by Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475 - 1564)
Translation by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926)
Di morte certo, ma non già dell' ora;
Language: Italian (Italiano)
Di morte certo, ma non già dell' ora; la vita è breve, e poco me n'avanza; diletta al senso è non però la stanza a l'alma, che mi priega pur ch' i' mora. Il mondo è cieco, e 'l tristo esempio ancora vince e sommerge ogni prefetta usanza; spent' è la luce, e seco ogni baldanza; trionfa il falso, e 'l ver non surge fora. Deh quando fie, Signor, quel che s'aspetta per chi ti crede? Ch' ogni troppo indugio tronca la speme, el' alma fa mortale. Che val che tanto lume altrui prometta, s' anzi vien morte, e senz' alcun refugio ferma per sempre in che stato altri assale?
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475 - 1564), appears in Rime, no. 295 [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 Tristan Keuris (1946 - 1996), "Di morte certo", 1990, from Three Michelangelo songs, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich (1906 - 1975), "Di morte certo, ma non già dell' ora;", op. 145 no. 10, from Suite on verses by Michelangelo Buonarroti, no. 10 [sung text checked 1 time]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926) , no title, appears in Michelangelo-Übertragungen ; composed by Michael Gielen, Wolfgang Michael Rihm.
- Also set in Russian (Русский), a translation by Abram Markovich Efros (1888 - 1954) ; composed by Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (John Addington Symonds) , "Waiting for Death", appears in The Sonnets of Michael Angelo Buonarroti and Tommaso Campanella now for the first time translated into rhymed English, first published 1878
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- LIT Lithuanian (Lietuvių kalba) (Giedrius Prunskus) , "Jau mirtį jausdamas", subtitle: "Jau mirtį jausdamas", copyright © 2023, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Caroline Diehl
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 14
Word count: 110
Des Todes sicher, nicht der Stunde, wann
Language: German (Deutsch) after the Italian (Italiano)
Des Todes sicher, nicht der Stunde, wann, Das Leben kurz, und wenig komm ich weiter. Den Sinnen zwar scheint diese Wohnung heiter, der Seele nicht, sie bittet mich : stirb an. Die Welt ist blind, auch Beispiel kam empor, dem Bessere Gebräuche unterlagen ; das Licht erlosch und mit ihm alles Wagen ; das Falsche frohlockt, Wahrheit dringt nicht vor. Ach wann, Herr, gibst du das, was die erhoffen, die dir vertrauen? Mehr Zögern ist verderblich, es knickt die Hoffnung, macht die Seele sterblich. Was hast du Ihnen so viel Licht verheißen, wenn doch der Tod kommt, um sie hinzureißen, in jenem Stand, in dem er sie betroffen.
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with Rainer Maria Rilke, Übertragungen, Leipzig : Insel-Verlag, 1927, p.260
Text Authorship:
- by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926), no title, appears in Michelangelo-Übertragungen [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in Italian (Italiano) by Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475 - 1564), appears in Rime, no. 295
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Michael Gielen (b. 1927), "Sonnett des Michelangelo", 1951 [ bass, viola, bass clarinet, and piano ], from Sechs Lieder für eine Bassstimme und 3 Instrumente, no. 1 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Wolfgang Michael Rihm (1952 - 2024), "Des Todes sicher, nicht der Stunde, wann", 2013, copyright © 2013 [ baritone and piano ], from Drei Sonette von Michelangelo, no. 1, Wien : Universal Edition [sung text not yet checked]
- by Wolfgang Michael Rihm (1952 - 2024), "Sonett I", 2015/2016 [ soprano, baritone, chorus and orchestra ], from oratorio Requiem-Strophen, no. 4 [sung text not yet checked]
Research team for this page: Malcolm Wren [Guest Editor] , Joost van der Linden [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2011-07-23
Line count: 14
Word count: 105