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

Das Einhorn
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  FRE
Der Heilige hob das Haupt, und das Gebet
fiel wie ein Helm zurück von seinem Haupte:
denn lautlos nahte sich das niegeglaubte,
das weiße Tier, das wie eine geraubte
hülflose Hindin mit den Augen fleht.

Der Beine elfenbeinernes Gestell
bewegte sich in leichten Gleichgewichten,
ein weißer Glanz glitt selig durch das Fell,
und auf der Tierstirn, auf der stillen, lichten,
stand, wie ein Turm im Mond, das Horn so hell,
und jeder Schritt geschah, es aufzurichten.

Das Maul mit seinem rosagrauen Flaum
war leicht gerafft, so daß ein wenig Weiß
(weißer als alles) von den Zahnen glänzte;
die Nüstern nahmen auf und lechzten leis.
Doch seine Blicke, die kein Ding begrenzte,
warfen sich Bilder in den Raum
und schlossen einen blauen Sagenkreis.

Text Authorship:

  • by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926), "Das Einhorn", appears in Neue Gedichte, first published 1892 [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 Armin Caspar Hochstetter (1899 - 1978), "Das Einhorn" [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Viktor Kalabis (1923 - 2006), "Das Einhorn", op. 38 no. 3 (1974), published 2001, first performed 1976 [ high voice and strings ], from Pět romantických písní o lásce na slova R. M. Rilk, no. 3, manuscript / Editio Bärenreiter [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Harold C. King (1895 - 1984), "Das Einhorn", 1942, from 3 Fabelen, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Julian James Wachner (b. 1969), "Das Einhorn" [ chorus ], from Rilke Songs, no. 6, E. C. Schirmer Music Company [sung text not yet checked]

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

  • FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "La licorne", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2008-09-05
Line count: 18
Word count: 122

La licorne
Language: French (Français)  after the German (Deutsch) 
Le saint leva la tête et sa prière
retomba de sa tête comme un casque,
car sans bruit s'approchait de lui l'incroyable,
l'animal blanc, qui, telle une ravissante
biche sans défense, implorait des yeux.

L'ossature d'ivoire de ses jambes
se mouvait avec un équilibre léger,
un éclat blanc glissait avec bonheur sur son pelage
et sur le front de l'animal, silencieux, lumineux,
se dressait, comme une tour sous la lune, la corne claire,
que chaque pas se faisait redresser.

Le museau, avec son duvet gris rose,
était légèrement froncé, de sorte qu'un peu du blanc
(plus blanc que tout) des dents brillait ;
les naseaux se dressaient et palpitaient légèrement.
Pourtant son regard, que rien ne limitait,
projetait des images dans l'espace
et limitait un cercle bleu de légende.

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from German (Deutsch) to French (Français) copyright © 2012 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), "Das Einhorn", appears in Neue Gedichte, first published 1892
    • Go to the text page.

 

This text was added to the website: 2013-01-10
Line count: 18
Word count: 128

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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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