Mots de Rainer Maria Rilke, no. 1, Editions Papillon [sung text not yet checked]
- by Alexis Chalier (b. 1960), "Da stieg ein Baum. O reine Übersteigung!", 1996 [ chorus and orchestra ], from Le mythe d'Orphée, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Arthur Dangel (b. 1931), "Tempel im Gehör", op. 41 no. 2 [ violin and voices ], from Orpheus, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Arthur Dangel (b. 1931), "Brüllen, Schrei, Geröhr schien klein in ihrem Herzen", op. 41 no. 3 [ violin and voices ], from Orpheus, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Arthur Dangel (b. 1931), "Da stieg ein Baum", op. 41 no. 4 [ violin and voices ], from Orpheus, no. 4 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Robert Edler (1912 - 1986), "Sonett 1 (Chor)", op. 59 no. 1 (1970) [ tenor, speaker, chorus and orchestra ], from Sonette an Orpheus, no. 1 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Vivian Fine (1913 - 2000), "Sonnet to Orpheus", 1984 [ voice and string quartet ], from Ode to Henry Purcell, no. 1 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Francesc Xavier Gelabert i Muntaner (b. 1976), "Tiere aus Stille", 2011 [ soprano, male voice, flute, and percussion ], from Die Stille vor Stille, no. 3, revised 2017; Donemus [sung text not yet checked]
- by Francesc Xavier Gelabert i Muntaner (b. 1976), "Tiere aus Stille", 2011 [ soprano, male voice, flute, and percussion ], from Die Stille vor Stille, no. 9, revised 2017; Donemus [sung text not yet checked]
- by Stanley Grill (b. 1953), "Da stieg ein Baum", copyright © 2012 [ tenor and piano ], from Sonnets to Orpheus, no. 1, confirmed with an online score [sung text checked 1 time]
- by John Hawkins (b. 1944), "Da stieg ein Baum", 1997, first performed 1998 [ tenor and piano ], from Drei Sonette an Orpheus, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Volker David Kirchner (b. 1942), "Da stieg ein Baum", 1968/87, copyright © 1989 [ baritone, horn and piano ], from Orfeo, no. 1, Mainz [etc.] : Schott [sung text not yet checked]
- by Volker David Kirchner (b. 1942), "Da stieg ein Baum", 1968/87, copyright © 1989 [ baritone, horn and piano ], from Orfeo, no. 9, Mainz [etc.] : Schott [sung text not yet checked]
- by Hans-Jürg Meier (1964 - 2015), "Tempel im Gehör", 2011 [ vocal quartet ], from ...und die Musik, immer neu, baut im unbrauchbaren Raum..., no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Alessandro Melchiorre (b. 1951), "Primo sonetto ad Orfeo", 1988 [ voice, flute, trombone, tam-tam, piano, double bass, electronics ], In: Crociera del Filarete [Ciclo di esecuzioni "dal vivo"] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Christian Münch (b. 1951), "Als Gabe", 2002 [ soli, chorus and orchestra ], Musik für die wiederaufgebaute Dresdner Frauenkirche [sung text not yet checked]
- by Einojuhani Rautavaara (1928 - 2016), "Da stieg ein Baum" [ voice and piano or orchestra ], from Fünf Sonette an Orpheus, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Andrew Schultz (b. 1960), "Da stieg ein Baum", op. 81 no. 1 (2009), first performed 2010 [ soprano, violin, piano ], from Stille sprache, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Josep Soler i Sardà (1935 - 2022), "Sonett 1", 1960 [ voice and piano ], from Die Sonette an Orpheus, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Rudi Spring (b. 1962), "Da stieg ein Baum", op. 64b (1995) [ baritone and tenor-hammered dulcimer ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Wolfgang Steffen (1923 - 1993), "Da stieg ein Baum", 1968 [ medium voice and piano ], from Vier Sonette an Orpheus, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in English, a translation by Margaret Dows Herter Norton (1894 - 1985) , appears in Translations from the Poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke, copyright © ; composed by Robert Cogan, George Perle.
- Also set in French (Français), a translation by Armel Guerne (1911 - 1980) , no title, copyright © ; composed by François Cotinaud.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2009-12-18
Line count: 14
Word count: 100
There rose a tree. O pure transcendency!
Language: English after the German (Deutsch)
There rose a tree. O pure transcendency! [ ... ]
About the headline (FAQ)
This text may be copyright, so we will not display it until we obtain permission to do so or discover it is public-domain.Text Authorship:
- by Margaret Dows Herter Norton (1894 - 1985), appears in Translations from the Poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke, copyright © [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926), no title, appears in Die Sonette an Orpheus 1, no. 1
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Robert Cogan (1930 - 2021), "There rose a tree", 2020 [ soprano ], from Four Rilke Sonnets, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by George Perle (1915 - 2009), "Sonnet #1", first performed 1975 [ chorus a cappella ], from Songs of Praise and Lamentation: Sonnets to Orpheus, no. 1 [sung text checked 1 time]
This text was added to the website: 2009-12-18
Line count: 14
Word count: 109