by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941)
Translation by Marie Luise Gothein (1863 - 1931)
I had gone a‑begging from door to door...
Language: English  after the Bangla (Bengali)
Available translation(s): GER
I had gone a-begging from door to door in the village path, when thy golden chariot appeared in the distance like a gorgeous dream and I wondered who was this King of all kings! My hopes rose high and methought my evil days were at an end, and I stood waiting for alms to be given unasked and for wealth scattered on all sides in the dust. The chariot stopped where I stood. Thy glance fell on me and thou camest down with a smile. I felt that the luck of my life had come at last. Then of a sudden thou didst hold out thy right hand and say `What hast thou to give to me?' Ah, what a kingly jest was it to open thy palm to a beggar to beg! I was confused and stood undecided, and then from my wallet I slowly took out the least little grain of corn and gave it to thee. But how great my surprise when at the day's end I emptied my bag on the floor to find a least little gram of gold among the poor heap. I bitterly wept and wished that I had had the heart to give thee my all.
About the headline (FAQ)
Authorship:
- by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), no title, appears in Gitanjali, no. 50, 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. 50 [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 Jan Pouwels.
- 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 Marie Luise Gothein (1863 - 1931) , first published 1914 ; composed by Stefan Wolpe.
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: 2009-11-13
Line count: 25
Word count: 204
Ich ging als Bettler von Türe zu Türe
Language: German (Deutsch)  after the English
Ich ging als Bettler von Tür zu Türe am Dorfweg. Da erschien in der Ferne dein goldner Wagen, wie schimmernder Traum, und ich wunderte mich, wer dieser König der Könige sei. Meine Hoffnung stieg hoch, und mir deuchten die schlimmen Tage vorbei, ich stand Almosen erwartend, die ungebeten verschenkt, und Reichtum, rings in den Staub geschüttet. Der Wagen hielt, wo ich stand. Dein Blick fiel auf mich, du stiegst nieder mit Lächeln. Ich fühlte, das Glück meines Lebens sei endlich gekommen. Da plötzlich strecktest du deine Rechte aus und sprachst: "Was hast du mir zu geben?" O welch ein Königsscherz wars, die Hand zu öffnen, dem Bettler zu betteln! Ich war verwirrt, stand unentschlossen, und aus dem Quersack nahm ich langsam das kleinste Korn und gab es dir. Doch wie groß mein Erstaunen, als am Ende des Tages den Sack ich geleert auf dem Boden, zuletzt ein kleines Korn von Gold unter dem armen Haufen zu finden. Und bitterlich weint ich und wünschte, ich hätte das Herz gehabt, dir mein Alles zu geben.
Authorship:
- by Marie Luise Gothein (1863 - 1931), first published 1914 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in English by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), no title, appears in Gitanjali, no. 50, first published 1912
Based on:
- a text in Bangla (Bengali) by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), no title, appears in গীতাঞ্জলি (Gitanjali), no. 50 [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 Stefan Wolpe (1902 - 1972), "Ich ging als Bettler von Türe zu Türe", 1926 [voice and piano], from Neun Vertonungen aus Gitanjali, no. 7. [text not verified]
Researcher for this page: Ferdinando Albeggiani
This text was added to the website: 2009-11-16
Line count: 25
Word count: 173