by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926)
Translation © by David Evan Thomas (b. 1958)
Ich lebe mein Leben in wachsenden Ringen
Language: German (Deutsch)
Ich lebe mein Leben in wachsenden Ringen, die sich über die Dinge ziehn. Ich werde den letzten vielleicht nicht vollbringen, aber versuchen will ich ihn. Ich kreise um Gott, um den uralten Turm, und ich kreise jahrtausendelang; und ich weiß noch nicht: bin ich ein Falke, ein Sturm oder ein großer Gesang.
T. Lukasheva sets stanza 2
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 157.
Text Authorship:
- by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926), "Ich lebe mein Leben in wachsenden Ringen", written 1899, appears in Das Stundenbuch, in 1. Das Buch vom mönchischen Leben , no. 2, 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 Juan Allende-Blin (b. 1928), "Ich lebe mein Leben", 1951, first performed 1963 [ soprano and piano ], from Drei Rilke-Lieder für Sopran und Klavier, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Horst Bracks , "Ich lebe mein Leben" [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Josef Brauneis (1873 - 1948), "Ich lebe mein Leben", published c1935, from Ich lebe mein Leben, no. 1, Wien : im Selbstverlag des Komponisten [sung text not yet checked]
- by Fritz Büchtger (1903 - 1978), " Ich lebe mein Leben", op. 67 no. 3, copyright © 1964 [ chorus ], from Rilke-Chöre, no. 3, Mainz : Schott [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ruedi Debrunner (b. 1962), "Ich lebe mein Leben in wachsenden Ringen", 2010 [ bass, chorus, violin and cello ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Johan Duijck (b. 1954), "Ich lebe mein Leben", published c1997 [ mixed chorus ], Antwerpen : Centrum voor vocale muziek [sung text not yet checked]
- by Gerhard Folkerts (b. 1944), "Ich lebe mein Leben in wachsenden Ringen", 1979, published 1987 [ alto and piano ], from Vier Lieder nach Texten von Rilke, no. 1, Selbstverlag [sung text not yet checked]
- by Siegfried Fournes (1896 - 1932), "Ich lebe mein Leben", copyright © 1978 [ voice and piano ], from Gesamtausgabe der Lieder von Siegfried Fournes, no. 30, Steinkirchen : G. Fournes [sung text not yet checked]
- by Heinrich Funk (1902 - 1986), "Ich lebe mein Leben in wachsenden Ringen" [ medium voice and brass ], Manuskript. Ohne Jahr. Bestand im Hochschularchiv Weimar/Thüringisches Landesmusikarchiv. [sung text not yet checked]
- by Christoph Alexander Garbe (b. 1977), "Ich lebe mein Leben", 2002 [ soli and mixed chorus ], from Vor dunklem Hintergrund, no. 1, Manuskript [sung text not yet checked]
- by Artur Gelbrun (1913 - 1985), "Ich lebe mein Leben in wachsenden Ringen", 1945 [ voice and piano ], from Drei Lieder nach Worten R.M. Rilke's, no. 3, Zürich : [Komp.] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Joachim Goerke , "Ich lebe mein Leben in wachsenden Ringen", 2018 [ 4 voices ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Robert Haas (1886 - 1960), "Ich lebe mein Leben", c1919-c1944 [ voice and piano ], from 25 Lieder nach Gedichten von Rainer Maria Rilke, no. 7 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Svein Hundsnes (b. 1951), "Wachsende Ringe", 1991, first performed 1991 [ baritone and instrumental ensemble ], from Rilke-Lieder, no. 1, NB noter [sung text not yet checked]
- by Kevin Jeffers , "Ich lebe mein Leben" [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Barbara Kolberg (b. 1971), "Ich lebe mein Leben", copyright © 2021 [ voice and piano ], from Sechs Sololieder, no. 2, München : Strube Verlag [sung text not yet checked]
- by Hans Kox (b. 1930), "Ich lebe mein Leben in wachsenden Ringen", 2001, published 2001 [ soprano and organ ], from Die Dinge singen, no. 3, Amsterdam : Donemus [sung text not yet checked]
- by Christian Franz Peter Kram (b. 1968), "Ich lebe mein Leben", published 2002, first performed 2003 [ soprano and harp ], from Rilke-Lieder, no. 1, Hubert Hoche Musikverlag [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ursula Kurze , "Ich lebe mein Leben in wachsenden Ringen" [ voice and guitar ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ernst Ludwig Leitner (b. 1943), "Ich lebe mein Leben" [ mezzo-soprano and piano ], from Drei Lieder nach Texten von Rainer Maria Rilke, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Hinrich Luchterhandt (1928 - 2017), "Ich lebe mein Leben in wachsenden Ringen", 2003 [ women's chorus ], from Ich lebe mein Leben, no. 1, Edition Merseburger [sung text not yet checked]
- by Tamara Lukasheva , "Rilke", stanza 2 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Eugenia Manolides (b. 1975), "Ich lebe mein Leben in wachsenden Ringen", first performed 2002 [ soprano and chorus ], from Tempel im Gehör I, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Dylan Newcomb , "Ich lebe mein Leben" [ counter-tenor and 2 viola da gambas ], from Songcycle, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Willi Nöther (1912 - 2004), "Ich lebe mein Leben" [sung text not yet checked]
- by Joachim Reidenbach (b. 1947), "Ich lebe mein Leben in wachsenden Ringen" [ soprano, mixed chorus, and orchestra ], from Zwei Lieder nach Texten von Rainer Maria Rilke, no. 1, Edition Ferrimontana [sung text not yet checked]
- by Peter-Michael Riehm (1947 - 2007), "Ich lebe mein Leben", published 2004 [ voices ], Kanon aus dem Werk „Hör ich von fern Musik“. Autorenverlag Worpsweder Musikwerkstatt Marga [sung text not yet checked]
- by Josef Röösli , "Ich lebe mein Leben in wachsenden Ringen" [ chorus ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Reinhold Ruiss , "Ich lebe mein Leben in wachsenden Ringen" [ tenor and piano ], from Rilke Lieder, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Carl Rütti (b. 1949), "In wachsenden Ringen", 2001 [ mixed chorus ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Raymond Murray Schafer (b. 1933), "Ich lebe mein Leben in wachsenden Ringen" [ voice, strings and piano ], from Songs from Rilke's Book of Hours, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Anselm Schaufler (b. 1970), "...In wachsenden Ringen", 2009 [ mixed chorus ], In: Zwicker, Gertrud [edit.], Styria cantat : neue Chormusik aus österreich für gemischte Chöre [sung text not yet checked]
- by Fritz Franz Schieri (1922 - 2009), "Ich lebe mein Leben..." [ voice and piano ], from Rilke-Lieder, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Karl Hubert Rudolf Schiske (1916 - 1969), "Ich lebe mein Leben", op. 7 (Drei Lieder) no. 3 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jörg Walter Schneider , "Ich lebe mein Leben" [sung text not yet checked]
- by Josep Soler i Sardà (1935 - 2022), "Ich lebe mein Leben", 1961 [ voice and piano ], from Das Stunden-Buch, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Taco Sorgdrager , "Ich lebe mein LebeN", 2008 [ mixed chorus and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Oliver Steller (b. 1967), "Ich lebe mein Leben in wachsenden Ringen", 2006 [ narrator, saxophone and double bass ], from Zwischen den Sternen. Gedichte. Briefe. Leben. , no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Xaver Paul Thoma (b. 1953), "Ich lebe mein Leben", op. 154a (Sieben Gesänge) no. 1 (2007), published c2008 [ baritone and piano ], Asperg : IKURO [sung text not yet checked]
- by (Richard Gustav) Heinz Tiessen (1887 - 1971), "Ich lebe mein Leben in wachsenden Ringen", op. 22 no. 4, published 1990 [ voice and piano ], from Aus dem Stundenbuch, no. 4, Berlin : Ries & Erler and Mainz : Fuerstner Musikverlag [sung text not yet checked]
- by Michael Tilson Thomas (b. 1944), "Ich lebe mein Leben in wachsenden Ringen", 2019 [ mezzo-soprano, bass-baritone, and orchestra ], from Meditations on Rilke, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Stefaan Vanheertum (b. 1956), "Ich lebe mein Leben in wachsenden Ringen", op. 9 no. 5 (2012), published c2018 [ mixed chorus ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jörg Ernst Weigand (b. 1940), "Orgel", published 2023 [ voice and piano ], from Traumtage, p.machinery [sung text not yet checked]
- by Manfred Weiss (b. 1935), "Aus "Das Stundenbuch"", 2006, copyright © 2019 [ alto and piano ], from Lieder vom Ende, no. 1, Landsberg : Bellmannmusik e.K. - Musikverlag [sung text not yet checked]
- by Regina Wittemeier (b. 1956), "Ich lebe mein Leben in wachsenden Ringen", op. 34 (Ich lebe mein Leben in wachsenden Ringen) no. 4, published 2003 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Konstantin Wladigeroff (b. 1978) and by Alexander Wladigeroff (b. 1978), "Ich lebe mein Leben in wachsenden Ringen (Teil 1)", 2020 [ speaker and chamber orchestra ], from Magie; Hommage an Rainer Maria Rilke, no. 7 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Konstantin Wladigeroff (b. 1978), "Ich lebe mein Leben in wachsenden Ringen", 2020 [ speaker, children's chorus, chamber orchestra and piano ], from Magie; Hommage an Rainer Maria Rilke, no. 14 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Adrian Zenhäusern (b. 1974), "Ich lebe mein Leben", published 2008 [ mixed chorus ], from Plumes Valaisannes, no. 3, Fédération des sociétés de chant du Valais ; St-Maurice : Ed. Labatiaz [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in English, a translation by Robert Bly (b. 1926) , "I live my life in growing orbits", appears in Selected Poems of Rainer Maria Rilke, first published 1981, copyright © 1981 by Harper and Row, (re)printed on this website with kind permission ; composed by Mark Abel, Bradley A. Bombardier, Robert Benford Lepley, Michael Alec Rose.
- Also set in English, a translation by David Evan Thomas (b. 1958) , first published 2017, copyright © ; composed by David Evan Thomas.
- Also set in English, a translation by Mathias Rüegg (b. 1952) , copyright © ; composed by Mathias Rüegg.
- Also set in English, a translation by Anita Barrows , no title, copyright © and by Joanna Macy , no title, copyright © ; composed by Imant Raminsh.
- Also set in English, a translation by Annette LeSiege (1947 - 2012) , copyright © ; composed by Annette LeSiege.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
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Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Walter A. Aue) , "I'm living my life in spiraling gyres", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Je vis ma vie en cercles croissants", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2008-05-19
Line count: 8
Word count: 52
An echoing song
Language: English after the German (Deutsch)
I live my life in ever-widening rings [ ... ]
This text may be copyright, so we will not display it until we obtain permission to do so or discover it is public-domain.
David Evan Thomas, An Echoing Song, Boston Massachusetts : Ione Press, 2017
Text Authorship:
- by David Evan Thomas (b. 1958), first published 2017, copyright ©
Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926), "Ich lebe mein Leben in wachsenden Ringen", written 1899, appears in Das Stundenbuch, in 1. Das Buch vom mönchischen Leben , no. 2, 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 David Evan Thomas (b. 1958), "An echoing song", 2003, first performed 2003 [ SATB chorus and organ ] [sung text checked 1 time]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in English, a translation by Robert Bly (b. 1926) , "I live my life in growing orbits", appears in Selected Poems of Rainer Maria Rilke, first published 1981, copyright © 1981 by Harper and Row, (re)printed on this website with kind permission ; composed by Mark Abel, Robert Benford Lepley, Michael Alec Rose.
This text was added to the website: 2011-09-17
Line count: 8
Word count: 57