by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941)
Translation by Anonymous / Unidentified Author
The day was when I did not keep myself
Language: English  after the Bangla (Bengali)
Available translation(s): GER
The day was when I did not keep myself in readiness for thee; and entering my heart unbidden even as one of the common crowd, unknown to me, my king, thou didst press the signet of eternity upon many a fleeting moment of my life. And today when by chance I light upon them and see thy signature, I find they have lain scattered in the dust mixed with the memory of joys and sorrows of my trivial days forgotten. Thou didst not turn in contempt from my childish play among dust, and the steps that I heard in my playroom are the same that are echoing from star to star.
About the headline (FAQ)
Authorship:
- by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), no title, appears in Gitanjali, no. 43, first published 1912 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in Bangla (Bengali) by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), no title, appears in গীতাঞ্জলি (Gitanjali), no. 43 [text unavailable]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- [ None yet in the database ]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in Dutch (Nederlands), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Aleidus Coenen.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Claus Ogermann.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2005-01-17
Line count: 17
Word count: 111
Es war gerade an dem Tag
Language: German (Deutsch)  after the English
Es war gerade an dem Tag, als ich für Dich mich nicht bereithalten hatte; da tratst Du ein wie einer von der Straße, ganz ohne Willkomm' in mein Herz, mein König. Und drücktest, ohne daß ich es bemerkte, Der Ewigkeiten Siegel auf viele flüchtige Augenblicke meines Lebens. Und heute, als mein Aug' durch Zufall wieder Auf Sie fällt, ich Deine Zeichen sehe, Da muß ich sie verstreut, im Staube liegend finden. Zusammen mit Erinnerung an Freuden Und an Leiden meines kleinen Alltags - ganz vergessen. Du wandtest Dich nicht voll Verachtung Von meinem Spiel im Staub, dem kindischen Und diese Schritte, die ich da im Kinderzimmer hörte, Sind die gleichen, die von Stern zu Stern ihr Echo tönen.
Authorship:
- by Anonymous / Unidentified Author [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in English by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), no title, appears in Gitanjali, no. 43, first published 1912
Based on:
- a text in Bangla (Bengali) by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), no title, appears in গীতাঞ্জলি (Gitanjali), no. 43 [text unavailable]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Claus Ogermann (b. 1930), "Es war gerade an dem Tag", published 1975 [mezzo-soprano, piano], from Tagore Lieder, no. 1. [text verified 1 time]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2005-01-17
Line count: 17
Word count: 118