Songs

Herbst

by Stephen Hough From Herbstlieder (2010)

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Text & Translation

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Herbst
German source: Rainer Maria Rilke

Die Blätter fallen, fallen wie von weit,
als welkten in den Himmeln ferne Gärten;
sie fallen mit verneinender Gebärde.
Und in den Nächten fällt die schwere Erde
aus allen Sternen in die Einsamkeit.
Wir alle fallen. Diese Hand da fällt.
Und sieh dir andre an: es ist in allen.
Und doch ist Einer, welcher dieses Fallen
unendlich sanft in seinen Händen hält.

Autumn
English translation © Horst A. Scholz

The leaves are falling, falling as from far,
As if far gardens in the skies were dying;
They’re falling with gestures of denial.
And in the nights the heavy earth is falling
From all the stars down into loneliness.
We are all falling. This hand falls.
And see the other ones; it is in them all.
And yet there is One, who holds this falling
Endlessly, gently in his hands.

Herbst
German source: Rainer Maria Rilke

Autumn
English source: Horst A. Scholz

Die Blätter fallen, fallen wie von weit,
The leaves are falling, falling as from far,
als welkten in den Himmeln ferne Gärten;
As if far gardens in the skies were dying;
sie fallen mit verneinender Gebärde.
They’re falling with gestures of denial.
Und in den Nächten fällt die schwere Erde
And in the nights the heavy earth is falling
aus allen Sternen in die Einsamkeit.
From all the stars down into loneliness.
Wir alle fallen. Diese Hand da fällt.
We are all falling. This hand falls.
Und sieh dir andre an: es ist in allen.
And see the other ones; it is in them all.
Und doch ist Einer, welcher dieses Fallen
And yet there is One, who holds this falling
unendlich sanft in seinen Händen hält.
Endlessly, gently in his hands.

Composer

Stephen Hough

Stephen Andrew Gill Hough, CBE is a British-born classical pianist, composer and writer.  Read more here.

Poet

Rainer Maria Rilke

René Karl Wilhelm Johann Josef Maria Rilke (4 December 1875 – 29 December 1926), better known as Rainer Maria Rilke, was a Bohemian-Austrian poet and novelist. He is "widely recognized as one of the most lyrically intense German-language poets".He…

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