Puisque tout passe
French source:
Rainer Maria Rilke
la mélodie passagère;
celle qui nous désaltère
aura de nous raison.
Chantons ce qui nous quitte
avec amour et art;
soyons plus vite
que le rapide départ.
Since all things flit by
English translation ©
Richard Stokes
let’s create a fleeting melody;
the one that slakes our thirst
shall be the one to win us.
Let us sing what leaves us
with love and art;
let us be swifter
than a swift departure.
Translation © Richard Stokes, author of The Book of Lieder (Faber, 2005)
Puisque tout passe
French source:
Rainer Maria Rilke
Since all things flit by
English source:
Richard Stokes
Puisque tout passe, faisons
Since all things flit by,
la mélodie passagère;
let’s create a fleeting melody;
celle qui nous désaltère
the one that slakes our thirst
aura de nous raison.
shall be the one to win us.
Chantons ce qui nous quitte
Let us sing what leaves us
avec amour et art;
with love and art;
soyons plus vite
let us be swifter
que le rapide départ.
than a swift departure.
Composer
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…