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by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926)
Translation © by Pierre Mathé

Du aber, Göttlicher, du, bis zuletzt...
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  ENG FRE
Du aber, Göttlicher, du, bis zuletzt noch Ertöner,
da ihn der Schwarm der verschmähten Mänaden befiel,
hast ihr Geschrei übertönt mit Ordnung, du Schöner,
aus den Zerstörenden stieg dein erbauendes Spiel.

Keine war da, dass sie Haupt dir und Leier zerstör.
Wie sie auch rangen und rasten, und alle die scharfen
Steine, die sie nach deinem Herzen warfen,
wurden zu Sanftem an dir und begabt mit Gehör.

Schließlich zerschlugen sie dich, von der Rache gehetzt,
während dein Klang noch in Löwen und Felsen verweilte
und in den Bäumen und Vögeln.  Dort singst du noch jetzt.

O du verlorener Gott!  Du unendliche Spur!
Nur weil dich reißend zuletzt die Feindschaft verteilte, 
sind wir die Hörenden jetzt und ein Mund der Natur.

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

•   H. Birtwistle 

H. Birtwistle sets stanzas 3-4

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

  • by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926), no title, written 1922, appears in Die Sonette an Orpheus 1, no. 26 [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 Holger Arden (b. 1946), "Sonett XXVI Teil 1", 2022 [ tenor, mixed chorus, 2 lyres, clarinet and piano ], from Die Orpheus Sonetten, no. 2, NB noter [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Bruce Christian Bennett (b. 1968), "Du aber, Göttlicher, du", from Two Lieder, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Günter Bialas (1907 - 1992), "Du aber, Göttlicher", 1946 [ medium voice and orchestra ], from Orpheus singt. Sonette an Orpheus für mittlere Stimme und Orchester, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Harrison Birtwistle, Sir (1934 - 2022), "Elegy 20, Sonnet I, 26", 2003-04, first performed 2004, stanzas 3-4 [ oboe, harp and countertenor ], from Orpheus elegies, no. 25, Boosey & Hawkes [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Vivian Fine (1913 - 2000), "Sonnet to Orpheus", 1984 [ voice and string quartet ], from Ode to Henry Purcell, no. 3 [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Stanley Grill (b. 1953), "Du aber, Göttlicher", copyright © 2012 [ tenor and piano ], from Sonnets to Orpheus, no. 26, confirmed with an online score [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Bernd Hänschke (b. 1948), "Du aber, Göttlicher", 1992 [ chorus ], from An Orpheus, no. 2, Selbstverlag [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Volker David Kirchner (b. 1942), "Du aber, Göttlicher", 1968/87, copyright © 1989 [ baritone, horn and piano ], from Orfeo, no. 5, Mainz [etc.] : Schott [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Josep Soler i Sardà (1935 - 2022), "Sonett 26", 1960 [ voice and piano ], from Die Sonette an Orpheus, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

  • Also set in English, a translation by Stephen Mitchell (b. 1943) , copyright © ; composed by Eric Moe.
    • Go to the text.

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

  • ENG English [singable] (T. P. (Peter) Perrin) , copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • 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: 2008-07-13
Line count: 14
Word count: 120

Mais toi, Divin, toi, jusqu'à la fin...
Language: French (Français)  after the German (Deutsch) 
Mais toi, Divin, toi, jusqu'à la fin encore le résonnant,
alors que la nuée des ménades délaissées l'attaquaient,
tu as submergé leurs cris de sons harmonieux, toi, le beau,
du milieu des destructrices s'éleva ton jeu structuré.

Aucune n'était là pour fracasser ta tête et ta lyre.
Pourtant elle bataillaient et fonçaient, et toutes les pierres
acérées qu'elles jetaient sur ton cœur,
devenaient sur toi douces et audibles.

Finalement elles te déchiquetèrent, pressées par la vengeance,
tandis que tes sonorités s'attardaient parmi lions et rochers,
et arbres et oiseaux. Là-bas, tu chantes encore maintenant.

Ô toi, Dieu perdu ! Toi, trace infinie !
C'est juste parce qu'une féroce hostilité finalement
t'a dispersé, que nous sommes maintenant entendants et une bouche de la nature.

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from German (Deutsch) to French (Français) copyright © 2010 by Pierre Mathé, (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), no title, written 1922, appears in Die Sonette an Orpheus 1, no. 26
    • Go to the text page.

 

This text was added to the website: 2010-06-12
Line count: 14
Word count: 121

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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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