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Obstinate are the trammels, but my heart aches when I try to break them. Freedom is all I want, but to hope for it I feel ashamed. I am certain that priceless wealth is in thee, and that thou art my best friend, but I have not the heart to sweep away the tinsel that fills my room. The shroud that covers me is a shroud of dust and death; I hate it, yet hug it in love. My debts are large, my failures great, my shame secret and heavy; yet when I come to ask for my good, I quake in fear lest my prayer be granted.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), no title, appears in Gitanjali, no. 28, 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. 28 [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 ]
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: 14
Word count: 108
Starr sind die Fesseln, doch mein Herz, es schmerzt, wenn ich zu lösen sie versuche. Was ich begehr, ist Freiheit, doch ich schäme mich, sie zu erhoffen. Des bin ich mir gewiss, dass Unschätzbares in dir ruht, und dass mein bester Freund du bist, doch hab ich nicht den Mut, den Prunk und Glitter wegzufegen, der meinen Raum erfüllt. Mich deckt ein Tuch aus Staub und Tod. Ich hasse es, gleichwohl umarm ich es in Liebe. Mich drücken hohe Schulden und groß ist mein Versagen, verborgen meine Scham und meine Schande schlimm; doch trete ich, mein Wohl erbittend, vor dich, Herr, dann zittre ich voll Furcht, dass meine Bitte sei gewährt.
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. 28, first published 1912
Based on:
- a text in Bangla (Bengali) by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), appears in গীতাঞ্জলি (Gitanjali), no. 28 [text unavailable]
This text was added to the website: 2014-04-30
Line count: 14
Word count: 111