Attention! Some of this material is not in the public domain.
It is illegal to copy and distribute our copyright-protected material without permission. It is also illegal to reprint copyright texts or translations without the name of the author or translator.
To inquire about permissions and rates, contact Emily Ezust at licenses@email.lieder.example.net
If you wish to reprint translations, please make sure you include the names of the translators in your email. They are below each translation.
Note: You must use the copyright symbol © when you reprint copyright-protected material.
Light, oh where is the light? Kindle it with the burning fire of desire! There is the lamp but never a flicker of a flame - is such thy fate, my heart? Ah, death were better by far for thee! Misery knocks at thy door, and her message is that thy lord is wakeful, and he calls thee to the love-tryst through the darkness of night. The sky is overcast with clouds and the rain is ceaseless. I know not what this is that stirs in me - I know not its meaning. A moment's flash of lightning drags down a deeper gloom on my sight, and my heart gropes for the path to where the music of the night calls me. Light, oh where is the light! Kindle it with the burning fire of desire! It thunders and the wind rushes screaming through the void. The night is black as a black stone. Let not the hours pass by in the dark. Kindle the lamp of love with thy life.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), no title, appears in Gitanjali, no. 27, 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. 27 [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 Albert Biales (1929 - 2012), "Light, oh where is the light", 1982, first performed 1982 [ soprano and orchestra or piano ], from When the Creation Was New, no. 4 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Margaret Lucy Wilkins (b. 1939), "Light", op. 35 no. 1 (1981) [ SATB quartet and SATB chorus a cappella ], from Six Song Offerings, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
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.]
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
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2010-11-03
Line count: 23
Word count: 169
Licht, ach, wo ist Licht? Entzünde es an deinem flammenden Begehren! Da ist wohl eine Lampe, doch in ihr nie ein flackernd Licht - ist dies dein Los, mein Herz? Dann wär der Tod weit besser noch für dich! Der Kummer pocht an deine Tür und kündet dir, dein Herr schläft nicht; durch nächt’ges Dunkel ruft er dich zum Stelldichein. Der Himmel wolkenschwer, und endlos ist der Regen. Ich weiß nicht, was sich rührt in mir, weiß nicht, was es soll heißen. Ein Blitzstrahl zieht mir tief’re Finsternis von oben in den Blick, mein Herz sucht tastend nach dem Pfad, auf den die nächtliche Musik mich ruft. Licht, ach, wo ist Licht? Entzünde es an deinem flammenden Begehren!! Der Donner grollt, der Wind jagt heulend durch das Nichts. Die Nacht ist schwarz wie schwarz’ Gestein. Die Stunden lasse nicht in Finsternis verrinnen. Mit deinem Leben zünd der Liebe Lampe.
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
If you wish to commission a new translation, please contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
- a text in English by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), no title, appears in Gitanjali, no. 27, first published 1912
Based on:
- a text in Bangla (Bengali) by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), appears in গীতাঞ্জলি (Gitanjali), no. 27 [text unavailable]
This text was added to the website: 2014-04-30
Line count: 23
Word count: 148