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

Am Rande der Nacht
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  FRE
Meine Stube und diese Weite,
wach über nachbetendem Land, -
ist Eines. Ich bin eine Saite,
über rauschende breite
Resonanzen gespannt.
 Die Dinge sind Geigenleiber,
von murrendem Dunkel voll;
drin träumt das Weinen der Weiber,
drin rührt sich im Schlafe der Groll
ganzer Geschlechter.....
Ich soll
silbern erzittern: dann wird
Alles unter mir leben,
und was in den Dingen irrt,
wird nach dem Lichte streben,
das von meinem tanzenden Tone,
um welchen der Himmel wellt,
durch schmale, schmachtende Spalten
in die alten
Abgründe ohne
Ende fällt...

Text Authorship:

  • by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926), "Am Rande der Nacht", appears in Das Buch der Bilder, first published 1920 [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 Eduard de Boer (b. 1957), "Am Rande der Nacht", op. 26 (Lieder und Tänze der Nacht) no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Rosśa Crean , "Am Rande der Nacht" [ voice and piano ], from Metaphysisch, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Bernard Foccroulle (b. 1953), "Am Rande der Nacht", 2010 [ soprano and orchestra ], from Am Rande der Nacht II, no. 1, Editions Pierre Neuray [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Bernard Foccroulle (b. 1953), "Am Rande der Nacht", 2007 [ soprano, chorus, orchestra ], from Am Rande der Nacht I, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Anton Schoendlinger (1919 - 1983), "Am Rande der Nacht", copyright © 1981 [ voice and piano ], from 14 Lieder, no. 10 [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Jaime del Val (b. 1974), "Am Rande der Nacht" [ voice and piano ], from Am Rande der Nacht (10 Nachtfragmente), no. 5 [sung text not yet checked]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

  • Also set in English, a translation by Edward Snow , "On the Edge of Night", copyright © ; composed by Terry Winter Owens.
    • Go to the text.

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

  • FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Au bord de la nuit", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2008-07-05
Line count: 21
Word count: 85

Au bord de la nuit
Language: French (Français)  after the German (Deutsch) 
Ma chambre et cette étendue
veillant sur un pays en prières
ne sont qu'un. Je suis une corde
tendue sur de bruissantes
et vastes résonances.
Les choses sont des corps de violon,
emplis d'une obscurité grondante ;
y rêve le pleur des femmes,
y bouge dans son sommeil la rancœur
de races entières ...
Il me faut
un frisson d'argent : alors tout se mettra
à vivre sous moi,
et ce qui erre dans les choses
tendra vers la lumière
qui tombera de mes sons dansants,
autour desquels ondule le ciel,
par d'étroites et languissantes fissures
dans les anciens
gouffres
sans fin ...

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), "Am Rande der Nacht", appears in Das Buch der Bilder, first published 1920
    • Go to the text page.

 

This text was added to the website: 2013-01-18
Line count: 21
Word count: 99

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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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