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Death, thy servant, is at my door. He has crossed the unknown sea and brought thy call to my home. The night is dark and my heart is fearful -- yet I will take up the lamp, open my gates and bow to him my welcome. It is thy messenger who stands at my door. I will worship him with folded hands, and with tears. I worship him placing at his feet the treasure of my heart. He will go back with his errand done, leaving a dark shadow on my morning; and in my desolate home only my forlorn self will remain as my last offering to thee.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), no title, appears in Gitanjali, no. 86, 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. 86 [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 Masters van Someren-Godfery (d. 1947), "Death, thy servant", 1950? [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in French (Français), a translation by André Gide (1869 - 1951) , no title, appears in Gitanjali (L'Offrande lyrique), no. 86 ; composed by Alfredo Casella.
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Thomas F. Schubert (b. 1961) , copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission [an adaptation] ; composed by Thomas F. Schubert.
- Also set in Spanish (Español), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Manuel M. Ponce.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- GER German (Deutsch) (Thomas F. Schubert) , copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission [an adaptation]
- 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: 2008-07-04
Line count: 13
Word count: 108
Der Tod, dein Diener ist’s, der steht an meiner Tür. Er hat das unbekannte Meer gequert und mir gesagt, dass du mich rufst. Die Nacht ist finster, voller Furcht mein Herz, doch werde ich die Lampe nehmen, das Tor ihm öffnen und mich verbeugend ihn empfangen. Dein Bote ist’s, der steht an meinem Tor. Die Hände faltend und mit Tränen werde ich ihn ehren und ihm mein kostbar’ Herz zu Füßen legen. Und hat er seinen Botendienst getan, dann wird er gehn. Er wird auf meinem Morgen dunklen Schatten lassen. Verlassen, traurig wird mein Haus dann sein, in dem nur mein verlornes Ich als letzte Gabe an dich bleibt.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- Translation from English to German (Deutsch) copyright © 2014 by Bertram Kottmann, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you must ask the copyright-holder(s) directly for permission. If you receive no response, you must consider it a refusal.
Bertram Kottmann. Contact: BKottmann (AT) t-online.de
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Based on:
- a text in English by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), no title, appears in Gitanjali, no. 86, first published 1912
Based on:
- a text in Bangla (Bengali) by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), no title, appears in গীতাঞ্জলি (Gitanjali), no. 86 [text unavailable]
This text was added to the website: 2014-07-11
Line count: 13
Word count: 109