Early in the day it was whispered
Language: English after the Bangla (Bengali)
Early in the day it was whispered
that we should sail in a boat, only thou and I,
and never a soul in the world
would know of this our pilgrimage
to no country and to no end.
In that shoreless ocean,
at thy silently listening smile
my songs would swell in melodies,
free as waves, free from all bondage of words.
Is the time not come yet?
Are there works still to do?
Lo, the evening has come down upon the shore
and in the fading light
the seabirds come flying to their nests.
Who knows when the chains will be off,
and the boat, like the last glimmer of sunset,
vanish into the night?
Translation(s): FRE FRE GER IRI
List of language codes
About the headline (FAQ)
Submitted by Emily Ezust [Administrator]
Authorship
Based on
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive)
- by Walter Arlen, né Aptowitzer (b. 1920), "Early in the day" [soprano and piano], from Tellings of Beads: Five Last Songs, no. 2, confirmed with a CD booklet [ sung text checked 1 time]
- by Comolata Banerji (189? - 19??), "Early in the day", 1926 [voice and piano], from Song Offerings, no. 2. [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
- by Iain Bell (b. 1980), "Sail Away", first performed 2017 [soprano and piano], from Away, no. 2. [ sung text checked 1 time]
- by David Leisner (b. 1958), "The Boat", 1991 [soprano and guitar], from Heaven's River, no. 1. [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
- by Landon Ronald, Sir (1873 - 1938), "Early in the day it was whispered", 1920 [high voice and piano], from Four Song Offerings - 2nd series, no. 1. [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable): - FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , copyright © 2014, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- IRI Irish (Gaelic) [singable] (Gabriel Rosenstock) , copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Text added to the website: 2010-11-03.
Last modified: 2014-06-16 10:04:06
Line count: 17
Word count: 116
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Il fut murmuré tôt le matin
Language: French (Français) after the English
Il fut murmuré tôt le matin
que nous devions naviguer sur un bateau, seuls toi et moi,
et pas une âme au monde
ne devrait apprendre notre pèlerinage
vers nul pays et nulle fin.
Sur cet océan sans rivage,
devant ton sourire silencieux et attentif,
mes chants mélodieux s'élèveraient,
libres comme l'onde, libres de l'entrave des mots.
Le temps n'est-il encore point venu ?
Y a-t-il encore des tâches à accomplir ?
Vois, le soir est tombé sur le rivage
et dans la lumière qui s'estompe
les oiseaux volent vers leurs nids.
Qui sait quand les amarres seront larguées,
et quand le bateau,comme la dernière lueur du soleil couchant,
disparaîtra dans la nuit ?
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About the headline (FAQ)
Authorship - Translation from English to French (Français) copyright © 2014 by Pierre Mathé, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
Contact:
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Based on- a text in English by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), no title, appears in Gitanjali, no. 42, first published 1912 ENG GER IRI
- This text was set to music by the following composer(s): Walter Arlen, Comolata Banerji, Iain Bell, David Leisner, Landon Ronald, Sir. Go to the text.
Based on
Text added to the website: 2014-06-29.
Last modified: 2014-06-29 16:59:06
Line count: 17
Word count: 114
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