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I am restless. I am athirst for far-away things. My soul goes out in a longing to touch the skirt of the dim distance. O Great Beyond, O the keen call of thy flute! I forget, I ever forget, that I have no wings to fly, that I am bound in this spot evermore. I am eager and wakeful, I am a stranger in a strange land. Thy breath comes to me whispering an impossible hope. Thy tongue is known to my heart as its very own. O Far-to-seek, O the keen call of thy flute! I forget, I ever forget, that I know not the way, that I have not the winged horse. I am listless, I am a wanderer in my heart. In the sunny haze of the languid hours, what vast vision of thine takes shape in the blue of the sky! O Farthest end, O the keen call of thy flute! I forget, I ever forget, that the gates are shut everywhere in the house where I dwell alone!
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), no title, appears in The Gardener, no. 5, first published 1913 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in Bangla (Bengali) by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941) [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 Raymond Hanson (1913 - 1976), "I am restless", op. 39 no. 1 (1959/60) [ tenor and piano ], from Seven songs from The Gardener , no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Jan Śliwiński (1884 - 1950) , appears in Rabindranath Tagore. Der Gärtner, no. 5, first published 1916 ; composed by Ján Móry, Alexander Zemlinsky.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Je suis inquiet", copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , "Rastlos bin ich", copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2004-01-17
Line count: 26
Word count: 173
Rastlos bin ich, dürste nach den fernen Dingen. Meine Seele breitet sehnend sich, den Rand des fernen Dunkels zu berühren. O großes Jenseits, helles Rufen deiner Flöte! Stets ist mir nicht bewusst, dass ich mich nicht fortschwingen kann, dass ich an diesen Ort gebunden bin für alle Zeit. Erwartungsvoll bin ich und auf der Hut, Fremder in fremdem Land. Du hauchst mir Hoffnung zu, die unerfüllbar ist. Dein Wort ist meinem Herzen inniglich vertraut. O fern Begehrter, helles Rufen deiner Flöte! Stets ist mir nicht bewusst, dass ich den Weg nicht weiß, dass ich das Flügelross nicht habe. Ich bin ermattet, doch ich wandere im Herzen. Im Sonnendunst der trägen Mußestunden nimmst du Gestalt an in des weiten Himmels Blau. O fernstes Ziel, o helles Rufen deiner Flöte! Stets ist mir nicht bewusst, dass keine Tür geöffnet ist im Hause, das einsam ich bewohne.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from English to German (Deutsch) copyright © 2015 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 The Gardener, no. 5, first published 1913
Based on:
- a text in Bangla (Bengali) by Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941) [text unavailable]
This text was added to the website: 2015-10-27
Line count: 26
Word count: 144