Well, I admit that I'm not fluent in German, but it seems to me that it's not really a hearing metaphor at all, since "unheard" is like the twentieth definition of the word after a range of meanings that have nothing to do with hearing. I could be wrong. But when someone writing in English makes a pun that only makes sense if you choose the right translation, it seems to dilute it quite a bit. The most famous translation (perhaps) is by Stephen Mitchell, and he translates the word as "legendary," not "unheard-of," which is much closer to Rilke's meaning in my (honestly) humble opinion.
Anyway, as I said, I do not have enough competence in German to hold this opinion strongly, and the poem won me over despite this quibbling issue.
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