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by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926)

Wir sind nur Mund. Wer singt das ferne...
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Wir sind nur Mund. Wer singt das ferne Herz, 
das heil inmitten aller Dinge weilt? 
Sein großer Schlag ist in uns eingeteilt 
in kleine Schläge. [Und sein großer Schmerz 
ist, wie sein großer Jubel, uns zu groß. 
So reißen wir uns immer wieder los 
und sind nur Mund.]1 Aber auf einmal bricht 
der große Herzschlag heimlich in uns ein, 
so daß wir schrein, --
und sind dann Wesen, Wandlung und Gesicht.

Available sung texts:   ← What is this?

•   T. Medek 

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)
1 omitted by Medek.

Text Authorship:

  • by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926) [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 Tilo Medek (1940 - 2006), "Wir sind nur Mund. Wer singt das ferne Herz", 1980, copyright © 1982 [ chorus, orchestra ], from cantata Gethsemane, no. 6, Unkel am Rhein : Medek [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Erik Norby (1936 - 2007), "Wir sind nur Mund", 1985 [ mezzo-soprano and orchestra ], from Rilke-Lieder, no. 3 [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Fredrik Österling (b. 1966), "Wir sind nur Mund" [ mixed chorus ], Gehrmans Musikförlag [sung text not yet checked]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

  • Also set in English, a translation by Albert Ernest Flemming , "Heartbeat", copyright © ; composed by Andrea Clearfield.
    • Go to the text.

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2013-09-03
Line count: 10
Word count: 71

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