Ich rühmte unter Menschen mich, ich hätte dich gekannt

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by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941)

Translation © by Bertram Kottmann

I boasted among men that I had known you

Language: English after the Bangla (Bengali)

Our translations: GER

I boasted among men that I had known you. 
They see your pictures in all works of mine. 
They come and ask me, 'Who is he?' 
I know not how to answer them. 
I say, 'Indeed, I cannot tell.' 
They blame me and they go away in scorn. 
And you sit there smiling.

I put my tales of you into lasting songs. 
The secret gushes out from my heart. 
They come and ask me, 'Tell me all your meanings.' 
I know not how to answer them. 
I say, 'Ah, who knows what they mean!' 
They smile and go away in utter scorn. 
And you sit there smiling.

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), no title, appears in Gitanjali, no. 102, 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. 102 [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: 14
Word count: 107

Ich rühmte unter Menschen mich, ich...

Language: German (Deutsch) after the English

Ich rühmte unter Menschen mich, ich hätte dich gekannt.
In allen meinen Werken sehn sie deine Bilder.
Sie kommen her und fragen mich: „Wer ist er wohl?“
Ich weiß die Antwort nicht.
Ich sprech: „Wahrlich, ich kann’s nicht sagen.“
Sie tadeln mich und gehn voll Hohn.
Und du sitzt lächelnd hier.

Und was ich weiß von dir, erzähle ich in meinen Liedern fort und fort.
Dieses Geheimnis quillt aus meinem Herzen.
Sie kommen her und fragen mich: „Was ist ihr Sinn?“
Ich weiß die Antwort nicht.
Ich sag: „Wer kennt schon ihren Sinn!“
Da lachen sie und gehn in Spott und Hohn.
Und du sitzt lächelnd hier.

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. 102, first published 1912
- Go to the text page.

Based on:

a text in Bangla (Bengali) by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), appears in গীতাঞ্জলি (Gitanjali), no. 102 [text unavailable]
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2014-07-21
Line count: 14
Word count: 107