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

Mit einem Dach und seinem Schatten dreht
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  FRE
Mit einem Dach und seinem Schatten dreht
sich eine kleine Weile der Bestand
von bunten Pferden, alle aus dem Land,
das lange zögert, eh es untergeht.
Zwar manche sind an Wagen angespannt,
doch alle haben Mut in ihren Mienen;
ein böser roter Löwe geht mit ihnen
und dann und wann ein weißer Elefant.

Sogar ein Hirsch ist da, ganz wie im Wald,
nur daß er einen Sattel trägt und drüber
ein kleines blaues Mädchen aufgeschnallt.

Und auf dem Löwen reitet weiß ein Junge
und hält sich mit der kleinen heißen Hand,
dieweil der Löwe Zähne zeigt und Zunge.

Und dann und wann ein weißer Elefant.

Und auf den Pferden kommen sie vorüber,
auch Mädchen, helle, diesem Pferdesprunge
fast schon entwachsen; mitten in dem Schwunge
schauen sie auf, irgendwohin, herüber -

Und dann und wann ein weißer Elefant.

Und das geht hin und eilt sich, daß es endet,
und kreist und dreht sich nur und hat kein Ziel.
Ein Rot, ein Grün, ein Grau vorbeigesendet,
ein kleines kaum begonnenes Profil -.
Und manchesmal ein Lächeln, hergewendet,
ein seliges, das blendet und verschwendet
an dieses atemlose blinde Spiel...

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

  • by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926), "Das Karussell", subtitle: "Jardin du Luxembourg", 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 Maria Bach (1896 - 1978), "Das Karussel", 1955 [ mixed chorus ], Wiener Stadt- und Landesbibliothek [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Gary Bachlund (b. 1947), "Das Karussell", 2001 [ medium voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Helmut Barbe (b. 1927), "Das Karussell", published 2000 [ baritone, mixed chorus, harp, cimbalom, piano, percussion ], from cantata Gedanken über die Zeit, München, Strube Verlag [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Andreas Birnbaum , "Das Karussell", from Dingwelten-Weltdinge, no. 18, Blackbird Musikverlag Produktion Andreas Homm [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Thomas Bloch-Bonhoff (b. 1971), "Karussell" [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Hermine Demoriane , "Das Karussell", 2008 [ voice and band ], Salomé Discs [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Paul Hägele (1894 - 1977), "Das Karussell", 1937-1942 [ voice and piano ], from Zwei Lieder auf Gedichte von Rainer Maria Rilke, no. 1, Manuskript. Württembergische Landesbibliothek Stuttgart [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Ingo Höricht (b. 1955), "Das Karussell" [ voice, viola and piano ], from Liebeslyrik von Rilke, no. 5 [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Walter Kabel (1927 - 1997), "Das Karussell" [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Viktor Kalabis (1923 - 2006), "Das Karussell", 1988-1989, first performed 1993 [ low voice and piano ], from Kolotoč života, no. 5 [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Anselm König (b. 1957), "Das Karussell", 1992 [ voice, guitar and saxophone ], from Ausgewählte Liedlyrik, no. 5 [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Birgitta Lutz , "Das Karussell", published 2003 [ medium voice and piano ], from 10 Vertonungen nach Gedichten von Rainer Maria Rilke, no. 4, Abschrift des Manuskripts von Walter Stüber. Mit Zeichnungen von Karl Unverzagt [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Karl Julius Marx (1897 - 1985), "Das Karussell", op. 50 no. 2c (1949) [ voice and piano ], from Das Karussell und andere Rilke-Gedichte, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Sonja Maria Mertens , "Das Karussell" [ voice, percussion, piano and double bass ] [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Werner August Morgenthaler (1896 - 1964), "Das Karussell" [ voice and piano ], from 7 Lieder nach Gedichten von Rainer Maria Rilke, no. 4 [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Edmund Nick (1891 - 1974), "Das Karussell", copyright © 1964 [ voice and piano ], from Das Karussell, no. 1, Berlin : Apollo-Verlag Paul Lincke [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Alfred Nieman (1914 - 1997), "Das Karussell" [ soprano, tenor, string quartet ], from Rilke song cycle, no. 5 [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Pia-Monika Nittke (b. 1934), "Das Karussell", 1976 [ voice and piano ], Ebert Musikverlag [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Wilhelm Peter Radt (1899 - ?), "Das Karussell", published 1954 [ voice and piano ], from Lieder, no. 7, Wilhelmshaven : Heinrichhofen [sung text not yet checked]
  • by John Rodby (b. 1944), "Das Karussell" [ voice and orchestra ], from Rilkegesangen, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Robert Xavier Rodríguez (b. 1946), "Das Karussell", 1971 [ voice and piano ], from Four Poems from ‘Neue Gedichte’, no. 3, Alhambra [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Reinhold Ruiss , "Das Karussell" [ tenor and piano ], from Rilke Lieder, no. 4 [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Alice Samter (1908 - 2004), "Das Karussell", 1954 [ voice and piano ], from Drei Lieder, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Stefanie Schlesinger (b. 1977), "Das Karussell" [ voice and vibraphone ], from Rilke-Lieder, no. 1, Jazzgesänge [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Anton Schoendlinger (1919 - 1983), "Das Karussell" [ voice and piano ], from Drei Lieder nach Gedichten von Rainer Maria Rilke, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Fritz Skorzeny (1900 - 1965), "Das Karussel", 1942 [ men's chorus and orchestra ] [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Ulrich Türk (b. 1955), "Das Karussell" [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Henri Zagwijn (1878 - 1954), "Das Karussell", 1948, from Drei Lieder, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

  • Also set in English, a translation by Carlyle Ferren MacIntyre (1890 - 1967) , copyright © [an adaptation] ; composed by Libby Larsen.
    • Go to the text.
  • Also set in Lithuanian (Lietuvių kalba), a translation by Janina Degutytė (1928 - 1990) , copyright © ; composed by Nijolė Sinkevičiūtė.
    • Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]

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

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


Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2007-05-13
Line count: 27
Word count: 185

Le carrousel
Language: French (Français)  after the German (Deutsch) 
Avec un toit et son ombre
tourne un petit moment tout un peuple
de chevaux bariolés, tous d'un pays
qui longuement hésite avant de disparaître.
Certains sont attelés à une charrette,
Mais tous ont une allure courageuse ;
on voit parmi eux un méchant lion rouge,
et de temps en temps un éléphant blanc.

Il y a même là un cerf, tout comme en forêt,
sauf qu'il porte une selle, avec dessus
une petite fille bleue, ceinture bouclée.

Et sur le lion chevauche un garçon blanc
qui se tient de ses petites mains brûlantes
tandis que le lion montre ses dents et sa langue.

Et de temps en temps, un éléphant blanc.

Et voici que les chevaux repassent,
et aussi des filles, lumineuses, déjà presque trop grandes
pour ces sauts de chevaux ; au milieu de cette agitation,
elles regardent en l'air, n'importe où, par ici --

Et de temps en temps, un éléphant blanc.

Et ça passe et se presse pour que ça finisse,
et ne fait que tourner et tourbillonner, sans but.
Il passe du rouge, du vert, du gris,
un petit profil à peine esquissé --
Et parfois un sourire tourné par ici,
béat, qui éblouit et disparaît
dans ce jeu aveugle à couper le souffle ...

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 Karussell", subtitle: "Jardin du Luxembourg", appears in Neue Gedichte, first published 1892
    • Go to the text page.

 

This text was added to the website: 2013-01-10
Line count: 27
Word count: 205

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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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