Attention! Some of this material is not in the public domain.
It is illegal to copy and distribute our copyright-protected material without permission. It is also illegal to reprint copyright texts or translations without the name of the author or translator.
To inquire about permissions and rates, contact Emily Ezust at 
If you wish to reprint translations, please make sure you include the names of the translators in your email. They are below each translation.
Note: You must use the copyright symbol © when you reprint copyright-protected material.
Als du mich einst gefunden hast, da war ich klein, so klein, und blühte wie ein Lindenast [nur]1 still in dich hinein. Vor Kleinheit war ich namenlos und sehnte mich so hin, bis du mir sagst, dass ich zu groß für jeden Namen bin: Da fühl ich, dass ich eines bin mit Myrthe, Mai und Meer, und wie der Duft des Weines bin ich deiner Seele schwer...
1 Pejačević: "so"
Authorship
- by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926), "Als du mich einst gefunden hast", written 1898, appears in Frühe Gedichte, in Mädchen-Gestalten, no. 1 [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 Dora Pejačević (1885 - 1923), "Als du mich einst gefunden hast", op. 42 no. 1 (1916) [voice and piano], from Mädchengestalten, no. 1. [ sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Quand tu m'as trouvé, il y a longtemps", copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2012-03-11
Line count: 12
Word count: 67
Quand tu m'as trouvé, il y a longtemps, j'étais petit, si petit, et fleurissais comme une branche de tilleul silencieusement en toi. À cause de ma petitesse j'étais sans nom et je soupirais après jusqu'à ce que tu me dises que j'étais trop grand pour quelque nom que ce soit : Je sens que je suis qu'un avec le myrte, le mois de mai et la mer, et comme le parfum du vin je pèse lourd sur ton âme.
Authorship
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to French (Français) copyright © 2013 by Guy Laffaille, (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: 
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926), "Als du mich einst gefunden hast", written 1898, appears in Frühe Gedichte, in Mädchen-Gestalten, no. 1
This text was added to the website: 2013-02-12
Line count: 12
Word count: 79