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by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941)
Translation by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941)

That I should make much of myself and...
Language: English  after the Bangla (Bengali) 
Our translations:  GER
That I should make much of myself and turn it on all sides,
thus casting coloured shadows on thy radiance - 
such is thy maya.

Thou settest a barrier in thine own being 
and then callest thy severed self in myriad notes. 
This thy self-separation has taken body in me.

The poignant song is echoed through all the sky 
in many-coloured tears and smiles, alarms and hopes; 
waves rise up and sink again, 
dreams break and form. 
In me is thy own defeat of self.

This screen that thou hast raised is painted 
with innumerable figures with the brush of the night and the day. 
Behind it thy seat is woven in wondrous mysteries of curves, 
casting away all barren lines of straightness.

The great pageant of thee and me has overspread the sky. 
With the tune of thee and me all the air is vibrant, 
and all ages pass with the hiding and seeking of thee and me.

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

  • by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), no title, appears in Gitanjali, no. 71, 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), appears in গীতাঞ্জলি (Gitanjali), no. 71 [text unavailable]
    • Go to the text page.

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 ]

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: 2010-11-03
Line count: 18
Word count: 158

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