Your questioning eyes are sad

Your questioning eyes are sad. 
They seek to know my meaning 
as the moon would fathom the sea.
I have bared my life before your eyes from end to end, 
with nothing hidden or held back. 
That is why you know me not.
If it were only a gem I could break it 
into a hundred pieces and string them 
into a chain to put on your neck.
If it were only a flower, round and small and sweet, 
I could pluck it from its stem to set it in your hair.
But it is a heart, my beloved. 
Where are its shores and its bottom?
You know not the limits of this kingdom, 
still you are its queen.
If it were only a moment of pleasure 
it would flower in an easy smile, 
and you could see it and read it in a moment.
If it were merely a pain it would melt in limpid tears, 
reflecting its inmost secret without a word.
But it is love, my beloved.
Its pleasure and pain are boundless, 
and endless its wants and wealth.
It is as near to you as your life, 
but you can never wholly know it.

Translation(s): GER

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About the headline (FAQ)

Authorship

• by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), no title, appears in The Gardener, no. 28, first published 1913 [ author's text checked 1 time]

• a text in Bangla (Bengali) by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941) [text unavailable]
• Go to the text.

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive)

• by Raymond Hanson (1913 - 1976), "Your questioning eyes are sad", op. 39 no. 5 (1959/60) [tenor and piano], from Seven songs from The Gardener, no. 5. [
   text not verified 
  ]

Available translations, adaptations, and transliterations (if applicable):

• GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , title 1: "Deine fragenden Augen sind traurig", copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Text added to the website: 2010-11-05.
Last modified: 2014-06-16 10:04:06
Line count: 25
Word count: 198

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